You Can Charge Your Smartphone Using Electricity From Train Tracks But You Shouldn’t!
Imagine that your phone is running out of charge and you are stuck in the middle of nowhere, are out of cell reception, need help, and are near tracks. What do you do? Well, you might be in luck because you can charge off them.
Is it legal? Well, it’s super illegal to do so….
YouTuber “kreosan” has posted this unintuitive little trick video that shows how voltage runs between the parallel rails of any active set of train tracks. Many lines run a low voltage through their tracks so that stations can find out the location of individual train, which is why also this is so hazardous.
While it is inconsistent voltage, it is not at all fit for charging your phone without a little modification. The video’s creator used a rectifier to pull out power fit to charge the phone.
It may look like a cool idea to charge your phone, but there are many more reasons for not doing it. Firstly, it is not a great idea to hang out on active train tracks. Also, running an unconventional source of electricity into your gadgets is a great way to fry them or at least run the risk of it. Lastly, there are not only chances of getting run over by the train by charging the phone this way, but also interfering with the rail power by sending false information to the signallers who control train patterns and letting them know where exactly you are blundering around. Fortunately, this experiment was apparently “performed under the supervision of an experienced railway worker.”
Interesting thing to know! Of course I wouldn’t do something like that, but it adds to ones knowledge!