My notebook has either a bad power jack or a damaged connection between the power jack and the system board
I have a Dell Latitude D600 notebook with either a bad power jack or a damaged connection between the power jack and the system board. The power converter will connect and run the machine, and the battery will charge, but the connection is flaky–it will go out and the battery will run down without me noticing until it’s dry, and if I move it and plug it in again, it takes a lot of jiggling to get a connection. I’ve tried it with a known good converter–same problem.
I would like to do as much of the legwork as possible–preferably everything short of the actual resoldering or replacement–to cut down on how much I impose on my friend who can do that.
It’s been ages since I used a multimeter, but I can look it up and refresh my memory. I can get the system board out safely, etc.
How do I visually inspect or otherwise test the system to determine if the connection from the jack to the board is bad or not?
I found a source to order the jack if I need one.
What do I need to know about the model-specific pin setup (if you can tell me) to either fix the connections or install the new jack?
Again, I can do everything but the actual soldering, since I’m not experienced with that and I’m all thumbs.
I *don’t* remember much of my basic electronics, but if you tell me in tech-ese I can either figure it out or get somebody to translate it.
Thanks in advance for taking time reading this, and a thousand thanks if you can help me.
First, you’ll have to remove the system board from the notebook and take a closer look at the power jack, use a magnifying glass if needed. Examine the jack pins. If the power jack pins are broken (very unlikely), you’ll see that, you will not need a multimeter. In this case you’ll have to purchase a new power jack and replace the broken one.
In most cases the power jack isn’t broken, it just doesn’t make a good contact with the system board. Examine the place where the pins connect to the system board. Most likely you’ll see a crack in the solder that holds the positive pin in place and the pin itself will be black because of oxidation. In this case you’ll have to resolder the jack. When I repair a problem like that, I usually complete the following steps:
- unsolder the power jack from the system board. Use a solder sucker to remove the solder. This step requires some soldering experience. If you are not careful enough, you can damage soldering pads on the motherboard.
- clean up the power jack pins and apply a coat of fresh solder on all pins
- clean up the soldering pads on the system board and coat them too
- install the power jack back on the system board and solder it
You don’t need knowledge of electronics to replace the power jack, but you’ll need some soldering skills. If you’ve never soldered before, find someone who can help you. Don’t do it yourself or you can damage the system board.
September 29th, 2010 at 10:23 pm
JaydotSee,
I don’t think your problem is related to the DC jack.
Wait until the screen doesn’t come on and take a closer look on the screen. Is it really blank or you can see a very faint image? You might use a flash light.
If the image is still there, probably this is inverter board failure.
If the screen is completely blank, check memory modules. One of the modules could be bad. Try reseating memory, test the laptop with only one memory installed.
September 25th, 2010 at 7:33 am
Hey, I have a similar problem with my Sony Vaio FJ Series. Basically the laptop is 4 years old and I have recently started having an issue DC Jack. When I press the power button the computer boots up perfectly however the screen of the laptop does not come on. I know that it’s not an issue with the screen as it sometimes comes on and works perfectly provided that I push the power cable in to the DC Jack very firmly. I’ve taken the laptop apart an inspected the DC Jack as well as numerous screen connectors and found no problems. So I’m guessing it’s a faulty DC Jack. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks
February 4th, 2010 at 6:38 am
That diagram didn’t show up right.
| = good sleeve
X = Bad sleeve
X-X-|
–|–
–|–
|—|
February 4th, 2010 at 6:36 am
Hi, I have a problem with a dell inspiron 1150 motherboard power connection. I desoldered the old jack and two of the copper sleeves came out with the jack. Is there any way to repair these ?
The ones with the X are the ones that dont have sleeves. the center one is the I/O pin for the charger to communicate with the computer.
X X |
|
|
| |
Plug
October 18th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
I am working on a Dell Inspiron 640m / E1405. The unit will not power on. I have removed the battery, and tried known good AC adapters. I have striped the laptop and see no signs of short circuits. I have disconnected/removed all periphials, still nothing. I have the unit completley disassembled now. I am looking at this part:
http://www.laptoprepairco.com/partpicture_LRCO.asp?ref=676&category=dcjack
as a possible porblem, I figure it is either this or the actual motherboard.
How do I test it, to see if it is bad?
August 27th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
I have a gateway solo 1450 laptop. I cannot get it to power up. I have a brand new adapter and still nothing. I have taken the battery out and tried just the adapter, but nothing. When I plug it in the battery light comes on but stays orange. The hard drive light on the power panel flickers once and thats it. No other noises or llight anywhere. My Dc jack is a little wiggly in the back. When I plug in the adapter I can wiggle it back and forth slighty. BUt after wiggling it around I am still not getting anything. I have removed most of the parts and nothing. I hit the reset button and nothing. But I did notice that there is no cmos battery installed. Will that make a difference and if not can you help me figure out what is wrong. Thanks
August 26th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Tom Weilgus,
I think it’s possible. Make sure this power jack fits your AC adapter. Don’t you want just replace the broken power jack with another one?
