Plugged the laptop into the charger today after a long period of disuse and . . . nothing.

Tried it on a different wall socket, still nothing. So my attention turned to the charger and lead. Established that the charger wasn't powering-up.

Charger primary and secondary circuit check-out OK for continuity on the multi-meter. Turns out that there's a break in the negative side circuit of the detachable moulded mains lead (Fuse OK). I've examined the substantial mains cable and its perfect, like it just came out of the box. But multimeter still shows break in the negative side of the circuit - postive side OK.

The charger is an ancient Lite-on (20v, 6.0A out) for an equally ancient Packard Bell Easynote and the end of the mains lead that joins the charger has a perculiar molex (triangular arrangement of the pins) type three-pin connector. Quick scan of the interweb shows it might be a bit difficult getting a replacement.

I suspect the fault is in the moulded plug but before I go cutting the plug off the lead to refita wireable rubber plug I'd be interested to know if any one else has had a similar type problem.

Most of the domestic appliances I have or had have moulded plugs and usually the plugs have outlasted the appliance.

Any ideas ?

Cheers

Nick

You can get a cheap generic laptop psu from Maplin that should do the job.

With your meter cables checking the neutral wire, give the wire a wiggle at both ends (moulded mains plug and plug into PSU) and see if you can get a circuit. That way you know wich end to start investigating....

The PSU end of the main cable sounds like a fairly standard "clover" arrangement - if so my both my Lenovo's have the same plug, as did my HP (can't remember about the Dells)....

No joy with wiggling the leads. Tried scratching the contact surfaces to see if surface contamination was preventing flow, but no joy there - so the neutral cable must be broken or have become detached - the cable and plug are so substantial, they have to be at 6A output, that only Pop-eye the sailor could have put a crease in that.

As the mains lead detaches from the charger and the multimeter is showing that the charger cicuits are OK, I'm averse to replacing the charger + lead, particularly as the charger I need (20v. 6A, 120W) is near on 60 squids.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/UNVERSAL_LAPTOP_CHARGER.search

Protemp I'll see if I can charge the battery using the USB connections (X 3 @ 2 amps each !) and will decapiate the lead and fit a new plug.

Nick

Edited 28 February, 201016 yr by Clunkclick

Postscript.

Snipped 3 pin 13 amp plug off the cable - tested remaining lead + Cloverleaf connector - no circuit on neutral. Did the same to the cable end bearing the cloverleaf connector, still no circuit in the lead.

Unbelievable the break was in the cable !

I not kidding, the cable was thick and sh*gging tough to cut, almost armoured, even though the cloverleaf connector was only rated at 2.5 Amp (Charger input rated @ 2 amp) - I say the cable was at least 5 amp rated and the 3 pin plug had a 13 amp fuse fitted. The outer PVC sheath was pristine and unmarked, with no twisting of the internals and none of the usual lightening of the colour of the PVC sheath you expect from a cable that had been put under strain or damaged. Really robust standard of construction - Taiwan manufacture (Sheng) ?

The inners were perfect too. Can't believe there was a break in it !

Ordered a 5 amp rated replacement, lead with moulded plugs at both ends @ £2.75, off interweb, which does look half as substantial as the original ! - Maplin wanted £7 for same spec lead or, alternatively, £3.80 to buy a wireable cloverleaf connector !

Every little helps !

Nick

Edited 28 February, 201016 yr by Clunkclick

How much spare cable did you leave on the cloverleaf end of the cable when you snipped it? Enough to solder on a new length of wire and heat-shrink the joints?

How much spare cable did you leave on the cloverleaf end of the cable when you snipped it? Enough to solder on a new length of wire and heat-shrink the joints?

Given the ampage going down the line, if I was going to splice the cable I'd have prefered to use a cable joiner - another £2.50 + new 3 pin rubber plug (MK) @ £2.50 - no contest.

Nick

One of my IBM ones I have to hand has an input of 240Vac 0.9A, with an output of 16Vdc, 4.5A (this was for T41 with docking station)

Guess your Easynote likes to consume electricity

Given the costs of parts you quote, a new cable seems to be the sensible (and neater) way forward.

One of my IBM ones I have to hand has an input of 240Vac 0.9A, with an output of 16Vdc, 4.5A (this was for T41 with docking station)

Guess your Easynote likes to consume electricity

Given the costs of parts you quote, a new cable seems to be the sensible (and neater) way forward.

It gets very very hot, even with a heat pipe and fan on the processor - 120W i.e. the equivalent of two sixty watt lightbulbs takes a lot of disappating. I think one of the last ones made when the design spec was computing power at any cost

Nick

Postscript.

Ordered a 5 amp rated replacement, lead with moulded plugs at both ends @ £2.75, off interweb, which does look half as substantial as the original ! - Maplin wanted £7 for same spec lead or, alternatively, £3.80 to buy a wireable cloverleaf connector !

Every little helps !

Nick

Nick - 120w at mains volts = aprox half an amp lead -so 5A lead ,more than meets spec .-and nbames - yes ,he could have spliced in ,but he'd have needed heatshrink crimps, plus a decent crimptool ,and heatshrink to makec joint vsafe - cost a but more ,methinks than £2.75 .

Nick - 120w at mains volts = aprox half an amp lead -so 5A lead ,more than meets spec .-and nbames - yes ,he could have spliced in ,but he'd have needed heatshrink crimps, plus a decent crimptool ,and heatshrink to makec joint vsafe - cost a but more ,methinks than £2.75 .

Its 2 amps, 220v into the transformer i.e. 440 W and 120w watts out to the computer i.e. 6 amps @20 volts. So huge efficiency losses in the step-down process and all of that comes off as heat i.e. 320w worth. And the transformer is totally sealed with no vents ! And, as said before, the processor getts pretty toasty too - not too nsure whats that rated at. I thinks its an Intel Mobile Pentium 4 @ about 3GHZ.

Nick

Edited 3 March, 201016 yr by Clunkclick

Problem solved - picked-up new lead today. First class quality - as good as the old one and for only £2.75 - no delivery charge. Laptop now charging.

Nick