Student Charging Stations
We had an open seating area that was being under-utilized, so we turned it into a student lounge area.
Along two walls we put computer stations for those who wanted/needed them, and in the remaining space we put lounge seating with side tables, where students could sit and use their own laptops/tablets. But we wanted to give students the opportunity to charge their personal devices regardless of where they sat, so we opted for two different options.
What Didn't Work
For the computer tables, we went with pull-up outlets. There's one on every table, and they are oriented at a 45-degree angle towards the person sitting at the table, so there's no confusion over which charger should be used by which user. The units slide up and down inside the custom grommet, and when closed the cap at the top of the outlet sits flush with the grommet edge.
But there's a couple of problems with these units:
- they have long, heavy power cords that pull down on the outlets, so they don't always stay in the "up" position very well.
- students often pull upwards too far, completely removing the outlet from the grommet. They're not difficult to reinsert, but you have to line up the slots just right, and most students don't care enough to do this, leaving them laying on the table top.
- the caps on the tops of the outlets sometimes pop off, which then allows them to fall out the bottom of the grommet and end up on the floor.
If we had it all to do over again, we would have used the same units as in the lounge area.
What Did Work
For the lounge seating, we installed flip-up outlets in the side tables. Each side table has an outlet, and each outlet has two 110v standard plugs. Students sitting on the end seat have access to both plugs, while students in the middle have to share the two with another student.
But for the lounge seating, there's no USB option unless the student has their own "cube" adapter.
So when we replaced the seating outside one of our computer labs, we used the same seating and end tables from the student lounge area but added USB chargers to the flip-up outlets:
We also want to provide charging capabilities for the stations inside our computer labs, but we want some flexibility for when we change computers/monitors and the needs for desktop space changes. So we will likely not go with power inserts, but instead opt for power units that clamp onto the back edge of the desk. Here are some examples:
https://www.energyavenue.com/Wiremold/WSC320-S?gclid=COOKw8W7kcwCFZKCaQodhisMTw
https://www.conferenceroomav.com/Byrne-/Axil%20X.cfm?gclid=CNK9xZW8kcwCFZWFaQodkpQJSw
https://www.byrne-electrical.com/customizable-power-data-center
http://www.shoplet.com/Mayline-Clamp-on-power-module-for-meeting-plus-tables/TIF350190/spdv