You have a task to complete in the middle of the night and you grab your laptop with the intention of getting it done as quickly as possible! Everything was ready, but right at the start of the system, a low power sign appeared. You can quickly find a charger and charge it to complete your work.
But wait a moment, what if the power cable refuses to charge? You’ll be frustrated and suddenly start losing hope. Just imagine yourself in such a situation! You’ll pick up your phone and start searching for the solutions available online. You’ll have these usual questions in your mind;
Why isn’t my laptop charging? What are the typical power cable problems in Laptop XYZ (any laptop you own)? How to check if my laptop power jack is damaged? How to fix my laptop’s power jack at home?
Here’s where you’ll get the answers, and you’ll take a sigh of relief that you’ve finally found the solution. In this article, we’ve explained in detail the best ways to fix your laptop power jack without soldering. Before going into the details, let’s discuss briefly how the power jack works.
How does the laptop’s power jack work?
One of the essential parts of any notebook/laptop is the DC power jack. The power jack allows you to charge your laptop’s battery and provides you with a steady source of electricity. If it fails to provide a sufficient supply, your laptop will lose power and eventually be unable to turn it on.
What are the common symptoms of power jack failure?
The Power Light Flickers On/Off
A properly working DC power jack will provide your laptop with a consistent power supply. If your laptop faces power flickers, or if you are wiggling your cable in the socket to maintain a connection, there’s a problem with the jack. It can be a dangerous situation, and electricity sparks are very likely to occur.
Your Battery Doesn’t Charge
Even if your power cable or laptop doesn’t show the symptoms mentioned above, the DC jack could still be damaged, if your battery isn’t charging. A steady supply of power is required to charge your laptop battery and provide it with a boost in its charge. Failure to battery charge indicates that it is not translating DC power into a proper battery charge.
Only Works at a Certain Angle/Spot
It is a sign warning that something terrible is going to happen. When a DC power jack gets loose, it may not fit in properly or change position on your laptop. As a result, you may have to angle your power cord to get any kind of charge. It will put a strain on your power cord and DC jack and can cause damage to both. Getting these problems fixed as soon as possible is crucial.
How to test and identify the problem with my laptop’s power jack?
First of all, take a multimeter and test the AC/DC power adapter with it. There is likely nothing wrong with the laptop, and your problem is only related to the power adapter. If the applied voltage is off by just a bit, that’s fine. But if it’s more than one amp/one volt off, be concerned.
Note: Remember, the laptop should always be matched with the adapter that provides the exact voltage needed to charge it (the sticker on the bottom of the laptop tells about it). Again, 1 volt or less off is okay but not ideal. Anything under or over can damage the system eventually.
To test the power jack of the laptop, use the multimeter again. For this purpose, flip the laptop on its lid, so the bottom is facing up. Pull out the battery. Now plug it in (after making sure that the adapter is not at fault). Touch the negative probe to the VGA port or any other metal port that protrudes out of the plastic casing. What you’re doing is, grounding against it.
Now one by one touch the positive probe to each of the pins on the battery terminal. All of them will be carrying current, except the two. These are the contacts that carry the current out of the battery. You’ll see that the internal voltage and amperage will be different from that of the adapter. The internal voltage will be much lower than that of the adapter.
If you see the readings jumping around a lot, that’s bad and could mean the motherboard is fried. If you see no readings, then it is probably the jack that is at fault, as power is not getting from it to the battery terminal. So, here’s how the initial diagnosis can be made very quickly.
Steps to Fix Laptop Power Jack Without Soldering
Before starting the repair stuff, you should have all the necessary tools and items required beforehand. Some of the tools required are mentioned below.
Tools and Items Needed
- A generic AC Adaptor that is compatible with your laptop. (usually the size and other necessary attributes)
- Empty sharpie barrel or empty highlighter barrel
- Electrical tapes
- Zip ties
- Multimeter
- Pliers
- Solder and iron
- Wire strippers, etc. (for laptop’s AC)
- Tool for boring holes – screws, screwdriver with nails, drills, and hammer (or any other tool to make holes and can hold the barrel in position)
Steps
- There is a need to prepare a barrel with two holes. To do this,
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- Detach the ink holder section and the tip of the marker.
- Make a hole on the opposite side of the barrel, and that is all there is about the marker barrel.
- The next step is prepping the cables. It involves cutting the laptop cord. In this case, we are dealing with two things; The generic AC adapter and the Laptop AC Adapter.Generic AC Adapter
- Cut out the cord of the generic adapter to the required length. You should ensure that the cord is neither too short nor too long.
- Grab the earlier prepared cord and insert it into the barrel.
- Strip the wires so you can expose them.
Laptop AC Adapter
- Cut to reduce the size of the cord that needs to be replaced.
- Find the tip section of the marker barrel and put the cord in.
- Repair the power jack by joining the two cords. It is a very critical step, and you have to be observant of discontinuities. Make use of the multimeter to check and ensure that you are dealing with the right wires.
- After the above steps, you have to ensure that the barrel is sealed. You can add the zip ties to protect the wires from losing contact in case someone pulls it. The zip ties are there to protect the wires from disconnecting from the power jack.
Final Thoughts
We hope that this guide will help you to have a concise idea of {ower Jack faults and how to undertake the fixing of the power jack of your laptop without soldering. When you’re done fixing it, it is essential to test your laptop to know whether it is working fine. The first sign to verify that it is working fine is that the battery notification will show “battery charging.” Good Luck!
