Dell laptop power supply Wiring diagram

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell [More info?] Hi, I'm attempting to wire in a different DC power jack [the original broke and direct replacements are not available except by purchasing a new motherboard] on an Inspiron 8600 and thought that it would be a rather straight forward project. The size N coaxial power jacks available at Radio Shack will fit nicely in the chassis in place of the original. As I was determining voltages and polarity of the power plug I was surprised to find a second voltage present. I have voltages of approximately 8VDC and 20VDC present with one common lead. On the plug end the 8 volts is from the center pin to center barrel and 20 volts from center barrel to outer sleeve [which I assumed was just an RF shield]. Can any one enlighten me what's going on with the second voltage? Any one care to share their story of a successful resolution to a broken power connector on this model [third party replacement jacks are available for other models]? By the way, I've heard the same jack is found on Inspiron 5150, 8500, 500m, 600m, and Latitude D500, D600, D800. Thanks, Al T Spokane, WA -- -- All incoming and outgoing mail is checked with Norton AntiVirus

2005 --

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell [More info?] "Al T." wrote: >I'm attempting to wire in a different DC power jack [the original broke >and direct replacements are not available except by purchasing a new >motherboard] on an Inspiron 8600 and thought that it would be a rather >straight forward project. You've discovered the third power supply connector for modern Dell laptops. This third lead is used for communications between the power supply and the laptop, so that the laptop can ensure it's got a valid, legal, OEM Dell power supply, and what it's power capacity is. I have no idea what the communications protocol between the two is, but I know Dell laptops will reduce charging current [and extend charge time] when operated with 65W instead of 90W power supplies, will refuse to charge if operated from a non Dell supply, etc.

Let us know if you find out anything else!

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell [More info?] wrote in message news:... > "Al T." wrote: >>I'm attempting to wire in a different DC power jack [the original >>broke >>and direct replacements are not available except by purchasing a new >>motherboard] on an Inspiron 8600 and thought that it would be a rather >>straight forward project. > > You've discovered the third power supply connector for modern Dell > laptops. This third lead is used for communications between the power > supply and the laptop, so that the laptop can ensure it's got a valid, > legal, OEM Dell power supply, and what it's power capacity is. > > I have no idea what the communications protocol between the two is, > but I know Dell laptops will reduce charging current [and extend > charge time] when operated with 65W instead of 90W power supplies, > will refuse to charge if operated from a non Dell supply, etc. > > Let us know if you find out anything else! Thanks for the reply, William. Now I have conflicting stories as to whether or not it will charge with the center pin broken or not connected. I read a post of an instance on an 800D where the center pin completely broke off and yet the AC adapter continued to function, albeit with "Unrecognized Power Adapter" messages. I also had a reply this evening on a Dell sponsored forum that one can disable such messages in the BIOS 'Adapter Warnings: Enable/Disable' option. Leading me to hope that I can get by without tying in that odd pin and just using the 20 volts. As a last resort I can always hardwire the adapter to the MB or use an ungainly external 3 lead connector wired to the MB but of course would rather not. Guess I'll try the coaxial connector without the center pin and see if it'll work since it fits so well and looks like it belongs there. I'll drop a note with the end results but it may be a couple of weeks before it gets reassembled and tested. Thanks, Al T.

Spokane,WA

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell [More info?] "Al T." wrote: >I read a post of an instance on an 800D where the center pin >completely broke off and yet the AC adapter continued to function, >albeit with "Unrecognized Power Adapter" messages. Let us know how it works, and if it will charge the battery in that state. IME it will operate, but refuse to charge the battery with a

non-Dell supply.

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell [More info?] You can get a kit that converts your laptop and your adapter to a different

jack here: //www.computekinc.us/dell_project.htm

>

You've discovered the third power supply connector for modern Dell laptops. This third lead is used for communications between the power supply and the laptop, so that the laptop can ensure it's got a valid, legal, OEM Dell power supply, and what it's power capacity is. I have no idea what the communications protocol between the two is, but I know Dell laptops will reduce charging current [and extend charge time] when operated with 65W instead of 90W power supplies, will refuse to charge if operated from a non Dell supply, etc.

Let us know if you find out anything else!

I have a simmilar problem with my D600 in that the power jack is toast. I however, do not want to attempt to de-solder and re-solder this jack - I am not a soldering export and would be afraid I would damage the board.

I do know, however, that the four large contacts on the bottom of the laptop are for charging the battery as well - this i show the docking station connects to the laptop. Does anyone know the "pinout" of these contacts? As in, which is positive, negative, ground, and signal? If I knew which was which I could rig up a little adaptor device myself.

Has anybody found success? I also have this identical problem with my inspiron 8600. A power dock station sort of thing seems easy enough to build, but does anyone know how?

Thanks!

I do have an open Dell D600 and see that the 4 contacts are grounded to a shield for the MB. You cannot use them to power the laptop.

I am an electronic technician and after checking this power supply out I found that the barrel connector has 3 parts. The inside wall is positive [19volts] the outside is negative and the center pin is not even a volt but does send the signal to tell the laptop to start charging. I disconnected the center pin and the laptop will work while plugged into the wall but will not charge the battery. I normally use a radio shack N connector but since that only has positive and neg. it wont work for these. If it were my personal laptop I would simply use an external 3 prong connector and let it hang out the back of the laptop and plug it in when I needed to charge it. But since this is a customers PC I will simply resolder the loose jack and return the PC to him. Problem is, this is the 2nd time Ive done it. Im sure it will come loose again. [he has kids and pets that knock the unit around] There really is no other solution except to find a 3 prong connector that will mound flush to the back of the laptop and cut the cord and fabricate a new 3 prong connector. I am going to look into parts that may be feasable. Hope this helps. If you live in Maryland and need your laptops power jack repaired/replaced, please email me at

i've tried to desolder my old power jack but seems to be really hard to get the 4 shield connectors to come off the motherboard - could anyone who has tried it please advise on how to do it - am using a solder gun with the temp set at 790 F and still having issues with this. thanks

BB

i've tried to desolder my old power jack but seems to be really hard to get the 4 shield connectors to come off the motherboard - could anyone who has tried it please advise on how to do it - am using a solder gun with the temp set at 790 F and still having issues with this. thanks

BB

Best to avoid all the hassles with Dell power supplies by avoiding Dell Vostro in the first place. My Dell is just over 12 months old and Dell can't even tell me what the power adapter pinout is! They say "it't not a Dell, it's made by someone else". What?? This is the power supply stamped "Dell" that came with the Dell laptop. I went through 4 different department until the last one said "you are out of warranty, we'll have to charge you for this call". Dell laptop reviews: Horrid. Don't buy well. Did my own research and came up with the following [took apart the connector and got the laptop going but it won't charge]. The silly power supply has three pins. The outer and inner portions provide the 19V, the inner pin just let's the laptop know "time to charge". Why can't they do it like all other laptops?? You can't easily use a third party adapter.

I'm selling this pile of garbage and going back to Toshiba or something else that doesn't break just after 12 months. Dell is the K cars of computer companies and they will suffer the same fate as GM in a few years. Why buy American?? It's pure garbage.

I have been trying to adapt a stock 65W [2-Wire] Sony power adapter to replace a dead 65W [3-Wire] Dell adapter. All your posts were helpful and then I found a site which describes in detail the 3rd wire power adapter I.D. circuit. The following site is a must read before you will understand the rest of my post:

//www.laptop-junction.com/toast/content/inside-dell-ac-power-adapter-mystery-revealed

I have been trying to adapt a stock 65W [2-Wire] Sony power adapter to replace a dead 65W [3-Wire] Dell adapter. All your posts were helpful and then I found a site which describes in detail the 3rd wire power adapter I.D. circuit. The following site is a must read before you will understand the rest of my post:

//www.laptop-junction.com/toast/content/inside-dell-ac-power-adapter-mystery-revealed

Using this information, I was able to identify the power adapter I.D. circuit in the dead power adapter. In my case it was three components on a 3/8" x 5/8" 'perf' board. [one 330 Ohm resistor, one diode looking device across the single line memory I/O port [probably surge suppression] and the single line memory device in a plastic transistor case, with only two wires connected to anything. I removed that circuit assembly from the dead adapter, and moved it from between the third wire and the minus power supply reference in the old adapter to the place in the d.c. cable where I spliced the Sony 2 wire cable into the 3-wire plug-tail from the old Dell cable, [on the adapter side of the ferrite RFI suppressor].

As has been told by others, without this adapter I.D. circuit, the two-wire adapter would power and run the laptop fine, but the error message indicated there was trouble with the adapter. After the I.D. circuit was added to the cable, the error message concerning the power adapter cleared and the battery charges.

