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Comment by polishdude20 | Hacker News Reader

I would use a battery pack less if the outlets on the planes actually worked! On my last 4 flights I've had outlets completely disabled.

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Or make the seatback USB solution a bit more modular and update it every 5 years. Nobody is bringing a toaster on board, they just need something more than a 5 Watt USB A port for their devices.

And when they do work, my North American two prong plug falls right out half of the time.

A trick (on U.S. airlines) is to plug in an overseas adapter (British style plugs seem to work pretty well for this purpose), since those prongs see far less use and still grip well.

British plugs are just better anyway. The rectangular pins have far better contacts mechanically and electrically and they're arranged in a triangle so the plug can't wobble its way out.

It's really a very good design.

Indeed! Also:

- The outlets have shutters preventing access to the contacts, until the longer earth pin is inserted

- The live pins are on the bottom, making contact harder if it's partially pulled out. And the live pins have sleeved sections so even less live metal is exposed.

- The cable drop is at 90 degrees, typically causing less pull on the plug

Also when the cable is pulled out of the plug by force, the live disconnects first, then neutral, and only then earth.

You pay for it though, both in terms of extra manufacturing costs (presumably) and weight/bulk. Compare the north american apple usb-c power adapter to the british one:

https://store.storeimages.cdn-apple.com/1/as-images.apple.co...

The lower power versions have collapseble pins though:

https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/mgtv4b/a/40w-dynamic-p... (the clonking sound is extremely satisfying!)

The high watt chargers are heavy regardless

Does that US version even stay in the socket given the weight?

Tbh it's pretty tiny price to pay. And 5 -pack of double sockets costs £13 btw! ($17 ish)

BS1363 is an abortion.

That just sounds like another way of not working. Even if there is power, if the socket doesn’t hold the prongs, it’s not going to power your device.

You have to look up the maximum wattage for the given cabin configuration. I’ve found 30W to be about as high as I can go without it cutting out. Use a phone charger for your laptop.

This is where it’s helpful to have a multi-port charger where they’re not all high-draw.

IMO more important to go with something flat or light that won’t fall out under its own weight.

Assuming this is USB-C ports, they're supposed to negotiate a supported power limit with the device you plug in. If the port is saying "I can deliver 60W" and then cutting out if you draw more than 30, there's something wrong with their chargers.

I'm assuming he's talking about the mains socket.

There is something wrong with their chargers.

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