Anyone tried fixing a Dell Inspiron 1545 adapter plug?

Chris L

Chris L

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The lead that connects the power adapter has been fraying for some time where it plugs into our Dell Inspiron 1545. Initially it stopped charging the battery (Probably because the signal lead has broken in the frayed section) and it's now stopped working altogether. I know it's possible to get non-original ones from places like Amazon for ~£8 but they don't have the signal wire and so won't charge the battery apparently, which is something we're going to need again in the near future.

I've seen several video tutorials on how to fix this, which involves cutting open the plastic sleeving on the adapter plug, cutting the frayed section of cable off and resoldering the DC power and signal lead back onto the adapter plug and sealing the new join with heatshrink sleeving and insulation tape. I know my way around a soldering iron and the repair looks straight forward enough but before I had a chance to look at what was involved my wife called a local computer repair guy to get a quote to fix the original and was warned that he could do the repair but it may damage the motherboard of the laptop. I can't see why this could happen, though that doesn't mean it isn't true of course, so does anyone know of any specific reasons how the repair could cause damage to the motherboard?

Cheers,
Chris
 
not tried repairing (its probably the same brick as the lattitudes) but for reference its caused by winding the lead to tight around the brick when not in use.

i guess its possible, all youre doing effectively is shortening the cable. watch out for shock hazards even if not plugged in though :)
 
It's not worth it, you can buy one on fleabay for a tenner.
 
neil_g said:
not tried repairing (its probably the same brick as the lattitudes) but for reference its caused by winding the lead to tight around the brick when not in use.

i guess its possible, all youre doing effectively is shortening the cable. watch out for shock hazards even if not plugged in though :)
Click to expand...

Cheers for the advice. I know that it's a common fault but in this instance the adapter's only been unplugged from the laptop about three times so it looks like it can also happen just from picking it up and putting it down with the lead plugged in :thumbsdown:

admirable said:
It's not worth it, you can buy one on fleabay for a tenner.
Click to expand...

The problem with the cheapies is that they don't have the signal wire needed to allow the battery to charge which leaves us with the option of a repair or ~£60 for a genuine Dell replacement. Thanks for posting though :)
 
What I meant was you'll get a good 2nd hand one for a tenner
 
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