This laptop has a power problem. The battery stops charging when I move the power cord on the DC adapter. When I start moving the cord left to right, the power LED light on the front goes on and off and the battery charge LED goes on and off too.
I removed the battery and tested the laptop again. The laptop starts fine from the DC adapter when the battery is removed, but as soon as I start moving the power cord the laptop shuts off. It looks like the laptop looses power immediately.
If you have a problem like that, most likely it’s related either to the power adapter or the DC-IN power jack.
First of all, I tested the power adapter with a multimeter. The power didn’t cut off no matter how badly I moved the cord. The power adapter output voltage was 15.45VDC all the time. That means there is nothing wrong with the power adapter and most likely there is a problem with with the power socket inside the laptop.
By the way, I just purchased a brand new FLUKE 179 multimeter here for less then $160. The retail price at Sears for the same multimeter is $240. FLUKE is a really good brand. Just a side note.
Now I’m going to test the power socket inside the laptop.
In order to access the power socket I had to disassemble the laptop and remove the top cover assembly with the display.
You can find disassembly instructions for many HP, Dell, IBM, Lenovo, Sony and Toshiba laptops in these service manuals and guides.
In the laptop I was fixing (Tecra M2) the power jack is attached to a DC-IN harness and this harness can be unplugged from the motherboard.
As you see, I removed the DC-IN harness from the motherboard, plugged in the power adapter and tested continuity with my multimeter as it shown on the picture.
When the power cord is still, the voltage output is 15.45VDC, the same as on the plug.
But as soon as I start wiggling the plug inside the jack, the power cuts off and voltage goes to 0. It means, the power harness is bad.
The problem was fixed after I replaced the defective DC-IN harness with a new one.
In some laptops the power socket (DC jack) is soldered to the motherboard.
If the battery stops charging when you wiggle the power plug inside the jack, either you have a bad power adapter (test it with a voltmeter) or the power jack is broken or loose.
You cannot simply unplug the jack and replace it with another one. You’ll have to unsolder the old jack and solder a new one back on the motherboard as I described in this post.
If the power jack is not broken but loose (not making good contact with the motherboard) you can resolder the old jack without replacing it with a new one.
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July 18th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Thanks a lot, this is great stuff, but this does not solve my unique problem. I explained my problem in a comment in your previous post.
Should I even then disassemble my D610 and check the DC IN port? as when I connect the ac adapter the laptop neither charges nor discharges, and when I click on the battery icon I get : 2036:34 Hours remaining…
Can you please figure out what may be causing this?
Its not the battery as today I tested my laptop with another battery from a friends D610 and I got the same error, I also changed the charger but it did me no good.
July 20th, 2008 at 11:19 am
Faraz,
Remove the battery and start the laptop from the adapter. Wiggle the power plug a little bit. If the laptop shuts down when you move the power plug you should check the DC-IN port. If the laptop runs fine, apparently there it nothing wrong with the DC-IN port and it’s not necessary to disassemble it.
Will the battery charge when the laptop is turned off?
Here’s what you can try.
Try discharging and charging the battery. Run the laptop on the battery power until it’s empty and then charge it up.
Do you have any Dell utility for recalibrating the battery? Try recalibrating the battery.
Try reinstalling the power management software.
If it’s not the battery or the charger then most likely your problem is related to the motherboard. Apparently there is something wrong with the charging circuit.
Also, you can try reflashing the BIOS. Carefully read instructions before you reflash the BIOS.
August 7th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
My power cord was broken and I cut the wires and reconnected them again. It was working fine but then one day suddenly the laptop went off. Now my battery is not charging on my laptop. But when I put the battery on on my roomie’s laptop, I can charge it. Furthermore, If I remove the battery from my laptop and use adapter, I can’t turn my laptop on. It is able to switch on ONLY when
1) Battery is in
2) Adapter is plugged.
Even then, the battery is not charged. Nor does it get discharged. The laptop follows all the power options for my battery settings. Even the icon on right bottom shows that my laptop is running on battery and doesn’t show any DC power. But again, my battery is not getting charged, nor does it get discharged.
Now what?
August 15th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Quick note.
