Power Cord Issue with HP Pavilion ze5170

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Hi everyone. I am trying to post this message for a friend who owns an
HP Pavilion ze5170. The part of the laptop where the power cord goes
into the machine is messed up. The power cord will not stay inside the
laptop, so hes running off of battery, which is about to run out.

He's tried propping books up against the power cord where it goes into
the machine, and that only works for about an hour or so.

I'm trying to get him some help here fast because he lives out in the
middle of nowhere, and has no phone, just satellite internet, so if he
loses his PC I wont be able to tell him any of your suggestions.

Thanks again for any suggestions.

-Mark

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Mark wrote:
> Hi everyone. I am trying to post this message for a friend who owns an
> HP Pavilion ze5170. The part of the laptop where the power cord goes
> into the machine is messed up. The power cord will not stay inside the
> laptop, so hes running off of battery, which is about to run out.
>
> He's tried propping books up against the power cord where it goes into
> the machine, and that only works for about an hour or so.
>
> I'm trying to get him some help here fast because he lives out in the
> middle of nowhere, and has no phone, just satellite internet, so if he
> loses his PC I wont be able to tell him any of your suggestions.
>
> Thanks again for any suggestions.

Could just be a bad plug, which would be easy to replace with a two dollar
part from Radio Shack. More than likely though this is a damaged socket -
the part inside of the computer that the plug plugs into. It's not unusual
for the solder joints holding this component in place to come loose, because
of the mechanical stress of plugging and unplugging. Sometimes the entire
socket will fall apart.

It may be possible to adapt a quick "field fix" by using tiny IC clip leads
to attach onto the appropriate parts in the case, that will at least not
fall out.

Your friend will either have to be very eager with a lot of time on his
hands, and an aptitude for repairing electronics, or he'll need some help
from an experienced electronics repair person. Although there is very
little danger of getting a nasty shock from a notebook, they are very small,
tightly assembled units that require some care when disassembling and
reassembling, both physical in keeping track of screws, and electronic in
avoiding damage from static discharge.

The first order of business is to open up the notebook and take a look at
the socket assembly on the motherboard, and particularly the solder joints
on the underside of the system board (aka "Mother board" ). Your friend may
luck out and find a quick way to access the necessary area of the
motherboard. More than likely, though, this will involve disassembling
almost the entire notebook. With luck your friend, or someone who is handy
with a soldering iron, will just need to tack down a few new solder joints
to make the electrical connection, and keep the socket in place.

If the socket itself is damaged, your friend may need to improvise a
substitute part. A quick and dirty solution would involve getting an
approximate match for the socket, and either adapting that to the
motherboard, or attaching it using a short length of wire protected with
shrink wrap. You could even chop off the end of the power cord, and solder
it directly to the motherboard. Not pretty, but it will get the job done.
--

Mike Russell
www.geigy.2y.net