Gateway charging issue; power jack? (pics)

[Romaniac]

Laptop not charging; power jack? (mobo/jack pics)

Hey all and thanks for reading. I have what seems like a 'toughy'.

Gateway M-6827 Laptop

Background:
Client tripped over the charger, and the laptop ran on battery for a while (battery was not charged too much/not the greatest fitness), then shut off due to assumed drained battery.
Could not charge laptop afterwards.

Also mentioned that even before this incident, he had to fiddle with the charger tip in the charging port to make it charge/keep charging. This latest 'trip over' was the last straw, I guessed.


What I tried:
Took battery out, drained power; used a spare charger with interchangeable tips, and used matching tip Didn't charge and charging light (front of laptop) did not come on (charger is confirmed working).
Poked the 'tip' of DC port, and it is sturdy.

I just took the laptop apart (quite a it of a challenge due to design). And then I see the jack - it appears fine...?!
If I did my homework, the silver wire on the back side should be damaged. Though it looks a little off in the pictures it seems solid.

Need help! and thanks for any advice!

Underside of PCB, under jack.

Hmmm, is this significant?

 

[JustInspired]

At the very least I would resolder it first. It may just be the photos or lighting but the center pin solder joint looks like it could be suspect.
Anyway, have you tried connecting the charger to it in its bare state and measured for voltage a trace or two away from the power socket?
Obviously make sure the board is resting on a non conductive surface before doing this.

 

[Romaniac]

Thanks for the response.
The jack is on there pretty well, but I guess it's worth a re-solder. The connections are really small...yiks.

If I do connect the power to the MOBO, is it OK if some small components/controllers are still attached?
And I'm not 100% on how to check for voltage down the line. Can I just pick a solder site where there are some pins from a chip?

Thanks.

 

[Simmy]

Anyway, have you tried connecting the charger to it in its bare state and measured for voltage a trace or two away from the power socket?

This. Visible inspections aren't accurate. The damage maybe inside the jack, out of sight.

 

[ShinyTech]

Yes if they had to wiggle it before the inside of that DC jack was the issue. I would buy a new jack and solder it to the board as the old one is probally bad or broken.

 

[Larry Sabo]

You often need a more magnified view to see a bad solder joint. I can recommend this inexpensive USB microscope for that. The end cap is removable, so you can get in very close to see things up close. Also be aware that some power plugs have contact "fingers" that spread apart with extended use, so you have to press the plug to one side or the other to make contact. So, could also be in need of a new AC adapter.

 

[Romaniac]

Thanks for the replies.


- I tried using another known-working charger, as I mentioned. Still no go.

- Since jacks appear to be very inexpensive, I think I will just go ahead and order one. Then I can check for power transmission.


Anyone know of a good supplier? Do any physical stores carry these things?

Online, I found ebay or this:
http://www.laptoppartstrading.com/dc-power-jack-socket-connector-for-gateway-m6827-p-2877.html

 

[jbartlett323]

Since this is a gateway, I will tell you the fault is most likely in the hole. They "sleeve" their holes alot of times, and the sleeve will separate from the PCB. When you remove the jack, the sleeve will stay with the jack, you put a new jack in, it still wont charge. There are some fun techniques on the web to put the sleeve back, but personally I just bend the contact point in the direction of least likely short, carefully scrape off the protective PCB layer, tin the spots and solder em together. Works like a charm, If the power side is the top side of the board! a little probing with a multimeter will tell if it is...

For jacks we tend to use DCLaptopJacks.net. Always the right part, fast shipping.

 

[Romaniac]

The link you posted didn't work for me.

I found these guys: http://www.dcpowerjacks.net/catalog/index.php
and they are in Denver! I shot them an e-mail.

So you are saying there is a connection between the PCB and pins, that's in the ring of the hole of the PCB...?
Kinda lost me. Doesn't sound good though.

Argh!

 

[jbartlett323]

The link you posted didn't work for me.

I found these guys: http://www.dcpowerjacks.net/catalog/index.php
and they are in Denver! I shot them an e-mail.

So you are saying there is a connection between the PCB and pins, that's in the ring of the hole of the PCB...?
Kinda lost me. Doesn't sound good though.

Argh!

Yeah those are the guys! Mistyped it even after I looked to be sure...

Yeah there is a small copper sleeve on the positive power pin. This will come out with the jack, but it is supposed to be connected to the PCB. They break off all the time, therefore removing any actual contact point on the positive side. You gotta either try to save the sleeve (which is a PITA) or create a new positive power solder point, aka scraping and bending. if you google around, there is info on this issue out there, and some interesting fixes....

