Laptop not charging

mustmakealist

Hi Everyone

My son's laptop is not charging up. He's bought a new charger, but this hasn't helped. He thinks there might be a problem with the charging port. If this is the case is it likely to be simple/cheap to get fixed or are there any other possibilities?

Hope someone can help.

flashg67

I'm sure Hammyman will be along soon to confirm -

It's a common problem (in our house anyway!) - it is possible to fix this - usually the charger port in the laptop gets worn, or the connection breaks inside. It's often soldered to the motherboard, so unless you're confident, budget £60 to repair it.

One of my Toshiba's is a plug into the motherboard type so fairly easy to do if you're careful dismantling the laptop - laptop plastics seem to made of fragile stuff (or more likely I'm ham-fisted!)

Mista_C

What laptop is it? (make and model number). Some laptops have modular power jacks with a tether, some modular with a powerboard and some soldered. If you can provide the make and model number I might be able to give you an idea of the price you should be looking at for a repair.

clangnuts

Does it work when plugged in? If so, then it's probably the battery that's dead. How old is the laptop?

Daisygirl

I'm really sorry to barge in and hijack your thread OP, but I have a similar problem with my laptop.

So essentially, it won't charge either, will power up but the lead (female connector) going into the laptop is loose, so it must be that the connection in the laptop needs repairing/replacing.

It went in for repair for a different problem this week so I asked about it and the guy said that it will either cost £40 (if he can do it) or £90 if it has to be sent away. He also said that the battery might be no good now with being not charged for so long We did a test before it went in for repair - the diagnostic thing? and it said that the battery was ok? It is a Dell Inspiron 1545 and about 18 months - 2 years old.

mustmakealist

flashg67 I don't think I'm up to soldering bits inside a laptop :eek:

Mista_C It's an acer but not sure of the model number

clangnuts no it doesn't work when plugged in. That's why he thinks it's a problem with the charging port. It was working fine until he noticed it wasn't charging

scotty_591

It's just a shot in the dark, but have you tried taking the battery out of the laptop completely and then plugging in the charger to see if the laptop works?

If you flip your laptop upside down, the battery on an acer is usually on the back left hand side and can be released by sliding a button (how the battery detacthes will rpobably depend on how new your laptop is.

I know it's a shot in the dark but why not give it a try

Visiondvd

Most Acer Laptops have a wired removable ac jack.
You can purchase them cheap on ebay (£3) have a go at replacing it yourself,google a "how to guide" for your laptop to help you.

Mista_C

mustmakealist wrote: »

Mista_C It's an acer but not sure of the model number

Acer use tethers and solders usually. Mostly likely a Compal rebadge so either type will likely be a common standard jack. You would likely be looking at around £5-10 for the part and £20 - £40 for the labour depending on your location (cost of living, overheads variance, etc.) but it shouldn't be an excessive charge and it shouldn't take more than an hour for an experienced engineer, maybe just over without knowing the exact model.

Hammyman

Visiondvd wrote: »

Most Acer Laptops have a wired removable ac jack.
You can purchase them cheap on ebay (£3) have a go at replacing it yourself,google a "how to guide" for your laptop to help you.

Don't even need to do that. All that happens on those with the yellow plastic is the flat bit that presses against the outside of the charger plug needs bending towards the middle pin with something like a jewellers screwdriver so it makes a contact again when you plug in the charger..

Hammyman

Daisygirl wrote: »

It went in for repair for a different problem this week so I asked about it and the guy said that it will either cost £40 (if he can do it) or £90 if it has to be sent away.

Oh, one of THOSE laptop repair shops...can do a hard drive, keyboard, screen and other parts that bolt in but not any proper repairs.

Cut out the middleman. There's a guy who repairs them for a flat fee on Ebay - £35 rings a bell.