AC Power Adapter Type Cannot Be Determined

its not the laptop its the ac they do that sometimes, they have em for 50 bucks at walmart

hi, now a day i have similar kind of problem with DELL VOSTRO 3550, have changed new battery but again message - The AC power adapter type cannot be determined. Your system will operate slower and the battery will not charge. Please connect a Dell 65W AC adapter or higher for best system operation" is coming and unable to charge battery also.

pl help to get solve.

rg Manoj kr

hi, I am awaiting solution from Dell

manoj

Its unbelivable this problem has been ongoing for over 6 years now.

On my Dell XPS M1330, in addition to replacing the battery once,  I am on the 4th power adaptor already. That is about one per year on average. The original lasted around 3yrs and the replacements less than 1yr. I am a heavy user but always look after my belonings, especially necessary work tools such as electronic devices.

The new generic adaptors power the laptop and charge the battery just fine, however the biggest issue is the CPU throttling which takes place locking the processor speed to a its minimum setting. In my case 1.2GHz on a 2.0GHz chip.

In some cases this occurs because of the laptop fan accumulating dust over time, thus the system cuts down on power to prevent potential problems from overheating. Unfortunately its also anecdotaly reported to occur when some power adaptors do not have the correct power output so the system will throttle the cpu to whatever the "brick" can feed.

Its something that some users might not notice, but if you do encounter it you will need a program such as Throttolestop to bypass the throttling limit and have your CPU work in full speed when required.

I have been using RMclock to undervolt the processor and it took me months to actually realise it despite having the CPU readings on full sight at the taskbar. I just didn't pay attention.

I am logging in using my wife's acct login, so you all will understand my next response to this problem.

I work with electronics, and have done so for 39 years.  I am one of two top techs who reports to VP of ops

at our company.  I have 17 years experience in computer related hardware/software Unix/AIX.

I suspect that this problem is not hardware.  Hardware either works or it fails.  Hardware is not 'work this time, fail next time, work again;.  If the message even comes up, for starters, I SUSPECT THAT SOFTWARE IS FOULED UP.  FUBAR.

If you can find the Registry entry and delete ALL related entries related to the charging mechanism, that

would be a start.  Also look in the Windows (x86) entries for Dell folders and see if there are any sub-directories for and related to the charger.

I use a power supply and a makeshift plug for charging my Dell laptop N5040, and it doesn't fart on me.

I use the Dell charger and it farts on me.  THAT tells me it's software.  Probably some capacitive coupling between the power supply and some algorithm on the mother board, coupled with damned software.

BUY TOSHIBA or ANYTHING ELSE but DELL.  I swear, I have had more issues with DELL than any other.  I've used Toshiba before and was impressed.  I have a colleague at work who uses some other brand of laptop and he never has issues like this.-----    Marketing prowess.  It ***!

Apart from suspecting and assuming what steps did you take to narrow down the "fart" - problem?

1.As a top technician with many years of experience you surely have thoroughly tested the power adapter.
2.You are familiar with its functionality and that it differs from "normal" power adapters.
3.You also have verified the information you were given in the BIOS about the status of the power adapter
4.You do have in-depth knowledge how the mainboard interacts with the power adapter via one-wire technology.
5.You also know that the power adapter under normal conditions charges the battery independent of any operating system - in fact it's not even necessary to have an OS installed.
6.You also know that if the power adapter is not recognized in the BIOS that the system speed will be decreased from100% to 50%
7.You do know that a simple lose connection (usually USER-fault!!) of the power jack or the cable of the adapter is all it takes to "upset" people.

Quote:

"Hardware either works or it fails.  Hardware is not 'work this time, fail next time, work again"

You are wrong ! If you have ever worked on "chip level" you should know better.

I'm also experiencing this AC adapter cannot be determined issue. my AC adapter will charge my laptop normally during the first plug in. I don't know why but if I unplug the AC adapter and plugging it back again it will pop up the error message AC adapter cannot be determined and if I did not use the AC adapter for 10minutes and plugging it back again it will charge the laptop. I will replace the AC adapter hope it will solve the issue

1. The AC adaptor can not be determined is the result of failure of the third wire in the DC cable being damaged. This wir sends an ID signal to the computer indicating the wattage of thecharger, No signal, and the laptop will be throtled back and the battery will not charge well. Same thing happens woith third party chargers that do not have thhe signl wire. Many people use third party replacements, but do not realize the throttling is happeneing.

