om on wed 17 oct 07
Regarding whether the power cord problem is internal or external,
there's a reasonable chance it is external and you should explore
that. For the record, I have repaired the power cable for an old
Toshiba Notebook and a G4 Apple iBook. In both instances, the
problem was in the power cord cable. With the Toshiba, there were
breaks in the wire (tested by squeezing and squishing the wire along
its length). This was easily fixed by snipping the cord near the AC-
DC adapter and also near the jack that plugs into the computer, and
then splicing in new wire. The wire is likely to be shielded so make
sure your replacement wire has enough wires so you can reconnect all
the wires involved. A little solder, some of those heat shrink
tubes, and it was good as new in 20 minutes or less. In fact, that
computer is still running patiently monitoring the cats who live at
my studio, but that's a different tale.
The iBook was more difficult because the break occurred in the
plastic "handle" of the part that plugs into the computer. I had to
carve away enough of the sealed plug to get to the components. Then
I clipped off the cord, noting which color wires went were, re-
soldered them into place, then taped everything up well. Looks ugly,
but works fine.
If the problem is inside the computer, where the power connecter
attaches to the motherboard, you should open it up and look for a
loose connection of some sort. It's very likely to be a simple
physical break because that part of the system is constantly being
pushed and pulled. If you can see such a break or loose connection,
just solder it up. Back up your data first and accept the notion you
could permanently bork your machine this way. If however this is the
problem and you fix it yourself, you're gonna feel like a geek god.
Odin
Veena Raghavan on wed 17 oct 07
This is not pottery-related, but since we have so many experts in all sorts
of things on Clayart, electricity and computers in particular in this case, I
wonder if someone could help me with this, if Mel will allow it through to the
List.
I have an IBM notebook and the electric cable seems to have a loose wire
inside near where the jack goes into the notebook computer. If I wiggle it, the
connection is OK for awhile, but there is definitely a loose connection. Since
these cords are all sealed, I wonder if there is anything I can do, or if you
know of any type of place that could help fix it. A new cord costs over a
hundred dollars, and I don't want to invest that amount of money in a computer,
which will probably not last all that long.
Thank you in advance for any helpful advice.
Veena
VeenaRaghavan@cs.com
Terrance Lazaroff on wed 17 oct 07
Venna:
I am sorry to have to tell you this but I believe your loose connection is
in your computer. I have a laptop Compaq, I experienced the same thing
about two years ago and I returned it to Future shop. It was under
extended warranty so they fixed it free. However, two years later it
happened again. Upon returning to Future shop, I was told that the
connection to the motherboard was broken and that it would cost $600.00 to
repair. I was quite upset.
I told them that a brand new one cost only 750.00 and he agreed and
suggested a model to buy. I was upset.
I tried to find someone to repair it but was not able to.
I was crying to my son when he told me that he had the same problem and
satisfied it buy purchasing an octopus multi media cable. It plugs into
the multi media output and it supplies the electricity. The only problem
was that no store in our area sold these cables. I went to Future shop and
asked to order one on line and found that it was going to cost about
$80.00. That was better than $600.
I searched the Internet and found that I could purchase one of these cables
on e-bay. I did and got one for $19.00. It came from Shanghai, China.
The only problem is that there is a lot of cable but I just taped mine
together and I am happy.
Terrance
Visit Terrance's website at http://clayart.ca
Leigh Whitaker on wed 17 oct 07
In a message dated 10/17/2007 9:03:32 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
VeenaRaghavan@CS.COM writes:
This is not pottery-related, but since we have so many experts in all sorts
of things on Clayart, electricity and computers in particular in this case,
I
wonder if someone could help me with this, if Mel will allow it through to
the
List.
I have an IBM notebook and the electric cable seems to have a loose wire
inside near where the jack goes into the notebook computer. If I wiggle it,
the
connection is OK for awhile, but there is definitely a loose connection.
Since
these cords are all sealed, I wonder if there is anything I can do, or if you
know of any type of place that could help fix it. A new cord costs over a
hundred dollars, and I don't want to invest that amount of money in a
computer,
which will probably not last all that long.
Thank you in advance for any helpful advice.
