Laptop trolley

[chrbb]

How do you manage your laptop trolley? We have a loxit trolley with a charging strip, the laptops all use their own chargers. The head insisted we had a trolley but it has be static in the suite not wheeled around the school, so the children come and fetch the laptops and trail round school carrying them. Not ideal.
We've had a few occasions where children have come and unplugged the laptop chargers and removed the laptops whilst the power was still on and the chargers live, but as a part timer I can't always be there to switch the power off and then back on to charge the laptops for the next session. I've now been told by SMT that on no account must the trolley be plugged in whilst the children are removing or returning the laptops but they have offered no solution to how the laptops will be charged whilst I'm not there!

[krisd32]

wire a switch on to the open doors that when they are open it turns off the power and back on when they shut it again!

[chrbb]

If I could I would, but not got the first idea and probably wouldn't pass our h&s policy anyway.

[K.C.Leblanc]

Tell him either the trolley can't be used when you're there or that the supervising teacher must take responsibility for making sure it's switched off.

Although the switch idea would work, many lap safe have this function, you should be modifying it. Might be worth talking to the manufacturers to see if they can mod it.

[smadison]

I have had training managers sign for all four trolleys we have and they are responsible as we can not be in four place at one time.

[chrbb]

It's a loxit lapbank trolley. The original plan was that an adult would accompany the pupils and supervise, but as ever that slips and we now have 2 pupils arriving on thier own to collect 6 laptops and carrying 3 each. The problem is no-one is interested in setting up a proper system until there's a problem or someone realises the trolley is switched on whilst children are unplugging laptops.

[steveg]

Is it actually a problem if the children unplug them when they are live? The trolleys are wired so that the mains part of the charger is out of the way of the children, the only bit they can get to is the low voltage lead, which for most laptops is around 19v, and really couldn't do much damage!

A lot of our laptop trolleys are static, and therefore stay plugged in, with children in year 1 being taught how to remove and replace their own laptop. The newer ones come with an RCD, which could easily be added to an older trolley - so if there was any fault with 1 of the ac adaptors it would trip.

Steve

[Edu-IT]

How do you manage your laptop trolley?

Laptop and trolley in the same sentence makes me shudder.

Ours gets wheeled and returned to designated areas where they're plugged in again.

[chrbb]

Is it actually a problem if the children unplug them when they are live? The trolleys are wired so that the mains part of the charger is out of the way of the children, the only bit they can get to is the low voltage lead, which for most laptops is around 19v, and really couldn't do much damage!

A lot of our laptop trolleys are static, and therefore stay plugged in, with children in year 1 being taught how to remove and replace their own laptop. The newer ones come with an RCD, which could easily be added to an older trolley - so if there was any fault with 1 of the ac adaptors it would trip.

For a year it's not been a problem My own personal view is that it's safe, it has a factory fitted RCD, and a double insulated charging strip, however, the health and safety person has said that no child is allowed to plug anything in, having only just realised that trolley is switched on during the day. (Despite the trolley being used daily for the past year

So I will make sure the plug is physically removed from the wall on the days I'm in and ask him to organise the days I'm not in

[steveg]

Is laptop security a major issue, or are they keys just left with the trolley? If they are, why not attach the keys to the mains cable fairly near the plug end, so the only way to unlock the trolley is to remove the mains plug first?

Steve