Charging SP4 on an airplane

[guntherfurlong]

Anybody have experience traveling on long haul flights and need to charge their SP4? Obbiously we all know that the SP4 battery life is not that great .... generally I get work done (PPT, WORD, web browsing) ... battery lasts me at least 4 hours tops.

I heard and believe there are charging outlets on many planes these days ... maybe more so in Business class ...some say economy has it too...

Anyone got any experience to share for future travelers like myself ... ie do I need any extra adapters etc?

Thanks

 

[jnjroach]

Changed the thread title as the Prefix is reserved for tip and walk-throughs.

Most US domestic flights on new aircraft have power plugs in both economy and first, every International Flight I've been on since 2010 has them in all classes and all have supported EU, UK and US Adapaters....

Your mileage may vary so I would check with your airline.

 

[Philtastic]

All of my economy flights from Canada to Asia and back have had AC outlets. Watched a lot of movies interpolated to 60 fps while rendered with madVR for better picture quality during the grueling 13'ish hours to and from Asia.

 

[MikemanSP4]

The good thing about almost all computers released in the last decade is that they are auto-voltage / multi-voltage. The best bet is to ALWAYS examine the device specification's to ensure it is multi-voltage / auto-voltage, prior to plugging it in. I have used my SP4 in my automobile with a cigarette lighter interface without issue. I have used the SP4 on a commercial flight from the US to France / Italy / Germany / Etc. Airline dependent, you may or may not need an adapter from a US Plug to a European plug in order to make the connection. You can pick one up in the US at a Radio-Shack or even at the airport shopping mall - *you will pay a WHOLE LOT more at the airport of course.

You can also pick up a Multi-Country adapter in which can utilize in a variety of wall plug arrays. Might cost you a little more, but you can rest assured you can use it in a boatload of countries. Take a look at the Multi-Country Wall Adapter I have enclosed for an idea of what one looks like - Hope this helps.

One last side note - When I have used my SP4 in my automobile, depending on my power settings - sometimes the car charger has not been able to keep up with the power demands of the SP4. In other words, if I have the screen brightness turned all the way up, GPS, watching movies while downloading etc - it will drain the battery while still in use, and eventually shut itself down. However, if I dim the screen brightness and conserve power, etc. it keeps up just fine. My apologies for being so LONG winded.

 

[Screenmad]

I have never seen anything but USB chargers on flights but that won't work for the MSP4 right?

 

[TInSOMD]

No, a USB charger doesn't have enough voltage. I just flew a round trip Seattle/Baltimore on a 737-800, and it had both USB and 110 volt AC. My charger worked fine, and kept my battery fully charged, all 5 hours.

 

[convergent]

I usually carry an external power pack with me as a backup... that is the only way you can be 100% sure you'll have power wherever you are.

 

[Eastlunder]

I usually carry an external power pack with me as a backup... that is the only way you can be 100% sure you'll have power wherever you are.

But how do you charge SP4 with external power pack?

 

[hughlle]

But how do you charge SP4 with external power pack?

You'd need one with DC output, and a sp4 power cable with a DC connector on the end. I can't comment on these products, but something long the lines of this Qi-infinity™ Surface Pro 4 External Battery: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics Sucun® 12V Mobile Power Charger Charging Adapter: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

 

[Eastlunder]

Thanks for the reply!

 

[convergent]

I have not gotten a power pack for the SP4 yet, but what I've been using with my Dell is pretty slick. It is made by Dell, so they thought it out pretty well. It accepts for charging the power cable you normally plug into the back of the laptop. Then they provide a short output cable that goes to the laptop. So when I'm at home I can have it inline charging. When I am away, I just keep it in my bag in case I need some juice. It also has a couple of USB charging ports on it to. Its pretty small and has a lot of power.

I wish that Microsoft made something like that as part of the Surface line as I'd feel more secure using their stuff. I had a bad experience one time with the wrong power plug adapter. Case in point, the Qi-infinity one mentioned by @hughlle in the description says it supports 12V, as well as 15V for the SP4. I just looked at my SP4 power supply and it says 12V. Its those types of things that make me leery of 3rd party batteries, not to mention possibly explosions!

 

[hughlle]

Case in point, the Qi-infinity one mentioned by @hughlle in the description says it supports 12V, as well as 15V for the SP4. I just looked at my SP4 power supply and it says 12V. Its those types of things that make me leery of 3rd party batteries, not to mention possibly explosions!

Why is variable output something that makes you leery? It just requires some due dilligence to make sure you select the correct output. And as I say, I've no experience with that battery, but buy something high quality from a respected brand and there shouldn't be any worries. I've had an Anker battery with variable DC output for years, performs like an absolute champ, even after being taken camping etc.