Be careful! The power sockets in high-speed trains are really harmful to your phone

The annual Spring Festival travel rush has officially begun.

In the past, passengers had to bring a lot of food, drinks, and toys to keep them going on journeys of more than ten hours. Now, almost all trains are equipped with power sockets, so passengers can use electronic devices to watch anime or read novels without having to eat.

You may also need to make a PPT in the car丨A social platform

However, some people are concerned about the power supply on the train: Will it be easier to get an electric shock? Will it damage my expensive mobile phone/computer/tablet? If too many electrical appliances are connected, will there be a short circuit and the train will stall?

As the Spring Festival travel rush is approaching, let's talk about the power supply on trains, a detail that is (sometimes) more important than eating and drinking during the travel rush.

Will the train run out of power?

First of all, don’t worry, the electricity on the train does not come from a huge onboard power bank and will not run out.

At present, most trains in my country are electric locomotives, which rely on the pantograph on the roof to draw electricity from the power grid above. On the one hand, it is used as the power source for the vehicle to move. On the other hand, after being processed by the transformer and converted from AC to DC, it is converted into single-phase AC power with a voltage of 220 volts and a frequency of 50 Hz for use in the car, including the power sockets under the seats.

Is it easier to get an electric shock when electricity is used on trains?

The train was running fast while the sockets in the car were powered on, which intuitively seemed unsafe. However, as I said just now, the power sockets under our seats were the same as those at home, both 220 volts and 50 hertz, and the appearance design of the sockets was not much different from those at home.

So generally speaking, the risk of electric shock on a train is similar to that at home. The key lies in the person who uses electricity.

In addition, the sockets on the train are fixed in place, and safety considerations were also taken into account when they were designed. For example, their locations are generally tricky, not easy to touch directly, and not easily exposed to water. They may even be safer than using electricity at home.

The sockets of different models of carriages are in different positions, which is tricky but also ensures the safety of electricity use to a certain extent丨Xiaohongshu/Global Travel Guide Machine

Can I use a hair dryer on the train?

Just like in university dormitories, high-power electrical appliances are not allowed!

The original intention of equipping the train with power sockets is to facilitate passengers to charge their mobile phones, computers and other devices in an emergency. The power of each of these appliances does not exceed 100 watts. According to the 40 sockets in a carriage, providing 2,000 to 3,000 watts of power, it is still possible to charge 40 mobile phones at the same time.

However, if you connect a 600-watt rice cooker, a 1,000-watt heater, or a 2,000-watt hair dryer to the train's power socket, or even directly take out a power strip and connect 10 mobile phones to start live streaming, the carriage's power supply system may heat up and age, greatly increasing the risk of fire.

Figure 丨 (Experienced) China Railway

Will the train power supply damage my phone?

Some people complained that charging their phones on the train would cause the touch screen to malfunction or even burn out the charger. Please don't worry, because this is really possible.

It is indeed a common problem丨A social platform

The electricity on the train is somewhat different from the electricity at home. After the train's pantograph draws electricity from the grid, it will have an additional AC-DC conversion step compared to household electricity. The advantage is that it can ensure voltage stability during driving and reduce the impact on the grid. The disadvantage is that the output power will be accompanied by high-frequency pulses . When charging a mobile phone with electricity with high-frequency pulses, the screen may float, and some components are more likely to age and fail.

It's time to test the charger. A high-quality charger, or one with enhanced voltage stabilization and filtering functions, can provide a safer power source for the phone, and it will be even more stable if used with an anti-electromagnetic interference data cable; while a low-quality charger will allow high-frequency pulses to attack the phone.

People who often take the high-speed rail can really consider buying better charging equipment. It’s a good idea to spend little and save a lot.

Why do power outages keep happening on the train?

Have you ever noticed that some trains fail to charge for a few seconds every once in a while? It's not because the charging equipment is in poor contact, but because the train is really out of power.

As mentioned earlier, most trains are now powered by electricity. Along the train line, there is a traction substation every 50 kilometers to supply power to the train. To avoid short circuits, the power supply lines of adjacent substations are separated by an area without electricity , usually 200 meters away.

200 meters. For a train traveling at 250 kilometers per hour, it can just rely on inertia to slide over in 3 seconds. For important equipment in the car, such as control devices and lighting, batteries or micro-braking are usually used to provide temporary power.

But for less important places, these 3 seconds will really cut off the power. The socket under the seat is classified as a "less important place" on some models.

The transient voltage fluctuations are not good for mobile phones and other electronic devices, not to mention that it happens every 50 kilometers. Using high-quality charging heads and cables can reduce some of the damage.

Spring Festival Travel Protection Electronic Equipment Operation Manual

In summary, the power sockets under the train seats do have some shortcomings. Therefore, here are some ways to protect your electronic devices during your trip. Please choose according to your needs.

1

Starter Edition

Bring a power bank! If one isn’t enough, bring two!

Please note that the rated energy of a single power bank cannot exceed 100Wh (or 27000mAh). The value can be found on the outer packaging or body of the power bank.

Figure: China Railway

2

Advanced version

Use a good quality charger . Pay special attention to its voltage regulation and filtering capabilities, which can protect electronic devices and reduce safety hazards. Original chargers from big manufacturers are good, and earlier models can be used if you are looking for cost-effectiveness.

Also pay attention to the status of electronic devices . If they are abnormally hot or the touch screen is not sensitive, it is best not to continue using the socket in the car.

3

Die Hard Version

Those who are not afraid of not being able to buy tickets can research which types of cars have more stable power supplies and will not abandon passengers' power sockets within 200 meters of a power outage.

Copyright images in the gallery. Reprinting and using them may lead to copyright disputes.

If you have extra energy and quick hands, you can even study in advance when the train will pass the power outage area and unplug the charging device in advance - whether you can do it depends on your ability.

4

Bad version

I usually play around with my phone, and I'm confident it will survive the little ordeal of the Spring Festival travel rush! (If it doesn't work out, I can still use my New Year's money to buy a new phone.)

Planning and production

Source: Guokr (ID: Guokr42)

Author: Lan Jin, PhD in Electrical Engineering

Editor: Yinuo

Proofread by Xu Lai and Lin Lin

The cover image and the images in this article are from the copyright library

Reprinting may lead to copyright disputes