OK, I'm a newbie and I see this post/problem is a bit old, but here you go: Any advice that I post here is NOT to be taken lightly. I am NOT a professional. I AM pitbull when it comes to "Getting it done" So use CAUTION with anything I post here! Use my advice at your own risk! I will not be held responsible for anything that may go wrong when using my suggestions! Dell uses a logic circut in their chargers. If your charger is defective or you try to purchase a cheap aftermarket charger, it will not charge the battery. If you disable the adapter warnings in the system bios, it still will not charge the battery, it will just shut off the warning. Every laptop battery I have ever seen has an EPROM chip inside to turn the battery off after a predetermined time. They do this to protect themselves against law suits, if the laptop bursts in flames or whatever, from an overheated , defective battery. I read on the web that some guy in Russia or somewhere, will sell you the plans to make an EPROM reader/reprogrammer, but honestly, who's got the time? And is it worth the risk of burning your house down? C series batteries are going for 50 bucks on Ebay, NOT 150.00 You can get the exact replacment DC jack on Ebay for like 6 bucks. [D series, C series whatever] Dell DC jacks are a pain to replace, because they have like 6 or 8 pins. You CAN do it, but it's rough. I use a liquid flux that comes in a magic marker looking pen, with a dabber on the end. This stuff makes ALL soldering and desoldering a LOT easier. [I use it on ALL soldering jobs] You will say to yourself "Why didn't I start using this stuff years ago?" You will think you just purchased a new soldering iron, it works that well. It's made by Kester and the PN is #186. Dealing with the multiple pins: I do use a solder wick to get started. Flux the wick and get off as much solder as you can. Then I prop the mainboard on the bench so the jack overhangs the edge. I put a weight on the mainboard to hold it. I grab the jack from underneath with a pair of pliers. Flux the pins and move the iron around the pins and you will see the solder start to flow. Pull down on the jack [with the pliers of course] I try to work the outside edge first. Get the main two tabs flowing. [the heavier tabs] If you can get those to loosen, you can then insert a flat screwdriver beween the jack and the board. You can then keep pressure there and continue to heat. You should be able to pop the jack off. The PC board is resilient. It may even bend a little from the heat. But you have to be a little careful not to dislodge any small chips near where you are working. Just a note: I exploded a brand new Weller soldering gun,doing these repairs. I held the switch on for so long trying to heat everything, it literally blew up right in my hand! Well not explode exactly, but a loud pop and sparks flew out and everything. USE CAUTION! If you can't get it at first, let everything cool off before continuing. Another option is to cut the jack off with a pair of diagonal cutters. I ground a pair down the be thinner at the tip. You are not reusing the jack anyway. This way you can heat each pin seperately and pull them out. Then wick out the holes, install the new jack, apply some flux and resolder. If you do a lot of this type of work, invest in an SMD soldering station. I picked mine up for like a hundred bucks. It uses hot air, just like they do at the factory. It allows you to heat ALL of the pins at once and the jack pops right off. And it's great for refloating video chips and whatnot. Just saying.

Hope this helps or at least keeps you thinking!

i have latitude d600 but it can't turn ON and i have check the RAM and other removable components they are ok. using battery or AC i found out that the switch have a voltage of 5volt. Pls can anyone tell me why it is not powering up or what might be wrong?

i have latitude d600 but it can't turn ON and i have check the RAM and other removable components they are ok. using battery or AC i found out that the switch have a voltage of 5volt. Pls can anyone tell me why it is not powering up or what might be wrong?

I currently have 3 or 4 boards with this condition and I'm trying to figure out a permanent fix. I came up with a crazy idea. If it works I will post it here in a few weeks. If it works, I will have discovered an answer that so far, Dell can't figure out. They KNOW it's a common defect, but they refuse to admit it. This model is too old now for them to warranty it it anyway. Good luck - Jimbo

I wish I had read Jimbotime17's post earlier because I did EXACTLY the same thing to get the DC jack off of a D600. Another thing that helps [I did not use his magic liquid flux] is to put new solder on each of the 9 posts. This helps the solder flow better when you use solder wick to remove it. A solder puller did nothing to help because the two rear pins that flank the signal center pin have a huge amount of solder on the component side of the board. I had to use solder wick on that side for those two pins as well. Put unit in a rubber vice and used the pliers to gentle work the whole assembly side to side to get it free. The use of the small flat blade screw driver is imperative to get the center two pins in the middle of the jack loose. It appears that DELL crimps the 4 outer shield case pins inward before they solder. This makes removing it a BXXXXH to get free. But if you go slowly and use a pin tip at 750 deg and work quickly, you can visit all the shield pins and start to move the whole jack to the inside of the board. The 3 pins at the opposite end where the mating plug goes in are the last to come free. Be very gentle with them. I found that the center signal pin has no direct connection to the MB!!!!!! It has no plating in the via and the top and bottom surfaces have a stand-off radius from the pin. My guess is that they use rf transmit to other surfaces in the board to take that 1-wire bus to a chip somewhere on the MB. I used fine needles on a multimeter can could never find a connection to any of the chips or 2pin parts anywhere in the 2" neighboorhood of the DC jack. If someone has a schematic and/or a layout of the MB, it would be wonderful to post here where the center wire goes to. Hopefully I did not remove the center-signal trace, but examination under a good traveling microscope showed nothing in the via where it connects to the MB. I bought the DC jack on eBay for $3.60 and should be here tomorrow. I am going to "double" my chances of getting the new jack to work. I am going to put three silicon wire leads that connect to the ground, +19.2DC, and the center signal pin in parallel with the jack when I install it. I will drill a small hole in the back plastic cover and route these to the outside. When I reassemble, I can monitor the signal line looking for the signal that "laptop-junction" so well described in his post. My only fear is that the center signal line may not get to the receiving chip to get the Power Supply ID information. I will let you know how it turns out.

Ted Cooper

This site shows nothing of the sort. There is only a bunch of ads and popups. I strongly advise NOT using this site. Attempts at using their search engine only resulted in more pop-up ads, no content. I am not sure when this tip was posted, perhaps the site has changed since then, my experience was on 4/9/10. I am still looking for such a diagram in order to determine if our 1510 jack is broken, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

OK, I probably should have read to the end before posting. Sorry about that. I have a Vostro 1510, it works great, we don't have any real problems with it, so I did not renew the extended warranty. Just about that time [of course ;D ] , the power adapter became so loose, that it has become almost impossible to charge because the power cord keeps falling out. I realize that this is a known problem, from researching the issue on some other sites, that Dell handles by sending out new power supplies like they were candy, but the power supply isn't the problem. In looking more closely at the jack, it is apparent that the problem is a design flaw in the jack. It has several small metal pieces around the inside that used to stick out slightly and hold the power cord in place, over time they have become flat, and no longer hold the cord in. I am assuming that means that I am going to need a new jack if I don't want to make myself crazy keeping track of how charged the battery is. I wanted to find a diagram of the pins in order to make sure that the jack and power supply are both in good condition, and that there aren't any broken pins in hopes that I could find a way to actually fix the problem, before going to the next step and figuring out how to replace it. So far the only advice that I have seen on fixing this problem is to stick some tape onto the tip of the power cord, but that didn't work. I would be very greatful for any guidance that you may have.

Thanks, LGW

LGW, If your only problem is that the power supply is intermittent and that by applying pressure that you can get it to charge the battery and keep the notebook powered, then you only need to "beef up" the the "inside" ring of the power supply. Some people do this with very thin shim tapes [like.001 inch berylium foil]. This is risky because it could come loose and short to ground. Another way is to put flux on the inside ring, then very lightly put a thin coat of solder to the inside ring [this is the one that applies +19.6 volts to the system]. The center pin is only to bring in a signal on a "one wire bus" that tells the maker and amperage of the power supply during bootup. Hope this helps. Replacing the DC jack is a real pain if you are not skilled in soldering.

Ted Cooper

The diode "like" device that others have mentioned in prior posts is actual a single wire serial data chip that is programmed to provide the validity and current capability of the supply to the motherboard. This is why you cannot get a docked laptop to run using the basic 65W supply rather than the 90W that comes with the dock or port replicator. Failure to provide valid data from the supply to the motherboard will prevent battery charging and the CPU will be idled back to minimal functionality. A few universal supply manufacturers such as APC and Targus actually provide connector "tips" that include the requisite device programmed with the correct data for proper operation but most do not and simply will not work correctly./
Bob Fay

I have a question and an idea. first the question: Doesn't this P|ss you off??? I am so angry at companies that spend more money in R&D figuring out ways to scroo the customer than they spend on researching the actual product! Can you imagine how much extra money went into the design of this "Feature"? I'll tell you, less money than they would make selling Power supplies to the dumb sheep that are us. You can bet that there is a spread sheet somewhere deep in the basement at Dell that details this whole scenario. And they even worked out the loss of sales due to bad press. I am deeply offended by companies who act in this manner. My idea.... Has anyone heard of an altered bios? this is the obvious solution I would think. If the bios could be altered , it would solve the problem at the source. UPDATE:

WOW, I was pissed earlier today when I realized my battery wasn't going to charge, But then I got POSTAL when I realized that my computer was also going to run at 7xxMHz unless I put a Dell PS on it!!! But I just found a temporary work around for the speed throttling issue. Use "Rightmark CPU Clock Utility" It will let you set the CPU multiplier to what ever. for those who don't know, CPU speed is determined by the Frontside BUS Speed [usually Fixed at a certain speed] times the Multiplier.

