I’ve been having problems with my laptop for a few months. The power cord doesn’t seem to make a good connection; I have to wiggle it to get it to plug into the computer all the way, and then stay frozen in that position with my computer in my lap, because if I inhale too deeply the connection will be lost.
I replaced the original cord, and it worked fine for awhile – then the new cord did the same thing. So I got a third cord today. I plugged it in – and sonovabitch, it does it too. Is there something physically wrong with the port where it plugs in? What’s wrong?
I stopped and asked the Geek Squad people at Best Buy if they’d take a look at it, but just looking at it costs $300. I could spend that and get a brand-new computer. HALP.
It does sound like the problem is with the connector on the computer and not the cord itself since it happened with two replacement cords, especially the third cord which did it right from the start from the sound of it (I exclude the power supply itself because it is unlikely that such intermittent problems are due to a faulty power supply, plus by “cord” you probably mean the cord and the box (power supply) that it connects to, since many laptop power supplies have the laptop power cable permanently connected).
It could be either a bad contact or solder joint, the latter of which could possibly be repaired yourself if you are handy with a soldering iron and opening a laptop (of course, in this case, you could also replace the connector, might be hard to find an exact replacement though). A bad contact could also just be a dirty contact; your local hardware store probably sells contact cleaner.
If it’s the standard barrel plug type, then chances are either the centre pin fractured somewhere and is intermittently in contact, or the whole plug assembly itself is brken lifting off the board. (The latter can sometimes be re-soldered, the former requires replacement of the plug connector)
On laptops 5 years ago it was sometimes worth repairing, but often nowadays it’s not. There’s a lot of labour involved, as it normally requires unscrewing and removing just about everything in order to get to the plug.
It happened to my old Asus too, i dismantled the thing to replace the socket but the act of taking it apart broke it in some fundamental way that eventually i couldn’t fix. My advice is find a guy who will give you a fixed price for replacing it and let him worry about it.
Think about it – the power cord plug gets far more use than nearly any other part of the machine. The receptacle is usually soldered directly to the main circuit board, and that plastic board flexes each time the cord is plugged or unplugged. Eventually the solder connections weaken, or the plug loosens, and connections become intermittent.
Repairing or replacing this is hard, because the repairperson has to spend time disassembling it down to the bare motherboard to get at it. And then, soldering right onto the motherboard is very hard to do in such tight quarters, and often overheats or de-solders nearby partw on the motherboard. And it requires special (expensive) equipment. It often costs $100-$200 – is it worth investing that much in a laptop that’s already a few years old?
The receptacle could be sturdily mounted in the case, with wires connecting it to the motherboard. But that’s more expensive, takes longer to assemble, and takes up more space. Or you could use a magnetically attached cord, with no physical interconnection at all, like some Apple laptops. But that is also more expensive. And keeping the initial price low is a very major goal of laptop designers. Much more so than making them easy to repair.
That happened with my old Asus as well. I think I exacerbated the problem by tending to leave it plugged in while I used it “just in case” I needed the charge later, and so when it got bumped or moved around the couch, the plug was being wiggled/stressed. Now, with my new Asus, I generally plug it in when it’s not in use and is on the desk, flat, and protected from bumps.
IMO, you make it sound harder than it actually is.
The hardest part is getting the damn laptop open and then assembling it back together with no missing or broken pieces. But newer laptops have a lot better accessibility compared to old designs. Just removing the bottom cover will be enough in most cases to give you access to the connector.
Then the actual soldering is a piece of cake. Also there aren’t usually other components very near the connector. If there are, I usually apply some liquid flux on them, it acts as a heatsink, and when I’m finished I clear it up.
Also what special equipment are you referring to?
Anyway, back to the OP, $300 is a total rip-off. Ask for a quote at some smaller independent shops, they might be able to fix it for $100 or less.
I don’t know exactly – some kind of a vacuum or wave soldering machine? This was what my brother vaguely reported that the computer shop told him. This was an older Dell machine, so access to the motherboard & soldering on it may have been harder.
But possibly they were just more interested in selling him another machine rather than a repair. (Though I agreed with them, since his laptop was about 4 years old, and had seen a lot of hard use.)