This damage is usually related to rough handling of the DC cable, such as tripping on it or roughly wrappimng the wire. The majority of charger failures are due to handling. Also, the pin for the third wire in the DC plug is very fine, and can be bent or broken.

Dell does not make these chargers designed to fail early, as many believe. The reason for the signal wire is to alert the user that the laptop is not getting enough power because of a bad DC connection, the wrong charger, or insufficient power output.

Chargers rarely fail because they burnout, although it can happen. Repalcing a charger four times is certainly poor handling.

2. The not charging issue is almost always related to damage to the DC socket on the laptop, again usually from rough handling. The majority of failures are broken solder connections tothe system board, which are VERY difficult to repair. Dell ahs changed from sockets soldered on the system board to separate power boards (cheaper to repair, to just the socket wired to a cable that plugs into the system board. People are still manageing to break these other two types, although not as often.

A sure sign of a damaged socket is the abiity to sometimes getting charging and sometimes not because of movements of the broken solder connections by wiggling the socket.

3. Most of these problems are eventually related to design. Apple uses a magnetically attached DC plug with short connecting pins. However, these are not immune to similar fairures. Dell has been making positive changes based on customer products.

You are all free to go to some other manufacturer, but realize that all brands will have the same types of problems. This riugh handling is why laptops enerally do not last beyond three years. I have two laptops that have lasted eight and nine yearswith no power issues. My daughter had a failed socket and then had her new 1 month old replacement serviced for the same (she paid because this is not covered by the normal wattanty). She wasn't careless, but her five year old twins were!!!

Dell could certainly produce a laptop that could survive rough handling, but I don't think any of you would pay the price. Military grade laptops start at about $10,000.

RE #3:  Apple has dropped the Magsafe connector from the new Macbook Pro, which uses a new universal USB 3.0 connector for power.  It's a socketed connector - not the magnetic one Apple had been using, and it's almost certainly soldered to the system board once again.

First, thanks for the info, although without a good solution it's kind of a moot point.

Second, I take exception to the accusation that everyone having this problem has somehow been at fault.

We've all had laptops that never had power issues, that's why we are so disappointed in this.

If that many people are being that rough, then it is incumbent on Dell to make the part so that doesn't happen. In the lifetime of a computer, one is certainly going to trip over the wire a time or two, it's just about inevitable. Blaming the customer works when the actions taken by that customer are exceptional.

I have never heard of this problem regarding any other manufacturer. Purely anecdotal, but still...

Surely they could add some kind of snap lock to the plug to prevent stress on the wires when the wire is pulled by accident. It doesn't seem like an insurmountable problem to me.

The solution is to be kind to your laptop. ALL laptops use a similar power system using a variety of plug/socket arrangements, and have a power socket that is susceptable to rough handling. This is why DC socket damage is NOT covered under the warranty in many cases; if it looks abused, they assume it was abused. To be safe and sure, purchase an extended warranty along with accidental damage coverage. This is only reasonable if you have an expensive laptop

Even the Apple MagSafe was not too safe and had damage problems, and as ejn63 mentioned, is no longer being used. They have switched to USB-3 cabling for power and data. Any system using a cable plugged into the laptop can fail. There are lots of plug/socket arrangements to use, but there needs tp be a balance of keeping the plug from falling out during use and coming out easy enough to prevent damage if the cord is punned or kicked.

If you haven't seen reports of power socket problems with other OEMs, you haven't looked. Just search on power socket damage with any OEM you want and see the posts. They all have this problem, including the much loved Macs.

One way to prevent a problem is use your laptop only on battery when away from the desk, and keep the wire safe when charging. Another way is to buy a second battery and an external charger.  Then you could hope that someone would develop wireless charging. This would be great, especially with improved battery run times being obtained lately. In addition while charging, you could probably cook dinner on top of the laptop!!! Tesla would be proud!!!

Had the same problem tried new adapter, replaced the dc jack, told by dell that for $268.00 + tax they would replace mother board.  I will never own a dell again or recommend to anyone to buy one either. Good luck guys you will need it.

Yes, they all have this problem. However, if you look at al the complaints, Dell is far and away the worst offender.

It is so prevalent in Dells, it almost seems like planned obsolescence.

I have owned 3 Dell laptops, and I am done.

It's 2016 and I'm having the same issue.  Obviously a sign that Dell has made no attempt to fix the issue and does not care the slightest.   They're okay with it probably because it seems to happen approximately 2 years after manufacture date (and out of warranty).  I'm sure if it was happening within the warranty period, the issue would have been taken care of by now - because that would actually cost Dell money.