AC Adapter Not Working

Try the adapter replacement first. It is by far cheaper than the alternative.

If the adapter doesn't work, you need a replacement mainboard or, possibly a repair to your existing board. Neither option is cheap - figure on $500+ installation for a replacement board, or about $250 to repair the existing one.

If the existing board is cracked, it can't be repaired. It's also not a do-it-yourself repair - it requires surface mount soldering by someone with the tools and skills to do the job properly.

I have the exact same problem. I was just curious as to what the cause for something like this would be. Do you know the exact part that would need to be ordered as a replacement? How much would it cost for Dell to do such a repair?

My experience with an Inspiron 5150 AC Adapter:

Summary:
-Began with lots of twisting and turning of plug behind laptop for it to work.
-AC adapter eventually stops working even with power. Battery still works.
-Find out wire to middle pin broke off.
-Twist off plug cover and reconnected wire. AC adapter works.
-Basically - REPLACE THE ADAPTER first if you don't want to go through all this.

The long version:
Like lots of other people experiencing AC adapter problems with their laptops, I began with having to jiggle or twist the plug behind the laptop once in a while for the adapter to be detected. One day the AC adapter suddenly stopped working. The light on the brick was ON and checking the voltage revealed that the correct 20V was being sent to the laptop.

After days of frustration and then accidentally breaking the pin inside the plug that connects to the back of the laptop, I eventually opened the plug on the AC adapter. (NOTE: Never mess with the pin inside the plug - it WILL break off.) When the rubber part next the the metal plug was pushed back, and the glue coating taken off, there are 3 wires. (You may need a pair of pliers and a lot of pulling or cut a line in the rubber, then later tape it back.) The outermost wire connects to the outside ring of the plug and is the GROUND (0V). The next wire that connects to the inside of the metal ring is 20V. The last wire connecting to the center of the plug is what I believe a data line. On my adapter plug, this is broken off.

Testing by observation, when I left this data line unconnected and plug the AC adapter into the wall, the laptop would not start when I pressed the power button. When I connected the wire, then plug the AC adapter into the wall, the laptop starts up normally. The laptop would still stay ON even if I disconnected this wire as long as I keep the plug in the back of the laptop connected.

That's how I got my adapter to work. Be very careful when you start opening up the adapter plug. Once you open it, you may mess it up, so be sure to have another adapter handy, or just buy one that works.

The lesson: Check for loose or disconnected wires in your adapter plug first.

Here are some precautions:
-Completely unplug the AC adapter and wait until the light on the brick turns off, since there is still electricity when you unplug.
-On the metal plug that connects to the back of the laptop, the outer part of the metal ring is GROUND, the inner part of the ring is 20V, and the metal pin I believe is the data line. Be careful when you touch any of these parts.
-After you pushed the rubber part off the metal piece and reveal the wires, becareful and don't let them touch - I don't know what happens and don't want to find out. Use electrical tape to separate them if needed.
-I used solder to reconnect the broken wire. Get someone to solder it for you or find some other way to connect the wire.

My pin inside the plug was broken off. I corrected this by cutting off a short piece of metal wire and stripped the cover. I inserted the wire into the back of the laptop where the pin should go with a little piece sticking out (1 millimeter). When the pinless plug plugs into the back of the laptop, the metal part, where the pin should be on the plug, touches the metal pin sticking out the back of the laptop, and gets the data line to work.

The lesson here: Never try to adjust the pin inside the adapter plug or you'll break it.

That's my experience. Please be careful and don't do something unless you know what you're doing. Take the easy way and buy a new adapter. Good luck.

UPDATE:
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I bought another adapter from Ebay, but on arrival, it didn't work. I know the adapter arrived damaged since I have another working adapter to test with. I did the same thing here - cut off the rubber from the plug and looked at the wires. Unlike my other adapter, all the wires are connected on this one. I can't get the brick to open with any of my screw drivers, but I've pinpointed the problem to either the brick or the connection from the ring plug to the brick.

Lesson: You may end up with a bad adapter from Ebay and not even know it. It's better to spend the money and buy from Dell or a more trusted source before you spend money replacing the motherboard.

Message Edited by Lapitopi_Fan on 07-23-2005 10:55 AM

Now the laptop doesn't work. I plugged the AC adapter in and heard a sparking sound, and then a strange smell started coming from the back of the laptop. The whole thing just shut off, but the power light and battery light stayed on. I took out the AC adapter and the battery, and the lights finally turned off. I tried turning the computer back on with the battery in it but now the battery light is just a steady amber. It stays that way until I take the battery out and put it back in...