Repair DC Power Jack Problem on Laptop Using Modem Port
by teatimest in Circuits > Computers
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Repair DC Power Jack Problem on Laptop Using Modem Port
I fixed the laptop power jack once with non-destructive method.
Yes, I fixed it.
After three months, I heard some noise from behind the laptop.
Oh my.... again?
When I wiggled the connector, it sometimes worked.
As before, it finally stopped working.
I had to open and re-solder the power plug.
That happened .... at least 5 times.
Finally I was fed up with the re-soldering.
The problem is coming from two facts.
1) DC power jack is fixed on the mother board not to the exoskeleton of the laptop. Therefore any shock to the power connector is directly transduced to the soldering between the power jack and the mother board.
2) Joint between the power jack and mother board is highly oxidized and always ends up in un-clean solder. Even a small shock on the power jack makes the soldering connection cold.
For the solution
Fix the DC power jack on the outer case not on the mother board so that the soldering at the mother board is isolated from any external shock.
How can I do it?
"Ring-ring!!!"
Yes, I fixed it.
After three months, I heard some noise from behind the laptop.
Oh my.... again?
When I wiggled the connector, it sometimes worked.
As before, it finally stopped working.
I had to open and re-solder the power plug.
That happened .... at least 5 times.
Finally I was fed up with the re-soldering.
The problem is coming from two facts.
1) DC power jack is fixed on the mother board not to the exoskeleton of the laptop. Therefore any shock to the power connector is directly transduced to the soldering between the power jack and the mother board.
2) Joint between the power jack and mother board is highly oxidized and always ends up in un-clean solder. Even a small shock on the power jack makes the soldering connection cold.
For the solution
Fix the DC power jack on the outer case not on the mother board so that the soldering at the mother board is isolated from any external shock.
How can I do it?
"Ring-ring!!!"
Modem Jack Removal
There is a Perfect Hole.
It's usually unused in modern computing unless you have dial-up.
In order to reach the modem port, you have to follow this Instructable to the step 9 and remove the modem jack.
It's usually unused in modern computing unless you have dial-up.
In order to reach the modem port, you have to follow this Instructable to the step 9 and remove the modem jack.
Power Jack Preparation
As in the other Instructable, the power jack was removed from the mother board.
Then the jack is soldered to the electric cords.
The power cord is from an adapter for my old telephone. It could be any power cord.
However, it should be thick enough to support the electric current needed for laptop.
Therefore the use of those audio cable, phone cable etc. are not recommended.
Then the jack is soldered to the electric cords.
The power cord is from an adapter for my old telephone. It could be any power cord.
However, it should be thick enough to support the electric current needed for laptop.
Therefore the use of those audio cable, phone cable etc. are not recommended.
Fix It On
As you see in the figure, I glued the power jack to the space where the modem jack was originally using hot glue (I got from a $1 shop). The other end of the cords were soldered onto the mother board where the power jack was originally.
You can put the PC board back on.
You can put the PC board back on.
Re-assemble
You can reassemble your machine following my previous intructable.
Now you can see the empty hole which was occupied with power jack before.
And the modem port now occupied with power jack.
Now you can see the empty hole which was occupied with power jack before.
And the modem port now occupied with power jack.
Prevention
In order to reduce any stress to the newly fixed power jack, I made a restrainer that keeps any shock away from the power jack by transducing the shock to the ethernet jack.
Just cut a piece of ethernet cable and tape it back to the cable for making a small loop. Attache a rubber band to the loop in order to absorb any excessive shock. Attache the rubber band to the power cord.
Even if you pull the power cord abruptly, the rubber band absorb the most of the shock and the ethernet cable pulls the computer gently.
It certainly looks cosmetically worse than before but it works!
Just cut a piece of ethernet cable and tape it back to the cable for making a small loop. Attache a rubber band to the loop in order to absorb any excessive shock. Attache the rubber band to the power cord.
Even if you pull the power cord abruptly, the rubber band absorb the most of the shock and the ethernet cable pulls the computer gently.
It certainly looks cosmetically worse than before but it works!