Veena
_VeenaRaghavan@cs.com_ (mailto:VeenaRaghavan@cs.com)
[First of all... make sure your computer is backed up right away, if it's
not already. You don't want to get stuck with the cost of data recovery if
the thing completely quits charging.]
This is a common problem with laptop computers. I just recently said
goodbye to my Dell because of this. It is likely to be the connection inside the
computer and not in the cord. If its the cord, then replacing the cord is the
best thing to do, if it's not in the cord then you have to have it looked at
by someone who knows how to take computers apart and monkey with their
insides.
I got estimates to repair mine and they were vague. They said it depended
on what they found wrong when they opened it up. If it's just loose and needs
resoldering, then ~100, but they all told me that this might be a temporary
fix. If the ac adapter connection needs replacing then ~$200-250. Then, if
it needed a whole new motherboard, then more $$. Decent new laptops run
~$600 these days so we decided to do without for a while and look at buying a new
one after Christmas. In the meantime I've been tempted to open mine up and
attack it with the soldering iron to see if I can fix it myself. Nothing to
lose at this point.
It's really ridiculous that this is a cause of failure for laptops. My
computer works fine, except that it won't charge. It seems like such a design
flaw.
Oh, what did work for me, for a while (about a week) was to take some copper
tape (like is used for stained glass- copper on both sides) and stick a
small piece on the power adapter part that plugs into the computer. That
tightened up the connection enough for it to power. Unfortunately the fix didn't
last and the connection continued to get looser. Also, I can't vouch for the
safety. The connection did get very hot, although it was doing that before I
put the tape on.
Well, I hope someone here has a better solution. I'm just going on what I
remember when this happened to my laptop. You can also google "ac adapter
jack problems" for more information.
Leigh
************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com
Terrance Lazaroff on thu 18 oct 07
Hi Venna; I gave you the wrong term for the cables, which is why it is hard
to find on eBay. Take a look at this page:
http://sg.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070525130443AA39qVo
It may clarify the identification issue.
Also the jack part cost only a few dollars. It is the labor that is
expensive. If you know anyone adapt with computer repairs then you could
save again. If you are going to trash the machine you should take it
apart and learn from the experience. Maybe you could repair the notebook
yourself. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Terrance
Russell Sheptak on thu 18 oct 07
A new power adaptor does not cost over a hundred dollars, or at
least, should not. Laptop power adaptors generally are in the $40-
$80 range for a complete, new replacement. Price generally depends
on wattage. These wires eventually break for nearly everyone. If
the laptop is worth it to you, its worth either splicing in new
wires, or buying a new power adaptor. I have no connection with the
following company, but use them simply as a pricing example:
http://www.laptopbatteries.com
Where they have new replacement power adaptors for virtually all
models of IBM laptops for under $100 ($40-$70).
rus
On Oct 17, 2007, at 5:55 PM, Veena Raghavan wrote:
> This is not pottery-related, but since we have so many experts in
> all sorts
> of things on Clayart, electricity and computers in particular in
> this case, I
> wonder if someone could help me with this, if Mel will allow it
> through to the
> List.
>
> I have an IBM notebook and the electric cable seems to have a loose
> wire
> inside near where the jack goes into the notebook computer. If I
> wiggle it, the
> connection is OK for awhile, but there is definitely a loose
> connection. Since
> these cords are all sealed, I wonder if there is anything I can do,
> or if you
> know of any type of place that could help fix it. A new cord costs
> over a
> hundred dollars, and I don't want to invest that amount of money in
> a computer,
> which will probably not last all that long.
>
> Thank you in advance for any helpful advice.
>
> Veena
>
> VeenaRaghavan@cs.com
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
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>
Charles Hightower on fri 19 oct 07
I believe I have the same problem as you! I have been doing a balancing act
with my power cord for some time. I remember when it happened. A small black
plastic ring broke out from the part that you plug into. It's what held the
plug in place. I'm sure this is only a few bucks but I can't afford the
labor. So cheaply made but such an expensive computer. DON'T BUY SONY! On
top of that my battery only lasts 10 minutes. Time to buy a new one. I saw
some on EBAY that with fit for 50 buckaroonis.
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