[yeah I know, 200 x 9 is 1800 , not 1795, Don't ask me were the 5 MHz goes, but thats what the diagnostics tell you]

Got the new DC jack into the motherboard with no problems. Soldered silicon wires to the ground, +19.2DC, and to the center pin to monitor the signals. I tested the old DC jack compared to the new DC jack: result: absolutely nothing was broken or missing on the old DC jack. So tearing off the old DC jack to fix the "battery not charging" problem was for nought. The new system performs exactly like the old system. The problem is that the center pin of the DC jack does not have a measurable connection to the motherboard that I can determine. If there is anyone out there who knows where the center pin goes to on the motherboard, please let me know [a picture of the chip it goes to would be GREAT]. But I did find a work around. I got a docking station and connected it to the computer. The docking station uses the same DC supply with a center pin. In this case, the unit works fine and charges the battery and runs the laptop with no problems. So if anyone knows where on the double row of pins for the docking station where the DC supply center pin goes, that would also solve my problem because I could run a wire from my replaced DC jack to that docking station pin and then the CPU would know that a "valid" DC supply is connected. I have found on the Web a .pdf file that claims to be a schematic diagram for the D610 computer. I have searched that diagram for where the Vin connects and looked for anything like the center pin. Cannot find a signal that represents that function. If somebody knows what Dell calls the center pin signal, that would be a definite advance. SO IF YOU CANNOT CHARGE YOUR BATTERY: try using a docking station [a common type fits all D600-630 systems] and be sure your power supply is at least 90 watts. If that makes your system work, you definitely know your center pin has been disconnected.

On the D600, the 3rd pin goes thru L77, which is mounted close to the power jack. I have not looked where it is on the D610. L77 is located on the underside of the board, to the left of PV3. You can hardly see the lettering, there is a tin glob right where the 77 is etched, you can see the L properly. I think if somebody can get the clock back up, I could figure out how to give the permissives to the Maxim battery charger chip. I would need to remove a couple of transistors, and bypass them. Those are to give the current reference to the charger. the D600 can take either a 65W, 90W, or a 130W power supply, but this info comes form the power supply itself. I can remove these selections, and make it so that it is fixed to 65W, it would take longer to charge the battery, but it would accept any power supply after this. The next step is to enable the charger when the AC is plugged in, I can do that, but my missing link was to get back the processor speed. 600MHz was not my type of processing power. If anybody is interested, let me know, I can go in more details. Now, I said I think I can do it, but I have not tested it yet! Where can I get that utility to crank up the speed? And one last thing, tjcooper, how can I find the schematic diagram for the D610?

Thanks

The Dell D600 has a known motherboard issue. It has a chip somewhere on it, that comes loose over time. I've yet to discover the exact chip. I can however give you a "Test" to check it. If you hold pressure on the bottom of the laptop near the docking port while powering on, it may boot up. Press there pretty firmly, but not so hard as to break the plastic or anything. It will probably boot up and work one or two times afterward without pressing it there. Then it will fail again.

I currently have 3 or 4 boards with this condition and I'm trying to figure out a permanent fix. I came up with a crazy idea. If it works I will post it here in a few weeks. If it works, I will have discovered an answer that so far, Dell can't figure out. They KNOW it's a common defect, but they refuse to admit it. This model is too old now for them to warranty it it anyway. Good luck - Jimbo

Good Luck!

....... "I think if somebody can get the clock back up, I could figure out how to give the permissives to the Maxim battery charger chip."......... ........"If anybody is interested, let me know, I can go in more details. Now, I said I think I can do it, but I have not tested it yet!"

"Where can I get that utility to crank up the speed?".........

get it here //cpu.rightmark.org/download/rmclock_235_bin.rar

I have an extra [blown] 1521 motherboard, can I help in some way? I would love to come up with an easy way to screw Dell. Or at least, prevent Dell from screwing another customer. I am really angry at them. I have always hated companies that do this stuff, but Dell has suddenly taken 1st prize in my book. #1 company out to Scroo U.

LGW, If your only problem is that the power supply is intermittent and that by applying pressure that you can get it to charge the battery and keep the notebook powered, then you only need to "beef up" the the "inside" ring of the power supply. Some people do this with very thin shim tapes [like.001 inch berylium foil]. This is risky because it could come loose and short to ground. Another way is to put flux on the inside ring, then very lightly put a thin coat of solder to the inside ring [this is the one that applies +19.6 volts to the system]. The center pin is only to bring in a signal on a "one wire bus" that tells the maker and amperage of the power supply during bootup. Hope this helps. Replacing the DC jack is a real pain if you are not skilled in soldering.

Ted Cooper

Thank you so much for your reply, that is exactly what the problem is. My problem is that I have NO skill, or experience with soldering, and I don't think that this is going to be a good place to start. However, I may be able to find a local hardware tech who can do the job for me, [this is the bay area after all, ]. So far everyone wants over $150 to even look at the problem, which is rediculous. I can see what the problem is, I just don't have the skill... yet

I agree with the person who wrote how angry they were about this situation. I generally hate proprietary garbage like this, but if they at least designed it so that it didn't break, I would be less irked by Dell's apparent need to have only their power supplies connected to their laptops. I just get so angry with poor, shoddy, design and workmanship.

LGW

Ladygreenwitch, If you always will use the same charger on this "hurting" unit, you could put the thin solder coat on the external chrome metal sleeve of your power supply. This is much easier to do that to put the solder on the internal metal sleeve of the laptop connector. A lab tech can do this in about 3 minutes time and you should be able to test if the system is more reliable at this point. If you get too much solder, then a thin metal file can remove the excess with just a few strokes. DO NOT use the Las Vegas repair facility called Laptop Repair [I think that is the correct name]. They ripped me off on eBay for a DC jack repair and said all my other boards were failing and I needed a new graphics display card etc. The $150 repair ended costing me $450 [more than the cost of an eBay replacement unit] and when my technicians looked at their work later, the HAD NOT EVEN REPLACED ANY BOARDS or the DC JACK. Sadly I found this out later than eBay permits feedback. If I had the time, I would start legal proceedings against them because it was all fraud, plain and simple. So do be careful who you have do the work. Ask for references and check with the BBB.

Ted

General update: Several of you have PMed me and asked where I found the .pdf of the Dell schematic. By accident I found the page again and will pass it on to you. This site has many different types of Dell laptops for which they have schematics. Please note that these are most likely "Chinese copy" schematics since English is not the native language of whomever drew them. They do not have the chip layouts so you won't know which chip is where. If anyone finds a diagram for D600 with component layouts, please pass it along here. The entire Dell community could use this help. //www.laptopschematic.com/dell/page/4/

Ted

Ladygreenwitch, If you always will use the same charger on this "hurting" unit, you could put the thin solder coat on the external chrome metal sleeve of your power supply. This is much easier to do that to put the solder on the internal metal sleeve of the laptop connector. A lab tech can do this in about 3 minutes time and you should be able to test if the system is more reliable at this point. If you get too much solder, then a thin metal file can remove the excess with just a few strokes. DO NOT use the Las Vegas repair facility called Laptop Repair [I think that is the correct name]. They ripped me off on eBay for a DC jack repair and said all my other boards were failing and I needed a new graphics display card etc. The $150 repair ended costing me $450 [more than the cost of an eBay replacement unit] and when my technicians looked at their work later, the HAD NOT EVEN REPLACED ANY BOARDS or the DC JACK. Sadly I found this out later than eBay permits feedback. If I had the time, I would start legal proceedings against them because it was all fraud, plain and simple. So do be careful who you have do the work. Ask for references and check with the BBB.

Ted

General update: Several of you have PMed me and asked where I found the .pdf of the Dell schematic. By accident I found the page again and will pass it on to you. This site has many different types of Dell laptops for which they have schematics. Please note that these are most likely "Chinese copy" schematics since English is not the native language of whomever drew them. They do not have the chip layouts so you won't know which chip is where. If anyone finds a diagram for D600 with component layouts, please pass it along here. The entire Dell community could use this help. //www.laptopschematic.com/dell/page/4/

Ted

//www.tomshardware.com/forum/9519-2-dell-laptop-power-jack-pinout#t375100

Andre

The Dell D600 has a known motherboard issue. It has a chip somewhere on it, that comes loose over time. I've yet to discover the exact chip. I can however give you a "Test" to check it. If you hold pressure on the bottom of the laptop near the docking port while powering on, it may boot up. Press there pretty firmly, but not so hard as to break the plastic or anything. It will probably boot up and work one or two times afterward without pressing it there. Then it will fail again.

I currently have 3 or 4 boards with this condition and I'm trying to figure out a permanent fix. I came up with a crazy idea. If it works I will post it here in a few weeks. If it works, I will have discovered an answer that so far, Dell can't figure out. They KNOW it's a common defect, but they refuse to admit it. This model is too old now for them to warranty it it anyway. Good luck - Jimbo

Now when the leds don't come on I just press firmly on the "Y" key and they light up and stay on till next startup. Maybe a small crack in the motherboard? Tray

This is not very elegant, but is none the less exactly what I did to get that stupid power jack off my motherboard. I took my dremel tool and cut the back off the bad jack, keeping very light pressure to not bend the motherboard or stress it in any way. I basically worked with tiny snips and dremel till I got it down to just pins and then it was easy to unsolder each pin. Yeah, that is why they call me crazy, but it worked. My husband calls me 'the bull' and covers his eyes when I do things like disassemble my laptop.

crazy shirley

This topic has been closed by Aford10

i want to buy a laptop but am confused that which one is best sony,dell,hp or acer?

Dells seem ok. I am very fond of Acer myself. Personally not fond of HP, they had some issues a while back with video chips overheating. A guy working with me has worked on quite a few sony laptops and says they are junk.

So personally, look at Acer first, then maybe Dell.

Dells seem ok. I am very fond of Acer myself. Personally not fond of HP, they had some issues a while back with video chips overheating. A guy working with me has worked on quite a few sony laptops and says they are junk.

So personally, look at Acer first, then maybe Dell.

Best answer selected by aford10.

