Laptop charger inlet slowly breaking.

September 11, 2009 4:43 PM

Laptop charger inlet slowly breaking.

Hey guys, the [one pin] port where my laptop charger connects is starting to break. I have to connect the charger to the laptop in a particular position for it to work. Otherwise, I'm happy with my 2-year-old laptop. Any advice?

posted by ekpyrotic to computers & internet (11 answers total)

I'm not being snarky, but you might need to give us a bit more information about the problem if people are going to be able to help you. At the moment your question is a little vague, to be honest. Knowing who manufactured it and what model it is would help...
posted by Chairboy at 5:05 PM on September 11, 2009

When this happened to me, I was told (by Toshiba techs) that the only way to fix it was to replace the motherboard.
posted by Obscure Reference at 5:26 PM on September 11, 2009

Happened to my old laptop but I dropped and broke it before it needed fixing. You have a broken power connector. You can get it replaced (without a new motherboard) for about $50.
posted by special-k at 5:33 PM on September 11, 2009

If the connector is soldered to the motherboard, which it usually is, motherboard replacement will be the standard repair technique. That's because computer service departments and the technicians who work there usually don't do board level repairs. Not a snark against either, just a different type of service and skill set.

Will the manufacturer replace the motherboard under warranty? If so, then great. If not...

You could try taking it to an electronics repair place. Or even letting a friend who's handy with that kind of thing have a crack at this. It's a matter of taking apart the computer, figuring out which connector part to order (hopefully it'll have some sort of part number on it), unsoldering the old connector, soldering in the new one, and putting it all back together. I did this once myself with reasonable success. If it goes badly, you're probably no worse off anyway.
posted by FishBike at 5:42 PM on September 11, 2009

To be a little more clear, If this is under warranty then send it in and get the motherboard replaced. If not then get a 3rd party repair tech to do it. The part itself will cost <> We did this for a few laptops in my lab and they worked just fine after that. When you google laptop DC power jack, be sure to include your laptop brand and model. It is likely that others have had similar problems or maybe there is a local repair shop that specializes in this particular brand.
posted by special-k at 5:53 PM on September 11, 2009

FishBike: "If the connector is soldered to the motherboard, which it usually is, motherboard replacement will be the standard repair technique"

Be sure to determine for absolute certain that it is not the cord end that is broken. I actually helped a friend pull apart her laptop because she informed me that the connector was loose, and after opening it up, and a full inspection, we determined there was no problem in the laptop, and we were able to buy and solder on a new power connector for her existing power supply for $2.50. If you have a friend with some soldering knowledge, this is a cheap thing to replace.

Cords go bad often, much more often than the power connector in the computer.

If it is the cord that broke, the less you let the cord bend the longer it will last in the future before needing this sort of fix.
posted by idiopath at 6:06 PM on September 11, 2009

I had the same exact problem on my fav older laptop. At one point, I was using rubber bands to hold the power cord just so.

I ended up replacing the dc-in board for $19 by myself. Easy peasy! Identified the right piece and ordered it, followed internet instructions and unscrewed the back off, unplugged old in board & plugged in the new one. She fired up good as new!

Melrose Mac wanted to charge me $50 just to diagnose the issue. But once I read that the dc in board was not soldered on in any way, I figured $19 was worth risking a self-fix.

Check the internets for your make and model, I'm sure info and directions are out there!
posted by jbenben at 6:12 PM on September 11, 2009

I fixed mine exactly as Fishbike outlines. The part you are probably looking for is called a power jack. I bought mine via eBay and was pleased with the price (less than $10), part and delivery time (a couple of days). If you would like the info on who I dealt with, MeFi mail me.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 7:10 PM on September 11, 2009

IBM/Lenovo gave me the same story about the motherboard. I then sent it in to an alleged "DC jack repair specialist" (not my idea), who claimed on their website that they could fix the DC jack problem that your manufacturer wouldn't. And they couldn't fix it either. That's good to know about having someone else techy try and fix it, though.

Meanwhile, last night my HP started not charging and giving me issues. I remembered that I had an extra power cord, and switching power cords fixed it. Try borrowing the power cord from someone who has the same brand computer and seeing if that fixes it.
posted by thebazilist at 7:31 PM on September 11, 2009

I had this problem with a Thinkpad a few years ago. My "solution" was to buy a port replicator / dock that looked like this and cost about $10 + s/h on eBay. It was ugly and a little bulky and worked like a charm.
posted by L0 at 5:20 AM on September 12, 2009 [1 favorite]

This happened to me. I was told it is a very common problem. I got it repaired (resoldered) but it ultimately was a failure. However, I was able to take out the hard drive and put it in a external case, so I was able to keep all of my data, which I can access from my new laptop.
posted by Gor-ella at 9:07 AM on September 12, 2009