Failing AC adapter?

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

does any notebook techie know if a faulty ac power adapter can affect the
notebook from powering up.. The situation is this, the battery has had it
and won't take a charge, the notebook won't power up -not even to POST- but
it will whirr (fan) and make it's presence known that it's going to do
something, 10 secs later it dies. Initially thought it was the systemboard,
so changed that and the same. Changed CPU, still the same. My thoughts are
on the ac adapter now, but without wishing to shell out further has anyone
experiences similar symptoms or had a faulty ac adapter which produced the
same results.

TIA

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Yes, it's possible, but it's not one of the first things that I'd suspect.

if it's a "2-wire" power connection, any DC source with the correct
voltage and polarity, and adequate current, could be used as a test.

A bad (shorted) battery could also keep the notebook from powering up.
Try just removing the battery completely.


Saint wrote:

> does any notebook techie know if a faulty ac power adapter can affect the
> notebook from powering up.. The situation is this, the battery has had it
> and won't take a charge, the notebook won't power up -not even to POST- but
> it will whirr (fan) and make it's presence known that it's going to do
> something, 10 secs later it dies. Initially thought it was the systemboard,
> so changed that and the same. Changed CPU, still the same. My thoughts are
> on the ac adapter now, but without wishing to shell out further has anyone
> experiences similar symptoms or had a faulty ac adapter which produced the
> same results.
>
> TIA
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

have tried it without the battery in it's bay.


"Barry Watzman" <WatzmanNOSPAM@neo.rr.com> wrote in message
news:41242941.9080809@neo.rr.com...
> Yes, it's possible, but it's not one of the first things that I'd suspect.
>
> if it's a "2-wire" power connection, any DC source with the correct
> voltage and polarity, and adequate current, could be used as a test.
>
> A bad (shorted) battery could also keep the notebook from powering up.
> Try just removing the battery completely.
>
>
> Saint wrote:
>
> > does any notebook techie know if a faulty ac power adapter can affect
the
> > notebook from powering up.. The situation is this, the battery has had
it
> > and won't take a charge, the notebook won't power up -not even to POST-
but
> > it will whirr (fan) and make it's presence known that it's going to do
> > something, 10 secs later it dies. Initially thought it was the
systemboard,
> > so changed that and the same. Changed CPU, still the same. My thoughts
are
> > on the ac adapter now, but without wishing to shell out further has
anyone
> > experiences similar symptoms or had a faulty ac adapter which produced
the
> > same results.
> >
> > TIA
> >
> >
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Saint wrote:
> does any notebook techie know if a faulty ac power adapter can affect
> the notebook from powering up.. The situation is this, the battery
> has had it and won't take a charge, the notebook won't power up -not
> even to POST- but it will whirr (fan) and make it's presence known
> that it's going to do something, 10 secs later it dies. Initially
> thought it was the systemboard, so changed that and the same.
> Changed CPU, still the same. My thoughts are on the ac adapter now,
> but without wishing to shell out further has anyone experiences
> similar symptoms or had a faulty ac adapter which produced the same
> results.
>
> TIA

HD might have failed also. When starting, try entering Setup, F2, Del,
Esc, etc., right after the power key. If it successfully enters setup,
then it might be the HD boot sector is gone.

Q

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Saint wrote:
> does any notebook techie know if a faulty ac power adapter can affect
> the notebook from powering up.. The situation is this, the battery
> has had it and won't take a charge, the notebook won't power up -not
> even to POST- but it will whirr (fan) and make it's presence known
> that it's going to do something, 10 secs later it dies. Initially
> thought it was the systemboard, so changed that and the same.
> Changed CPU, still the same. My thoughts are on the ac adapter now,
> but without wishing to shell out further has anyone experiences
> similar symptoms or had a faulty ac adapter which produced the same
> results.

Here's a sort of in-the-trenches guide that I hope will be useful to you.

Invest in, or borrow, a volt meter, and verify that the DC voltage of the
adapter is what it should be. In a pinch, you can use a 12v car dashboard
indicator (something that doesn't require much current) light bulb with two
wires soldered to it as a makeshift volt meter.

Flex the adapter wire, gently, to check for a worn or frayed wire. Pay
particular attention to the connector end, where it plugs into the computer.
Also use a magnifier to make sure the solder joint of the power socket on
the mobo is not cracked.

If the voltage drops below its rated value during boot, swap it out for
another power adapter. Keep in mind that PC adapters provide a hefty
current, and you won't be able to replace it with a typical "wall wart"
power adapter from Radio Shack.
--

Mike Russell
www.curvemeister.com