Why are there never free power sockets when my Y-fronts need charging? "No, it's not going in. It's a couple of inches too short." As Reg readers will be aware, it is a strict ISO requirement that power cables for electronic devices are manufactured in one of two lengths: 25.4mm shorter than required 2 metres longer than necessary The seasoned road warriors among you – that is, mobile users …
The other day I found a 1M USB A Male > USB A Female cable. Joy! It makes it so much easier to use and charge things at the same time once I've plugged whatever flavour of Male to Male cable into it. I think it came with a Logitech wireless mouse, one of the fancy power hungry darkfield ones that needs charging once a fortnight as opposed to once a year.
I regularly raid the worksite eWaste bin for, among other things, a good selection of different-length cables for both mains and USB extension. I the latter I have everything from 10cm to 3m from salvage (plus some repeater-boosted 10m and a 20m USB I purchased).
Also, making sure there was power (both mains and high-current USB) on every desk and every 2m along walls in my part of the new building they are just digging the foundations for now was a goal I set myself at the design-consultation stage. A separate up-coming battle is RJ45 ports along with them (connected into the WiFi backbone - we have separate networks for managed and BYOD devices, the latter being exclusively wireless at present, which always ends up oversubscribed, so giving BYODers the option to hard-plug in should make life better for everyone, if I can just convince Networking of that!).
Back when the first thumbdrives (Hah. From their size and capacity they must have been built using core memory) started appearing, those cables were pretty ubiquitous, allowing people to plug in those drives without blocking the entire I/O panel and most of the ventilation grids. Some even came with those drives, and you could buy ones with the female end in the form of some lump so that you could put it on your desk and not have to dive behind the tower case to plug in or retrieve the drive.
As the value of commodities goes up, people look to up the supply. Whilst Bitcoin eats electricity, using gold instead has people digging mines, polluting rivers and investing in asteroid mining companies. Neither gold nor bitcoin is ideal, but we can't casually say Bitcoin is worse than the status quo.
I guess at least the asteroid mining has the ability to supply us with industrially useful minerals in addition to gold (gold is useful in industry, but we already have far more than we need for purely practical applications)
Another way to make money from the ability to capture and move asteroids is: "Give me 3/4 of your GDP or I drop this mountain on your capital city! Mwahhahaha!" [Strokes cat]
Indeed. Savers in Cyprus had 50% of everything over €100,000 confiscated a few years ago. The USA did something similar with people's gold in bank vaults a few decades back. If you're in a politically unstable state and need to emigrate, you'd want some way of taking your money with you. In turbulent times people haven't been able to trust fiat currencies and have put their money into gold or diamonds.
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As the value of commodities goes up, people look to up the supply. Whilst Bitcoin eats electricity, using gold instead has people digging mines, polluting rivers and investing in asteroid mining companies. Neither gold nor bitcoin is ideal, but we can't casually say Bitcoin is worse than the status quo.
What incentive will people have to extend the Bitcoin blockchain when there are no more Bitcoins to be awarded for doing so?
The place where I first worked had metal partitioning, with glass from about 4 feet above floor level. A new carpet led to complaints from all and sundry, whatever their variety of underwear.
I took to wandering around with a pencil in my hand. There was often a loud crack as the charge went painlessly through it to the metal door.
It's a good job the paint in the warehouse below was safely tucked away inside steel cans.
My coat's the one with the emergency backup static discharge routing device in the pocket.
During winter I've gotten into the habit of touching door knobs with my knuckles before opening them. Knuckles are FAR less sensitive than fingertips, and the trick doesn't require carrying something extra around.
I've also heard of your pencil trick being done with keys. For myself, I've been happy with the knuckle trick. YMMV.
The cable length problem increase exponentially when you have guys from around the world.
Why do experienced travellers seem to forget that plugs are generally different? I now have Euro and US multiblocks ready to go (and UK multiblocks in our other offices.)
And those that do bring their own converters seem to find the largest and most cumbersome devices that double up as chargers, hotspots and God-knows-what but with the side effect that they cover up the precious sockets on either side of the one they are plugged in to thereby rendering the 6-way multiblock only usable by 3 people!
"with the side effect that they cover up the precious sockets on either side of the one they are plugged in to "
Can we also have a special mention for those wall warts that have the lead emerge from the wrong end so that it blocks the opposite socket of those compact back-to-back multi-blocks? Even if the adapter itself doesn't extend enough to block it the cable emergence is armoured with an inflexible grommet.