When doing warranty validation, 99% of vendors will replace a defective solder joint, but will not replace a defective/damaged jack. Best way to test is by getting a pen or a paperclip and seeing if you can make the internals move around. On rare occasion, an internal will break in such a way a customer couldn’t have done it, in which case, they will cover it 80% of the time.
August 17th, 2008 at 3:21 am
Interesting-why don’t they cover the jack?I haven’t yet phoned DELL with my problem. My symptoms are if I wiggle the DC connection the laptop’s (XPS M170) internal fans come on, screen goes black and it shuts down. I have just purchased a new battery and my charger is also new.When I take out the battery and wiggle the connection it shuts down. It will not restart.It then takes a couple of hours to reboot.When I hold down the on button, with both battery and power supply in, the lights come on, it attempts to powers up, the Wifi lights come on, the Hard disc spins up, the keyboard lights up but it will not power up. When I take out the battery and the power supply and then replace them again there still is no reaction, even though I have a green battery light.Looks like it is an internal jack issue but it still charges the battery, which is different to the problem already posted. I cannot understand why the laptop will not switch over to battery even if it’s a jack problem.Also, when I first put the new battery in, it locked up and shut down after 15 minutes.This happened twice but the battery still charged. It does not seem to be an overheating problem because I clean out the fins with an air cannister regularily.
September 3rd, 2008 at 4:53 am
Dear Sir,
I have a HP NX6325 about 2 years old. The battery does not charge. I have bought new battery and tested charger and both OK. Any advice as to what the problem is?
If it is the DC socket, what is the part number, and how easy it to fit?
Could there be another problem like a dry solder.
Any advice welcome.
Thanks
Russell
September 3rd, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Russ Giles,
Either the power jack has to be resoldered/replaced or there is a problem with the motherboard.
1. You can purchase a new power jack for NX6325 here.
2. You’ll find the motherboard removal instructions in the official service and maintenance guide here. It’s a 3.19MB pdf file in Service and Maintenance Information section.
3. I explained how to resolder or replace the power jack in this post.
Hope it helps.
September 4th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Dear Sir, Please I have problem with my Laptop battery, I but it in brand new, but my brother stated using it without charging it in the new hours it went off totally, after went off I was try to charge it, it was not charged at all, but when I try to use it with adapter the system is ON, but it’s very risk for me to be using it without battery, please sir, how do I solve this problem, your advise is needed urgently.
Thanks,
MAYOWA
September 4th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Busari Mayowa,
Did your old battery work properly? Why did you replace the battery? The old battery didn’t charge either? Maybe you have a problem with the motherboard, not the battery.
Check out the BIOS installed on your laptop and then go to the manufacturer’s website and find out if there is a newer version available for downloads. Try updating the BIOS if needed. On some Toshiba laptop a similar problem was fixed by updating the BIOS to the latest version.
September 5th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Hi,
I have a Gateway 8510GZ, it runs on the battery fine (or til the battery is out of power). When I plug in the power, no charging and can’t run off the power.
Taken apart the laptop, tested the DC jack with a Fluke. Wiggle test shows no connection issues, getting 19VDC at the DC jack. Also tested power across DC jack to battery connections on the motherboard and there is VDC going to the battery connections.
What could be causing it not to charge or run off the DC power??
thanks,
Chris.
September 7th, 2008 at 7:32 am
I took my HP laptop into a repair shop to have the DC/IN power jack replaced. The computer would turn on and function fine only if I had the power cord bent at a certain angle when I took the laptop in. I received a phone call from the repairman, “We replaced the jack and we still couldn’t get the computer to turn on. We think your motherboard is fried.” I think it’s fair that I pay the $30 part fee, but is it fair that I pay the $90 labor fee if the repairman “fried” my motherboard in his attempt to install a new jack?
Thanks,
Renee
September 9th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Chris,
Will it run from the power adapter when the battery is removed? Maybe the battery is shorting something?
Also, I guess it still could be related to the power adapter. Maybe it’s not working properly under load. Can you test the laptop with another adapter?
If not the battery or adapter, then most likely it’s the motherboard problem.
September 9th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Renee,
That could be related to the power jack OR power adapter cord. It’s possible that one of the wires inside the power cord was damaged and you had to bent the power cord in order to make the connection.
Did you ask the repairman if he tested the power adapter? Maybe your adapter is dead?
