Hall
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Dayton, OH
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| Replacement AC adapter for laptop
My wife's laptop's AC adapter appears to be broken. It's got a 90' connector at the computer end and it has to be "wiggled" or positioned just right or it doesn't connect right. Do these break/fail very often ? I sure hope it's not the female plug on the laptop itself...
The current AC adapter is a pretty common LiteOn unit, part # PA-1650-01. I can get them at various online places and eBay but I think I'd rather find one locally, with a good return policy, in case the adapter isn't the problem. Are these "universal" to any degree, i.e. so long as I get the right input/output voltage and the connector is the right size ? |
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Rifleman
Premium
join:2004-02-09
p1a
clubs: | Is it an acer? My kids was the jack itself broken inside. |
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Mchart
Super Joe
join:2004-01-21
Gurnee, IL | reply to Hall
Doesn't sound like the actual adapter is broken. It sounds like the solder between the DC input jack and the motherboard is kaput. |
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PeteC2
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| Unfortunately, more often than not, it is the female jack inside the notebook. Worse yet, although sometimes the fix is relatively simple, all too often it is not...sometimes the break actually includes part of the board that it is connected to.
This is not relegated to just one brand of notebook, BTW, it is all too often a common issue.
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DiscardedVet
Premium
join:2005-04-06
Sturgis, SD
| reply to Hall
My money is on plug to board solder break.
Just like this thread:
»Laptop power input damaged
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KickMe
join:2001-10-03
Lancaster, OH
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| reply to PeteC2
said by PeteC2  :Unfortunately, more often than not, it is the female jack inside the notebook. Worse yet, although sometimes the fix is relatively simple, all too often it is not...sometimes the break actually includes part of the board that it is connected to. This is not relegated to just one brand of notebook, BTW, it is all too often a common issue. Just as a heads up to what Pete mentioned, I had an old Compaq with that same problem. Compaq found that it was an all too common occurrence with that model and replaced the motherboard for free. |
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PeteC2
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| said by KickMe :Just as a heads up to what Pete mentioned, I had an old Compaq with that same problem. Compaq found that it was an all too common occurrence with that model and replaced the motherboard for free. That is a very good point. Sometimes they will extend the warranty well past it's normal span, so it makes sense to check, just in case...
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Hall
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Dayton, OH
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| reply to KickMe
I can't remember when we bought this, but I'm thinking Nov '06 (it was in the timeframe just before Vista was available as we had XP on it with the free upgrade coupon to Vista), so not even two years old... Pretty unacceptable in my opinion, but maybe not Gateway's. Maybe we should have gotten that protection plan Circuit City pushed so hard about !!  |
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Hall
Premium,MVM
join:2000-04-28
Dayton, OH | reply to Hall
Anyone have any dealings with Gateway on issues like this ? I suspect normal tech support will just remind me that warranty is expired... |
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PeteC2
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| said by Hall :Anyone have any dealings with Gateway on issues like this ? I suspect normal tech support will just remind me that warranty is expired... No, but this is something that you can easily investigate, yes? Go to their web site, check out any Gateway forums, etc. If this was a common problem with that model, you will find out easily enough!
When you call tech support, you want to have any evidence handy, be it anecdotal or more substantial, that this is a common problem. Obviously you are well past any normal warranty period, so there has to be some kind of wide-spread defect, to expect sustained coverage. But you may be pleasantly surprised, if you find that this is a documented problem, that they just may honor it...well worth a little investigation!
BTW, no offense, and please understand that I am not even particularly a Gateway "fan"...but, I do not consider what happened particularly "unacceptable"...your computer came with a 1 year warranty, right? OK, so now there is a need for service...laptops are not desktops...they don't just sit in one location, safe from bumps, bruises, being plugged in and unplugged dozens (or even hundreds) of times, in a much smaller, more delicate form-factor! I take my notebooks from work to home daily, and they are not "top-of-the-line" rugged notebooks either...mostly "budget" lappys! (and pretty much ALL Gateways fall into the "budget" notebook category!) So far, I have not had a single breakdown over the last 10 years! However, I must admit that I am almost obsessive about how I treat them...all the same, I fully accept that they are not going to be as trouble-free as a corresponding desktop system would be!
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Hall
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| I don't equate the warranty period with how long an item should last. Besides, it's one thing if this breakage is repairable, but everyone seems to suggest it's not. If I could find an electrical repair shop who could fix it reasonably, I wouldn't bother Gateway with this. If the motherboard itself is cracked or broken, that's not something they can repair (typically). |
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Hall
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| reply to Mchart
said by Mchart :Doesn't sound like the actual adapter is broken. It sounds like the solder between the DC input jack and the motherboard is kaput. We ended up getting it repaired by a local place... Cost $150 !!  From checking around the internet, the lowest price I saw was $100-125 + shipping so this wasn't too terrible. He also replaced the 90' plug on the AC adapter that we broke by "wiggling" and flexing the connection in the last days in order to make a (brief) connection.
He didn't replace the jack itself as it was just the solder connection that was broken. We talked on the phone about reinforcing it, if that was even possible, but he didn't know what he'd do until he started. He did say he would "jumper" it so that if the solder that holds it in place breaks again, it would maintain electric contact as a backup. It really isn't meant to be a long-term fix, but just a backup until we have it repaired (again ... if we decide to). |
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PeteC2
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| I'm glad you got it fixed. Actually, though not "cheap" you were a bit lucky. It is not unusual for the break to actually be at the motherboard itself.
I did not mean to suggest that the laptop should last no longer than the warranty...1 year would be a pretty short life-span...but I am simply saying that these things do happen (hell, thats why they have warranties!), and in fact, from forums at Dell, HP/Compaq, Gateway, Acer, Toshiba etc., various models have been succeptible to this exact problem.
I never used to even think about how I plugged in the ac adapter, or if I was putting strain on the connection, but now I am very concious of that after hearing/seeing so many occurrences similar to you experienced.
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