This topic has been closed by Aford10

when i have e-machine on sometimes another motor clicks on no dirt or dust is that ok

Motor? You mean another one of the fans turns on? Some energy efficient fans kick on when needed.

Go to the manufacturer's website, and look for a flash utility. If they have one, download and run it.

I have owned a Compaq Presario R3000 for about 2 years now and I've been having this extremely annoying issue lately. The computer keeps going into battery mode [the screen is darker] even with the power cord plugged in. I thought it was the power cord so I went out and bought a brand new plug. No such luck. I really have to shove the plug into the computer to get it to recognize the cord itself, and even then the screen turns bright for about 1 second, then goes back to battery mode. This is quite irritating since I use this computer all the time, and can't properly charge the thing unless by some miracle the screen stays lit.

I just need a solution to this problem. I don't want to have to send my computer away to get a new case for it or something, because that is just ridiculous. Is there any easy way to remedy this issue?

Nope. System board needs to be replaced. If its under warranty, bite the bullet and have it fixed.

Hey sys2021; Having the same problem you are with my Compaq R3000. The damn battery light on the front representing the power always turns off and I pull the plug out and then push it back in and have the same results as you. Went to HPs website and downloaded the latest BIOS software:

//h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareList?lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=442915&os=228

Brett

Well; The CMOS update didn't solve the problem. I am going to attempt to open the thing up and see if the plug may need to be reattached to the motherboard. Will keep you updated.

Brett

I can't believe I'm hearing this. I am having the same annoying issue and thought as well that it was the power cord. I went and bought a new one to the tune of $110. Everythign seemed to be okay for a couple of days. I travel between multiple offices and home on a daily basis and therefore use my laptop extensivley. Somethign peculiar about mine is that when this issue starts happening, it will continue for about 30 minutes, with me inserting and pulling the cord in and out with the same very annoying result. After that it seems to be okay. Is there anything that can be done to resolve this issue???

Douglas

Ok; Confirmed that it is the plug on the motherboard. I opened up and resoldered the middle pin to the mother board and everything is fine now.

Brett

For those of us lacking both the tools and expertise to solder the pin back into place, what are the other options?

Douglas

Not sure, since I have not looked into the other options. As far as the tools are concerned, the soldering iron can be picked up at Walmart for around 5-10 bucks, however, it does require a bit of patience and caution to get the pin soldered back on.

Anyway, sorry I don't have the answer on the other options, but you might also look into a local computer store and see if they would be willing to solder the pin back on for you for a small fee.

Brett: I have the same issue but haven't figured out how to get to the power connector - mother board side. Would you tell me how to remove the key board / top cover to access for soldering? Thanks a million! Doug McCullough

o get to the keyboard, remove the thin silver top portion of the case above the keyboard. Its rather delicate, but if you pry up one piece you can slowly snap the rest of the piece off. Then there are 4 screws underneath, remove those. Once those are off, you have to carefully unhook the ribbon cable below the keyboard from the motherboard. when you are at that stage, just use a fine tool to gently push the brown security clip forward on the sides of the ribbon and it will slide out easily, just do the reverse to hook it back up. However, this is the 4th machine of that model that I have tried this on and the pin was only the issue one of them having power problems. Good luck though!

Thanks a million! Will let you know how it goes...Doug

I have tried a couple of times... can't find the silver strip you are referring to ... is it on the keyboard surface side or on the front/side/back side? Thanks... desparate..Doug

Doug, it is on the keyboard surface side. The strip covers the entire upper portion of the keyboard surface and includes the top portion of the hindges as well as the power button. I would start on the outside of the case up where the Warning sticker is, work gently across the top including the hindges. It should pop off pretty easily...just be gentle.

Thanks ... I caved in and went to Computer ER...they charged me $30 to pull apart and solder...works great! Thanks for pointing me in that direction though... Doug

Don't forget to remove the three screws on the bottom of the computer that hold that strip on.

I consider myself skilled enough to solder a pin to a board. However, I cannot read the brief instructions posted here and locate the power connector on the motherboard. Here's what I've done: * Removed screws from underside of laptop that retain the plate above the keyboard. * Removed plate above keyboard. * Removed 4 retaining screws for keyboard * Removed keyboard * Looked and looked for the connector in question... where is it?

I assumed it'd be painfully obvious. However, the AC power connector is mounted in the back right of the laptop. It is seemingly underneath a bunch of other hardware when attempting to access it from under the keyboard. Are you even referring to the power connector where the AC adapter plugs in? Or are you referring to the power button which I assumed has nothing to do with this issue as my laptop ran great off batteries... until they ran out and I couldn't recharge them.

A picture is worth a million words.

Yes...I was referring to the power connector, not the power button. I was not able to even get my top portion off as far as you show here... so I carried it to a "Computer ER" and they soldered it for me for about $30... looking back on the attempts to access and the time, I'd have to say it was worth the $30 for sure. I know I could solder it IF I could get to it. That was my challenge. Now I am keeping my batteries [yes, I bought an extra one prior to understanding the power connector was my problem] charged, carefully plugging in my LT overnight to keep them up and running off batteries for the most part...just to avoid the danger of popping the solder loose again. Thanks everyone for your info and input. For those of you like me that haven't been able to get it open all the way, I hope you have someone in your area that can. It is certainly much less expensive than a mother board replacement.

Best regards, Doug

The bottom covers can be removed in 3 pieces [counting the CD/DVD drive and not counting the memory cover, hard disk, battery, etc.]. 1. Remove the CD/DVD drive [ 2 screws, it slides out of the side]. 2. Remove the smaller bottom cover over the processor/fan.

3. Remove the large bottom cover.

So what was the point of me disassembling the keyboard?

Apparently I'll have to figure it out myself and then provide complete directions with some photos. Not that I'm ungrateful for the help provided thus far. It's just much less informative than I'd have hoped. I was expecting to pull a cover and see the part in question, make a single solder, and go back to work.

Don't blame me! The only reason I found out about the 3 screws holding the top strip is that I noticed that one of them was about to break.

I wasn't blaming you.

It was a fun adventure but I give up and will pay a "professional" to repair it. I'm assuming they'll want $500 to slap a new motherboard to fix it.

I would have been tempted to cut an opening in the silver case part and to try to solder it through the hole. But, with my luck, there would probably be something important right there.

Here is how to disassemble it, and a link to the maintainence manual, which explains the process of disassembly in detail

//h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c00212209.pdf

I am going to do this immediately, as the PC will not stay powered anymore. I was hoping that I would have time to buy a new jack, but now, that is not going to happen.

I am deeply indebted to you for finding this.

Phil, I completed the repair. The factory solders were obviously "cold solders". All connection points were loose, and dull gray in color. Also, the sound on / off switch on the right side of the machine stopped working about 6 months ago, and the switch solder connection had come off the board. I fixed that also, and then vacuumed all the dust out, reassembled the machine and now it works like new. Make sure you wear a anti static wrist strap connected to your home ground when doing this work. Print the important maintainence manual pages and follow the instructions. The maintainence manual kind of sucks, as you have to jump around in it, and some things are incorrect. For example, just before you take out the main board assembly, there is a black connector that has to be disconnected, the number of screws is incorrect, etc. Also, it is a good idea to put fasteners for each part removed into a separate small bowl or other container. When putting the top strip back on, work from left to right, ensuring that the center clip is snapped before the right clip is snapped in. I did not do that and the center screw would not go in until I took the strip off and put it back on. One more thing. My combo DVD/CD drive did not have a ribbon cable, just a connector inside, including power, I suppose. Take all 4 screws out behind the drive, or it wont come out. Then gently pry the drive out. If you are too forceful, you will break the drive bezel, like I did. Your model might be as shown in the manual, but mine was not. The entire repair took about 4 hours, with breaks and a few brews. I would not trust anyone else to do it. Most of the time was just figgerin' out how to do it from the manual. Actual work was about an hour. I used a weller WE550 soldering station, Temperature set at 73. Ripped apart link

//206.130.101.158/pictures/Ripped Apart.jpg

//206.130.101.158/pictures/Solder_Here.jpg

//206.130.101.158/pictures/Sound OnOff Switch Bad Solder.jpg

Rod

Phil, Did you get it done? If so, how did it go?

Rod

Mine slid out easily, sorry to hear about yours. I hope a broken bezel is not too large a price to pay for restoring usability to your laptop.

Phil, The bezel still snaps in, just is not as tight as it should be. I just can't pull on it. I never did anyway. I have posted pictures with my first entry. I hope this helps everyone out. There are 85 entrys for new power supply connectors for the R3000 on Ebay, so I am pretty sure that that this is a widespread problem.

Rod

Hi Guys, Thanks for the info I was able to repair one today. Took me some time to figured out how to remove the mainboard from the case. Then i found the pin was borken in the socket near the end. A bit of wire and solder did the trick.

Once again thanks.

thanks for all the useful info... my presario R3000 is having the same problem, the battery won't charge anymore and the power supply is not working for longer than 10 seconds... quick question though... did you have to change the power connector [jack] or was it a matter of just solder the loose connections shown in your picture? thanks again!

Leo

I initially intended to change the connector, but the PC would not charge at all at one point. So I immediately took it apart and found that all four solder points were bad from the factory. I resoldered them and it is great now.

Rod

Hey all, im havin the same problem with the solder on my power connection. I have the whole bottom side of my laptop taken apart but cant get to the connection because of the metal housing that the fan is attached to. I undid all the screws and still cant get it off. Are there screws from the top??