I often question why it's always the case that when I have a two way plug the power supplies I need to plug in completely block each other leading to mass rearranging of all the plugs. It's like there is a mysterious force guiding me when plugging cables in to the route of most resistance. It doesn't get me to start off with but it waits and haunts my every choice in the end. I shake my fist at this mysterious force but I know it won't make any difference.
When travelling I take a 6 way 13A UK mains block plugged up with all the power blocks & USB chargers, then fit a single international adapter on the 13A plug.
A long laptop lead is handy for hotel stays where the only 13A socket is on the other side of the room from the bed where I *cough* need to *cough* work on my laptop.
I'll get me bathrobe.
I did the same on holiday\emigrating.
We used to get US cables shipped in with computers & servers, so I bought UK mains blocks, removed the old cable & hardwired in the saved\recovered North America ones instead.
So all the UK stuff we took over as long as it was 110 - 220V compatible could be plugged in.
Icon because the kids PSP's etc needed charging.
Handy (but dangerous) tip: If you pull a US plug out of the socket by a few millimetres the distance between the prongs is the same as for a UK shaving plug. I once kept my shaver and toothbrush charged up by doing that. Push the US plug back in to trap the UK plug and it will just about stay in place on its own :)
That blog doesn't quite tell the whole story. The key feature for safety is that the output of the socket is isolated from the input, by an isolating transformer. Simple limiting of current isn't going to stop anyone dying - Ground Fault Interrupters, or as we know them here Residual Current Devices, are needed for that. They limit the current to under 30mA and crucially will operate much more quickly than an overcurrent device.
By using an isolating transformer you completely remove the possibility of accidentally grounding the power from (say) a frayed lead through your body to the metal pipework in the bathroom. There simply is no return path.
M.
When travelling I take a 6 way 13A UK mains block plugged up with all the power blocks & USB chargers, then fit a single international adapter on the 13A plug.
Back in the mists of time I acquired a four-way socket with an IEC14 inlet. Unfortunately, after several moves it's now Somewhere In A Box, and I look forward to the day That Box emerges from the Large Stash Of Boxes.
I learned early on that if there was a power outlet available at all it would invariably be at the farthest point in the room. The fewer the outlets the more dire the need to use it. So my laptop bag began including an extra long extension cord & an ultra thin power strip. I could plug in the lead & tape it down until it reached my chair, plug in the power strip to give myself four to six outlets, & conveniently charge/power anything I desired. The first time my coworkers saw the arrangement in my bag they scoffed, only to see the wisdom come conference room meeting time with outlets on the far side of the room. Suddenly everyone else was doing it too. This had a side benefit of not blocking the outlets with wall warts that do their utmost to thwart anyone else's ability to use an outlet.
Buy yourself an extra long extension cord & a slim 4~6 outlet power strip. You can now power all your devices without much fuss.
I would hazard a guess that this is one reason for airlines charging for bags now is because of all the gizmos people "must" have. Even I am slightly guilty. Last trip with the family: Two laptops, two mobile phones, one iPad and chargers for said gear, plus all the extra cables and adaptors needed with visiting a different country. Back in the day, all I needed to travel was my passport, cash and some clothes in a backpack. I miss those days...
plus all the extra cables and adaptors needed with visiting a different country
A slimline four-way 2m extension cable with a multi-prong UK to North America/Europe adapter attached and a four-socket USB charger covers all my power needs and gets around paucity of or insanely placed sockets in hotel rooms, both in the UK and abroad.
I take a single USB charger instead of the Spaghetti Monster (He Boiled For Our Sins) if I'm taking my lappy as I can trickle charge stuff off the USB sockets on that.
If travelling together SWMBO takes her own four-way extension cable with another mains adapter and a single USB charger so one of us can mains-power a gadget/laptop in bed without having to unplug all the gear charging up on the hotel room desk/table.
(Warning: Make sure you're using USB chargers/lappy supplies that are 110V 60Hz capable if going over the pond! Most are these days, thankfully.)
I throw in a power bank that can be used to recharge a phone at the bedside in the UK, I can't remember last time IO had a hotel room where there was an accessible socket on both sides of the bed. I make it part of the routine to plug it in for recharging each time we leave the room.
When outside the UK I use 2 of these rather than packing another socket adaptor and also carry a 4 gang extension with a European / US adaptor on the plug.
