Hardwiring Laptop AC/DC adaptors?

[Achán hiNidráne]

About this time last year the AC/DC adaptor socket on on my laptop started feeling loose and I had to apply pressure to the plug in order to power my computer. It finally got to the point where all the pressure would not allow me to power up my machine and after throwing a fit to Dell, they agreed to fix it (which requires a whole new motherboard for some reason).

It's happening again! I'm sick of this crap. I am at the point where I'm seriously considering finding some electronics guru to see if it's feasible to hardwire the AC/DC adaptor directly into laptop. Yes, this means I'll probably be dependent on an electric socket, but at least I be getting power.

Is such a thing possible? Also, why can't computer manufacturers design ac/dc plugs that DON'T wear out in a few months?

[MortFurd]

Electrically, what you want is no problem. Mechanically, you will be hard pressed to provide a good strain relief so that the cable doesn't break after a while.

There are power connectors that don't break as easily. They cost a few cents more, so low price equipment doesn't use them. Yes, your laptop was maybe a major investment, but it was still relatively inexpensive. Compare prices to a good Toshiba or Sony laptop, and you'll see what I mean. You got a Dell, dude.

Dell replaces motherboards because it takes less time for technician to do. Pop in a new one, send the old one back to be refurbished in the factory where they can test everything on the board to be certain nothing else is bad or got damaged during the repair. Some one who is good with a screwdriver and soldering iron could probably replace the jack for you. I'd do it if it were mine and the only alternative was a high dollar repair from the manufacturer.

[bjb]

Often, pressure on the jack causes it to break away from the board. The fix is to simply resolder the jack to the board. Once it has been fixed, make sure the adapter wire is not pulling on the computer power jack. Always leave some slack in the wire and don't yank the wire sideways by mistake.

[jimlintott]

Often, pressure on the jack causes it to break away from the board. The fix is to simply resolder the jack to the board. Once it has been fixed, make sure the adapter wire is not pulling on the computer power jack. Always leave some slack in the wire and don't yank the wire sideways by mistake.

This might very well work except that motherboards are usually multi-layer affairs so where the connection is broken may not be repairable. (This is why Dell would just change the MOBO.) Worth a try though if you see the solder lifting from the board. A quick touch with a soldering iron and you're good to go. I've fixed quite a few things like this but usually they were single layer boards.

I would still attempt what you are doing. The jack itself might be broken and you can just find the leads and solder directly to them, insulate safely and be on your way.

What's the worst that could happen? :D

[MortFurd]

It's usually the jack that breaks. I've replaced jacks on numerous other pieces of equipment with similar jacks. It isn't really much of a problem that the boards are multi-layer. The power connections are pretty hefty traces on all layers, so you don't run much risk of ripping one out.

You usually can't just solder the broken jack back down. More often than not, the one that breaks in underneath the jack body.

[moopet]

At work we usually remove the socket from the board and replace it with a decent threaded steel one bolted through the chassis, insulated with heat-shrink or good old tape and soldered to the board by way of an inch or two of wire. This means when you treat your laptop like crap in the future and ram it against the wall, you're only bending the chassis and not ripping components off the motherboard.

[Ducky]

THis is not a post tryng to start a "apple" vs "pc" thing, but one of the coolest things I have seen is the magnetic power cable coupling on the macbooks. Seriously, that is one neat innovation, and I wish more laptops would come up with that type of system to avoid the problems with the power cable plugs. On my old powerbook, and on the three dells I had before that I had the same problem of having to bend things back into place to get the thing working right.

I wish more manufacturers would look at some kind of system like the apple one. I hate having to do solder repairs on a machine over areas of the machine that are most likely to see stress and wear.

[bruto]

At work we usually remove the socket from the board and replace it with a decent threaded steel one bolted through the chassis, insulated with heat-shrink or good old tape and soldered to the board by way of an inch or two of wire. This means when you treat your laptop like crap in the future and ram it against the wall, you're only bending the chassis and not ripping components off the motherboard.

I've done this in the past, but you can't always find a good chassis point for it. An alternative is to hard-wire a pigtail with a female jack on it. With a corresponding plug on the power supply, the hope is that the flexible pigtail will put less stress on the circuit board and the jack will pull out before tearing the wire out.

[Beerina]

We have a Toshiba that's the same POS for that problem. Toshiba fixed the jack once, now it's at the "wiggle" stage again. If I pull the cord to the right gently, then tuck it under the laptop (we have a homework lap board we use it on) it'll stay powered as long as you don't move it around too much.

We've also spend $100 buying a whole new power cord (they include a rediculously expensive transformer) because the actual jack portion got bent up. Of course that piece cannot be replaced.

As this is out of warranty now (mercifully it wasn't the first time -- I hope all their warranty returns were way more expensive than the stupid cheapass jack savings) I may have to try to solder it back on myself someday. :mad:

Any Toshiba reps out there? This is for you: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: