What is a power jack?
First, you might be wondering, what exactly is a power jack? Here at Pomeroy Computing, we are experts in these types of repairs and offer guides and tutorials to fix it yourself or we offer our $69 parts and labor mail in repair services. We are here to help!
The power port is a socket that is soldered directly to the motherboard or a cable connection that plugs in it. People tend to find out about this information when they are experiencing power problems themselves.
Power enters through your ac adapter cord and into the laptop to power it and charge the battery through this power jack port. It doesn’t regulate your battery or do anything special. It’s just the physical gateway for power to come into your laptop. If the connection is bad, then your laptop won’t properly power on and charge the battery.
This information might be relevant to you because you’re having power problems with your laptop and are seeking solutions. There are ways you can do this repair yourself but sometimes it is better left to an expert in laptop repairs and soldering due to the complexity of the disassembly and reassembly along with safely removing the bad socket.
What symptoms does a failing charge port have?
A laptop that is experiencing power problems has distinct symptoms. They tend to go bad over time because of stress on the cord and heat going through the solder points. That leads to a weakening of those points and a slow loosening of the dc jack from the motherboard. Another reason you might be experiencing these symptoms is because the computer took a fall, or the cord was tripped over. This results in the port becoming physically damaged and broken off the motherboard. Laptops with power jack problems start to exhibit signs such as:
- Loose or broken connection where you plug in the power cord
- Intermittent switching of the laptop going back and forth from power to battery
- Sparks or heat buildup near the charge port area
- Battery won’t charge
How can I be sure my port is bad?
If you’re not sure whether your laptop has a bad charge port or not, then start with testing your ac adapter. It is a common cause of dc jack like symptoms and can be tested and ruled out as the problem before you take it anywhere. You can use a multimeter to check the integrity of your power cord or try another known working cord to rule out this problem. The most common way to know if you have a bad power socket is the very distinct symptom of the connection being very loose when you plug it in. The ac adapter will feel extremely loose when you plug it in versus very snug when you first bought it. This is the telltale sign of a bad power jack. Sometimes, the loose feeling can start small but get worse over time. You might start to wiggle the tip of the power cord at a certain angle to get it to work. This can cause potential damage to the motherboard and will never get better until the charge port is replaced.
It is important to note that there are two different kinds of power jacks. The first is a plug that is soldered directly to the motherboard with as little as three pins and as much as nine. They are a through hole solder connection and can be de-soldered when it needs to be replaced and a new jack soldered back on. The other type is a cable with wires that plugs directly into the motherboard. Like the soldered-on types, they come in many different shapes, sizes and configurations. These are much easier to replace because they are a “plug and play” situation that doesn’t require any type of soldering unless you solder a new jack on the tip of the cable. They can usually be purchased in the full cable form, so soldering isn’t needed.
This is important for many reasons because when you’re diagnosing a bad power plug, a cable type jack will usually have some play in it to begin with. It can be misleading when you’re trying to diagnose it because it’s wiggling around in the laptop a little. The cable sockets usually become detached from their housing and flop around inside the laptop a lot when they are bad. You should feel a noticeable change of how the laptop feels plugging it in after experiencing power problems. The soldered-on jacks have very little play in them, so they feel distinctly different and loose when they are going bad.
What does a broken dc jack look like?
Below are some pictures of what a bad dc jack looks like. You will notice physical damage to many of the jacks. This is usually a result of tripping over the cord, dropping the jack on the plugged spot and stress on the power cord over time finally breaking the connection. If it is a soldered connection, those tend to be completely or partially detached and broken from the motherboard. Sometimes, if you look at the solder points closely, you will see an oxidation of the power pin or pins. This is usually accompanied by the symptoms of the wiggling of the cord to find the sweet spot to get it to charge.
Can I fix the power jack myself?
Yes and no. If your computer uses cable type ports that plug directly into the motherboard and you are tech savvy and can follow a guide on YouTube, you might be able to replace the jack yourself. No soldering is required with these cable jacks, and they simply plug and unplug into the motherboard. Your biggest challenge will most likely be the disassembly and reassembly of the laptop.
The other type is the soldered in power jacks. The most challenging part beyond taking the laptop apart and getting it back together properly is the de-soldering process. You will need to have a quality soldering iron, soldering skills, and the necessary tools associated with it. I would not recommend trying to learn this on your laptop that has power problems. I see many laptops that have had an attempt at the de-soldering process that are now damaged beyond repair. If you’re in doubt of your abilities, that is a good sign it’s better to leave it to an experienced professional.
Conclusion
A power jack provides power to your computer but are a common weakness to laptops. Both types of solder and cable can go bad but can be repaired. When trying to properly diagnose a jack make sure it has the distinct power failure symptoms and test it out with the information in this article. If you have any questions, contact us!