I restrict myself to one laptop a windows tablet, my wife's ipad and a chromecast so I can watch netflix even if the hotel room doesn't have a smart tv..
I try to have as many things powered by USB as possible when traveling, because I can power them from a battery if I can't find an available USB charging socket. That works great for most things*, but I have yet to see a laptop that charges via USB, at least the normal kind of USB that doesn't start sending 55W at the device. The computers that expect high amounts of power from a USB socket don't work on any other charger than the one they were shipped with, in my experience.
*Depending on needs, a phone, WiFi access point (for a VPN network), tablet, standalone GPS device, media player, camera, etc. can be found that charge via USB. Go with those. If its cable has anything other than a USB connector on either end, don't buy it if you want it to be convenient to charge on the go.
put your keycard in a slot on the wall to turn on the electric supply to the room. A Tesco Clubcard or similar will work as well
Yes, irritating isn't it? They give you two keycards which is a splendid idea if Fra Spamfast fancies parting company for the shops but then you can't leave anything on charge.
Unfortunately, newer ones actually require a real keycard and not something with the same dimensions.
They always get a down-mark in reviews for this nonsense.
I would hazard a guess that this is one reason for airlines charging for bags now is because of all the gizmos people "must" have.
Nope, it's just because they are greedy and can get away with it. More profit for them!
You don't think charging these things actually costs them extra money to make the electricity to charge them I hope? They have some big electric generators on the wings (or tail) that need to be used to move you places anyway.
At most they would have spent a little to get the connectors mounted but would probably only come with a normal refit and would not cost much anyway.
You don't think charging these things actually costs them extra money to make the electricity to charge them I hope? They have some big electric generators on the wings (or tail) that need to be used to move you places anyway.
Not strictly true, you can't magically create power so a fraction more fuel will be used, admittedly it's a miniscule amount compared to flying the plane.
This becomes more significant however with non-flying vehicles (boats and motorhomes) charging larger batteries.
At most they would have spent a little to get the connectors mounted but would probably only come with a normal refit and would not cost much anyway.
Anything aircraft related does "not cost much anyway". Just opposite as everything has to be "certified". Plus installation isn't done by Gus the electrician but a very well paid installer and then inspected by at least two inspectors.
Anything aircraft related does "not cost much anyway". Just opposite as everything has to be "certified". Plus installation isn't done by Gus the electrician but a very well paid installer and then inspected by at least two inspectors.
Which is admittedly a very sensible policy. Last time Gus the Electrician did things on a plane, the new entertainment system was quite deadly. Literally:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swissair_Flight_111#Probable_cause
Anything aircraft related does "not cost much anyway". Just opposite as everything has to be "certified". Plus installation isn't done by Gus the electrician but a very well paid installer and then inspected by at least two inspectors.
But Gus the electrician (why can't the installer be called Gus?) is already factored into the refit plan, all part of normal business (aka business plan) for the airline and already costed in, unless they have incompetent people in charge (hang on!) Hence the 'on a refit' part which they do periodically leading to it would not cost much.
"You don't think charging these things actually costs them extra money to make the electricity to charge them I hope?"
I took the OP's comment to mean charging for the additional weight, not the electricity costs. Last time out (a week ago) I took; 2 laptops, 2 phones, Android tablet, Kindle, power bank, Bluetooth headphones + a big bag of cables for all this stuff. Said bag of cables sets of Manchester airport's scanners EVERY DAMN TIME. With a single change of clothes for emergencies, all of this just about exceeded the 10kg cabin allowance (all this was for a 2-month working trip to Asia, by the way. Not just feeding my addictions for a week in the sun!).
Not that I'm disagreeing with the profit-hungry antics of airlines though, you understand. Charging extra for exceeding carry-on weight is bollocks.
We have an actual, working Jacquard loom here in the town where I live. The town is famous for its red linen and the mill museum has a working loom and a 19th Century yarn production line in working order.
The cloth is very robust and lasts for ages, unlike Jacquard by Google, which will probably not be supported long enough put it through the washing machine after wearing it.
I frequently get laughed at for some of the things I carry about to avoid exactly these issues, until of course they happen.