J, Yes, there are screws from the top. You don't have to take the fans out. Take the whole motherboard out. See my posts on Aug 05. I have links to the manual, etc. The manual states exactly how to disasssemble the unit, althought you have to jump around in the manual a bit. I have also posted pictures of the disassembled PC and areas to be re-soldered. This is a factory defect from Compaq. The repair will take a few hours, as this is PC is known to be one of the toughest to take apart. Just take your time and be patient. There is also one wire that has to be dsiconnected just before the motherboard is removed, that is not documented in the manual.

Rod

Thanks, I took 4 hours out yesterday to do it, my first time taking a laptop apart, hopefully my last.. But not sure if it did the trick or not, it is working better but not like it should be, im thinkin I might have a bad battery tho.

And o yea, dont use the wrong size screws and put bubbles and holes in your laptop like I did...

Everyone, Regarding JFrizzles last post, if you do this repair, it is a good idea to use a small bowl or container to hold the screws for each part disassembled. That way, you should have a good chance of getting everything back together using the correct fasteners. There are a LOT of screws to be removed and replaced. If you look at my posted photo of the disassembled PC, you will see that I lined up the parts somewhat in the order disassembled and there is a a small plastic bowl near each part, containing the screws for that part. See my August 05 posts.

Rod

Guys, Absolutely brilliant forum- the problem was fixed within £12 and 3 hours of work. Basically, purchased a power jack for the R3000 from Ebay, got a soldering iron and pulled the laptop apart [it's a pain that you've got to remove EVERYTHING to get to the power jack though!] Put it back together and voilla, issue sorted. Thanks to all for uploading the info regarding this issue.

Kas

Kas, Thank you for saying so. I do pride myself on being a very thorough electrical / electronics engineer and have not let any so called 'tech support' persons touch my hardware or software installations. As condition of my work with multiple employers, I have insisted that no individual, other than myself, touch my computers. I rarely post to forums, but after seeing the state of poor assembly of components to the R3000 motherboard by Compaq, I felt compelled to help all of the other folks who are experiencing the same problems, which Compaq will not acknowledge. They simply blame the user. That is not right, and is not ethical. Compaq / HP should be ashamed of their poor engineering and assembly. I guess that is what you get for $.5 per hour assembly in China. They wave solder the SMT components, then have the pin through components hand soldered by individuals that do not know or perhaps do not care about a good solder joint. I opened another electronic component made in China last week, and discovered that every single solder joint was a cold solder.

Rod

This information may or may not help everyone else, but I have had almost the exact same experience. I bought my Presario R3000 in [close to] June 2004. It worked fine for the first year, with the exception of noisy fans, which were fixed after a call to Compaq. After almost a year of normal use, the computer would switch to battery power for no reason, but it would switch itself back to AC power with no intervention. But a month or so of continued use, it would switch to battery power and require somone to unplug the cord and plug it back in to achieve AC power. This happened rarely, and I didn't think much of it. Now I know I should have, because my warranty expired shortly thereafter. For a few months, the computer's ability to hold AC power slowly degenerated. Eventually, I would constantly have to replug the cord. Then, the battery stopped charging. I presume this is because the battery had cycled so many times due to the inability to hold AC power. The computer would not even turn off with the battery in. I would have to physically remove the battery in order to turn on the computer. Because of the power problem, the computer followed a progression of: 1. shutting off after a long period of use or while I was away; 2. shutting off after slightly moving the power cord or computer; 3. turning on for about 10 seconds before shutting itself off; 4. not turning on at all. After 2 years of owning the computer, I finally ponied up $200 to a repair shop, which was cheaper than Compaq's asking price. The computer worked like a champ for about a month afterwards, except for the fact that the battery wouldn't charge. But after that first month, I am now running into the same problems, and it's getting worse and worse. I know this is a long post, but as many of you have experienced, this is a frustrating situation. Reading your posts have made me even more angry. I thought the fact that my computer started having problems after the warranty expired might have been a coincidence, but after reading your posts, I know better. Compaq must find this so convenient. If my hard drive failed, or my RAM failed, I would simply replace it. But power issues are completely different. So on this note, is anyone interested in starting a petition? This may seem radical, and trust me, I'm usually the one shaking my head at picket lines. But Compaq should not be allowed to get away with this. We all know now that this problem is not a coincidence. Companies that make products that people depend on with their life, and which they expect to last for years, should be held accountable. This type of "marketing" should not be tolerated. So if anyone is interested in starting a petition, please email me at .

Thank you all.

hey thanks or all the help. I have spoken with HP/Compaq and they have refused to take responsability for the defect. I am in lawschool, and this little defect has caused my computer to shut off during two separate final exams. I am doing the initial research for a class action suit against HP/Compaq, and am gathering information from people who have had this problem, or who know someone with this problem.

If any of you are interested in participating in the class, please email me at

I'm having the same problem but lucky enough for it to stay on long enough to accomplish things. Then, I'm not sure if it's because of heating up, I can't get it to stay on [with the electric cord] to some extent it seems to need a push then other times seems to need to cool off. Today I decided to do something about it, this has been going on for well over a year now. In any case, I hate to buy a new electric cord if it's not going to solve the problem. I'm so worried that it might be the mother board, which is what my son is expecting. Have you had any success with your laptop? Please give me good news. Thanks, Mary[/b]

ps My last laptop, a smaller compaq also needed a new cord after about a year.

This problem can be fixed in 15 minutes [assuming you don't care about appearance of your laptop]: I read all responses, thanks you everybody, many people had useful tips. I myself am a design EE who deals with similar problems on everyday basis. The problem is: COLD SOLDER JOINT POSITIVE PIN OF DC CONNECTOR TO MOTHERBOARD. Solution is to touch it with a soldering iron. In order to do that you have to gain access to motherboard which can be done in two ways: 1] 4 hour job as described by couple of people before 2] use a drill to crack the plastic case from the top [you still have to pry off that plastic mask with power on button after removing 3 screws from the bottom as described in one of previous responses] You don't need to worry about damaging the motherboard - there is a thin steel shield right under the top plastic cover and above the DC connector [motherboard] itself. However you will have to cut that shield a little bit too. There is atotal of 4 pins [3 for ground and one for positive voltage]. You can touch all of them with an iron but it seems that only positive pin is the problem [the one closest to the center of the board]. I know that a picture is worth a thousand words but didn't know how to attach them to my response - if someone can explain how it can be done I'll be more than happy to do it.

Again, thanks everybody, my laptop is charging fine now and more importantly I have evrything ready for the next time - if the same problem happens I'll fix it in two minutes.[/img]

Please add me to your list, it's sure not fair of them to take responsibility for the defect. I've spent too much money as it its on compaqs and they owe me. Thanks for any type of info on this problem.

Mrs. Mary Ennis [granma]

Everyone, I resoldered all 4 pins and added a bit of solder, for more strength. All four pins on mine were cold soldered. I am surprised it lasted 1.5 years. A good solder joint should be shiny, not dull. Excess flux can be cleaned off with rubbing alcohol.

Rod

Hello.I am expecting a non-charging r3000 to come in this week. Reading the posts around the net regarding this issue, it seems to come down to the dc connector mostly. Thanks for all the info you spread here, the job is extensive, but can be done. I was thinking about the following possibility: the main pin of the dc inlet is rather short, in terms of lenght until the motherboard soldering joint. Can't I just put a copper tube that fits the center pin into my soldering iron's tip socket, shove it over the center pin, hold it for a while to get the heat to reach the soldering joint and solder the joint like that, at least the center pin? Or is the temperature to much for the socket's base itself? EDIT: found on another forum: buy a HP XC1000 all-in-one media cable, or a docking station if you do not want to take the laptop apart. Your power adapter will then charge the laptop through the docking port, as the media cable or docking station is supposed to be connected to that.

I am searching for this docking port pin assignment, as another workaround, sofar it seems to be secret.

HP xc1000 Notebook All-in-One Media Cable power cord issue My son solved the problem. Can't believe it took so long to be directed to the solution. This new cable gives you an alternative port in which to put your a/c connector. Works like a charm, absolutely no problem and in fact easier now to use it in conjunction with the television screen as it's monitor. HP xc1000 Notebook All-in-One Media Cable app $80 including the s&h.

Thank you and good luck all.

My son solved the problem. Can't believe it took so long to be directed to the solution. This new cable gives you an alternative port in which to put your a/c connector. Works like a charm, absolutely no problem and in fact easier now to use it in conjunction with the television screen as it's monitor. HP xc1000 Notebook All-in-One Media Cable app $80 including the s&h.

Thank you and good luck all.

Some on ebay, mostly from
//www.techexcess.net/ , scroll down, $99,99!!!

When you go to that webiste and click on that link it doesn't take you anywhere that you can buy the cable so I guess they are out. Any other suggestions?

They are running out fast everywhere. They had several for sale on ebay [techexcess] last weekend, saw a lot of 17 but shipping was too much [$200] from Canada too this weekend. Keep watching ebay, they sometimes do come up as XC1000, DV318A, all-in-one media, etc. Seems teckexcess noticed the rarity of the cable, you can find them pulling back a lot off ebay, once they found out they could ask what they want for it. [see google's cache] They asked me $280 for a cable, dock and shipping! "Demand is high, stocks are low, so prices go up, they explained me".
Docking stations are still available, starting around $50 on ebay, as another option.

I don't think my computer will work with a docking station. I don't see anywhere it would connect.

Thanks Que.

I am going with the docking station and hopefully it will work as needed.

