laptop DC socket

Subject: laptop DC socket
From: woodsie
Date: 29 Sep 06 - 12:53 PM

My laptop DC input socket is on the blink - I have to wiggle and jiggle and balance on one leg just to get it to recharge. I have been either quoted ridiculous sums (£200) or been greeted with a sharp intake of breath and a shaking head when I enter a repair shop. It's only a bloody wire poking into a hole, whats the big deal?

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: jeffp
Date: 29 Sep 06 - 12:56 PM

Laptops are a pain to open up and work on. Even though it's a small and inexpensive part, the hourly rate is a killer.

Chances are it's just a bit of wear from plugging and unplugging the cable. Maybe somebody knows a workaround.

Jeff

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: Bassic
Date: 29 Sep 06 - 02:19 PM

Hi woodsie,

Before you pay out a fortune or throw it in the bin, you could always try and repair it yourself?

good luck!!!! ;-)

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: Bassic
Date: 29 Sep 06 - 02:26 PM

They also sell the parts.

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: Bernard
Date: 29 Sep 06 - 02:47 PM

Just a teensie point... a solder sucker is not the best way to de-solder a joint (the method mentioned on the website). The most reliable method is by using de-soldering braid (wick), available from most places that sell solder and soldering tools.

It takes a little practice, but is far more efficient than a pump.

Repair it yourself is good advice!

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: woodsie
Date: 29 Sep 06 - 02:57 PM

Thanks a lot bassic & Bernard - I have one more thing up my sleeve - ask Graham to have a look - if he can't do the trick I will embark on the "repair project"!

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: beardedbruce
Date: 29 Sep 06 - 03:02 PM

Dell laptops use a special DC socket that

1. breaks easily, just after the 1 year free fix,
2. is not available from anyone else ( No, they do not sell to repair centers)
3. is fixed by the Dell repair center by replacing the motherboard.


This is in addition to the fan that meets the same qualifications...


Anybody want 4 "dead" motherboards?

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 29 Sep 06 - 03:31 PM

I have a mains power lead for my old computer that has a 19v output from a 240v input. My new laptop is rated at 18.5 volts input, so will the old power source work or will thet ½ volt fry the sucker?
Giok

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: GUEST,Amergin
Date: 29 Sep 06 - 03:36 PM

It is not just Dell...HP/Compaq uses that same trick...replacing the whole bloody MB to fix one small issue....it's a scam.

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: jeffp
Date: 29 Sep 06 - 05:33 PM

Actually, its a consequence of trying to fit a lot of computer into a very small space.

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: beardedbruce
Date: 29 Sep 06 - 06:20 PM

Giok

16 to 20 volts will work fine - there is a regulator in the battery charging circut, usually set at about 15 volts ( check the BATTERY voltage)

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: woodsie
Date: 30 Sep 06 - 02:04 AM

My laptop is a fujitsu Siemens.

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 30 Sep 06 - 05:44 AM

Sorry I am havering, what I am talking about is a 12volt cigarette lighter socket in-car lead, from a dead laptop that had a 19v input, being used for an HP laptop with an input rated ar 18½ v. The battery in the HP is rated at 14.4 volts.
I should imagine it will work, but am wary of causing damage to the HP.
Giok

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 30 Sep 06 - 07:54 AM

"a 12volt cigarette lighter socket in-car lead, from a dead laptop that had a 19v input"

This would be a boost chopper inverter circuit, most likely, commonly used to generate a (slightly) higher output DC voltage from a lower DC voltage input.

All these circuits DO have limits of wattage, etc, as the internal components are built to only handle a certain max power.

If you know the technicalities of what you are doing, you can usually modify most of these circuits to change the input/output voltages within certain limits, and within the current (amperage) capabilities of the components.

Elektor Electronics magazine has had many appropriate technical articles over the years, as has the Aussie mag Silicon Chip.

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: GUEST,angi
Date: 10 Oct 06 - 04:55 AM

can i wire my power lead directly ont the motherboard to bypass the broken dc socket on my Gericom notepad?

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: jeffp
Date: 10 Oct 06 - 06:59 AM

I should think it would work, though it would give you a permanently attached cord. You would probably want to rig up some sort of strain relief to prevent the cord from being pulled from the connection and possibly damaging the system. Also, be careful when soldering to avoid heat damage to nearby components. A possibility to consider would be to wire a socket to the motherboard which would hang outside the case and still give you the option to go cordless.

Might be possible.

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: Grab
Date: 10 Oct 06 - 08:09 AM

Desoldering braid is only really needed for small components, like tiny surface-mount things. A solder-sucker relies on sucking up a lot of air fast, so it'll hoover up small components as well. For a power connector though (and for any through-hole rather than surface-mount components), a solder-sucker will be just fine. As for "efficiency", you have to throw the braid away when you're done with it, where a solder-sucker will last basically forever (barring tips melting, and they're pence not pounds).