September 11th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
My computer would only work when I fiddled around with the adapter so that it was at a certain angle. After a while, that stopped working as well. I had this problem before and dell sent me a new adapter. Is it more likely that the problem is with the jack? Will a new adapter (much cheaper and easier to obtain) solve the problem a second time?
October 4th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Do you have any tips for using a multimeter with an ac adapter? As in, the correct placement for the red and black leads?
November 24th, 2008 at 4:27 am
Is it possible to connect the power adapter directly to the battery terminal as my laptop runs on battery but not on the mains.
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:45 am
I came across a similar problem with an acer travelmate laptop. I tested the power cord first and found out that it wasn’t faulty, but it was damaged in the process (don’t ask how
)
I found a Toshiba cord with the same plug and it looked like it supplied power – although with interruptions, as before (and in your example). My question is, do you think I can keep using the Toshiba power cord if I replace the power jack (DC in harness). The voltage is the same, but I’m not sure about other specs.
Thanks
January 15th, 2009 at 5:12 am
some of the circuitry of my motherboard has come off where the power connection goes, would it work if i connect my power supply through the battery terminals (with batterys removed) the laptop is a packard bell E2316
cheers
Maggyni
January 25th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
I have a hp laptop ze5155 pavilon, weeks ago I did a BIOS uptate but I think than install the program wrong, now the laptop no have image, does not display the HP logo. Please I need your help to know how I can fix it and reinstall the original bios of the machine
thanks
January 26th, 2009 at 9:13 pm
CAMILO LOPEZ,
I don’t think that you can reprogram the BIOS at home. Sounds like your bios is screwed and it’s necessary to replace the motherboard.
February 13th, 2009 at 8:27 am
I have a laptop that won’t register the cord. I took out the battery and it runs fine off the cord, wiggling it doesn’t affect it at all. For a while we’ve had to wiggle the cord to get the computer to register it, but now it won’t at all. It says its plugged in, but it won’t charge, just keeps the battery at the same level. Any tips?
February 18th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
MY HP 6710b has a similar problem, it will not charge the battery for awhile now. Running on ac power it started intermittenly shutting off and on. At times you can apply force in a pinching movement and the laptop will get power. I have tested the adaptor and it reads good and I can not get it to change at 19v-20v regardless of the twisting I do. I took it to a local pc shop and they said it was my adaptor, but if it is why is it working sometimes on my computer albeit with a pinch or twist? Is there a reason i would have good voltage but still failing? ie current draw? The adaptors here are about 40 bucks non returnable, so I want to make darn sure it is an adaptor before I buy one. Thanks for your replies ahead of time. OR
February 19th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
I need disassembly instructions for a Gateway m320. I have searched and cannot find any, I need to replace the dc power adapter.
February 22nd, 2009 at 8:28 pm
#22 UPDATE Well i bit the bullet and got a new ac adaptor, and viola the computer boots but the battery is still not charging, could be a bad batt. In all my readings no one talked about the center pin, ie i have a barrel connector with the outside being ground, the inner sleave being around 18.5 volts, which is what i have. However there is a center pin that read zero, with the new adaptor the center pin reads 8vdc, I then took the old adaptor apart and did some voltage checks, and found that the cable connectors had grd, 18.5 and 14vdc on the center pin. Ohms check on the center pin cable to adaptor read open, so i have a bad pin. I will update everyone when i get a new connector, I am hoping that the new connector with 14vdc on the center pin may start the battery charging again. Must be something in the circuitry that needs at least 8vdc to allow the laptop to operate. This is on my HP 6710b Laptop. OR
March 4th, 2009 at 11:33 am
Someone had a similar question, is there a way to connect the ac adapter directly to the battery input.
March 5th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
i have a computer that dont charge the battery if you plug the adaptor immediately it will come up after some time if you unplug it the laptop goes off when the adaptor is on instead of showing the battery charging icon it will showing direct dc icon on the destop.my question is why all this happen and how can this be corrected i have changed battery without number but all is the same
March 19th, 2009 at 10:23 am
I purchased 2 AC adapters thinking that it was the problem. If only I thought to test the laptop with the multimeter.
