Short circuited charger but netbook suffered instead

Kernel_Sanders

The Heath Robinson repair on my Asus Eee charger (as discussed here https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4309995) failed when it fell off the table and the the two 19V out cables touched briefly. The netbook, which was nearly fully charged, immediately switched off, and cannot be powered back on. What has happened, because I would have thought the charger would be damaged but the blue light still illuminates, although I haven't tried to charge anything with it.

WTFH

What has probably happened is that you've fried your motherboard.

The cables do not just snap, it's normally cause by them being repeatedly stretched or wrapped up too tight. The rubber grommet (or "strain relief bush") is designed to reduce the stress on the cable, but it can only do so much.

Is there a reason why it's taken over a year for you to think about getting it fixed?

Kernel_Sanders

I thought that one function of a laptop battery was to regulate the supply, so that the correct output would be running round the circuits irrespective of what the charger was doing. Will the HDD have been affected too?

WTFH

Kernel_Sanders wrote: »

I thought that one function of a laptop battery was to regulate the supply, so that the correct output would be running round the circuits irrespective of what the charger was doing. Will the HDD have been affected too?

No, the battery is not a voltage regulator.
You can take the battery out of a laptop and it will still work perfectly well off the power supply. The "charger" is not a charger, but a power supply. It goes direct to the motherboard, then gets redirected to the battery when the battery needs charging.

The HDD should be OK, because generally the motherboard will fry before the drive gets hit. No guarantee if that, though.

That's why cables should be treated with respect, disconnect them by pulling on the moulding at the ends, not the cable itself, never wrap cables tight, or pull them, or force them at sharp angles.

Kernel_Sanders

WTFH wrote: »

No, the battery is not a voltage regulator.
You can take the battery out of a laptop and it will still work perfectly well off the power supply. The "charger" is not a charger, but a power supply. It goes direct to the motherboard, then gets redirected to the battery when the battery needs charging.

So I've been wasting my time removing the battery for lengthy sessions on mains?

shaun_from_Africa

Kernel_Sanders wrote: »

So I've been wasting my time removing the battery for lengthy sessions on mains?

No, because although the power to run the laptop will come from the power unit and not the battery, there will still be a small trickle charge to ensure that the battery is kept fully topped up.

This unneeded topping charge can sometime deminish the life of the battery which is why a lot of people recommend removing the battery if it's not needed and if you are somewhere where there aren't frequent power outages.