BlayneRTFM
IS-IT--Management
I had a client recently bring in a Dell Inspiron 9400 Laptop that he said was no longer charging the battery. The first thing I did was test the Targus charger which the client had just bought to replace the original. It was then that I noticed in testing it that it was showing -19.5 volts. After looking at it more closely, I saw that someone had put the removable tip on backwards. I tried another charger on the laptop and I cannot power on the laptop or charge the battery at all. I tried removing the external battery and cmos battery and holding the power button for 60 seconds to discharge the laptop and plugged the adapter back in - still nothing. I tested the posts connecting the power jack to the motherboard and it is getting sufficient power. So I am assuming the power jack is fine.
I am thinking that the client plugged the ac adapter in the laptop with the power tip on backwards and fried a transformer or charging circuit or some other diode or component somewhere. However, I have also read in several forums that the Inspiron 9400 is notorious for not being usable with generic ac adapters. That is, the data line in the jack tells the laptop that it is not a Dell ac adapter and won't work properly. However, it was my understanding that older Dells with the Data line check only made the generic adapter unable to charge the battery but supplied sufficient power to run the laptop otherwise.
Can anyone clarify this for me? Is plugging in the ac adapter once with the tip on backwards sufficient to fry components on the board or would the adapters protection mode not kick in and prevent damage? And would a generic charger have issues with older Dells like the 9400 or do new adapters have a built in workaround for this issue?
Thanks.
I am thinking that the client plugged the ac adapter in the laptop with the power tip on backwards and fried a transformer or charging circuit or some other diode or component somewhere. However, I have also read in several forums that the Inspiron 9400 is notorious for not being usable with generic ac adapters. That is, the data line in the jack tells the laptop that it is not a Dell ac adapter and won't work properly. However, it was my understanding that older Dells with the Data line check only made the generic adapter unable to charge the battery but supplied sufficient power to run the laptop otherwise.
Can anyone clarify this for me? Is plugging in the ac adapter once with the tip on backwards sufficient to fry components on the board or would the adapters protection mode not kick in and prevent damage? And would a generic charger have issues with older Dells like the 9400 or do new adapters have a built in workaround for this issue?
Thanks.