Laptop Power Cord Problem

ajstoner21

ajstoner21

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Andrew
I have an "Acer Extensa 5420" Laptop that my dad gave me, and I guess I tripped over the power cord once, and now its as if the laptop doesn't recognize the power cord.

Its as if the power cord jack is loose/broke inside the laptop and only makes contact sometimes.

I'm a fairly technically inclined person, but have never messed with laptops. I'm decent at soldering.

Are laptops "easy enough" to take apart to get to that jack so that I can resolder something?
 
Are you sure it's the laptop side that's the problem? My wife's laptop had a similar issue recently and I just bought another power supply off of Amazon for $9.00 and that solved her problem.
 
Well, when its sitting on the floor, if I even move the laptop an inch, it beeps saying the cord was disconnected. If I tug slightly on the wire, it reconnects.

I suppose the problem could be in the wire itself. Guess I'll break out a multimeter and see what I can find with the wire...

I guess I just assumed it would be the harder problem to fix. I guess i'm looking for an excuse to tear it apart and cost me more money haha.
 
Basically you either have a socket like on my Sony that is independant and replaceable or it's like others I've had in the past and it is solid to the motherboard and just junk. What I do on these is just solder a cord with a dongle socket/plug set on those. I was pleased when I had a problem with the Viao and had to replace the power socket (this has been a common point of failure of every laptop I've had) I found it a simple job that cost $25 including shipping to get a new replacement part from eBay. I've eventually thrown several away over it. The power sockets aren't really meant for real laptop users like me who toss our computers on the seat and such. One thing Apple did right is the magnetic power plug.
 
Ok So, I tested the wire, and it appears the wire is bad. I read 19 Volt DC, then 0....

Btw, getting a multimeter probe to the inside part of that plug is a PITA.... Yay for breadboard type wires with aligator clips.
 
ajstoner21 said:
Ok So, I tested the wire, and it appears the wire is bad. I read 19 Volt DC, then 0....

Btw, getting a multimeter probe to the inside part of that plug is a PITA.... Yay for breadboard type wires with aligator clips.
Click to expand...

Cutting away most of the plastic, shortening the wire and resoldering to the plug usually works. There is about a billion sizes of those stupid plugs with different combinations of inside and outside diameters - so I usually go with the DIY repair.
 
So, I have a fancy Amprobe multimeter for A&P school stuff, and el cheapo walmart ones for home.

I never realized how crappy those walmart ones really were till I tried to use one again...


Also, what does that say about me, for wanting to tear it apart and solder stuff? haha
 
ajstoner21 said:
I have an "Acer Extensa 5420" Laptop that my dad gave me, and I guess I tripped over the power cord once, and now its as if the laptop doesn't recognize the power cord.

Its as if the power cord jack is loose/broke inside the laptop and only makes contact sometimes.

I'm a fairly technically inclined person, but have never messed with laptops. I'm decent at soldering.

Are laptops "easy enough" to take apart to get to that jack so that I can resolder something?
Click to expand...
I tried to locate a download of the service manual but I didn't find one for your laptop. I think it's a good bet you've broken the power connector loose from the circuit board but the first thing to do is verify that the adapter itself is OK. The simplest way to do that is to find someone with a similar laptop and try their supply. If you can't find one you might check the output with a voltmeter while wiggling and pulling on the wire at the connector and at the adapter.

If the problem is the connector inside the laptop it can be fixed but it's not easy. Typically one or both copper traces will have been pulled partially off the circuit board and broken. The connector itself might be pulled off the board as well. To fix all that you may have to bridge the broken trace(s) with some wire soldered in. Then you should re-attach the connector physically using some 5 minute epoxy (don't do that until you get it working though).

To get at the circuit board, start by removing the battery and taking off any covers you can. Then remove any screws you can find. It's common for there to be a few different lengths of screw so keep good track of which screw came from which hole. Most likely you'll need to remove the top cover and display before you can dismount the motherboard from the bottom half of the case. This is probably a 2-3 hour project not counting the time to re-attach the connector.

You might be able to get model specific disassemble-reassemble instructions from Acer support.

Edit: I see you found a problem with the adapter while I was writing all this.
 
Laptop power cords are notoriously bad. We've got four laptops, each one has had multiple power cords. Trip over the cord and the wire breaks inside the insulation, and it's difficult-to-impossible to find the break.

Luckily, these cords can be had for relatively cheap. Sadly, as a result, these cords are cheaply built. I would pay twice as much if I knew it wouldn't break again.
 
Yes, I bought a new replacement at Best Buy. Problem solved.

Thanks everyone who replied!
 
Welp. I have a new problem. Now the laptop power jack is actually bad. I tore my laptop apart and found that the power jack is actually some socket/wire harness that plugs into the motherboard. Real easy replacement. I think the pin inside is breaking.

Now, anyone know of a good website to buy laptop parts such as that wire harness?
 
ajstoner21 said:
I have an "Acer Extensa 5420" Laptop that my dad gave me, and I guess I tripped over the power cord once, and now its as if the laptop doesn't recognize the power cord.

Its as if the power cord jack is loose/broke inside the laptop and only makes contact sometimes.

I'm a fairly technically inclined person, but have never messed with laptops. I'm decent at soldering.

Are laptops "easy enough" to take apart to get to that jack so that I can resolder something?
Click to expand...
It's what every laptop I've had prior to my Vaio died of. Sony made it so I could replace this one for $25. The rest I either threw away or soldered in a lead wire and a new connection.
 
ajstoner21 said:
Welp. I have a new problem. Now the laptop power jack is actually bad. I tore my laptop apart and found that the power jack is actually some socket/wire harness that plugs into the motherboard. Real easy replacement. I think the pin inside is breaking.

Now, anyone know of a good website to buy laptop parts such as that wire harness?
Click to expand...

EBay is where I found mine.
 
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