I always carry a 5M Cat6 cable and a connecter along with a series of adapters to convert it into a console cable for a variety of devices, on the assumption that there is NEVER space for a person with a laptop anywhere near where the console cable needs to plugin. Details here for fellow budding MacGyvers. http://www.ossmann.com/5-in-1.html
I also tend to recommend that meeting rooms and hot desks are setup with on desk power and network points, but that inevitably leads to the secondary problem of people thinking that an unplugged network cable isn't a good thing and connecting both ends, ultimately bringing the whole network down.
It must be nice to work at non-"chickenshit" outfits with unlimited IT budgets. Sometimes you have to work with small businesses for whom the difference between an unmanaged switch and a fancy one might mean that one of their users doesn't get a computer at all. Much easier to put a sticker on the desk saying don't connect both ends of the cable.
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Your idiot-proofing sticker will conjure from thin air a better class of idiot who will think "Why? Let's find out...".
This gives me an idea for removing said idiots from the gene pool, all I need is a regular steel container, some petrol and some matches , and a sign saying "Please dont set fire to the petrol while standing inside this container"
An infra red sensor then swings the door shut, waits while the fire consumes the idiot and then reopens ready for the next vict er idiot
I also recommend a USB battery pack and a small USB keyboard. I have a keyboard-trackpad-combo about the size of a remote control that seems laughable at first, as nobody would ever want to type anything long on it, but the number of times I've been able to retrieve it from my bag rather than search the filing cabinets in the hopes of finding a keyboard there is surprisingly high. There are other useful devices I would suggest you carry, but I'm going to stop now before you end up having one of everything in your bag.
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One of the tings that I take with me is a USB wallwart and every type of cable I can think of.
UNHCR has involved IKEA in creating refugee shelter housing. The units come equipped with, among other features, solar panels and an USB charger.
They can even be assembled without the need for a hex key or any other tool.
(I wonder if the assembly instruction booklet has the IKEA Person running away from falling bombs, a tsunami and an armed terrorist as its first panel)
I saw just recently a prototype car that had solar panels all over the place, on Youtube channel Fully Charged. It had power sockets both inside and outside of it so you could charge your stuff. Not just your phone, but a full-sized washing machine could be powered by it.
If left under the scorching sun, it could acquire 30 kilometers of autonomy every day.
I work at less than 10km from my home. I'd have a car that simply needs no recharging whatsoever, as long as I park it in the sunny spots nobody wants.
And it could charge other stuff too.
They're probably not going to make a model for the UK market.
And if they do, it'll probably come with a small portable wind turbine that you can erect next to the car. And a rain-collector that you can add Stuff(TM) to to generate small amounts of leccy.
And, in the grand tradition of British AFVs - a tea boiler.. (squaddies can survive anything except being deprived of hot water to make tea apparently - our Army is the only one that fits them to all the AFVs)
"it is a strict ISO requirement that power cables for electronic devices are manufactured in one of two lengths:
25.4mm shorter than required
2 metres longer than necessary
"
Those of us who put together systems from boxes and components know that this extends to internal cables as well. It's just that the actual measurements are smaller and what's more there are far more options than power cables to be the wrong length. And that's before you get into the types of cable and connector.
Build something into a min-ITX box and you quickly discover that a box big enough to hold all the components is too small. It might hold the components but the only available cables are for tower cases and there isn't enough space to fold them all up into and have air circulation. Of course SATA has made things easier hasn't it?
No. All SATA connectors might be alike on everything from laptop hard drives up to whatever the biggest server drive is these days but SATAs on slimline optical drives are different - they have fewer power pins, are smaller and only come as single connectors with both power and signal leads. The power lead (only available in regulation tower case length despite being made to plug into a laptop-style drive) has a connector to go into one of those connectors on the SATA power harness doesn't it?
No, they're only obtainable with old-style Molex connectors or a connector which only fits the one and only SATA power connector on the motherboard which the power harness should be fitting. So the clutter is increased by a reverse SATA/Molex lead only sold on eBay and only advertised there when there's a J in the month.
And then there's the whole business of USB-3 internal cables. They plug into the motherboard by a connector that sprouts a couple of cables, each as about as flexible as the original Ethernet coax but has to be bent into place with a clearance of about 30mm under the top cover...
There's a related problem with meeting rooms that are equipped with a screen. The hole in the table will typically sprout cables for HDMI, perhaps Displaylink, and boring old VGA. I've worked in one office where the HDMI cable terminated in a multi-ended thing that offering all the different sizes of HDMI plus DVI.
