I had to wiggle the AC adapter plug in the laptop jack to make it charge the battery
Toshiba Satellite A75 has power problem. Hi, my laptop began having issues with the power jack about 1 week ago. We had to wiggle the plug in the jack to make it charge the battery. Yesterday I could not get the battery to charge at all with the adapter… none of the lights showing ac power or battery charge light up. I found a fix for this on another webpage so I stripped the computer and added an external dc jack. I put it all back together and still nothing. I took it all back apart and saw that the connection was fine. What else can I check or what can I do? Also is there any way to check the ac adapter itself? Mine makes a beeping noise when it’s plugged into the wall. It is a very faint noise that you can only hear when you hold the adapter very close to your ear but I don’t remember hearing this before.
It might be just a coincidence that the laptop power jack failed together with the AC adapter. You can check the AC adapter with a regular multimeter. I believe that you have to get 19 volts when you test the adapter. The “+” connector is inside the plug and the “-“ is outside. If the AC adapter is good, you should get stable 19-19.5 volts.
February 7th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
I have a Dell Latitude D800. Someone tripped over my powercord and ripped it out. The computer charges fine, but the buttons at the top of the keyboard (Power, Mute, Volume Control) as well as the LED lights (CAPS lock, NUM lock, Scroll lock) don’t work. Most importantly the power button, which is up there won’t work, however when the computer is turned on, the Power Led, which is located on the power button itself, does work.
I’ve been able to turn the computer by pressing really hard on the case around around the power button. Also, other LEDs flicker when I do this. But it’s a hassel and I was wondering if there is an easy repair for this, or what I fear most, a broken Motherboard connection.
Thanks
February 8th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
Alex,
Maybe you should try reseating the keyboard connector on the system board. Lift up the keyboard, disconnect the keyboard cable from the motherboard and connect it back. It might help. Here are instructions for Dell Latitude D800.
February 24th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
After reading thru this forum, I suspect that my problem on a sony vaio that won’t power up neither by ac cord nor battery (which is probably dead) is a faulty power switch. The green led lights on power pack adapter, but no lights come on at all on lap top, including the one indicating battery charging is taking place. Is there anywhere to get info on a Sony Vaio(VGN-FJ180P) powerjack replacement. (Sony site sucks!) Is it a plug in part or will the dreaded soldering be required, which I wouldn’t even attempt? Would appreciate any input, Thanks.
February 26th, 2007 at 11:33 pm
Terri 13th,
I don’t work with Sony laptops. I searched for this power jack on the Internet and here’s what I found. It’s possible that the power jack is located on a harness witch you can plug in into the system board. Try calling the seller and ask them about this part. Sorry, cannot help you with Sony notebook disassembly.
March 3rd, 2007 at 8:10 am
I have been attempting to refurbish several laptops which have been damaged or just have not worked right for a while. The particular one which I’m seeking info/direction for is an HP Pavilion ze4547wm. I have replaced the power adapter and battery with no positive results (except to tell me that wasn’t the problwm) the laptop works ok when it’s plugged in, but is not charging the battery. It also has to have the jack in just the right position for any power to reach the laptop. I’m not sure, it was originally my sons, and he tells me that it was never dropped, or had the power jack out by accident. Anyway, I’ve downloaded every technical manual I could get my hands on, with little success as well. Is the power supply built into the motherboard? Or is it replaceable? Any advise/info/direction would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. Mike
March 5th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
Mike,
I think you have a loose power jack on the motherboard. I would try resolder (or replace) the power jack. It’s not easy because you’ll have take apart the whole laptop and remove the motherboard but you have a good chance to fix the problem. HP maintenance and service guide has instructions for laptop disassembly.
March 6th, 2007 at 7:48 am
I’m unclear on cking adapter w/voltage multimeter–please clarify what you mean by ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ plug–sorry to be so dense…
March 6th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
The power jack is seated onto the circuit board with three flat pins some laptops are not designed very well and give no support to this point of the laptop when the power is plugged in so every time you knock the adapter it applies pressure to these three pins and eventually one of the pins will break giving an intermittent supply when you wiggle the adapter, you can resolder a new jack onto the circuit board however when you remove the existing solder you can damage the foil sleeve which is in the three holes on the circuit board where the jack sits if you damage the foil a new board is required
January 20th, 2008 at 8:35 am
Every laptop needs a cable restraint to keep you and others from accidentally pulling on the connection. Try a JerkStopper.
March 2nd, 2008 at 10:24 pm
A question for Bob, do you use a jerkstopper? Is it worth jeopardizing or using up a usb or ethernet port to keep the power cord in place? And, if so, does the jerkstopper come out easily so that the whole laptop does not come crashing down or the port becoming damaged, Just wondering if it would be safe to put it in the ports in case of damage.
March 18th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
I have a hp zv6000 While I was away there was a power failure. Know this by all the blinking stuff going on in the house. The screen on my laptop is dimley lit, but when I unplug the AC cord, it brightens up. Plug it back in and it goes dim. Showing AC power when pluged in. Battery shows 53% charge and it says that it is charging. Why doesn’t the sceen light up bright when it’s pluged in?
May 12th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
i have a 19 volt laptop power outlet and i have a 24 volt adapter can i use it?
May 12th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
MAYA,
If your laptop requires a 19 volt adapter, you cannot use a 24 volt adapter. You’ll have to find another adapter with exactly the same voltage. The amperage on the new adapter can be the same or higher.
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:48 pm
i don’t know about the volt ,
i used universal ac adapter
via http://www.sourcingmap.com/laptop-adapters-c-1355_1758.html
you can also get these
December 27th, 2008 at 1:27 am
Can i use a 19.5 volt adaptor on a 19volt required laptop?
January 26th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
i have 2 questions
1. can i use a 16 volt ac adapter on my sony vaio laptop? the original ac adapter which it came with is a 19.5 volt.
2. when i plug the original adapter in the green light does not come on and it just makes this repetitive beeping sound. is my adapter useless now?
January 26th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
bj,
No, you cannot. You should find a compatible AC adapter which outputs 19.5V.
I cannot tell without testing your AC adapter with a voltmeter. If the adapter outputs correct voltage, most likely your problem is related to the motherboard.
March 6th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
I have a sony vaio laptop that uses a 19.5v adapter. lately the head of the adapter turns red hot when pluged into the motherboard while the computer is turned on causing my computer to overheat. I have recently replaced the battery to fix this problem, but it didn’t help. Should I replace the adapter also?
June 4th, 2009 at 11:43 am
A customer of mine had a Latitude D800 and when plugged in or connected to a docking station the battery light would slowly blink on and off, green color. I searched and searched for a solution on the internet without finding anything. I then read one of the posts on this site about checking the keyboard pin connnector and that got me thinking. So, never taking a Latitude D800 apart, I pried off the power button strip that also contains the buttons for volume up and down, mute, and lights for scroll lock, num lock and alpha lock. I noticed on the underneath side of it that there is a ribbon cable with a pin on the right side that connects to the motherboard. My logic was that it was not seated correctly into the connector on the motherboard and so I gently pulled the plug to free up the sticky goop that keeps the ribbon cables stuck together and then plugged it into the connector. I put the strip back onto the casing and was able to power on the laptop. Hope this helps somebody out.
July 8th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
I have a Toshiba A205, it has a AC problem when i plug it it freeze but when it run in safe mode it dosent. Nothing its show in the log reports and works fine withouth the AC plug in but i have to plug it sometimes lol. Can you help me with this problem.
February 9th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
If the power supply is beeping its an indicator that its malfunctioning. I’ve yet to find the source in mine, but if I do, I’ll post on it.