I had a new computer repair client today with a laptop problem. Their two year-old laptop would charge occasionally but most of the time it wouldn’t. My client had three different AC adapters or otherwise known as chargers and they reasoned one of them should be working. They were convinced that the problem was the computer and asked me to check it out.
First, I examined the laptop’s power connector and it was firm and secured to the laptop. I expected to find it loose because the laptop wouldn’t hold a charge. Next, the AC adapters were tested for proper voltage of 19VDC. Surprisingly, None of them passed my tests! One had a short in the cable and would read 19VDC if it was wiggled and held at the right position. The other two wouldn’t read any voltage no matter how I positioned their cables. I located an AC adapter from my parts inventory and it powered on the laptop and charged the battery.
My client was glad I didn’t need to dismantle the laptop and do any soldering or have to pronounce the laptop dead. I forgot to mention earlier that one of my competitors was going to charge $200 to dismantle the laptop. I don’t know if they would have tried a working AC adapter before the laptop dismantling.