We have had the same problem with our R3000. We disassembled the computer, but couldn't find the loose solder joints. We're not too handy with hardware and tools. I called HP and they offer to refurbish the compter for $300. They sent me a shipping box via FedEx. I returned the box the same day to them. They had it a day and shipped it back to me. I called them Monday and had my computer back on Friday. For the $300, they installed a new Motherboard, fixed the built-in mouse pad and cleaned the keyboard [which has some sticking keys].

Not a cheap fix, but better than the $500 most repair places charge for a new Motherboard or the $300 commercial repair shops want for soldering the power port.

I want to thank all those who posted on this issue. My R3000 had the same problem that others have experienced. I live in Vermont, and so there is not a wide choice of expertise available. I considered doing the soldering fix myself but did not have sufficient confidence. I went to a local repair place that had already dealt with a Presario with a similar problem. Their fix was to open the laptop and attach a pigtail plug and adapt the power supply cord to attach to it. It is working fine. The cost of the repair [most of this labor for opening the computer] was $130. Perhaps not ideal, but at least I am back in business and the replacement battery I purchased is charging nicely.

Don't think it is a "too much job". If you already have succesfully opened other electric devices, it is not as hard as it looks, specially with the guides in this thread. Soldering did not fix my computer, changing the capacitors might, but I just put it back together after a second total strip, so that is for the next saturday.

i have bought a new baatery for 60 bucks and i charged it for 6 hrs. i turned my comp on. It was on ac power at that time. replace jack and 2> resolder to MB. Having said that, the PC works great and has now for almost a week. Jeff

Ok, you're probably right...maybe it just didn't snap in all the way. There was ONE that attached to a mini-board, and it was always difficult getting it reconnected, because there were things in the way which made it hard to work it in there, and I bet that is it. I'll give it another try.

Well, didn't fix it. Hard telling what I did. lol. Oh well, everything else seems to work just fine though.

I haven't used my laptop modem in over a year. Do you know whether or not it worked before you started the project? Maybe you are just now uncovering an issue that was sleeping there all along.

Jeff

The other end of the wire [they don't show] goes to a little connector in the same space under the keyboard, close to the back left side:
modem card

Checked it out and took a real close look at the connector that connects to the modem, and the wires were broke. I guess they broke while unplugging and plugging it in. I couldn't remove it from the keyboard side because the cheap, crappy screws strip too easy and wouldn't come out.

Hi again, The tech that "repaired" my PC called me back after more than a week and only after I left a message stating that I would report him to the State Attorney General's office. He was as nasty as could be and said that he had put in a new AC outlet because mine was split and beat up from my "fiddling with it". I never fiddled with it - I plugged in the cord and tried to get power. I asked if he noticed that the original was cold soldered to the board, and he had no answer. I don't think he did anything but restore Windows. At the point I gave it to him, I had bought a new power adapter, and I think that got the PC running. [the old one was really beat up] But, I can guarantee he didn't leave it on long enough to notice that there was no power going to the PC. He told me, initially, that my hard drive had to be replaced, but didn't mention it yesterday. He also said that he didn't charge me any labor to install the new power outlet. So, according to what he said, he charged me $390.00 to reload Windows plus the cost of the hard drive.

I'm having a reputable tech take a look at it next week. Is it possible for him to tell if the hard drive and power outlet are new or the original parts? I'd like to hang this guy, but I'll need proof. Meanwhile, I'm still hanging around waiting for the occasional hour when my battery charges.

Probably a date code on that harddisk, he did not gave back the old disk??? A tech could see if a new adapter was placed, old one has most likely Foxcon written on it, where batches of these boards were assembled [partly, rest at Hannstar] and he could see how it is soldered, but that needs taking the board apart again.

When I was running on strictly AC [as I had to remove the old battery to get the PC to work at all] I learned pretty quickly that the power socket was so unreliable that I had to maintain constant pressure against the cord to keep the PC running. Eventually, even that failed, the power popped/dropped and I was forced to reboot. Even I knew this was dangerous. Needless to say, it only got worse and finally, as I was repowering, the power dropped aagain nd the drive crashed with it. It required an F-disk. What I am saying is I had the same experience where the continued power-cord issue crashed the operating system and rendered the hard drive temporarily dead. Generally, dead drives simply require an F-disk, not replacement, but even that is not unusual.

Whenever hardware is replaced, you should be offered the parts that were replaced. If not, there is no proof that they were in fact replaced AND your handy repair guy is left with very usable HW that can be simply reformat and re-sold to the next customer; not very ethical....

If he even replaced the drive at all. Booting from a dos cd or usb stick, and typing fdisk/mbr indeed fixes shutdown drive corruptions most of the time. LYNN1219, check the harddrive for a date code. If it is about 2 months older then your purchase of the laptop, it is the old one most likely. Ask for the old drive, try to get it back.

What is the state of the laptop now, charging battery and working after for an hour, then shuts off till you charge it again, etcetera? Is the computer working from the power adapter when the battery is removed from the laptop? Do you have a Pentium 4 processor, these boards need the dc-connector to be soldered on both sides of the board, the positive pin that is. I bet he missed that, shouldn't matter if you have an amd processor.

Hey, thanks for the info. He didn't give me any old parts and, as he hung up on me yesterday,I doubt I can get them. I'm having a reliable tech look at it next week, so I'm glad he'll be able to tell if this other guy replaced anything at all.

If I can prove he didn't, it's off to small claims court!

Hi,

The PC is running on battery power only. I even have to play with the power cord to get it to charge. Occasionally, for about 10 minutes, it will run on AC power, but that's it. I tried taking the battery out and running it, but no way. I just have to shut it down as soon as the "low battery" warning comes on and wait a couple hours for it to charge.

You are about a week ahead of where I was. Mine was just like that, but in addition, it had a dead battery. I was forced to run it on AC for a few days while I awaited the new battery - there in was the fatal blow. Once I had the new battery, I was forced to charge it and then run until the low battery warning alarmed. It wouldn't charge and operate both at the same time so I would have to shut down to re-charge, wait and go at it again. From here, all it took was COMPLETE removal of the MB, $5 and a 5 minute stop at a TV/Appliance repair shop where they did the re-solder of the power. Now I wish that I had replaced the 50 cent outlet too, but no biggie.

Good luck! DON'T EVEN TRY TO RUN IT WITHOUT THE BATTERY WHILST THE ORIGINAL SOLDER IS STILL IN PLACE - I LEARNED THAT NOTHING GOOD CAN COME FROM THIS.

Hi,

The PC is running on battery power only. I even have to play with the power cord to get it to charge. Occasionally, for about 10 minutes, it will run on AC power, but that's it.

In short, payed about $300 [board, taxes, postage back] and still empty handed, you are not alone in your struggle!

I feel your pain! I have been going through this for over 6 months, and I can't believe how many people are having this same problem with these units. I haven't been following this for very long, as I just found this site about a week ago. What is HP's response to all of this? From what I've read, they deny that there's anything wrong with the manufacturing of the unit. I also saw a blog from a law student who was looking for people to participate in a class action suit. Did anything come of that? I live in Colorado Springs, and there's a huge HP facility here. I'm tempted to write a letter to the Editor of the newspaper and relate this whole story and see if that gets them interested. If so many people are struggling with this and spending so much money before they get to the source of the problem [batteries, power cords, etc.] HP should be exposed for the cheap, corporate cronies they are. I worked for them years ago, and this would not have been acceptable to them then. Obviously, their philosophy of always keeping the customer happy has changed.

What should I tell the tech who is going to look at it next week? I thought I'd tell him that the outlet and motherboard connections just need to be hot soldered, but do you think that's the only issue?

Do you know where I can order a new wire that connects the two modem plugins?

If I had realized I could plug the wire in/out from under the keyboard it would have been much easier...and probably easier on the wire. Instead I was doing it when I had the laptop flipped over and removing the motherboard. There's a little black square object that makes it hard to get a good angle to get the plug back in...so all the bending broke the wires. So anyone doing this disassembly, be sure to try disconnecting the modem wire at both locations from the keyboard side, after you have the keyboard out and top panel off.

try thinking outside the computer support and repair world. The first place I went when my MB needed resoldering was a TV repair shop. They handle micro solder every day. I would simply take the damaged cable, complete with ends, to an electronics shop and slip them a $5. They should be able to put it back together for you; better than the original. If that doesn't work ask them who can or go to Radio Shack and find the ends you need and repeat. My hunch is it will be back together in no time and at little cost and inconvenience to you. Whatever you do, don't start at the big box stores; they'll hammer you in time wasted and fees.

Good luck!

Ok thanks, I'll check out radio shack to see if I can find the end there. I just assumed I could get a new wire for a few dollars...but doesn't sound that way. lol.

Another idea is to call or go to a local PC repair shop [again, avoid the big boxes as they don't retain "junk" like us smaller, and I would say more exerienced support dudes do] that may have taken an R-3000 in as junk or simply been left behind by previous owners who got sticker shock on the repair cost...they do that to walk away from the diagnostics fee. Given its apparent planned self-destruction, there are probably plenty sitting around on back racks being parted out. Trust me, the modem cable/wire is not in high demand. Probably any Compaq or HP sourced modem cable should work. Try calling first and then suggest e-mailing a photo of the damaged one sitting next to a ruler to match ends and scale required. Although I haven't seen the results of yours, I still think a sharp electronics shop can fix about anything.

