Laptop Power Supplies

[James_C]

Just interested in how everyone manages power supplies for laptops.

 

We have about 250+ laptops for year 10, 11, 12 students. And we have about 100 laptops for staff.

Currently we manage the power supplies by serial number and user must return the the exact power supply (and not just A power supply).

This creates significant management over heads trying to track power supplies to paticular user. Especially when students share them around and at the end of the year half of them hand in their friends power supply who then hands in theirs. One argument has been so that students cannot steal another students when they loose their own (but it is too easy to remove the serial number label and then we cant prove that anyhow).

 

I am of the thinking that you sign out, or are allocated a laptop and it comes with A power supply and A bag (no tracking of power supply serial number), and when you return it you return A power supply with A bag. If either item is missing you are charged the replacement cost.

 

No other place which I have worked tracks every individual power supply for a laptop but none of those were in the education arena. I think that responsibility needs to be put back onto the user of the laptop to ensure they have A power supply as we dont have the time to babysit them and track every power supply. We are talking senior students here who are about to head out into the big bad world, surely they can be made responsible for a power supply.

 

Would be interested in your thoughts and how you all manage these.

 

Regards

James

[mdench]

Surely if the power supplies are all the same (assuming a bulk buy of laptops at the time) then it doesn't matter if a different one comes back with it. So long as its that models charger and it works.

 

As you say its creating a large amount of extra work that you could spend doing something much more productive.

[featured_spectre]

If it is that much of an issue. UV only pen and mark it with a serial only visible under blacklight as well as your labels. So numbers 001-500 for example are on year group, assigned to a specific laptop. Problem solved in rwgards to the serials being removed

[James_C]

Surely if the power supplies are all the same (assuming a bulk buy of laptops at the time) then it doesn't matter if a different one comes back with it. So long as its that models charger and it works.

 

As you say its creating a large amount of extra work that you could spend doing something much more productive.

 

Yeah that is what I am thinking.

 

If it is that much of an issue. UV only pen and mark it with a serial only visible under blacklight as well as your labels. So numbers 001-500 for example are on year group, assigned to a specific laptop. Problem solved in rwgards to the serials being removed

 

The serial number removal has not been an issue - I was just saying that is what I would do if I had to resort to stealing one of another student so I wouldn't have to pay the $50 replacement cost. It is mainly the tracking overhead for ICT staff which I am concerned about. Is it really worth it? Even if we lost 5 power supplies per year @ a total cost of $250 it is cheaper than me spending 2 days tracking them @ more than $250.

[twin--turbo]

Even if we lost 5 power supplies per year @ a total cost of $250 it is cheaper than me spending 2 days tracking them @ more than $250.

 

As ever you have to way up the costs.

 

We used to pay more for hard glass monitors, until we worked out that we only lost 3-4 TFT's a year and at £80 each £320 it was cheaper than 100 ( our average yearly purchase ) hard monitors with a £10 premium £1000

 

 

We don't bother tracking PSU's but we don't let students have them anyway.

 

Rob