Laptop Power Socket Repair

This is the "ugly" way to repair the power socket on a laptop. It's going to be a slightly lame instructable, sorry. I didn't think to document it when I did it, so it's more an "after the factable".

Step 1: You will need

A laptop with a broken socket

A razor saw

lead from a resistor

solder & iron

Long Nose Pliers

Comments

[iminthebathroom]

Hmm, at least you tried to fix it. i have many friends who have just gone out and purchased new laptops because they had no concept that it might be repairable. Laptops can be tricky to open up, if I had an old one that was all ready beat up then I might do this fix as well. Ugly but effective, provided you have access. If you are going to the trouble of replacing the power socket AND you have all ready cut up the case for access you should think about next time putting in a stronger connection type. One of the best ways is to fit it with a dongle type power supply socket and let it take the brunt. I had a Toshiba with similar problems except Toshiba's are not usually board mounted, they have an internal sort of dongle all ready.

[acidx0]

LOL This is so funny. haha

dude its cheap, now what happends if you mess up something , its to dumb.

www.fastlaptoprepair.com

 

[danman2991]

.....thats just sad, at least spend a little time and fix it right if you are going to post an instruct able about it. Next time take the whole laptop apart and avoid cutting, time consuming but works much better

[Tool Using Animal]

Actually, it would work exactly the same ;-). You are free to fix your electronics exactly as you see fit...

[headjerk]

Nice job, wish I'd seen this a year ago before I repaired both of our Fujitsu laptops. After fixing ours I went looking for a CRD (Cable Restraint Device). Couldn't find one so I made one. My wife thought it worked so well I should make them and sell them. So I did. (SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT).

It's made out of ABS, not steel like ENGADGET mentioned today. Comes with three different CRDs (USB, RJ11 and RJ45). They work, I've had them "in service" for more than a year (waiting for my patent). The name is "suggestive" or "funky" or "stupid" or Weird" but the device does work and stops the problem of tugging or pulling on the cable. www.jerkstopper.com

[Spacecoyote]

Won't this eventually kill the USB, RJ11 or RJ45 port? Sure those connectors aren't as vital and are easier to find replacements for (if you have the skill to replace them) but it has me concerned. On some laptops it may be possible to rig something similar up with the kensington slot, which is designed for this kind of abuse. The real solution, in my opinion, would be for laptop manufacturers to stop using cheap barrel connectors and change to something else instead (like the standard 2 pin connector used on stereo recievers or something). On my laptop I replaced the jack with a female IDE power cable and the plug with a male IDE power cable. The wires on those are high enough gauge so they can handle the amperage and with a little tug the plug comes out instead just putting the stress on the jack.

[headjerk]

Actually, the way the USB & RJ Ports are mounted in most laptops is far superior to the way the power port is mounted. The RJ & USB ports are usually supported on 4 sides plus connected to the motherboard as opposed to the power port being (in most cases) free floating and only mounted to the motherboard by two small pegs and the solder joints. The RJ series JerkStoppers are hollow and in more than a year of "abusive" testing we failed to damage any ports. We worked on a K-Slot solution but it turns out that in most "corporate" environments the K-Slot is used.

I agree that the real answer is to change the basic design used by 99% of the Mfgs for the power connection. Better yet (for me) would be to include a JerkStopper kit with each laptop sold.

[alftrek]

esto es un horror!!!!!! desmonta el portatil y te quedara mucho mejor lo que hay que ver....chapucero!!!!!

[junits15]

the more professional thing to do would be to open the computer (look it up on goole or just take out every screw u see) and google for the connector and switch it out

[Tool Using Animal]

Yeah, I don't consider a 100mhz 10 year old laptop to be used as a data logger worth that level of effort.

[junits15]

ya, that would make sense

[wackydeejay]

YIKES!!! Not picking on you at all, as you obviously got the job done. This isn't the easiest thing in the world to fix, though. I understand that, also. That's why we see several computers every day come to our shop at http://comprehensivecomputing.net with this same problem, and many of them we are fixing other problems where someone attempted to repair it themselves.

Either way, I commend you for being brave enough to tackle this yourself! :D

[llamafur]

$99 dollars? don't some people think its a little too much? more like 50 or 60.

[wackydeejay]

Our customers seem to be happy with the price. I suppose getting competent and friendly service is worth something...

[lemonie]

What failed in the original socket? I don't see how these things could need to be replaced, but this has never happened to me. ? L

[tresho]

If it hasn't happened to a laptop you own, you're lucky. It's happened to me 3 times, and to several of my friends & relatives also.

[FrenchCrawler]

My brother killed his laptop by knocking it off of one of those TV dinner tables while he was sleeping. It was still plugged in and landed on its back which broke the power socket off the board.... it would have been an easy fix, but after he took the whole thing apart there was no fixing it. So it's being scavenged for parts now...

[tresho]

I don't have a saw like this in my toolkit, but I do have a small "rotary tool" such as Harbor Freight sells for about $8. These tools are also called "Dremel tools." Its cutoff wheel will do the same job. The diameter of the cutting wheel is about 1 inch. The tool here is shown cutting off a defective DC power jack from a printed circuit board.

[mycroftxxx]

Maybe I'm just abnormal, but wouldn't it have been less messy in the long run to strip down the laptop and make the repair on the mainboard with it outside the case? Interesting hack, just a little primitive.

[KelliShaver]

Yes. Well, you usually don't even take it out of the case. This is one of the most common laptop problems we see at our shop. We probably get one a week when college is in session. Some laptops are a bit of a pain to disassemble, but it's usually no more than a half hour's work to get them apart and solder the socket back as it should be. It's a very common and very fixable problem, though.

[lightpacker]

it would have taken longer but easier if you just took apart the bottom and did the same so you wouldnt have a big hole and the circuitry exposed to the environment but still good idea

[ironsmiter]

Bondo. ;-) Although it looks , from the last picture, like there might be enough plastic left protruding to sg the removed section back in, and just patch in the saw marks with JB weld, epoxy, or bondo... The rest of the case should protect the weakened area from too much abuse pretty well. No , seriously, I agree with lightpacker... If the machine still works, it's worth the time to unscrew the screws, and leave the case intact... Novel idea, using a resistor leg for the repair though. Not sure i understand what the superglue was for though... doesn't the solder from the electrical connection hold the socket in place? I know it did before your fix! I noticed you used pictures from 2 different laptops... did the first not go so well?

[Tool Using Animal]

Two laptops because one is just to show the locations of the cuts as I did not document the repair originally, the repair went fine. The purpose of the superglue is that relying on the legs supporting the socket is what led to the original problem, the leg metal fatigued from the repeated stress of the cord being plugged in, supergluing the plastic body of the socket to the mainboard relieves the stress on the legs (something the manufacturer should have taken into account). I disagree with both of you ;-) The time + effort for complete disassembly was not warranted by the potential gain. This is a junker I'm going to use to webcam my squirrel feeder.

[ac1D]

Can you make a instructable on how to repair the power cord jack? mine just brock :( there is one, but for mac!