Gateway Parts

laptop, ac power adaptor?

I have an older compaq r3000, p4, 2.8g notebook, the computer works fine, my problem is that when I plug in the ac power adapter it will start to charge and then switch to battery (the ac power charger is brand new, factory spec., tested, working perfectly). So, I have to keep unplugging and pluging back in the stupid ac power cord every two minutes and then it will switch back from battery to charge/ac power (very annoying)... I think there is a loose wire or connection in side the notebook at the point where the ac power plugs in...has anyone had and/or fixed this type of problem in the past, what should I be looking for, where can I get replacement parts if necessary? could it be some other issue(s)? thanks Ok, I tried to run off of the A/C alone and it doesn't work...the weird thing is that when the computer is off it will charge fine. but when it's on it will start to charge (5 seconds) and then go to battery...the battery does charge and hold the charge, so I'm guessing that it is the mobo (I've build lots of desk tops but never a notebook, but I'll crack this baby open tonight and check it out...) explain this...I go into computer management, and disable the "Microsoft acpi-compliant method battery"....and now it will run stable on AC power no problem? no more messing with the plug....(the icon changes from the one that suggest charging to one that just has the AC plug (no lightning bold)...

Public Comments

1. had the same problem. Its in the adapter pin, dont push it too much. Try bending the wire near the pin to check which angle is ok and then tape it. Or just buy a new wire, around 30 quid
2. If you are sure the AC Adapter is working, then the problem is the charging board inside the laptop. Unfortunately is most models, that board is built into the system board which makes it very expensive and difficult to replace. You'll probably need to take it in for repair. However if you laptop is 3 or more years old, you might just want to start shopping for a new one....
3. Catherine is correct The source of the problem sounds like one of three things. 1) DC powertap is damaged 2) DC charging circuitry on motherboard is damaged - in some cases, this is a daughterboard which is replaceable without replacing the motherboard, but most of the time it is a function of the motherboard itself and requires replacing the entire unit. 3) The battery itself is bad and is causing the DC charging circuit to prematurely turn off AC input. If you plug the AC adapter in, and watch the leds on the front of the unit (pay attention to the one which indicates if the system is on AC power) wiggle the plug slightly and see if the led turns off, then back on. IF this happens, it is your DC powertap. Don't wiggle so much that you break a perfectly good tap. If you find the DC powertap is not at fault, the next thing to do is remove the battery and see if the unit runs reliably on AC power only. If it does run fine on AC power only, then it is either the charging circuity or the battery. Try using a "known-good" battery and see if the symptoms continue. If with a "known-good" battery the symptoms continue it is in fact the charging circuitry and warrants evaluation of replacement of motherboard (possibly a dc-dc daughterboard) or replacement of the laptop outright. If you find that the problem is the DC powertap, the parts are cheap, but the labor is costly. Typically $10-20US for the parts, and 2-2.5 hours labor to repair. If you feel comfortable performing the repair yourself, then great, but if not I suggest you find a local family-owned service shop to perform the work. If you can't find one, email me back and I may be able to find someone to help you. If you do take the unit in for repair, please remove the harddrive as it is not necessary to perform this work (personal privacy issue). If you need access to your data while the system is being worked on, you can easily install the harddrive into a usb enclosure ($30US) so that you can access your data on another system. Best of success