Dell Inspiron 5100 power cord issues

My laptop has gone through 3 power cords in less than a year. They work
find for about 3 months then start being tempermental (working
periodically). Then, stop working completely. Any ideas? Thanks in
advance.

Hi!

My laptop has gone through 3 power cords in less than a year.

When you say "gone through", exactly what do you mean? And which part
of the power cord assembly is it? (There are three parts--the
removable AC power cord, the power "brick" and the cord that is
attached to the brick.)

Make sure you have the right power supply for your computer. Dell has
multiple power supplies available for different laptops, with
differing output capabilities. The lower wattage supplies will usually
"work" but may produce warnings and could fail much sooner than
expected. A power supply that is too small may also fail to charge
your battery.

I also recommend making sure that you aren't abusing the cords. I've
found the Dell laptop power supplies to be pretty darn reliable. Are
you sure that yours is not living an "adventuresome" life? Are you
doing things like yanking on the cord, winding it around the supply
tightly when you pack it up, or putting it where it gets trampled and
run over?

William

the inspiron 5100 is well know for motherboard failure due to overheating
problems related to the hot running desktop processors used in this model.
it is also known for the ac connector becoming loose from the motherboard.
if you are saying you are experiencing power loss then i suggest you giggle
the ac cord at the end where it is inserted in the computer - this would
indicate that the ac connector in the computer is loose. if you are
experiencing random behavior, spontaneous and unexpected rebooting, it is
probably motherboard failure due to the notorious overheating problem. dell
extended the warranty on these models for an extra year without bothering to
notify owners. after a significant amount of complaining i have seen dell
provide out of warranty replacement motherboards from dell but not labor to
install the boards.

"carouselgirl" wrote in message
...

My laptop has gone through 3 power cords in less than a year. They work
find for about 3 months then start being tempermental (working
periodically). Then, stop working completely. Any ideas? Thanks in
advance.

"Christopher Muto" wrote in message
t...

it is also known for the ac connector becoming loose from the motherboard.
if you are saying you are experiencing power loss then i suggest you
giggle the ac cord at the end where it is inserted in the computer

Is it OK if I chuckle the ac cord instead? 8^)

Tom L

"carouselgirl" wrote in message
...

My laptop has gone through 3 power cords in less than a year. They work
find for about 3 months then start being tempermental (working
periodically). Then, stop working completely. Any ideas? Thanks in
advance.


I've had problems with my Dell C610 power supplies, the PA-6 -
mainly because the big round filter at the laptop end of the cord
tends to pull the cord down when the laptop is sitting on a lap vs a desk.

After awhile, the wire at the connector gradually starts breaking..
I have tried fixing them via careful soldering,
& reinforced that specific area with super glue..

For me - it appeared everything was ok
as long as the cord had horizontal support for the filter,
but if left dangling, then the flexing would break the wires.

"Tom Lake" wrote in message
...

"Christopher Muto" wrote in message
t...

it is also known for the ac connector becoming loose from the
motherboard. if you are saying you are experiencing power loss then i
suggest you giggle the ac cord at the end where it is inserted in the
computer

Is it OK if I chuckle the ac cord instead? 8^)

Tom L


lol... guess the grammer check let it slide because it has a sense of humor
too.