Output plug on laptop AC adapter bent.

[The Slash]

Hello everybody. My laptop powered off suddenly early this morning, and
I've isolated the problem to a bent output plug. Is there anything one
would be able to do about this, or am I better off shelling out the
cash to buy a replacement? It inputs 100-240V~, and outputs 19V, if
that matters. I'm hoping that there's something I can do to fix this,
because I really don't have the money to buy a new one right now.

 

[jakdedert]

Hello everybody. My laptop powered off suddenly early this morning, and
I've isolated the problem to a bent output plug. Is there anything one
would be able to do about this, or am I better off shelling out the
cash to buy a replacement? It inputs 100-240V~, and outputs 19V, if
that matters. I'm hoping that there's something I can do to fix this,
because I really don't have the money to buy a new one right now.

Bent how? Is the barrel of the plug at an unnatural angle with respect
to the molded part? If so, it may have lost contact internally. You
can fix that if you can get a new plug which matches the laptop; but you
have to be able to solder. It's easy to screw this up if you get create
a short circuit attaching the new plug (It's also possible that damage
has already short-circuited the supply. It's also possible that the
physical damage to the plug also damaged the internals of the laptop
connector.). Observe proper polarity. Checking this will require some
minimal test equipment.

EBay search the model number of your supply, along with the manufacturer
name. You'll likely find a good assortment of replacements fairly cheaply.

Get one.

THEN fix your old one...or if you can't do without the machine (or get
it to work well enough to keep the battery charged), go for a fix.

jak

 

[The Slash]

Yeah, the barrel is bent. I tried to bend it back a little, and if i
wobble it around i can get the charging light to come on, but it never
stays on for more than a few seconds. I can't solder, and I have no
test equipment. I found an adapter on eBay for 40 cents, but I just
wanna make sure it'll work before I buy anything. Is there a way to
tell? Is the charging light coming on occasionally an indication of a
problem internally, or is it an indication that everything is find on
the outside and that the problem is the bent barrel? Because if it's
the former, a new adapter would obviously have no effect.

 

[Pooh Bear]

Yeah, the barrel is bent. I tried to bend it back a little, and if i
wobble it around i can get the charging light to come on, but it never
stays on for more than a few seconds. I can't solder, and I have no
test equipment. I found an adapter on eBay for 40 cents, but I just
wanna make sure it'll work before I buy anything. Is there a way to
tell? Is the charging light coming on occasionally an indication of a
problem internally, or is it an indication that everything is find on
the outside and that the problem is the bent barrel? Because if it's
the former, a new adapter would obviously have no effect.

Laptop power connectors are utterly shockingly poor !

Graham

 

[jakdedert]

Yeah, the barrel is bent. I tried to bend it back a little, and if i
wobble it around i can get the charging light to come on, but it never
stays on for more than a few seconds. I can't solder, and I have no
test equipment. I found an adapter on eBay for 40 cents, but I just
wanna make sure it'll work before I buy anything. Is there a way to
tell? Is the charging light coming on occasionally an indication of a
problem internally, or is it an indication that everything is find on
the outside and that the problem is the bent barrel? Because if it's
the former, a new adapter would obviously have no effect.

That new adapter *is* your test equipment. If it works, fine. If it
doesn't, you have an expensive (and common) laptop repair on your hands.

Consider the money spent on it; spent well.

(Aside: if you can find someone who has the same laptop, try their
supply. DON'T keep wiggling it around to get it to work. You might
damage the connector inside the laptop, if it isn't already)

jak

 

[Michael Black]

Laptop power connectors are utterly shockingly poor !

Graham

When I got a Powerbook 1400C a few years ago at a community
group sale, forty dollars (I actually assumed it was an older
Mac laptop, but ran up the bidding for the fun and for the group),
it didn't come with an adaptor. It wasn't a barrel connector,
and so I assumed it was some really oddball one. Turned out to
be a 1/8" stereo phone plug (the Apple adaptors have some
extra shield around it, but it runs fine without that), and
to make it worse, what's usually used for ground on a phone
plugs was the +24v. I was really surprised, it just doesn't
seem like there's enough contact to work properly, and that
the whole thing wouldn't suffer from flakey contact.

On the other hand, that makes it real easy to replace.

Indeed, after I figured out the details of the plug, I pulled
a 24v switching supply out of a scrap inkjet printer, and
away I went.

Michael