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September 26th, 2005, 19:30
| #1 |
| Old Skool  Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Left Seat
Posts: 5,737
 |  Onboard AC Power
Why is it that a beat up Amtrak Coach class train car can have a 120volt AC power plug in every seat and not one airplane is able to manage that. Those stupid $100 adaptors don't even work all the time. Thank you Amtrak (and I thought I would NEVER say that!)
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September 26th, 2005, 23:15
| #2 |
| Old Skool  Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: lower canada
Posts: 1,649
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my guess is because a fire on a track is not as bad as an electircal fire a FL350
__________________ According to a report by Goldman Sachs economists, "the most important contributor to higher profit margins over the past five years has been a decline in labor's share of national income." |
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September 26th, 2005, 23:18
| #3 |
| Old Skool  Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Coloradan in Orange County, CA
Posts: 3,235
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How much do those train pilots make? Where are Amtrack's crew bases at?
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September 26th, 2005, 23:21
| #4 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: wa
Posts: 684
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I would venture to guess that it also has to do with the equipment required for converting voltages (weight). I assume a 737 doesn't run a 120V electrical system, but I really don't know. Also, a locomotive is basically a huge diesel electric generator attached to electric motors. I would guess that a hundred household 120V outlets running laptops would be small potatoes to a train's power system. |
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September 27th, 2005, 00:31
| #5 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Newport Beach, CA
Posts: 555
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Actually the 737's primary electrical system is AC 115V. However, it runs at 400Hz, which, I imagine is not really good on home electronics. However, I could be wrong.
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September 27th, 2005, 01:00
| #6 |
| Old Skool  Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: DFW, based in ONT, wishing I was in Maine
Posts: 3,899
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We had a flight attendant plug his laptop into the outlet on the ERJ and he says it fired his laptop... 2nd hand info... for what it's worth.
__________________ My head is in the clouds and my heart is still in Maine... but my devotion and love belong to my wife and children. Pics!  |
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September 27th, 2005, 01:53
| #7 |
| Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 188
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Lights and system control circuits operate on 28V so a 120V AC wiring would have to be added,120V is high enough voltage to kill you or cause more intense arching if insulation fails ,safety may be an issue [SWISSAIR accident] Dont know the 737 specs but the old 727 had 3 generatores that pruduce 40KW each .At a modest 400W per outlet and about 100 installed at peak use 40 KW would be needed Im guessing this is probably too much of an extra load for the electrical system |
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September 27th, 2005, 02:19
| #8 | |
| Agent Smith  | Quote:
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September 27th, 2005, 05:39
| #9 | |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: abe
Posts: 868
| Quote:
and for reference, the outlets in your house (if you are in the US) are 120VAC@60Hz probably breakered at 15 amps for each branch. | |
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September 27th, 2005, 11:23
| #10 | |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Shaolin NY, ACK MA
Posts: 589
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__________________  "CESSNA ONE SEVEN TWO PAPA TENGO YOU HAVE DISOBEYED NOW SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES " | |
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September 27th, 2005, 15:02
| #12 | |
| Moderator  Join Date: May 2003 Location: GRR
Posts: 8,631
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__________________ . If life gives you lemons, throw 'em into a quart of vodka. ~Red Green | |
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September 27th, 2005, 18:15
| #13 | |
| Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 188
|  Quote:
I=E/R tells me that for a given R of the human body,Voltage is the factor that determines how much current is going to flow The same system run at 12V would not pose any danger no matter how many Amps and yes what kills is the current but there has to be enough voltage to overcome the resistance The electrical code allows a maximun of 12 outlets per branch breakered at 15 considering not all are going to be used at the same time ,for the kitchen split 20 amps,dryers and hot water tanks 30 and stove 50 [this is what i remember from rewiring my house] | |
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September 27th, 2005, 20:27
| #14 |
| Old Skool Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Left Seat
Posts: 5,737
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Doug, I got the joke. It was funny. Really. As to my origional post... I know why they don't have power wired into aircraft. Heck, IFE stuff causes enough problems. I was just commenting on how it was nice Amtrak does and how airlines could. |
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