Power adaptor fix?

Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
I have a 12" G4 powerbook, and I am currently on my third power adaptor. The problem is my wife and I continue to trip over the cord and cause the male end of the cord (the part that meets the computer) to become bent. Initially, I can usually wiggle the cord to get it work for a while, but eventually it becomes impossible to find a position in which the cord will work. The only thing wrong with the darn $80 thing is the male adaptor end.



Would it be possible to replace just the end of the apaptor (either with an Apple replacement part or a third party piece)? I don't really care if the orange and green light works as long as it saves me $80...



Thanks. We are working on not tripping over the cord as much.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 5
    dmband0026dmband0026 Posts: 2,345member
    Well..you took my idea already.



    Don't trip over the chord



    As for the power adapters...I really don't know. If Apple's power adapters are still like the ones that they used back in the days of the clamshell iBooks, they aren't industry standard, so as for just replacing the chord, or a part of it...your guess is as good as mine.
  • Reply 2 of 5
    ebbyebby Posts: 3,110member
    If you need a new adapter, I would look into 3rd party products. They are usually quite a bit cheaper. I am on my second power adapter for my 4-year old Pismo and I totally baby it. I am fairly handy with a soldering iron so I cut my male plug-end to pieces, bent and re-soldered the wires, glued the thing back together and got another 6-10 months use out of it. (In fact it still works! I keep it around "just in case") I reinforced the second adapter I bought with straws/tape (and I think there is a paper clip in there too) as soon as I got it 2 years ago and the plug/cable/transformer show no signs of wearing out.



    If you do purchase another, put it in a spot where you don't trip on it. Use a cheap extension cord to trip on if you must.
  • Reply 3 of 5
    Thanks for the suggestions. I've got the extension cord in place...



    After I posted, I had another idea. If I could come up with a broken power adaptor in which the "brick"/transformer portion of the adaptor is broken, do you think it would be tough to cut the male mini-jack off and attach it to my working adaptor?
  • Reply 4 of 5
    ebbyebby Posts: 3,110member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by chuckster

    do you think it would be tough to cut the male mini-jack off and attach it to my working adaptor?



    Damn my childish immuturity!







    Anyways, getting back to business... Thise cables are very diffucult to chop/fix. There are actully many wires in that cable and one wire is completly surrounding an inner wire(s). Forgive my crude ACSII drawing:



    XXXXXX -1*

    ========= -2*

    XXXXXXXXXXX -3*

    ------------------ -4*

    XXXXXXXXXXX

    =========

    XXXXXX



    Let that be your wire

    X= Insulation seperating the wires

    ---= The center wire, probably the positive end. - Just guessing!

    === = In a 3D shape, this wire would surround the center wire.





    IF YOU DECIDE TO DO THIS: (This will probably void all warrenties)

    What you need to do is cut the wire 2-3 inches from the end. Optional: Cut a 6" piece of straw and slide onto the longer end of the cord and forget about it. Cut off 1/2 inch of JUST layer 1*. This will expose the second wire. peel back the second wire 1/2 inch. This will expose more insulation. Cut this insulation back 1/4 inch to expose the wire. Do the same to the other end of the plug. Twist layer 2* into a single strand on both sides and line them up next to each other. Make sure all 4 wires (from both sides) line up to their partners. DOUBLE AND TRIPLE CHECK YOU HAVE ACCOUNTED FOR ALL THE WIRES! Missing one wire can cause a short. Start with the outside wire first (2*). Dip the ends in flux, twist the two wires together, and solder. Move to the inner wires and do the same. Now each soldered connection independantly with electrical tape. Than wrap both wrapped-connections with more electrical tape. Slide your straw over your new connection to protect it.



    Testing:

    I would use a power strip with a circuit breaker built in. Plug your transformer into the power strip and turn on. No sparks = good. Let it sit for a few minutes. Are any connections getting hot? (Plug to power strip, transformer, your new connection, or wires) If not, time to plug in your laptop at your own risk.



    Oh, if you have some old headphones lying around the house, your could practice on them. Most single-wire headphones have similar wiring as your power adapter.



    Good luck8)
  • Reply 5 of 5
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Ebby

    Damn my childish immuturity!







    Anyways, getting back to business... Thise cables are very diffucult to chop/fix. There are actully many wires in that cable and one wire is completly surrounding an inner wire(s). Forgive my crude ACSII drawing:



    XXXXXX -1*

    ========= -2*

    XXXXXXXXXXX -3*

    ------------------ -4*

    XXXXXXXXXXX

    =========

    XXXXXX



    Let that be your wire

    X= Insulation seperating the wires

    ---= The center wire, probably the positive end. - Just guessing!

    === = In a 3D shape, this wire would surround the center wire.





    IF YOU DECIDE TO DO THIS: (This will probably void all warrenties)

    What you need to do is cut the wire 2-3 inches from the end. Optional: Cut a 6" piece of straw and slide onto the longer end of the cord and forget about it. Cut off 1/2 inch of JUST layer 1*. This will expose the second wire. peel back the second wire 1/2 inch. This will expose more insulation. Cut this insulation back 1/4 inch to expose the wire. Do the same to the other end of the plug. Twist layer 2* into a single strand on both sides and line them up next to each other. Make sure all 4 wires (from both sides) line up to their partners. DOUBLE AND TRIPLE CHECK YOU HAVE ACCOUNTED FOR ALL THE WIRES! Missing one wire can cause a short. Start with the outside wire first (2*). Dip the ends in flux, twist the two wires together, and solder. Move to the inner wires and do the same. Now each soldered connection independantly with electrical tape. Than wrap both wrapped-connections with more electrical tape. Slide your straw over your new connection to protect it.



    Testing:

    I would use a power strip with a circuit breaker built in. Plug your transformer into the power strip and turn on. No sparks = good. Let it sit for a few minutes. Are any connections getting hot? (Plug to power strip, transformer, your new connection, or wires) If not, time to plug in your laptop at your own risk.



    Oh, if you have some old headphones lying around the house, your could practice on them. Most single-wire headphones have similar wiring as your power adapter.



    Good luck8)




    Hmmm... maybe $80 isn't so much... Thanks for the diagram and words of advice/warning. I just extended the Applecare warranty on the laptop itself, so maybe I'll just roll the dice and go for it.
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