Laptop Power Jack replacement

[Madmax3040]

Hey guys I hope Im in the right section of the forum.

I have a Dell Laptop it seems that the power Jack connector is bad. The power pack that plugs into the wall works fine on another Dell Laptop. Also When you move the connector sometimes the leds on the laptop come on.

My guess is the Power Jack. I have never had the joy of soldering on a Mobo though I have soldered wires before. I have used a solder sucker as well. I was wondering if anyone can point me to a thread or site what will walk me through replaceing components on a mobo.

Like would I need a special Iron ? Do I need any ESD equipment ? Is it wise to have a 6-pack near by?

Thanks for your time fellows

[comprehensive_computing]

Re: Laptop Power Jack replacement

I do this sort of thing all the time. I have a bit of detailed info on my site at http://comprehensivecomputing.net/power_jack_repair.htm but no "how to". I'm happy to answer any questions I can right here, though.

But you're right. It's definitely the power jack on that laptop. Be very careful if you decide to solder a new one yourself. Be careful removing the old one. You don't want to pull the foil from the socket if you don't remove all the old solder before you pull it.

You need a fine pencil tip on a good soldering iron, desoldering braid, ESD bracelet isn't a bad idea. I would save the six pack for afterward when you celebrate a successful repair! It's good to be sober when you work on these things.

One question: have you ever taken a laptop apart? Take good notes or pictures during the process. Trust me on that one!

[hardwareguy]

Re: Laptop Power Jack replacement

I have done many of these. Take your time, document where each part goes and place the crews in a container so you dont lose them. If the cooler needs to be removed from the CPU, be CAREFUL when installing and removing it!

You will want a 25-30W iron with a new or like new pencil tip or a 40W iron if the solder fails to melt. Desoldering braid is a MUST. All the old solder must be removed before adding new to make a better joint.

[comprehensive_computing]

Re: Laptop Power Jack replacement

Well stated, hardwareguy.

[Paul S]

Re: Laptop Power Jack replacement

I keep tripping over the cord on my Dell Inspiron 1150 laptop

As a result, it is now at a bit of an angle. I know that I should fix it before it gets worse, so I'm gonna keep tabs on this thread.

I found a tutorial, of sorts, for doing this:
http://www.laptopsockets.co.uk/dc-so...ting-guide.htm

[hardwareguy]

Re: Laptop Power Jack replacement

Well stated, hardwareguy.

Thanks! I got good at this for a reason..... we used to have a Macintosh Powerbook 5300! A terrible laptop, one of Apple's worst pieces of hardware to date. We had a huge bit of Mac software and the thing managed to help me with homework and cheesy games from 5th through 8th grade. By 7th grade, my apple loyalty was shot though.... a home made 486 PC on a piece of plywood was used for important things like playing Doom.

When the PB5300 died, the 486 took over completely and was later upgraded with a PODP. Interestingly, the 486DX/2 66 running Windows 95 felt FASTER than the Mac..... the 486 had 256KB of cache and a VLB video card which probably had something to do with that. It sure played Doom better! Did I mention my homebrew PC made of old parts given to me from my math teacher was more RELIABLE than my old Mac.....

What went wrong with the PB5300:
AC adapter jack broke 7 times during it's miserable life
AC Adapter cord broke twice
ROM had bugs that were patched by loading code into RAM..... when you only had 8MB, this was bad!
No L2 cache.... much slower than you would think for a 100MHz PPC603e! It SHOULD have made a Pentium 100 look slow, but the opposite was the case.
Touch pad button broke twice
Endless "type 11" hard crashes
Sleep mode became "coma mode"
Memory modules could pop out of the slot.... luckily this didn't cause serious damage.
Video hardware was EXTREMELY slow!
Chassis integrity was poor.... very poor! The chassis integrity issue is what killed mine..... a mount broke and the HS lifted from the CPU and let the magic smoke out.

