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TurdFerguson
Folk Villain


Registered: 07/02/05
Posts: 1,357
Loc: 123 Fake St.
Last seen: 2 years, 2 months
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Awesomely Exciting Power Supply Problem
#5525920 - 04/17/06 05:18 PM (17 years, 9 months ago) |
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So, I'll try and keep this short. My Dell laptop is a piece of shite (no surprise, really). About three weeks ago it shuts off mid sentence due to a lack of power supply. Long story short, my adapter works perfectly and the computer wants to turn on (a light flashes whenever I press the power button) but the damn thing cant siphon the power from the adapter to the battery! I'm thinking maybe the adapter port attached to the motherboard is loose or something.
Called Dell today and they want to replace the whole motherboard for the ass-fucking price of $400 because I am no longer under warranty. If the port is loose is it something I can fix myself? Any suggestions would be met with much appreciation
-------------------- Hey, baby...wanna kill all humans?
Edited by DickDiver (04/17/06 05:31 PM)
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SneezingPenis
ACHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!111!

Registered: 01/15/05
Posts: 15,427
Last seen: 6 years, 8 months
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Re: Awesomely Exciting Computer Problem [Re: TurdFerguson]
#5525939 - 04/17/06 05:23 PM (17 years, 9 months ago) |
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Im not a computer guy, but I am a power supply guy, in that I work with amplifiers a lot.
If someone had an amplifier with those exact same symptoms, it would most likely be a faulty capacitor (which is cheap), or a blown transformer (IOW fucked).
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trendal
J♠


Registered: 04/17/01
Posts: 20,815
Loc: Ontario, Canada
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Re: Awesomely Exciting Computer Problem [Re: TurdFerguson]
#5526004 - 04/17/06 05:36 PM (17 years, 9 months ago) |
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If it's the port, playing around with the cable while it's plugged in should have a big effect on it.
ie: it should turn on FINE with the cable end pressed in one direction, but not at all when pressed in the other direction.
To be honest, that doesn't sound like a power problem at all...more like a probablem with the motherboard.
Do you have a volt meter at all (called a VOM or DMM)? Try measuring the output voltage from the power adapter and compare it to the rated voltage of the thing. Set the VOM/DMM to DC volts. It should be almost EXACTLY what it says it's supposed to be - if it's off by more than 1/5th of a volt the power adapter is probably bad. If it fluctuates a lot up and down, the adapter is bad (probably one of the output filter capacitors).
Also try checking the voltage with your VOM/DMM set to AC voltage. It should read ZERO volts when set to the AC scale. If it reads anything other than zero, you have excessive ripple in the output voltage (meaning the voltage is going up and down constantly). This would also probably be a bad filter cap.
If everything on the adapter checks out fine, it's something inside your laptop - probably the mobo.
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Once, men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.
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SneezingPenis
ACHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!111!

Registered: 01/15/05
Posts: 15,427
Last seen: 6 years, 8 months
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Re: Awesomely Exciting Computer Problem [Re: TurdFerguson]
#5526067 - 04/17/06 05:48 PM (17 years, 9 months ago) |
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in english: get a volt meter (20$ or less at any radio shack), they will have 2 metal needle-like probes. These probes complete the circuit and measure every possible aspect of electricity and flow.
Your computer needs Direct Current and not Alternating current (what you get out the wall), so if you test the output of the converter while not plugged into the laptop, it should not read any Alternating Current. Switched to a DC voltage setting, it should be very very close to the rated DC voltage printed somewhere on your laptop, if not, that is most likely your problem.
I concur with Trendal that it most likely isnt a connection problem.
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TurdFerguson
Folk Villain


Registered: 07/02/05
Posts: 1,357
Loc: 123 Fake St.
Last seen: 2 years, 2 months
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Re: Awesomely Exciting Computer Problem [Re: SneezingPenis]
#5526206 - 04/17/06 06:22 PM (17 years, 9 months ago) |
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Thanks you guys, I'm going to radio shack tomorrow to get myself a volt meter. I'd rather shell out 20$ first just to make sure I'm not paying more than I need to for repairs
-------------------- Hey, baby...wanna kill all humans?
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pshawny
Mycobian



Registered: 09/11/04
Posts: 1,332
Loc: Shroomery
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Re: Awesomely Exciting Computer Problem [Re: TurdFerguson]
#5527017 - 04/17/06 09:15 PM (17 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
DickDiver said: Thanks you guys, I'm going to radio shack tomorrow to get myself a volt meter. I'd rather shell out 20$ first just to make sure I'm not paying more than I need to for repairs
Don't forget the battery, it doesn't come with it
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