Again, Good luck and be persistent, but remember your time and the other guy's time is still $$.

What should I tell the tech who is going to look at it next week? I thought I'd tell him that the outlet and motherboard connections just need to be hot soldered, but do you think that's the only issue?

When you go to the technician, ask if he can verify the repairs and the replacements. Maybe he can intermediate in getting that old hard drive back too. Tell him what you learned from the forum, that the dc-in connector is a known weak spot on the R3000 - ZV/ZX5000 series, loose or even broken connectors, that needs to be soldered back or replaced. Mention [if you have a P4] you were told here that it is essential to solder the positive pin of the connector on both sides of the board for Pentium 4 processor based systems.

Thanks, that's good advice. Only problem is that the tech that supposedly did the work won't send me an itemized bill. I remember what he said he did, so I'll convey that to the new tech and see if he can verify it. I appreciate all your help!

I spent long hours on HP chat and finally got them to ship/repair/return for free. In the course of that chat I pointed them towards this forum, mentioned that many people have been having this issue, and asked if there was a recall on it. They admitted that it was a "known issue", but said that there was no recall on it. When I asked how a recall could be set up, they said it would not, because not all the computers had this problem. When I asked if there were any known pattterns about the manufacture of those that did have the problem, the person finally elevated it, and I was supposed to hear from the supervisor. Instead of that, though, I got an email and a shipping box in the mail. I won't bore you with my further misadventures as I tried to back up my computer, but suffice it to say I finally got that done and the computer is supposed to be back by 1/31, hopefully repaired.

If anyone wnats to see my transcript so they know what tack to take with the HP reps, let me know. It is really outrageous that everbody has to become a gearhead to resolve an issue that is obviously a manufacturer's defect.

I'd love to see your transcript. I thought of contactng HP, but given that so many people already had and got no satisfaction, I thought it would be a waste of time. About time they took some responsibility for this.

Is it necessary to back up everything before sending it away?

Is it necessary to back up everything before sending it away?

//techrepublic.com.com/5102-6255-5160538.html

I'll create a pdf of the relevant parts of the transcript, put it up in cyberspace, and post a link to it tomorrow.

So I followed the superb details listed throughout this thread to take the laptop apart, solder the 4 points and put it back together. It does the same thing it did before 'attempting' to fix the problem. When I connect the AC adapter to the Laptop the power light[Lightning bolt] lights up for around 2-3 seconds and then goes off. If I disconnect/reconnect the cable it does the same thing, on for 2-3 seconds and then off. When this occurs you can see Windows detect a power source and the battery icon disappears from the systray, 3 seconds later it of course, pops back up. I can't figure out if I truly had the issue with the solder points being weak or if I have another problem. I did not want to spend the money on a new adapter if that was not the problem.

Any thoughts?

Bad battery, bad power adapter [unlikely if laptop works okay with the adapter], internal circuitry going bad -leaking capacitors-voltage barrier switches-etc.

I, too, had the same issue with the power cord/soldering/MoBo. I contacted Compaq/HP...told them that my notebook had a KNOWN issue. I was afraid that since it was a year out of warranty they'd give me grief about it. Instead [and hold on to your hats!], they sent me packaging material, overnite, to sent the notebook to them [again, overnite]. They replaced the motherboard for free [as if it were still under warranty]. As an added bonus...I had a column of dead pixels on my display. They replaced the lcd panel for free, as well. I think because the paperwork said 'warranty', the tech saw the dead pixel issue, and assumed s/he was to fix it as well.

Give 'em a call...can't hurt! You might want to mention to them on the phone that you are aware that this is a KNOWN issue with this model.

Hi, Thx to everybody for all the informations about this problem. Now I know it comes from the pin of the power jack. For the moment I still can use my laptop so I don't need to try to fix it yet. If u r annoyed by the screen getting clear and dark and clear... It's very easy, unplug the jack then on u r keyboard press fn and clear [F8] to put the light at the maximum, then plug it again and press fn darker [F7]. Then when u r pc will be off power or on ac power the light won't change. Of course disable the alert in control panel/power. It won't solve the issue, but u will be able to use u r pc without beeing annoyed by alert and screen light going dark and clear all the time.

c u.

Not sure if this applies to my problem or what, but here goes: I have to hold the cord in a specific way to even get the charge light to come on. WHen I try to power up, I get the power light on for about 6-7 seconds, and then nothing. During this time, I can't feel/hear any physical activity from the laptop at all, no HD spinning up, no fan, etc. I can't get the laptop on at all, because the battery is dead. Does this sound like it could be fixed by resoldering the power jack?

Thanks!

Been there. That is exactly the same I had. Then I got "smart" and removed the battery which allowed it to run on straight power-cord....until it dropped during a HD write and crashed the HD [hard drive]....new battery arrived, and I rebuilt the HD, it worked for another 10 days until the power socket completely failed. My adivce is to stop now, and purchase a new socket on e-bay for about $10 including shipping, and then disassemble, take the new socket and MoBo to an electronics shop and have it resoldered on. I am kicking myself for having made the two mistakes of running it in a compromised state and for not replacing the original socket [which I will be doing soon as the same problems is creaping back]. Good luck. Remember my tip above which is if you unscrew all the screws and leave them in their respective holes and lift the plastics straight upward with screws still in location, it goes back together in a fraction of the time with no leftover screws. Electronics shops might say they don't work on MoBos, but if you bring just the MoBo without any of the plastics or laptop components, they will gladly do it. The just don't want to be responsible for messing up a $1,000 laptop. I told the guy I wouldn't blame him if it didn't fire up and that in its present state, it was a broken, worthless circuit board like any other sitting on his bench.

Good luck!

Problem is it won't run at all now, on battery, or with battery removed. Am I past the point of no return possibly?

Also, when I do manage to get the cord in the right position for the charge light to come on, when I press the power button, there's no light on it, no lights anywhere else on the laptop that come on other than the power light and charge light.

Take a deep breath. You are not at the point of no return yet. The problem is pobably that the power jack is so compromised that it can't transmit enough power to the MoBo to operate the PC. Additionally, it is either too degraded to charge the battery or the battery is now dead which is not directly related, it just doesn't help matters. To prove this, leave the PC off, but try to charge the battery over night by adjusting the cord just enough so that the lightning bolt comes on and you can leave it unattended with the bolt on. The see if it will boot once it charges. If it does, your problem is in the power jack in the rear still and the PC is OK except for that.

Well, that's what I tried last night. I THINK the battery got charged all the way, no way to tell tho, meter leads won't fit to test it. Laptop will do the exact same thing when on battery only, with adapter unplugged. Perhaps the jack solder points are too weak now to transmit enough current to fully charge the battery, as you said. In the process now of ripping it apart to check out the power jack.........lol

It's amazing how everyone is having the same problem. I immediatly thought It was my powercord. I was searching for a new one when I came across this forum. I hope the new Compaq's aren't having these problems either. It's pretty redic and uncalled for. Thanks to all the people for the help atleast. I hope everyone else was able to get their computers fixed. I have to say this will be my last Compaq.

No luck yet, resoldered the connections, and nothing has changed. Starting to get really depressed now.............lol

Hi, I don't know if you read the previous posts, but one blogger wrote that he called HP and told them he had a known problem with his R3000. Amazingly, HP said they would fix it and sent him packaging for his laptop overnight. They sent it back to him fully repaired at no charge.

I've been dealing with this for 6 months and have spent a lot of money on things that weren't the problem. I'm calling HP tomorrow to see if I can get them to do something for me. You might try the same if you have no luck fixing it.

Ripped the whole laptop apart, and luckily read this forum. So waiting for my soddering iron to heat up and then i am going to pray it fixes the problem... Wish me luck here i go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No luck whatsoever fixing it. Called support and was told I'd have to pay $390 to get this fixed, even tho it's a known issue. Steaming mad right now as I look at my 11 pound paperweight.

No luck whatsoever fixing it. Called support and was told I'd have to pay $390 to get this fixed, even tho it's a known issue. Steaming mad right now as I look at my 11 pound paperweight.

If you have it available, after you redo the solders, take a volt meter and see if you get any voltage between the positive and any of the negitives.

I got my started again when it was in pieces, but now that its patially back together i foundt hat the power cable light goes out as soon as its plugged into the laptop... Must have a short, so.... Back to pieces again it goes. But i'm one step closer : ]

Hello, it's me again...and i did it. Thanks to everyone... and a big thanks to my brother in law who sent the missing part... Everything was fine. I did take about 60 pictures during operation Power jack, so if you are interested let me know... the coolest one...

I'm thinking about making a .pdf file with directions how to fix it, and change the power jack...do you think it's needed??

I've got pwr at the docking port connector, but still not able to start the laptop. Am going to try a direct solder connection to the input pads to see if that works. If that doesn't work, then.....................

Sorry to hear you weren't able to fix it. HP ought to be sued. I'll have no choice but to pay someone [even though I've already paid $390 to a tech here who did nothing]. I'm calling someone in HP Corporate tomorrow and laying out this whole soap opera. If I get anything positive from them, Ill post it.

My husband has an E-machine, and keeps getting a black screen error that says: System disk error; insert disc and press enter. This happened a few months ago, and it finally crashed. A tech charged us over $500.00 to fix, and we've been having the same problem. Any idea what is causing this error message? My husband keeps rebooting it, and the tech told us that whenever you get an error message, you should turn the computer off, as you're doing damage.

Any ideas?