It really doesn't matter how many and how varied the connectors on offer are, because none of them was designed for a life of frequent connection and disconnection, so they don't work properly. It's possible for a while to jury-rig them by wedging a notepad under them or even getting a minion to sit holding the cable in a special position, but sooner or later they die. It's then necessary to take up the floor and replace the whole cable.
The bigger problem is when they run a big, long series of cables through the wall, under the floor then up to the table. Then they use the end of those cables for connecting to people's laptops. I can guarantee within a year that the connector (HDMI or VGA) will have disintegrated - and replacing the cable isn't a simple job. One of the first things we did at my last place was to go around all the meeting rooms and pop an extender onto the end of the cables. Then at least when the cable falls apart, you only have a 2m extension to replace instead of having to get facilities to route brand new cables through the room.
It seemed like this would be a thing of the past when wireless display came on the scene. Unfortunately I have a Nexus 7 that will connect to a FireTV or a Microsoft Display adapter, a Surface Book that will only connect to the Microsoft adapter, and anyone who comes round with an Apple device can connect to neither of them
It's then necessary to take up the floor and replace the whole cable.
I think that only applies to structural concrete floors. If there is a void with removable panels/tiles then there will be an obscure compatibility issue that means you can easily replace the cable but also need to replace the display panel as well as upgrade all of the rest of your AV/IM infrastructure and migrate to a different vendor platform that does not inter-operate with your biggest customer. Or something
Not just in meeting rooms.
I've found in my travels for work that many hotels have a perverse design whereby the mains socket closest to your bed is 20 feet away. That's in a 10 foot square room, by the way.
They just seem to be far enough away that makes them unusable for plugging your phone in to charge overnight and still be close enough to turn the alarm off without waking up every resident of the small town that the hotel is otherwise situated just far enough away from where you're working to be a pain in the arse for travelling to and from but close enough your phone alarm acts as a some kind of air raid siren.
So I learned many years ago that a mains extension lead is popped into my case and the problem is usually solved.
I had to visit a sister company in Aus, less than 12 hours after landing at Brisbane airport I went into a management meeting to be greeted with, "I've forgotten my laptop PSU!" Good job I packed the universal one* and a socket adapter then wasn't it?
Our main meeting room has tables down the centre separated by a small gap. In the gap is secured a couple of lengths of cable basket with an 8-way power block, the HDMI and VGA cables from the projector, etc.
*Mainly because it would plug into just about any input including 12v airline sockets as mains ones weren't universal then even in Business Class.
All our meeting rooms and shared spaces have Kensington USB hubs attached to them, so any laptop can just connect using USB, so no problems for even our Surface Pros. Unfortunately, they do not have the same Displaylink drivers/settings as those on our desks to drive our multiple screens, so Windows gets confused and refuses to recognise the previously working desktop setup on return. Cue hours of fiddling to get screen 3 to come back to life again. Desks have at least four 13A sockets plus two 2A USB A.
The person with the smallest amount of desk space always needs the most hardware, all hung off of a laptop with insufficient USB ports. This of course means hanging a hub off in thin air, which will get dragged out of the USB port when the combined weight of the attached peripherals and each of their 9 feet of zip-tied power cords all fall in a pile behind the 500 lb desk.
My last two laser printers had mains cables too short to even reach the ground.
Toasters and coffee filter machines assume the kitchen work-surface has sockets about every 30cm.
New Laptop: DC cable not long enough for the "brick" to sit below the desk and the power cord about 15cm long. The PSU socket at least took a 2m long cord off a 17 year old power brick. Not regular IEC but 3 pin version of 2 pin "figure of eight" cable.
It's crazy.
As are ever thinner phones and laptops that have less run time than models 10 years ago. Laptop batteries used to unclip or pop out. Now it's a puzzle involving YouTube videos (why not a regular web page with text and photos?) to see how to replace the battery in almost anything.
Dabbsy hits nail on head and trips over the extension lead as usual!
Also the 4 way socket strips used to be 1.2m to 2m. Now about 30cm as noted. Or less!
Stupid PSUs with power UK plug pins built in, that obscure switch on socket, or foul skirting board, or prevent sockets either side being used, or have the USB outlet in a stupid location. Years ago you got ones with clip on Australian, US, UK, Euro plug adaptor, though I prefer PSUs with the socket (IEC, figure of eight, 3 pin version etc) and then I can have appropriate power cord or get a local plug if it's weird and change the plug on the cable.
