Recommend me a Laptop Charge Trolley

[mdrabble]

Morning all

 

Have a batch of 30 laptops (Dell Latitude 3190) which are going to be possibly be used as a bookable resource.

 

What Laptop Charge Trolley would people recommend - ideally some kind of smart charger to stop overcharging and battery damage....

 

Cheers

[Primus]

UNICABBY UNI32H 32 BAY - we use these across multiple schools and they're great.

[atcoates]

https://www.dell.com/en-uk/work/shop/dell-compact-charging-cart-36-devices-ct36u18/apd/210-awus/pc-accessories

 

 

https://downloads.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_electronics/esuprt_mobile_computing_cart/dell-compact-charging-cart-36-devices_user%27s-guide3_en-us.pdf

[Alex0x7F]

+1 for Unicabby, timer to charge laptops overnight is fab. (Although units are bulky)

 

We're limited for space so have been going with the basic Zioxi trolley's with no smart charge.

[Chaniel]

I really like the LockNCharge Carrier 30's with baskets. They're pricy (£1300-1400), but they're pretty bombproof. The baskets are really handy for deployment and anecdotally I've seen a lot less charging cable/power jack damage since moving to them, teachers can unplug the devices and then put a basket on a desk for students to distribute, rather than 30 kids crowding around a trolley and pulling at cables.

 

All the power bricks sit at the bottom below some removeable plates which the baskets sit on, bit harsh on your back to set up the first time as you're leaning over the sides but not too bad.

[atcoates]

I really like the LockNCharge Carrier 30's with baskets. They're pricy (£1300-1400), but they're pretty bombproof. The baskets are really handy for deployment and anecdotally I've seen a lot less charging cable/power jack damage since moving to them, teachers can unplug the devices and then put a basket on a desk for students to distribute, rather than 30 kids crowding around a trolley and pulling at cables.

 

All the power bricks sit at the bottom below some removeable plates which the baskets sit on, bit harsh on your back to set up the first time as you're leaning over the sides but not too bad.

The advantage of the Dell solution is there are no power leads visible for the student.

 

 

https://youtu.be/KNx2lL1qkJs?t=89

 

I think it's this one for the 3190 but the principles are the same. You dock the laptop in the cabinet with the power jack at the back, and they slot in. We have then for our 3340s

 

Ergotron * Docking Kit (3180) for Dell Managed/Unmanaged Carts

Edited December 3, 2021 by atcoates

[fiza]

I really like the LockNCharge Carrier 30's with baskets. They're pricy (£1300-1400), but they're pretty bombproof. The baskets are really handy for deployment and anecdotally I've seen a lot less charging cable/power jack damage since moving to them, teachers can unplug the devices and then put a basket on a desk for students to distribute, rather than 30 kids crowding around a trolley and pulling at cables.

 

All the power bricks sit at the bottom below some removeable plates which the baskets sit on, bit harsh on your back to set up the first time as you're leaning over the sides but not too bad.

LockNCharge do one called a Joey 30 which comes with the same baskets and is only £829.99 from NGfL https://national.lgfl.net/smartbuy/devices

This is open to all Schools, you don't need to be an NGfL broadband customer.

[PrimaryNetMan]

Zioxi all day long.

[paulellam]

+1 for Zioxi, had many trolleys from them, 1st one still going strong after 5 years!

[steveg]

All our laptop and ipad trolleys are Zioxi, all still as good as the day we got them.

[msi_school]

I really like the LockNCharge Carrier 30's with baskets. They're pricy (£1300-1400), but they're pretty bombproof. The baskets are really handy for deployment and anecdotally I've seen a lot less charging cable/power jack damage since moving to them, teachers can unplug the devices and then put a basket on a desk for students to distribute, rather than 30 kids crowding around a trolley and pulling at cables.

 

All the power bricks sit at the bottom below some removeable plates which the baskets sit on, bit harsh on your back to set up the first time as you're leaning over the sides but not too bad.

 

These are great after the initial set up, the DT tech at my last school did one for me and as she was only 5 foot tall she did get stuck once.

[PrimaryNetMan]

+1 for Zioxi, had many trolleys from them, 1st one still going strong after 5 years!

Echo this too. Have some that are badged isis concepts. Have been perfect for DfE Chromebooks while not needed for remote learning.

[DrBeaker]

The advantage of the Dell solution is there are no power leads visible for the student.

