Replacement basket ideas for Lock n Charge Chromebook Trolleys

[DavR]

Has anyone had problems with the baskets for Lock n Charge trolleys wearing excessively, so that the handles fall off?

 

These are the baskets I mean - https://avpartsmaster.co.uk/education-solutions/lockncharge-lnc10019-multimedia-cart-accessory-basket

 

We've got four LnC trolleys, and the last one we bought, after about 18 months use the baskets are starting to fall apart on us. Which is disappointing really, because the baskets on our older trolleys, whilst occasionally taking damage, aren't showing anything like this kind of wear and tear.

 

I could, nay, probably should, just go and buy another set, but before I fork out £140 for something that might not last, has anyone out there had the same problem, or, found a suitable alternative basket to carry / charge five Chromebooks at a go?

[pete]

Looking at the image, Is the handle just a push-fit, plastic into plastic, that wears out? 

 

Could you retrofit/reinforce with an appropriately-sized chicago screw, maybe a couple of washers and some loctite?  If your DT dept has a scrap acrylic pile and a laser cutter, you could probably get away with colour-matched washers.

[dhicks]

31 minutes ago, DavR said:

Has anyone had problems with the baskets for Lock n Charge trolleys wearing excessively, so that the handles fall off?

We found the baskets wear / break, and that 5 Chromebooks in a basket are actually quite heavy for some children to carry. We found children were tending to pick up the Chromebook straight from the basket inside the cabinet, and if they did that in a bit of a hurry they tended to bash it straight into the top of the cabinet. We've found metal A4 lever-arch racks to fit the cabinets quite nicely - you can pack them in a bit denser than the supplied "toast rack" stands as well. Not sure if a search for "A4 lever-arch carryall" or similar might turn up a carry-able version.

[DavR]

1 hour ago, pete said:

Looking at the image, Is the handle just a push-fit, plastic into plastic, that wears out? 

 

Could you retrofit/reinforce with an appropriately-sized chicago screw, maybe a couple of washers and some loctite?  If your DT dept has a scrap acrylic pile and a laser cutter, you could probably get away with colour-matched washers.

 

It is. I had considered the chicago screw and washers approach, but when I started to mock it up, the fixings add up to 4mm on each side of the fitting. Which isn't so bad on the outside, but then you have the risk of metal fixings scratching up the Chromebooks inside of the basket.

 

The other option could have been to cut a plate out of plastic the size and shape the hole is supposed to be, and put that on as a patch. But that'd be far to crafty for the skills and tools I've got available tbh. It's not a simple circle, it's an oval with nubs in to allow fitting and locking in of the handle. It's these finer details that get worn off, allowing the handle to pop out.

[DavR]

1 hour ago, dhicks said:

We found the baskets wear / break, and that 5 Chromebooks in a basket are actually quite heavy for some children to carry. We found children were tending to pick up the Chromebook straight from the basket inside the cabinet, and if they did that in a bit of a hurry they tended to bash it straight into the top of the cabinet. We've found metal A4 lever-arch racks to fit the cabinets quite nicely - you can pack them in a bit denser than the supplied "toast rack" stands as well. Not sure if a search for "A4 lever-arch carryall" or similar might turn up a carry-able version.

 

It's a good fix for replacing the internal racking, but we really want to hang on to the basket idea, as it works really well for us.

[synaesthesia]

Christ, is that £140 PER BASKET?

Got half a dozen sat in the back room unused, add that to my RAM pile and I might be able to retire!

 

A small deviation on the washer/screw idea, how about the plastic bodywork retaining clips used on car bumpers?

[pete]

^ Actually yeah - cable pass-through grommets of an appropriate size may also work as "pegs".

 

 

[DavR]

11 minutes ago, synaesthesia said:

Christ, is that £140 PER BASKET?

 

Lol, no, that's per pack of six. I wouldn't start booking the retirement cruise just yet.

[DavR]

22 minutes ago, synaesthesia said:

A small deviation on the washer/screw idea, how about the plastic bodywork retaining clips used on car bumpers?

 

Something like these, you mean? 

 

Potentially, but they'd need to be very fat plugs, something like 20mm with a 30mm lip. Worth thinking about though, ta.

 

[synaesthesia]

Yup, not sure if they'll come that large though. Might be worth popping into a local motor factors and taking a look at one in the flesh

[DavR]

21 minutes ago, pete said:

^ Actually yeah - cable pass-through grommets of an appropriate size may also work as "pegs".

 

 

 

Similar with this idea, really. Could work, but would need to be very wide ones and a very good fit.

 

The ideal solution I guess is something that will fill the 20mm ish inside of the handle to hold tight, providing a 30mm plus lip to stop it popping out. All without going much more than 9mm deep (the depth of the handle).

 

I'm sure there's an obscure plastic fitting somewhere out there that'll do the job, it's just a case of working out which one, out of millions!

 

[DavR]

Update on this one, for anyone who took an interest.

 

I'd given up on the idea for a bit, until I thought, instead of mending the existing plastic handle, why not replace it with a fabric one. A bit of choice eBaying, and came up with the below! A new handle out of plastic webbing, like you'd get on a bag strap but a bit thinner, held together with double ended rivets.

 

I'm quite pleased with how the new handles came out, the question is how well they wear. They shouldn't fall off at least, unlike the original handles, but I do wonder if they'll fray when rubbing against the plastic edges.