Jeff's point about avoiding overheating is very true. If you keep the iron on one place for too long, the glue that holds the copper track to the fibreglass board underneath melts and the track usually breaks. At that point your laptop becomes a paperweight...

If you find that your laptop has some custom connector, there shouldn't be any problem with replacing it with a more standard connector, so long as you replace the connector on the end of the supply cord too. Just make totally sure that you've got polarity right on the socket *and* the power cord! It's worth hanging onto the old connector too, in case you need it in future. If your laptop travels a lot, it'd definitely be better to replace the connector(s) instead of hard-wiring the cable onto the board, because wires attached like this tend to break fairly quickly.

Giok, I'd expect that to work just fine. Most wall-wart (or similar) supplies are not the world's most stable power sources, so the power input should be easily able to deal with an extra 0.5V. As Bruce says, there'll always be an extra regulator downstream of there, so the extra voltage will cause a little more heat on that regulator, but it should be able to cope with it. As always though, caveat experimentor. ;-)

As far as repairing laptops yourself goes, check whether it uses security screws before you start. You may need some special screwdrivers before you can even get into the thing. If they're the type of screws that have a slot with a bump in the middle, you can make your own by getting a normal flat-head screwdriver of the appropriate size and cutting a nick in the middle with a hacksaw/file/Dremel. Most screwdriver sets these days give you Torx too. If it's more esoteric than that though, you'll need to find somewhere that sells the right screwdriver for the job.

Graham.

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: GUEST,Kegtapper
Date: 10 Oct 06 - 10:57 AM

I'll Take Them if you don't want them...

In Charlotte, NC
mrmotown AT bellsouth.net

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 11 Oct 06 - 04:18 AM

I bought a Toshiba Laptop with a broken screen for £20. Replaced the screen with the one I already had from a Tosh with a broken DC socket, changed the battery, memory and hard disk and there it was - Like a new laptop for £20 and no real work involved:-)

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: Bernard
Date: 11 Oct 06 - 07:52 PM

If you use a solder sucker for removing DIL chips, etc., you'll probably destroy the circuit board by dragging bits of track off where the sucker has missed a bit, or where you've got the board too hot... that doesn't happen when you're adept at using braid.

Also, you usually have to ADD solder before you can suck it off (oo-er, Matron!).

Admittedly it should be okay for a DC socket...

As for hard wiring to the board, angi... why not hard wire an in-line DC connector, and put the mating connector on the PSU fly lead (I think that Jeffp may have been suggesting that)?

Strain relief... depends upon what you've eaten, I reckon!!

Those Gericom laptops turn up everywhere... badged as 'Advent' for PC World... Time Computers used to badge them... and I've one here badged as a 'Umax 850T'. They're dead easy to fix, though.

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: GUEST,Woodsie
Date: 18 Dec 06 - 09:28 PM

Got it done for £75 in the shop next to Hobgoblin in Rathbone Place W1.

Not bad considering I was given quotes of £180 - £250 by all the other sewer rats.

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: s&r
Date: 19 Dec 06 - 03:47 AM

If you do try to repair it yourself and you don't know about soldering, practise first on an old board (any computer store or fair). More damage is caused by under-powered soldering irons applied too long than higher wattage irons.

Quite often with power sockets a repair can be effected by resoldering the pin where the solder pad has (often)broken: this can be reinforced by a small quantity of epoxy resin (which does make subsequent repairs more difficult)

Modern fibreglass boards are more heat tolerant than some of the early paxolin boards, but the track can still be stripped.

Stu

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: Black Beauty
Date: 19 Dec 06 - 06:12 AM

I have to wiggle the lead to my laptop about every ten minues, keeps going on and off !!

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: Bernard
Date: 19 Dec 06 - 11:15 AM

You sure you didn't accidentally wire it to the Christmas tree lights?!

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: Grab
Date: 19 Dec 06 - 11:26 AM

Consider that it could be the lead and not the socket. Leads are very prone to wear/damage where the lead enters the box and where the lead enters the socket. Dodgy leads are relatively easy to fix; dodgy sockets inside a laptop are not!

A further note on that. My guitar digital FX widget uses a 9V input from a wall wart, and I've had enough of cables fraying where they enter the wall wart box - that's always the problem with those things. Solution: Open the box, cut off the cable, drill a hole in the case and fix a socket in there instead (and add an electronic fuse for protection). Now I've made up a couple of DC-socket-to-DC-socket cables, and I know that if one cable goes dodgy then I've always got a spare, and I'll never ever have any hassle with that DC adaptor again. If your laptop cable is going flaky, and you've got the necessary soldering iron skills, you might want to consider doing something similar.

Graham.

Subject: RE: laptop DC socket
From: woodsie
Date: 29 Dec 06 - 11:23 PM

Black Beauty - that's how mine started.

Grab - that was the first thing I considered, even got another lead/adaptor