Member Avatar for David06

Hi, my acer travelmate 2420 will only power up when i hold the charger near to the laptop but i am unable to tell if this is the charger tip or laptop pin is the problem. Have you any suggestions?

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reported an intermittent power connection and correctly pointed at the DC connection as a likely cause. To help future readers decide whether the adapter or the laptop jack is at fault, the following quick, safe checks separate the two and show common repair options.

  • Visual and tactile check: inspect the barrel tip, inner pin and strain relief on the cable. Wiggle the cable at the plug while watching any LEDs on the adapter and the laptop. Flicker in the adapter LED points to the adapter/cable; flicker only on the laptop side points at the jack.
  • Swap test: try a known-good adapter with the same voltage, polarity and equal-or-greater current rating. If the problem goes away, the adapter/cable was the fault.
  • Multimeter test: measure the adapter output (center-to-barrel) unloaded and then while plugged into the laptop while wiggling. A stable adapter reading with a flickering laptop indicates a loose jack or bad contact inside the case.
  • Batteryless test: remove the battery and run on AC only. If the machine powers reliably without the battery, that also suggests a contact issue rather than motherboard failure.

Repair guidance and cautions: replacing a damaged adapter is the simplest fix. A loose or cracked DC jack often requires resoldering, a jack-to-pigtail replacement, or board repair; those are best left to technicians unless experienced with soldering and ESD safety. Temporary fixes (tape, wedging) can confirm the diagnosis but are not long-term solutions. Always match voltage and polarity on replacements and avoid using incorrect adapters, and do not open the laptop while it is connected to mains power.

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Member Avatar for caperjack

its usually the tip/jack on the laptop motherboard

Member Avatar for David06

Had ordered a new charger and this seems to be the problem solved, got a great deal form a site called www.coywood.co.uk quick delivery and very cheap, but thanks for the help!

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