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Help with laptop power supply

R

roman

pfm Member
My aging Toshiba laptop has become a little eratic, seemingly failing to charge the battery and I think failing to bring power to the machine. Upon investigation i ve noticed a a crackling and even the odd spark coming from the jack connector bit.

I've searched for replacement power supplies and can't find the same but I'm sure another will do just fine but could do with some advice on the numbers that matter. Does it need to be identical it just ballpark?

Yours in ignorance,

Roman
 
Roman

If you are seeing sparks and crackling noises I would guess the power supply itself is still working.

I would closely examine the connector socket on the back of the laptop and check how solidly the connector plug and socket mate up. I have had a few instances of the socket being broken inside the laptop and needing to be changed. Accidental tugs on the cable while attached to the laptop will cause this.

If you are lucky and have a Dell or Lenovo the sockets are often replaceable and have a short flying lead that plugs on to the motherboard If the socket is soldered on the motherboard then its a more difficult fix

eddie
 
eddie pugh said:
Roman

If you are seeing sparks and crackling noises I would guess the power supply itself is still working.

I would closely examine the connector socket on the back of the laptop and check how solidly the connector plug and socket mate up. I have had a few instances of the socket being broken inside the laptop and needing to be changed. Accidental tugs on the cable while attached to the laptop will cause this.

If you are lucky and have a Dell or Lenovo the sockets are often replaceable and have a short flying lead that plugs on to the motherboard If the socket is soldered on the motherboard then its a more difficult fix

eddie
Click to expand...

I can get the connector plug to crackle so will concentrate on this although it could be a problem in the socket also.

This afternoon a local shop wanted to sell me a Toshiba power supply rated 19 volts (same as mine) and three and a bit amps output (mine is 6.3) they assured me it would work fine but I declined.

Online I've found something similar offering four and a bit amps output, still seemingly too little, does this matter?

Alternatively I could look to replace the section of cable between the power supply and the PC, it has a black cylindrical plastic piece built into it. Do you know what this section of cable is called and whether it is available to buy separately?
 
Maybe you could borrow another power supply, compatible, and see if that also crackles. If it does, the fault is in the female socket in the computer and not in the cable plug of your PS. Maybe the socket has come un-soldered from a board inside the computer and you could try re-soldering it. Or have it done if you don't feel up to it yourself.
 
roman said:
I can get the connector plug to crackle so will concentrate on this although it could be a problem in the socket also.

This afternoon a local shop wanted to sell me a Toshiba power supply rated 19 volts (same as mine) and three and a bit amps output (mine is 6.3) they assured me it would work fine but I declined.

Online I've found something similar offering four and a bit amps output, still seemingly too little, does this matter?

Alternatively I could look to replace the section of cable between the power supply and the PC, it has a black cylindrical plastic piece built into it. Do you know what this section of cable is called and whether it is available to buy separately?
Click to expand...

6.3A x 19V = 119.7W

That's a lot of power for a laptop. Assuming it's a fairly standard model, rather than a gaming model, I would guess that the standard power supply is overrated. If so, you can get away with a somewhat lower amp rating, but I understand your caution given the uncertainty. If you can track down the power specification for the model, it might tell you what it really needs.

If you are saying you can see sparks coming from the end of the power supply connector when it is not plugged in to the laptop, then it sounds like it is that connector that is at fault, rather than the laptop or the power supply brick itself. It's then simply a matter of finding a replacement connector and someone competent who can solder it on. (Also, that sounds quite dangerous: I would not use the unit until the fault is fixed.)

Kind regards

- Garry
 
glancaster said:
6.3A x 19V = 119.7W

That's a lot of power for a laptop. Assuming it's a fairly standard model, rather than a gaming model, I would guess that the standard power supply is overrated. If so, you can get away with a somewhat lower amp rating, but I understand your caution given the uncertainty. If you can track down the power specification for the model, it might tell you what it really needs.

If you are saying you can see sparks coming from the end of the power supply connector when it is not plugged in to the laptop, then it sounds like it is that connector that is at fault, rather than the laptop or the power supply brick itself. It's then simply a matter of finding a replacement connector and someone competent who can solder it on. (Also, that sounds quite dangerous: I would not use the unit until the fault is fixed.)

Kind regards

- Garry
Click to expand...
Thanks, that's very helpful and I won't be using the existing one for sure.

My very slender understanding of the matter is that an underpowered supply could pose a danger because it is struggling to keep up whereas one with extra power on tap could cope easily with whatever is demanded of it.
 
It won't pose a danger. Take longer to charge, maybe.At worst pop a protection circuit or maybe just stop working. However as others have said these things tend to be over specced so a slightly lower current supply is unlikely to pose a problem and in any case won't be dangerous.
 
stevec67 said:
It won't pose a danger. Take longer to charge, maybe.At worst pop a protection circuit or maybe just stop working. However as others have said these things tend to be over specced so a slightly lower current supply is unlikely to pose a problem and in any case won't be dangerous.
Click to expand...
Ive just used my daughters pocket microscope to examine the badly worn sticker on the back of the laptop and am pretty sure it says 3.12 amps which rather supports your view.

Quite why the power supply is rated at twice that is another matter.
 
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