 

[NYJimbo]

Its a PJ018 is you get it from dcpowerjacks. Just check the pin in the hole to see if its 2.5mm but it should be. Worst jack design ever.

Positive pin is beveled so it pulls out of the solder and leaves a gap which usually ends up burning up the copper and solder every time you plug in. If the pin gets burned and you take out the jack and clean it there is a 50% chance the pos and neg planes will be connected and it shorts out the board.

 

[Romaniac]

Yes, it's a PJ018. I asked the guys if I could just pick it up, but no dice. Will order on-line.

I googled for the sleeve right away and I had no luck...
Again, sounds pretty involved...
If I do pull he copper sleeve, will it be visible? Or will it be covered by the solder?

EDIT: Bartlett - holy cowww, I think I found something.
http://www.laptoprepair101.com/laptop/2008/10/28/fortify-damaged-power-jack-connection-in-laptop/


I'm still open to advice (especially about this sleeve business) and any ideas/suggestions, guys. And thanks again.

 

[NYJimbo]

Yes, it's a PJ018. I asked the guys if I could just pick it up, but no dice. Will order on-line.

After you solder in the new jack take a meter and set it to continuity and probe the positive pin and any of the negative/ground pins. If you get a tone then the whole board is shorted.

The pin in your photos doesn't look too bad, but you will know more when you take it out.

 

[JustInspired]

That's a very well illustrated and clear procedure on that site you found.
I've not come across any with the sleeve as we don't see many of the older Gateway machines in the UK.
However, since Acer took over Packard Bell, the the PB laptops and netbooks are the same as some of the US Gateways.

 

[Romaniac]

Hmmmm...

I am going to leave this jack be for now (I ordered a jack already; I got 2 actually) and try and re-solder it in place.

Now, how would I go about testing to see if the jack is transferring power to the board?
Any guides would be nice.

 

[NYJimbo]

Hmmmm...

I am going to leave this jack be for now (I ordered a jack already; I got 2 actually) and try and re-solder it in place.

Now, how would I go about testing to see if the jack is transferring power to the board?
Any guides would be nice.

Well, its not the best way but you could probe the battery terminals. Check for voltage when plugged in and then disconnect and see if you still get voltage but it starts to drop. Its a simple jack, one pos and all the rest are common grounds. So if you see power in the battery bay when plugged in you know that power is going in and at least getting that far. Still could be other issues but this confirms incoming DC voltage. Don't know what voltage, its usually a lot lower, but at least you know its going in.

 

[kevinjhaag]

Yeah those are the guys! Mistyped it even after I looked to be sure...

Yeah there is a small copper sleeve on the positive power pin. This will come out with the jack, but it is supposed to be connected to the PCB. They break off all the time, therefore removing any actual contact point on the positive side. You gotta either try to save the sleeve (which is a PITA) or create a new positive power solder point, aka scraping and bending. if you google around, there is info on this issue out there, and some interesting fixes....

Yeah, There is a little more work to these power jacks because of that copper sleeve. This is probably where its failing thats not seen by the naked eye. Either way, I would repair it with a replacement since they are inexpensive and you already have the laptop open now. Do them a favor and don't forget to clean that CPU fan. It just may surprise you.

Kevin

 

[Romaniac]

I hope it's not the sleeve. I was talking with an electronics guy and he said I should not pull the sleeve if I am getting rid of all the solder from the hole and center pin.

Can I do a continuity test on the jack?
Put the positive probe on the PIN of the jack, and the negative probe on that center pin, on the bottom of the PCB?
If I get a tone, wouldn't that mean the jack is OK, at least in terms of that current flow from charging pin through center pin...?
Could I still get a tone even if there was damage though?


When I test the current flow (using the charger) via the battery prongs , where should I place the + and - probes, on the board...?
I just want to be careful!

Reference (btw, the thermal paste application on this board was abysmal - off target by a TON).

 

[kevinjhaag]

Can I do a continuity test on the jack?

I would to see if its the jack or if its the connection to the board. But if it were me, I would try reflowing the solder and test it. If not, just change out the jack then.

 

[Romaniac]

OK, I did. I re-flowed the solder on that center pin and did a continuity test. I got a beep, and I had the probe kinda floating at different spots on that front pin of the jack, and got good beeps. (NOTE: I did NOT do a continuity test before re-flowing, so I'm not sure if re-flow had an impact..yah, that was silly, but read below).

Any guidance on checking DC jack to MOBO current flow/check to see if it is the connection to the board? I am worried about doing any damage since I am plugging in the charger.
I have auto-range MM.