And last but not least..... LiIon battery fires! Mine shipped with an NiMH battery BUT they didn't give us a price break nor did Apple tell me that it didn't have an LiIon battery until I read the notice inside the box.

In short, it was the worst computer I have ever owned..... now you know why switched to PC long ago.

My Mac Plus still works..... yes, I have done repair to the analog board!

[PedroDaGr8]

Re: Laptop Power Jack replacement

I have taken apart many laptops. To expand on the put all the screws in a container. I usually use dixie cups. One for the screws from the base. One for screws from the keyboard, EMI schield, modem etc. It helped me never lose a screw, and also helps me remember where everything goes. I used to be scared of taking apart my laptop but I have gotten really used to it. Also check dells website, they often times have repair manuals on their that give you a step by step.

[comprehensive_computing]

Re: Laptop Power Jack replacement

Pedro, I do something similar to that. I have magnetic metal cups. They were originally paper clip cups, but I put magnets on the bases of the cups. I tape a piece of paper on the outside and write a letter on each cup. A may be 3.5mm screws, B may be 2mm screws, etc. Then, I draw out a diagram with the placement of each screw as I have them labeled in the cups.

Now I basically do this with laptops I haven't dealt with often. There are some like the HP Compaq nx6110 that I've repaired dozens of jacks with those models. I can almost disassemble and reassemble them with my eyes closed now...haha

[PedroDaGr8]

Re: Laptop Power Jack replacement

hahaha, most of my experience is with toshibas. Especially the newer ones that lack easy access to the back of the heatsink so you have to take the whole damn thing apart to get to the heatsink which is clogged.

[comprehensive_computing]

Re: Laptop Power Jack replacement

The new Toshibas are a pain to disassemble, that's for sure. It's a shame you have to go through all of that just to unclog a heatsink or fan, isn't it?

[PedroDaGr8]

Re: Laptop Power Jack replacement

yeah I know. On my fiance's toshiba all you had to do was remove theplastic cover over the heatsink to clean it out. on mine it is a whole disassemble.

[Madmax3040]

Re: Laptop Power Jack replacement

Im sorry it took so long for me to reply. I have taken and afew laptops apart but I really want to be about to remove and install on board components. I am about to replace som bad caps on a Older machine of mine and some caps in the PSU went bad as well. I father has some experience with replaceing onboard components. But its been 10 years seens he has done that type of work. I am not new to soldering but circuit boards I am new too.

I have a 15-30W Iron with a tip that somes to a point ( dont know it Iron tips can be fabbed ) a ESD Matt, Rosin Solder sucker. Is there a recommend type or brand wick that I can get? Otherwise I'll just grib some from Radio Shack.

Again Thanks for you guys input. Ya'll sure seem nicer than some other people at different forums.

[bgavin]

Re: Laptop Power Jack replacement

This seemed the most appropriate thread to revive for additional questions:

I have a client who brought in a Satellite A75 laptop with a broken DC power jack. The link above is great for detailing the repair itself. I found a different link to Toshiba disassembly that shows what a PIA disassembly is with Toshibas.

The show stopper is: where can I purchase replacement DC jack blocks?

[ edit ]

I'm referring the client to Comprehensive Computing above.

[fety]

Re: Laptop Power Jack replacement

http://dcpowerjacks.net is your friend.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: Laptop Power Jack replacement

I like this style when they can be made to work:
http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a...MOUNT/-/1.html

Mounts to the chassis.
Use 2 short wires to board.
No more 'mobo' damage when someone trips over the cord.
Can also usually be made to work when mobo is shot where the jack solders on by running the wires to the next solder point past the jack mount.

.

[JEWilson]

Re: Laptop Power Jack replacement

I'm in the UK and... as it happens have two laptops to repair
with DC jack failures.

I have looked at eBay and found seller's for the correct jacks.
The laptops to repair are;
1. HP Omnibook XE3-GF and
2. Toshiba Equium L20-197

I have tried RS Components and digikey with no success.
Does any member know a reliable supplier who might stock these?

Thanks for any help