Failed laptop charger(s)

[mattlana]

My daughter has a Dell laptop...several years old. She is now on her 4th charger!! Does anyone have any ides as to why?

 

[Ubrales]

Look into the source of the charger. Are they original from Dell? Are they after-market replicas?

After-market products are generally good, however, there are some bad products.

The output of the charger should be 19.4 VDC. Check this using a voltmeter.

 

[mattlana]

Look into the source of the charger. Are they original from Dell? Are they after-market replicas?

After-market products are generally good, however, there are some bad products.

The output of the charger should be 19.4 VDC. Check this using a voltmeter.

Thanks for the quick reply. I believe 3 of the chargers were Dell and one was an aftermarket. The last one to fail was one I "loaned" her from my laptop. I had it for years and it failed for her in less than a month. I will check the voltage on all of them just to make sure they are failed!

 

[Solandri]

How did they fail?

If it was a physical failure where it plugs into the laptop (light on the AC adapter turns on but laptop doesn't get power), then tell your daughter to stop letting the cord bend at a sharp angle where it meets the laptop, or pulling the cord too tight. She should put a couple loops of cord on the table next to the laptop. (Ideally the laptop manufacturer would provide a 90 degree charger plug, but for some reason most of them seem obsessed with straight plugs.)

If it was an electrical failure (light on the adapter doesn't turn on anymore), then I would have the wiring for the power outlet she's using checked. Especially if the adapters use 3-prong cords at the outlet end.

 

[Ubrales]

Look into the source of the charger. Are they original from Dell? Are they after-market replicas?

After-market products are generally good, however, there are some bad products.

The output of the charger should be 19.4 VDC. Check this using a voltmeter.

Thanks for the quick reply. I believe 3 of the chargers were Dell and one was an aftermarket. The last one to fail was one I "loaned" her from my laptop. I had it for years and it failed for her in less than a month. I will check the voltage on all of them just to make sure they are failed!

Looks like the chargers are of good quality and the output voltage is probably correct.

Look for mechanical damage resulting from how the charger is physically used. Some users have the habit of tucking-in the cord under the laptop so that the laptop acts as a weight over the cord and prevents it from accidentally getting unplugged. This could cause undue stress on the cord terminations resulting in failure.

Definitely look into how the charger is used from a physical point of view.

 

[mattlana]

How did they fail?

If it was a physical failure where it plugs into the laptop (light on the AC adapter turns on but laptop doesn't get power), then tell your daughter to stop letting the cord bend at a sharp angle where it meets the laptop, or pulling the cord too tight. She should put a couple loops of cord on the table next to the laptop. (Ideally the laptop manufacturer would provide a 90 degree charger plug, but for some reason most of them seem obsessed with straight plugs.)

If it was an electrical failure (light on the adapter doesn't turn on anymore), then I would have the wiring for the power outlet she's using checked. Especially if the adapters use 3-prong cords at the outlet end.

The light on the adapter went out on all of them. My daughter is an adult and knows not to stress the plug or wire. It has happened to her in two different apartments she has lived in! Thanks for your comments,