Electrical surge protector ~ are they needed aboard Amtrak trains?

[user 6862]

As the title says, are electrical surge protectors needed on Amtrak trains to protect laptops etc, or is there usually a smooth safe supply of power?

Thank you

 

[zephyr17]

Best to have it. Electricity can go on and off, and I wouldn't call the supply smooth. If you feel you need one on the regular power grid, you should have one on Amtrak.

 

[tonys96]

Agreed! having one cannot hurt and it might save your equipment.

 

[SarahZ]

We bring one simply because it allows us to plug in more items. The roomettes only have one power outlet, so we use a surge protector to add additional outlets. Plus, it becomes a bit of an extension cord, as ours reaches almost to the seat opposite from the power outlet. We usually set it behind the table, which holds it in place.

 

[StriderGDM]

Strangely enough, I found one to be MORE of a problem. The small portable ones tend to shunt to ground in some cases (as opposed to absorbing a surge). This can trip the GFCI breaker in the car.

This happened to me 3 times on one trip (until I finally stopped using my surge protector). Haven't had an issue yet.

 

[andersone]

I use a good old fashioned two prong four plug extension cord sans surge protector and have had no problems.

 

[user 6862]

For our last LD rail trip I used a 4 way SP with an extension lead, but it weighs 1.4 pounds.

For our upcoming US rail adventures we really want to travel light, that's very light, so looking at discarding usual travel stuff as much as possible. Trouble is we are travelling through the frozen north down to eventually southern Florida so have to take clothing to cover all eventualities.

To slightly complicate matters we have a small business so need to stay loosely connected, therefore phone, notebook, mifi etc plus of course a camera for such an interesting journey.

Thanks for all opinions

ps: when using our 4 way adapter in Australia in coach, if there was a spare socket on the adapter not being used, other passengers plugged into it. We were happy for them to do so and think it makes for a little more harmony.

 

[user 1215]

See if this is something that would work:

http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-3-Outlet-Charger-Protector-Charging/dp/B0015DYMVO

 

[neroden]

Now that practically all electronics have switched to USB charging, I use this:

http://www.amazon.com/Anker-Family-Sized-Desktop-Charger-Technology/dp/B00GTGETFG/ref=pd_bxgy_e_img_y

(I'm not sure this is exactly the right model, but it was something very similar.)

The few things I have which don't use USB charging are heavy-duty things which don't care about power quality, like razors.

 

[Ispolkom]

See if this is something that would work:

http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-3-Outlet-Charger-Protector-Charging/dp/B0015DYMVO

I always bring that with me on Amtrak trips. As the number of electronic devices we carry increases, it's nice to have both outlets and USB plugs. I'm not sure that the surge-protector aspect has ever been needed, but it's a great, compact item.

 

[Peter KG6LSE]

most switch mode power bricks are rated from 100-250 or so volts . Really If the 120V bus was to some how jump to 190 or so then the adapter would not really care .... now for noise filtering

. the train's HEP is 480V delta so every car has a transformer to step down to I am gonna assume 3 phase Wye at 208 phase to phase and there for 120 phase to return( often Gnd ect )

this massive transformer does a darn good job at filltering out noise.

I use the 3-1 super short Ikea non surge rated strips . it acts as a dongle an are super small .

 

[user 1215]

And then, there is the Flux Capacitor, but it only works on the NEC and SWC where speeds exceed 88 MPH.

 

[jis]

And then, there is the Flux Capacitor, but it only works on the NEC and SWC where speeds exceed 88 MPH.

 

[snvboy]

Two of the "essential" tools in my backpack are:

6 port USB charger - http://www.amazon.com/Anker-Family-Sized-Desktop-Technology-Motorola/dp/B00P933OJC/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1421957360&sr=8-9&keywords=anker+charger

The Anker ones are well built, and provide full power on all the USB ports, which means stuff charges up FAST.

3 way outlet adapter - http://www.amazon.com/GE-Heavy-Duty-3-Outlet-54203/dp/B000EU4HBO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1421957434&sr=8-2&keywords=3+outlet+adapter

You can get them cheaper at Lowes/Home Depot. I prefer the molded plastic ones because they are a little more rugged.

With those two small items, I can charge up all the devices I travel with (several phones, a couple tablets, and a couple cameras), and still have 2 outlets for laptop or whatever else that doesn't charge on USB. Both are also handy at the airport to prevent fights over limited outlets.

In terms of surge protection, I agree with the OP - they aren't needed and in some cases won't actually protect anything on the train. He's correct that just about anything that plugs in these days is happy to take anything from 100-240V.

-BJ

 

[BCL]

In terms of surge protection, I agree with the OP - they aren't needed and in some cases won't actually protect anything on the train. He's correct that just about anything that plugs in these days is happy to take anything from 100-240V.

-BJ

Oh - they'll protect the electronics from spikes that damage the power supplies. A surge protector generally sacrifices itself by absorbing these little spikes and preventing the output voltage from spiking too high. Eventually they fail, and the better ones have a light that indicates it's bit the dust or one that goes off when the protection is shot. Also - the better ones will even protect against a lightning strike hitting the power system.

However, it's kind of questionable how important it is to protect rather cheap electronics. Damage is cumulative, and after a few years I've got a new phone/tablet/whatnot and am on to using a new power adapter. If we're talking an expensive set of electronics like a home A/V system, then that's different than trying to protect a more or less disposable $15 power supply.

 

[X]

most switch mode power bricks are rated from 100-250 or so volts . Really If the 120V bus was to some how jump to 190 or so then the adapter would not really care .... now for noise filtering

. the train's HEP is 480V delta so every car has a transformer to step down to I am gonna assume 3 phase Wye at 208 phase to phase and there for 120 phase to return( often Gnd ect )

this massive transformer does a darn good job at filltering out noise.

I use the 3-1 super short Ikea non surge rated strips . it acts as a dongle an are super small .

Bi-Level outlets are on a single phase 480V to 120V isolation transformer, I assume the single level equipment is the same.

 

[Peter KG6LSE]

I wonder what the kVA rating is on that Xfmer. Any one want to leak a nice single line diagram