Arch Linux

idjut

Member

From: Oslo

Registered: 2006-05-15

Posts: 177

Fixing the power connector

Not arch related of course, but boldly I ask if anyone has tried to fix the power connector on their laptop?

I have an ECS laptop which has the cable on the side right next to the cdrom so when I eject a cd I have to move the cable. This can wear and tear, but after I walked with the lappie in hand connected and the cable stuck things really turned for the worse. Now after a few months I can't get the cable to power it at all.

There's no way around it anymore. I have to open it and solder the connector. I read it's not a small job due to the compactness of the design. Any experiences?

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Linux user #403491

"Men have called me mad; but the question is not yet settled, whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence– whether much that is glorious– whether all that is profound– does not spring from disease of thought– from moods of mind exalted at the expense of the general intellect." - E. A. Poe from Eleonora

chrismortimore

Member

From: Edinburgh, UK

Registered: 2006-07-15

Posts: 655

Re: Fixing the power connector

I've done it to mine once.  Here are some of my thoughts:

Are you good at soldering?  If you're not, don't even think about doing it, take it to a shop.
Are you sure it's the laptops connection and not the cable itself?  Plug the power supply into the mains and stick a volt meter in the end to make sure it works.  Don't short anything though, thats when the badness happens.
Do you have a screw driver that'll fit your laptop?  I've seen many that are torx head, and I only know one person who owns torx head screw drivers (me).
Once you've taken the board out, just remove the connector completely from the board (hurrah for solder suckers), plug it into the power supply cable, and check the pins on the connector to make sure it isn't the actual connector that is broken.
Be very sparse with the solder, the last thing you want to do is accidently join two tracks on the PCB together.
Take your time.  No prizes for finishing first here.

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Desktop: AMD Athlon64 3800+ Venice Core, 2GB PC3200, 2x160GB Maxtor DiamondMax 10, 2x320GB WD Caviar RE, Nvidia 6600GT 256MB
Laptop: Intel Pentium M, 512MB PC2700, 60GB IBM TravelStar, Nvidia 5200Go 64MB

idjut

Member

From: Oslo

Registered: 2006-05-15

Posts: 177

Re: Fixing the power connector

Thanks for a good reply

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Linux user #403491

"Men have called me mad; but the question is not yet settled, whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence– whether much that is glorious– whether all that is profound– does not spring from disease of thought– from moods of mind exalted at the expense of the general intellect." - E. A. Poe from Eleonora

chrismortimore

Member

From: Edinburgh, UK

Registered: 2006-07-15

Posts: 655

Re: Fixing the power connector

Thanks for a good reply

Not a problem, hope it works out for you.

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Desktop: AMD Athlon64 3800+ Venice Core, 2GB PC3200, 2x160GB Maxtor DiamondMax 10, 2x320GB WD Caviar RE, Nvidia 6600GT 256MB
Laptop: Intel Pentium M, 512MB PC2700, 60GB IBM TravelStar, Nvidia 5200Go 64MB