Solved! Is This The Sound of a Bad Jack?

[donna303]

Laptop~Asus Vivo Book 17 Laptop

My husband lost power to his laptop and after investigating his power cord he realized our kitten had been chewing on it. It didn't seem bad enough to cause such a problem, so while he had some extra money, he took it to a local computer repair person, named Don, to have it checked over.

First, Don made sure there wasn't any power going through the power supply cord and then hooked up a universal power supply with different adapters until he found the right one that fit the jack. As he fitted it into the jack, a "pop" sounded and he asked, "Did you hear that?" My husband replied, "Yes." Don tells him that's the sound of a bad jack, and my husband is going to need to get a new power supply jack. Don doesn't do soldering and recommended someone who does. He also gave him a place to buy a new power cord.

My husband's questions are:
1: Would a bad jack make a pop sound when you insert a power supply into it?
2: Could Don's adapter have caused the popping sound by being too high a voltage and shorting it out?
3: In someone's opinion, should Don have used the same type of power cord for the laptop instead of using the adapter?

 

[AlHuneke]

It's possible that was just a big inrush of current from a poorly designed power supply.. Does the laptop still work? I can't imagine why a bad jack would "pop". Buy a new proper charger (which you'll need anyway) and try that. It's unlikely that Don's supply actually damaged you machine. The voltage range wouldn't be that far off.

 

[donna303]

It's possible that was just a big inrush of current from a poorly designed power supply.. Does the laptop still work? I can't imagine why a bad jack would "pop". Buy a new proper charger (which you'll need anyway) and try that. It's unlikely that Don's supply actually damaged you machine. The voltage range wouldn't be that far off.

No, the computer won't charge. He's supposed to get the "bad" jack fixed...he did try a new power cord and now there is no power at all.

 

[AlHuneke]

It could be a bad jack. That is a common failure. You need to try another repair shop. Changing this jack is not easy on some machines.

One quick thing you can try--With the connector plugged in, press sideways on the connector (firmly but not too hard) in several directions and hold each time for several seconds. See if the charging light every comes on.