April 15th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Hi,
Mine is Dell Isnpiron 6400. I updated the BIOS Version to A017. No the battery on my Inspiron 6400 was not detected anymore. I saw this on Windows Vista’s battery monitor, but also when running the BIOS setup, it said there was no battery plugged in.
The battery charges and the computer switches to using the battery when not plugged in, but I just can’t monitor its state, because even though it works, it is not detected. When running on battery, the battery indicator LED is orange. When charging it flashes green. When charged and plugged it’s off.
Thanks for any help.
April 17th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Ka.Ramesh,
That could be a software related issue. Back up all personal files and try reinstalling Windows.
May 13th, 2009 at 3:49 am
welcome
dell 1525
vista sp1
my computer is not charging or arrive at 94% and stopped
what can I do
June 15th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
I have a Toshiba laptop, and the other week I just lost al charge from my AC Adapter so I could use the laptop. I then purchased another AC Adapter, and the laptop is recognising that I have pluuged it in, however its stating that it isnt charging?! It only starts to charge the laptop one I turn the Laptop off… any ideas? I cant use my laptop knowing that in 1 hrs time the battery will be dead.
June 28th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
my laptop have a problem like tath but i just have to buy a new charger
June 29th, 2009 at 8:55 am
hey i also have a toshiba laptop.. my problem with mines is at the side of my laptop where u r ment to plug in the charger .. but there is no where to plug it in to.. ie there is a hole but no jack thing there to catch on to my charger..wot do i have to do so a can use ma laptop again.. i can still put my laptop on it just wont charge ..
July 4th, 2009 at 4:20 am
I have a Dell Latitude D820 and my puppy chewed through my Dell ac adapter so I bought a universal ac adapter. It works most of the time, but sometimes I feel like I am baby sitting my computer just to make sure it’s still charging!!! even while plugged into my computer the adapter will not charge and the battery will lose its charge…also the adapter has to be moved or jiggled to begin charging again…???? could it be I just got a faulty “new” adapter and need to get a refund…????
July 4th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
I’m having a similar problem in that my Toshiba laptop charger lost one of the prongs. My mom played around with it, trying to pull out the prong that had fallen part of the way into the box, and it seemed to work…until I plugged it in. I looked again and the prong had fallen the rest of the way into the box. What can I do to get it out, or would it be best to buy an AC Adapter, as mentioned above?
July 17th, 2009 at 12:42 am
Sir, I am facing a very unique problem, I have Dell 1525 for last 11 months, from last 3 days battery is not charging full, it started 3 days back, when for the first time after purchased I worked entirely on battery n it drained out upto 15%, after that when I conneted to adapter it charged only upto 63%, I took out th battery n refitted, but then also It was recharging upto 63% only, since yesterday, it is charging upto 15% only, I ve tried all the tips after surfing so many sites on net, but no use, Can I expect a solution from you,
Thanks
August 11th, 2009 at 7:44 am
I have any number of AC adapters on my site at any given time and they maybe able to solve your problem. Sometimes your laptop repair guy will buy them from my site and sell them to you at a much higher price. This is a good blog with alot of informative information. Thanks for checking out my site Primeonly27.com If I don’t have what you looking for ask for your power supply # / model and I can look for one and when I get it give you a call or notify you.
September 4th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
Hi I have the same problem, but on the other side of the cable, the one that enters in the power charger.
Could you show me how to open a power charger?I am getting mad with that..I cannot open it. There are no screws or pressure points…
September 12th, 2009 at 4:49 am
dear sir
i have problem with hp laptop
when i press power button lights comes up for 10 second and cut off
can u help me what is the problem and how to fix it
September 20th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
ish,
I had a similar problem with another HP laptop and here’s how I fixed my laptop.
I reseated the video cable on the back of the LCD screen because the cable was half way out.
Maybe you have the same failure?
October 30th, 2009 at 7:16 am
i have a dell vostro laptop it will not switch on the charger light comes on for 5 seconds any idea what this could be
November 2nd, 2009 at 4:10 pm
RYAN,
Could be bad AC adapter. Could be the motherboard failure.
November 10th, 2009 at 7:32 am
hi,
my hp pavilion dv6000 stop supply power to my LCD inverter board this has result in dim screen. Can you help me fix it.
November 10th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Ernest,
Why do you think there is no power going to the inverter board? Have you tried replacing the inverter?