Many of the USB chargers and other plug types (US calls them Wall Warts) won't even fit an adaptor.
We are going backwards. Tech equivalent of decline of the Roman Empire.
New Laptop: DC cable not long enough for the "brick" to sit below the desk and the power cord about 15cm long. The PSU socket at least took a 2m long cord off a 17 year old power brick. Not regular IEC but 3 pin version of 2 pin "figure of eight" cable.
They all are regular IEC-60320 connectors. C13/C14 is your typical "kettle" lead. C5/6 is the "cloverleaf" (or as you described "3 pin version of figure of eight"), and C7/C8 is the "figure of eight".
Most laptops seem to have moved on from C7/C8 to C5/C6, and some (especially higher powered gaming laptops) seem to just stick to PSUs with C13/C14 (perhaps the 2.5A limit of C5/C6 is too close for comfort).
Is C14 the C13 with a notch?
Thanks, I didn't know that. I'll call the C5/C6 a cloverleaf in future. I'm sure most people don't know those C numbers. Kettle lead (13A?), Kettle lead without notch (6A?), figure-of-eight (2.5A) and cloverleaf will I think work for the average person.
Is C14 the C13 with a notch?
C14 is the inlet for a C13 which is the female end of your standard equipment cable. 'Kettle lead is actually incorrect, as kettles and the like need C15 (female) and C16 (male) connectors because of the higher temperature rating, and these are the one with the notch. You'll find that C13/C14 plug bodies tend to be thermoplastic, C15/C16 are thermohardening and the cable has a higher temperature rating too
Is C14 the C13 with a notch?
No, C13 is the plug and C14 is the socket on the appliance. Also it is misleading to call C13/C14 "kettle" lead as C13/C14 is only rated for maximum pin temperature of 70C, where as the notched C15/C16 is rated at 120C and hence actually suitable as kettle lead.
Thanks, I didn't know that. I'll call the C5/C6 a cloverleaf in future. I'm sure most people don't know those C numbers. Kettle lead (13A?), Kettle lead without notch (6A?), figure-of-eight (2.5A) and cloverleaf will I think work for the average person.
To be fair most people wouldn't know which C any connector is if you don't deal with them often enough. Both C13/C14 and C15/C16 (ie notchless and notched) are nominally rated at 10A from connector perspective. Many leads are fused much below that allowing for cable of lower cross sectional area for example. The current limits I've mentioned are IEC rating just for the connector so actual maximum current could be lower depending on cable used. You may also find some (for example UL-listed ones from US) that specify higher current ratings.
For more current you would need to use C19/C20 (rated at 16A max) that you often see in PDUs and UPSes.
A laptop that won't last the day without power is unfit for purpose. We need more imagination: for example, last time I made it to FOSDEM (probably last time ever) I took a Nokia with mini-keyboard that seemed better-suited to the venue than a regular laptop.
The laptop I've wanted for many years has low power consumption ARM processor, solid state storage, and - the big one - e-ink screen. Other solutions might involve Reg favourite technologies such as pee-power, enabling the journalist to claim extra drinks as necessary expenses.
What would be the utility of that? The screen would take so long to refresh that you wouldn't get a refresh while typing and you could do nothing that requires colors or real time video. If you want low power, why not turn the screen off while typing? Similar power draw with equal lack of feedback. On the topics of processor, all the ARM laptops out there run rather advanced (read power hungry) chips, and are locked down a lot.
It sounds like you would be better served with a mobile device that runs longer on battery and a keyboard.
You can do text and images and reasonable wordprocessing on eink. Someone even sells a display, except really you need a specially designed window manager to get the best from it (possible on Linux). Even reading Wikipedia is possible.
Yes, it won't do video.
Yes, it can ghost.
No, you must not scroll! It's time WP and Web browsers had a pagination mode. Why even when page easily fits on a screen, no WP uses the PgUp and PgDn keys to move a document page at a time?
Why does no browser have a page mode (like old Kindles on Web) instead of only scrolling. BTW the dreadful Kobo Web Interface makes ancient non-touch kindles look good!
Why the **** should I want video? A screen that doesn't support it could frequently save me the trouble of using a browser back button. And I could be less aggressive with the ad blocker! Colours I can take or leave. And immediate screen updating when, for example, typing is nice but far from essential: I'm still fine with a line-oriented editor.