Take a look at these power jack repair techniques.
All power jacks are different. You’ll have compare both jacks with a multimeter and find out how pins are connected. Most likely only one pin on both jacks has to be connected to “+” terminal and other pins has to be connected to ground.
August 26th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
DTW,
Did you replace the broken DC-IN jack harness with a new one?
You can find a new DC-IN harness using this part number: P000401770
Unplug the old harness from the motherboard and replace it with a new one.
August 26th, 2008 at 9:10 am
ZV5000 Laptop.
Broken Power Jack has 4 pin connectors.
I have viewed the “low tech” power jack workaround solution involving wiring the power jack outside the case.
Is it possible to wire a coaxial DC power jack (example: Radio Shack Item # 274-1583)- instead of the original (or replacement power jack) – outside of the motherboard? If so, how should it be wired since the original jack has 4 pin connections while the coaxial jack has only three?
Thanks for your advice.
July 21st, 2008 at 10:20 am
I have a Toshiba Satellite A55 and the power jack broke into pieces. I read your guide dealing with power jack repair so I dissembled the laptop and I found the jack was connected to a cable which connected to the motherboard. I made the repair and when I plugged the power supply into the jack the charging light in the front did not light. I started the laptop up and the battery icon is showing so it is not charging. I tested the connections with a meter and the connections ohmed out as shorts between the power jack and the connector on the motherboard. So what could be causing this problem? Is there something I possibly missed or another component that must be checked on this model?
Thanks for your help,
DTW
May 19th, 2008 at 11:43 am
I don’t have access to a voltmeter until early June, when a coworker gets back from vacation. Do you mean the DC input jack, or the AC adapter? If the AC adapter, I’ve tried two, and neither works. If the DC input jack, it’s possible that I could have damaged it at some point, but visually it looks fine. I’ve been busy and away from it for several days, but I’m going to have a go at it again tonight.
May 13th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Garret,
Could be bad adapter. Can you test the adapter with a voltmeter?
May 13th, 2008 at 4:15 am
I found one point where the power jack on my wife’s R3000 was loose, and completely resoldered it, but it didn’t seem to fix the problem. I’m hoping that I don’t have to take it somewhere to be fixed. I’m an American living in the UK, and with the exchange rate right now it would be prohibitively expensive to take it somewhere to be fixed. Thank you for the help you’ve given so far.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:35 am
The computer does not have power, even when I wiggle the jack. It went through a spell where it would have power if we wiggled the plug inside the jack a certain way, but now it won’t charge or run at all.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Garret,
OK. You resoldered the power jack and it still feels loose. Here’s my question. Does the laptop still lose power when you wiggle the power plug inside the jack or it just feels loose but the power is OK?
May 8th, 2008 at 2:29 am
This is in reference to my comments on the 21st and 27th of April 2008 about my wife’s Compaq R3000. I’m having more problems. The jack came loose after I soldered it, and I attempted to resolder it. I’ve examined it very closely and cannot find any actual damage, but after resoldering it is still loose and can wiggle a little bit. I have limited experience soldering, and I can’t figure out why it is still loose. Thank you for your help.
April 27th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
That seems to have fixed it. I had removed the motherboard to do it, but I had put down a glob of solder that was a bit too large, and it went into a neighboring area. I cleaned it up a bit and it seems to be working just fine now. Thanks for your help.
April 21st, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Garret,
Did you remove the motherboard when you were replacing the power jack or you just added some solder on DC jack connectors without removing the motherboard?
Maybe you didn’t do good job resoldering the jack? Take a closer look at the power jack connectors with a magnifying glass. Maybe you accidentally shorted traces?
April 21st, 2008 at 3:02 pm
I recently replaced the DC-in plug on my wife’s Compaq Presario R3000, since it had gotten to the point that the computer would no longer charge, even after jiggling the power cord. Now the computer charges fine when it is turned off, and will run off of battery power, but when I try to run it with the adapter plugged into the computer, it shuts off almost immediately.
Before it turns off, the cooling fans will surge for a few seconds, then go quiet for a few seconds, and the computer will turn off. Did I possibly damage something installing the new part? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
February 4th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Joyce,
I think your friend is right. It’s possible that the video cable is not making a good connection with the LCD screen or with the motherboard. In this case you’ll have to open up the laptop and reseat both connections.
Take a look at the dell service manual for your laptop and check out this chapter – Display Assembly and Display Latch.
February 4th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
I have a Dell Latitude D600 Laptop. I don’t know anything about the inside workings of it. When I try to turn the laptop on I have to move the screen around for it to start up. Would this be a bad connection somewhere or something worse? A friend of mine that works with computers said it could be my system board or a bad connection somewhere. How do I determine which it is? Once the computer comes on it works fine. HELP!!!