 

 

https://youtu.be/KNx2lL1qkJs?t=89

 

I think it's this one for the 3190 but the principles are the same. You dock the laptop in the cabinet with the power jack at the back, and they slot in. We have then for our 3340s

 

Ergotron * Docking Kit (3180) for Dell Managed/Unmanaged Carts

 

 

 

We had some Ergotron-branded Dell Laptop units. HORRIBLE units. Some of the worst I've worked with. Door only slides from side to side and can't be removed or opened.

Lapcaddy - Highly recommended, chunky units but tough as boots.

 

Biggest issue is students and staff taking responsibility for sticking the charger lead INTO the charging port on the laptop. That's not a tech issue however, but one I've yet to solve.

However if they don't charge it they can't use it and that's the only way they're gonna learn.

[mdrabble]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

I’ll look at the LapCaddy ones.

 

As these are going to be bookable, after the lesson they will be collected by us, checked, cleaned and plugged in again.

 

Checked so any damages get noticed and any damages will be charged to last department who use them and also helps target possible student so did said damage.

 

Cleaning them - well COVID…..

 

Once all that has been done we will plug them in ready for the next lesson.

 

Does reduce the amount of lessons the laptops are available during the day but since SLT took an entire IT suite just for 6th access means having to come up with alternative ideas/solutions.

[ICTDirect_Dave]

Lapcabby are decent, solid and reliable, but my goodness they're hard to get quickly these days!

Their logistics chain is a mess and you're currently lookingbat a 3-5 month lead time for them. They're a nightmare at the moment.

 

Zioxi are cheap & reasonably reliable, just make sure your devices will fit. Most of theirs are designed for laptops that have the AC connector along the side and not the back of the laptop.

 

Our favourites right now are Loxit TL trolleys. They're a great design, designed and built in Cheshire, so have short lead times. And their all-steel construction means they'll last forever. Especially if you're carting them about school a lot.

[atcoates]

We had some Ergotron-branded Dell Laptop units. HORRIBLE units. Some of the worst I've worked with. Door only slides from side to side and can't be removed or opened.

Lapcaddy - Highly recommended, chunky units but tough as boots.

 

Biggest issue is students and staff taking responsibility for sticking the charger lead INTO the charging port on the laptop. That's not a tech issue however, but one I've yet to solve.

However if they don't charge it they can't use it and that's the only way they're gonna learn.

There's a small button to release the sliding doors on our units. You can only access it when you take the lid off. We have the units with the 48port switch so all are connected to power and network when docked.

[mdrabble]

Lapcabby are decent, solid and reliable, but my goodness they're hard to get quickly these days!

Their logistics chain is a mess and you're currently lookingbat a 3-5 month lead time for them. They're a nightmare at the moment.

 

Zioxi are cheap & reasonably reliable, just make sure your devices will fit. Most of theirs are designed for laptops that have the AC connector along the side and not the back of the laptop.

 

Our favourites right now are Loxit TL trolleys. They're a great design, designed and built in Cheshire, so have short lead times. And their all-steel construction means they'll last forever. Especially if you're carting them about school a lot.

 

Do these come with intelligent charge modules?

[ICTDirect_Dave]

From the Loxit website

Ultra safe charging – RCD protected mains input lead is easily replaceable should it become damaged and is located underneath the storage compatment to ensure the electrical connections are not vulnerable to damage on the outside of the trolley when being moved.Our soft start, surge protection, mains conditioner and anti-backwash device provides ultra safe charging. Power distribution strips are double insulated and come with cable management kits for an easy to install, neat and reliable solution.Uses the original laptop chargers, meaning if a device is replaced or upgraded expensive call out charges are avoided, with no on-going maintenance costs or warranty issues associated with swapping laptops using managed charging systems.

Intelligent charging as far as I'm aware is one of those things that can be whatever you want it to be from a marketing pov. From real-world experience, we've been selling Loxit stuff for nearly ten years and haven't had any issues with how they charge devices.

[round2it]

just got some classbudys from lapsafe nice neat units ideal for the dell laptops dfe sent

[Duranis]

Got to second the Loxit trolleys. On the models I got there is no timer/charge controllers but that may be an option.

 

What I liked about them is they have a really small footprint, they are really solid and because they are top loading the cables don't end up getting mangled. the last point is a big one as I have had to replace a number of chargers because the cables got stuck in doors or left hang out the front. Also being top loading you don't have to worry about leaving the front uncovered which drastically reduces the amount of space it needs and means it can be tucked into areas a lot easier.

 

They also had the shortest lead time of any company I spoke to and not too bad on price either.