It sounds like you would be better served with a mobile device that runs longer on battery and a keyboard.
Yeah, I'm being unrealistic. Expecting a laptop to be a mobile device, such as I might take with me when away from home? Oh dear.
"You can read on an eink screen."
Granted. That's useful, while reading static text. That is fine. However, you can't easily read dynamic text, like fast-printing console output, without delays and the mandatory use of the less command. Sure, we use it all the time anyway, but the screen would be less fluid and more annoying.
"Why should I want video or colors?"
Because the world has decided that those things will exist. Some status things will display important information by changing icons and colors rather than changing text. I would rather they didn't, and it sounds like you agree, but a laptop might be called upon to do that. It also helps if someone wants you to look at a diagram, E.G. of a system they want you to work on or build. They may have used colors, which may be important to them. "My machine will last ten times as long as yours does" is not a useful explanation for why you can't see their document. For that matter, they may have used video as well to explain their point, whether relevant or not.
"I expect a laptop to be a mobile device."
They are, and they will run for a while. However, your concept, mainly the screen on your concept, removes some of the features of a laptop in the interest of power. It's useful to know what you'll lose by doing that, especially as people who just see a laptop will assume you have the capabilities your model has jettisoned. That's why I would prefer a laptop with a lower-power processor and a normal screen that is designed to be powered dynamically (E.G. a low-power low-brightness mode rather than a small saving from brightness reduction).
I would not want to use your idea. That doesn't mean that it wouldn't work for you, but I think it's important to recognize that a scaled-up kindle can't simply take the place of a laptop in all cases. My suggestions are that you get a laptop with lower power draw and a larger battery, or use a device that is designed for longer battery life. Your use case of reading text and writing on a keyboard actually sounds like a kindle would be sufficient for it. Either way, know what your hybrid product will be able and unable to do.
A laptop that won't last the day without power is unfit for purpose.
I always order the extra-capacity battery with any new laptop. You can feel quite smug by 3pm in a conference when everyone else is fighting over the power outlets.
favourite technologies such as pee-power,
'scuse me folks, laptop is running low. Zziiipppppp... ?
Many are now slim, no optical drive and one rating of battery, likely a set of pouch cells to allow thinness and less weight than the standard cylindrical metal cased Lithium formerly in power tools and laptops.
I obviously can't speak for all, but a previous Dell had an additional flat battery that clipped underneath onto the docking station connector, and my current Lenovo 470 has a small fixed internal battery and a selection of different-capacity ones that slot into the battery connector at the rear, the large one is 72Wh. In both cases new fully-charged batteries give 10+ hours if the laptop is in economy mode, which was enough to last a full day of note-taking, email & browsing.
My missus is a big Disney fan, and also a member of a couple of Internet forums. One of the "rules" is that you have to do a report of your visit and post it on the site.
For taking notes, we used my old Psion Series 5 - much better than using a tablet or laptop. The two AA batteries lasted the whole five day trip!
Ah, that's where you would use HV differential. But of course the installed host adapter would be a single-ended one, the storage box would be LVD, and none of the cables around would have the appropriate plugs, requiring a chain of at least three cables to go from the HA to the box, plus another one to put the terminator on the bus.
(I've worked at a place that had systems using a shared HVD bus with two HAs and two storage boxes, with a sort of multiway socket in the middle)
But the SCSI cables were either ribbon cables wide enough to drive a car along, or cylindrical and thick enough to act as a main support cable for your local suspension bridge, but less flexible. USB-C pales i comparison.
...with an EU plug adaptor on the end fits almost everywhere in the world, with some jiggling. (Screwdriver to open the "earth shutter" on UK sockets.)
Also if you lose your 3 pin IEC laptop mains cable, just find a standard two-pin figure-of-eight "cassette player" style cable and slice out the rubber between the two pins.
It'll then fit the laptop block 3-pin socket perfectly.
All academic for me now as I have a Thunderbolt powered Lenovo and have now finally achieved the travel holy grail of one USB power supply. (Folding US pin version, natch.)
And what happens if you bought the Note 7 skundies? Just how fast can you rip those skundies off when the inevitable blaze kicks off, in public, on the steps down to Victoria Station Underground, in the rush-hour? <LOL> I think I'll give that a miss along with most of the so called wearable-computing rubbish. I like having a nice discrete device that I can dispose of rapidly if necessary, especially one that contains 40,000 Joules.
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