November 8th, 2007 at 11:56 pm
Cindy N,
First of all make sure it’s not a problem with the power adapter tip. Sometimes the cables inside the power cord can break the laptop will charge the battery only when you find the right position for the power tip by adjusting the power cord. You can test the AC adapter with a voltmeter, see if the power cuts off when you move the power cord.
I have created a guide for a Toshiba Satellite 1905 but it’s only for removing the keyboard. You’ll find all my guides at http://www.irisvista.com
The good news is that steps for taking apart most Toshiba laptops will be the same. Read through the other guides and you’ll get the idea, for example take a looks at the disassembly guide for a Satellite 5105 or any other model.
November 8th, 2007 at 11:33 pm
Hello,
I have a Toshiba 1905-S303 that has a bad power jack (pin) or damaged connection from it to the motherboard, as it only charges the battery “sometimes” and I was told by a tech guy at a local chain that was my problem.
I need to find/see some pictures on how to take apart the notebook so I can get at the power connector on the main board.
Can you please tell me where I might be able to find such pictures and instructions?
Thank you very much!
Sincerely,
Cindy
October 2nd, 2007 at 6:05 am
Thank you for writing back so quickly. I’m going to follow the instructions for completely replacing the power jack, because my student reported that something internal to the jack seemed to be jiggling about.
I checked the joint with a magnifying glass and couldn’t see a crack, but the solder has definitely softened at some point due to heat.
Continuity between positive pin and trace was good, but not perfect.
The link is to a picture of the type of power jack. That metal case that runs along the outside of the jack, shares continuity with my four solder points. I can’t tell if is supposed to be like that or if the solder has melted onto the case inappropriately causing a short.
I can’t tell if the entire outside of the case is supposed to link to those four pins or not. In fact I can’t tell if I’m looking at 4 pins or two pins and two support brackets. I can’t find a picture of my type of power jack correctly soldered onto a motherboard.
Also, because of the heating (which is a big HP Pavillion problem) at the power jack, I wanted to coat my soldered points with a resin after I’ve finished the repair to prevent the the solder from traveling. Do you have any recommendations?
October 1st, 2007 at 9:57 pm
Jen,
The adapter plug contact with both “+” (positive pin) and “-” (four pins connected together).a
Make sure the positive pin makes a good connection with the motherboard. Even though it looks like a good connection, there can be a micro crack between the pin and the trace on the motherboard. In this case resoldering the connection might help.
October 1st, 2007 at 6:49 am
I’m looking at a power jack on a HP Pavillion dv4000. The solder joints look tight, but there is definately evidence that the solder has heated enough to partially melt.
The positive pin has contact (ohm meter).
The jack has 4 additional solder joints that are all connected together with the metal outside of the jack case (ohm meter reading).
Based on what my student told me the jack seemed to broken inside of the unit, and there seems to be no connection inside of the jack for the four pins.
Does the adapter only make contact with the positive pin?
February 11th, 2007 at 12:18 am
I have the exact same problem with my alienware m7700. Does anyone know of a site that might give help on disassembling my laptop? Ive taken apart some laptops in the past, but this one is $2800 and Im a little worried about guessing. Please help!!!! anyone……??
February 6th, 2007 at 5:07 am
Your website is great for us techno people.
I came across a similar problem. The two pins of the power plug to my FOSA 290 I2 laptop shorted and burned out. Luckily the powerpack was not burned out. Since I could not find a similar plug, I replaced it with a pair of BNC plug and socket. I desoldered the socket from the motherboard. I found three holes originally occupied by the socket. They were just next to a component labelled as D102 8221. I connect the middle hole with a red cable to the positive terminal of the plug, and joined the hole on the right with a black cable and the hole on the left with a white cable, and joined both cables together to the negative of the plug. When I started the computer, it could not load Windows properly. When I took the battery out, it worked alright. The computer charged the battery, but using the battery could not run Windows. I suspect that I should not connect the white cable to the black cable.
I would like to know whether there is a mechanism in the socket which connect these three wires, just like the ordinary power socket. When the battery is connected, the third wire may be used to sense the degree of charge so that the computer stops charging when the battery is full. When AC is not on, the computer will be powered from the battery.
I would be most grateful if anyone of you could advise me. Thank you very much.
February 5th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
Thanks Richard,
That’s one of my other sites.
February 5th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
Here is a link to a terrific yet simple and low-tech solution for this problem. It involves taking out power jack, soldering it to wires (a couple inches long), and soldering the wires to the place where the jack used to be. Then you wrap or otherwise fix those wires firmly.
Result: a free-moving connection that places NO stress on the soldered joints!
It’ll make perfect sense once you see the photos.
You have to live with the thing hanging out the back of your laptop, which for me is no problem at all.
I just had someone do it for me today.