OT ish- laptop power issue...

Jim K was thinking very hard :

I would guess at a PSU failure, could you borrow a replacement to test it with?

Reply to
Harry Bloomfield
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Have you measured the PSU output voltage off load OOI?

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

OK ... it's just that if the PSU fails to output it's 19V off load then there is a pretty good sign it's nfg. If it works off load then it might be slightly more complicated (as most of the good SMPSU's will crowbar of the output is shorted etc) as you won't then know if it's the PSU weak or the laptop pulling it down.

Any 19V laptop type psu with the right size barrel (5.5 x 2.5mm often) and the right polarity (outer -Ve) should at least show the power and charge indicators (even if it won't run it with no / flat battery etc). The more amps the merrier etc. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

Ageing Toshiba lappy (ironically with recently upgraded ram) has just decided it won't charge the battery OR run on AC power. No status LEDs lit on front edge at all even when power cord plugged in....

The power supply is a box with a mains socket into which a mains lead plugs. The box has a 19v wire running to a barrel (sp) jack connector that plugs into a socket on the lappy.

If I connect the charger to the lappy & observe the status LEDs - nothing doing. BUT if I unplug the mains lead from the power supply box then plug it back in, the mains power LED & battery charge LED come on for 1/2 a second then go off & everything is dead again...

Any pointers anyone?

TIA

Reply to
Jim K

It might, that it's firing up, crowbaring and the output cap slowly discharging, assuming it's not a broken wire / bad input plug that just catches now and again?

I got a Dyson cylinder cleaner off Freecycle for that reason (fractured conductor near the moulded plug). ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

Have you measured that the plug is providing 19v or thereabouts?

My money would be on the PSU working but some sort of short inside the laptop which puts the PSU into its self protect fold back mode.

Reply to
Martin Brown

;-)

Potentially.

Ideally, in case the laptop took out the PSU in the first place.

Ideally you would want a genuine Toshiba PSU but a new one is likely to be expensive. After that, a second hand Tosh one or another 'branded' PSU from say HP / Acer (as long as it has the same 5.5 x

2.5mm barrel, is 19V and at least the current as the old PSU or what it says underneath the laptop. More means the PSU won't have to work as hard so will run cooler / last longer etc).

Failing all that, a generic / unbranded PSU (as they are all from China, just built to different standards).

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

Sweet. ;-)

Ok ...

Quite.

Well done! ;-)

And well done again. Yes, that one wire data bus is quite interesting. ;-)

It happens ...

If it's a genuine Dell PSU, you are happy the cable merge is good and safe and you are the only one going to use it ... and the Del PSU is

19V and the same current or more than required, I'd stick with it. ;-)

You are more than welcome. Always good to hear a positive result and well done again (for giving some stuff a go). ;-)

Cheers, T i m

p.s. I have fixed many a laptop PSU where the fault is the output cable failing near the plug or the plug itself. Where you can get a wireable plug I've simply replaced it but with the Dells and their 3 pin plug I've also bought replacement output cables and cracked the PSU open along the seam with a toffee hammer and glued it back together again after replacing the cable. I would only do that if I was going to use the PSU / laptop myself though, or it was for a semi-tekky mate who understood and accepted the risks (be they small).

Reply to
T i m

Just thinking ... if you have a 10A range on your MM and haven't finalised the FrankenCableGraft, maybe you could measure the running current for a bit, just to see what it's actually drawing?

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

if its like my Tosh, my money is on a f***ed coax power socket.

Luckily the PCB that that connects to is replaceable on mine, and I did.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

That won't produce the symptom he is seeing with the voltage sagging over time to zero and then coming back again after the mains input to the charger is cycled.

Reply to
samchunk

I wrote that before I saw the later post.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Well first establish if the psu can run anything at all. If it does then the issue may be in the machine, of course if it does not then your psu is knackered. Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

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