$500!!, from the same family, it looks like a conspiracy! Does your husband's machine gets that on start up? He has a bad harddisk, data corruption on the harddisk [could be caused by bad memory], lousy harddisk contact/-cable. Don't you know what the tech did, he might have just popped another $50 harddrive in, or dis- and reconnected the cables.

btw this can also occur on booting up when a non system disk [floppy or cd] is left in the drive, and these drives are set prior to the harddisk in bootorder, in the bios setup.

Yeah, $500 from the same family - must have seen us coming. We're taking him to Small Claims Court, but that's another story. The error message appears after the computer has been logged off and is hibernating. When you press Enter to bring the screen up, the message is there. Sometimes it will start if you just press enter, but now it has to be re-booted, and that doesn't always work. Is it dangerous to keep using it under these circumstances.Part of the error message says "INsert disk and reboot". What disk are they talking about? The "tech" who"repaired" it won't send us an invoice or give us back the parts he supposedly replaced. I believe he said he put in a new hard drive or motherboard and re-loaded Windows. I think he reloaded Windows and that's all.

I appreciate your help!

That message comes up when the computer looks for an operating system to start, and can't find one on the found disks, or finds no disks at all. Thats a failure of the hibernating part of windows if it only happens after waking up from hibernating. Is it ok when you boot it from a total power off? If so, you should google for hibernating problems for your OS and computermodel. Might give a patch or other workaround. Is windows updated?

I got the idea to crack open the front cover from Spricer [search this thread] and it sounded like a better idea than tearing the whole laptop apart.

Check out the pics here //www.angelfire.com/planet/pod/laptop/

There is a layer of sheet metal underneath that I gently pried up using needle nose pliers. I could see the jack solder joints under this. The one was clearly loose. A little solder later and viola!, no more finicky power jack. Once you place the top cover back on, you can't see the cutout. If the jack ever gets funny again it'll only take two minutes to fix, just like Spricer said.

I was having the same problem. Since I do not have the expertise to take apart my computer I was trying to buy one of those All-In-One Media Cables XC1000 that are supposed to allow you to power the computer through the docking station port. They are going for over $90 on Ebay. I emailed Compaq to complain and they told me I could buy one of the media cables at this link.

//h20141.www2.hp.com/hpparts/default.asp?cc=US&lang=EN

Hopefully this will help people like me who do not have the time or patience to take apart the computer.

can u email me the pic to change the dc connector on compaq r3000. thanks.

I want to thank you all for these posts. My daughter's Compaq crapped out with what I now realize must be bad solder joint on the motherboard. Local shop wanted $300 to fix it. I found you guys on Google and you saved her world! Saw that post about the XC1000 cable, went to eBay, got one for about $65 [there are now lots of them out there - probably bootleg from China], had it shipped to her and she is back in business. THANK YOU to the clever son of a gun who thought of this really handy workaround for those of us who should never be allowed near a screwdriver [unless it is served on the rocks and light on the OJ].

Wow! I'm in the same boat as everyone here! I can't believe how crappy their cold solders are! I drove down to my local PC shop today and as soon as I pulled out my laptop, they knew the problem. In my little town they have fixed 10 of these!!!! Guess what? $250!! No way am I paying that. I really don't want to fix it myself either...risky. So I had a chat with the online HP center today. It's long, but might intersest everyone else with this annoying problem...[I deleted my personal info and S/N and P/N for this forum, but gave it to HP.] I'll keep you updated if they get a hold of me. Shereen: Hello Scott. Shereen: Welcome to HP Total Care for Compaq Products. My name is Shereen. How may I assist you today? Scott Phillips: Yes I own a Presario R3000 Laptop and all of the solders on the laptop are falling off inside the case. Scott Phillips: Slowly things stopped working. It started with my power cable having to be twisted every few seconds to get a good connection. now many things have stopped working Shereen: Can you please provide me the serial number and the product number of your notebook? The information can be found underside of the notebook. Serial number will be either of 10 or 12 digits prefixed with S/N and product number prefixed P/N. Shereen: Thank you. Shereen: Please stay with me. Scott Phillips: Currently I have my power cord tied tight to the laptop so it will stay charged. When I lifted up the laptop to find the #'s it stopped charging and almost died on me Shereen: I know it is quite frustrating. Shereen: I understand your concern. Scott Phillips: Well, is there any way you guys can fix this problem. I have found an online forum with over 200 people reporting this same problem on the same laptop Shereen: I have checked the warranty status and shows me that it has expired. Scott Phillips: That's not cool, downtown wants $250 to pull it apart and solder it. Scott Phillips: We own 5 of these exact laptops for a business and all 5 have the same problem.....I guess I have learned my lesson about HP Scott Phillips: Thanks for your time....DUDE I'm getting a DELL Shereen: Let me check for the notebook specifications. Scott Phillips: ok Shereen: May I know if the notebook has a expansion port 2? Scott Phillips: I do not think so...no place for another DVD drive or battery..if that's what you mean Shereen: It is the expansion port that can be used to power the notebook. Scott Phillips: I assume I do not have one of those. I don't have a docking station if that is what you are talking about Shereen: You may have to contact the service center as the notebook warranty has expired. Scott Phillips: Can you do me one favor before I go? Shereen: Please let me know.

Scott Phillips: Please show this link to someone that might be able to have a recall or at least pay attention to customers overwhelming problems with this notebook: //forumz.tomshardware.com/ce/Presario-R3000-power-cord-issue-ftopict50946.html

Shereen: I will send this chat session id for the reference, Scott.

From one sorry R3000 owner to another, thank you for trying to get someone at HP to take responsibility for this. I'm still fiddling with my power cord 3 times a day an waiting for my husband to do the quick fix by putting a hole in the unit over the solder connections. I'm not paying any more money to get ths fixed. Hope your conversation gets some attention.

I have an HP Pavillion that has the same power cord issue -despite being sent back once whilst under warranty to have the problem fixed.

The jack is now loose again [about 18 months after the first fix] and the battery will only charge if I wedge a bottle of nail polish under the power cable to keep the lead at a certain angle to keep the jack in contact with the motherboard.

Becky

Hello, they probably meant wattage [25-40Watts should do] instead of voltage. A standard one from radioshack will do, as the solder wire they sell for electronic repairs or -building. Get a roll or a card of that too. You want a sharp tip, just to heat up the pin, not fry the components around. The procedure is simple: -Adjust the jack to it's desired position. If you can secure it it's better. -Heat up the solder tool, check it by touching the tip with the wire solder until the wire melts. -Put the tip to the part of the positive pin sticking out through the board. If possible parallel to one side. Heat it up for a while and add solder to the pin, not the tool [if possible, space is limited]. -Keep the tool in place until the solder is fully molten and not flowing anymore, move the tip away from the pin, do not move the board or the jack for a minute to let the solder get hard. If the job is done well, the soldering looks smooth and shiny. If it is like a dull paste, it wasn't hot enough or it was moved before it hardened out. You can do both sides of the board, careful not to hit anything else! I would redo the negative 3, now that you are there, can't make it worse, only better.

About that other jack, it's strange that the positive pin is loose in the jack itself [if that is what you meant], maybe for a reason, to get the strain off the board when plugging/ unplugging.

Hello everyone. I have an update from my previous post of talking to an online HP support person. HP has sent my [case] to a higher up person and they have e-mailed me. I am posting the e-mail and my reply to it on this website. I'll keep you updated on my results. Dear Sandy Schaan,

I am a happy owner of many HP products from printers to laptops. However, my newest HP purchase [Laptop Pressario R3000] has been a real dissapointment. The cold solders on the laptop motherboard are not up to what I considered HP standards. After not long, parts of the laptop fail. This started with the charging port, [where you plug the laptop in to be charged] I have to adjust the cable and pull it tight every few minutes to keep a good connection. I have done Google searches and found many online forums with HOUNDREDS of people having this same issue. I think it is sad to ignore such a pressing issue and lose MANY HP customers. Please visit these websites to see all the dissapointed HP owners: //www.howtofixcomputers.com/bb/ftopic73146-0-asc-0.html [19 PAGES!]

//forumz.tomshardware.com/ce/Presario-R3000-power-cord-issue-ftopict50946.html [8 PAGES!]

>9:30am-5:00pm PST

I ordered the part mentioned in Ben Franklin's post on February 15th. I call HP on the 21st to ask why it hadn't arrived yet to find out its on back order and is projected to ship the 27th. I check their website today and I find the part [359680-001] isn't even available to order. Is HP actually trying to chase away customers? I'm going to call HP after class to find out if I should just buy one off of Ebay for twice the cost.

I hate to double post, but I got an email from the HP warehouse saying that they don't expect to have any media cables in until April 4th. Looks like HP just lost my business.

YES, YES, YES, Horray, Horray, Horray
I just want to send a really big thank you to everyone who has contributed to this forum- especially to Que who gave me directions on how to solder things!! If you have a problem with the power jack on your HP/compaq laptop then I would suggest fixing it yourself!! Don't pay compaq $100's if you are out of warranty

Do it yourself it isn't that hard.

It may seem very daunting and if you aren't very familiar with the insides of computers [like me] and you will probably worry every time you remove a screw [like me again!!!] but the computer companies just want you to think it is hard so you pay them lots of money, or buy a new piece of equipment off them.

NOTE. IF YOU ARE STILL UNDER WARRANTY SEND IT OFF AND GET IT DONE FOR FREE. IF YOU DISMANTLE YOUR LAPTOP WHILST STILL UNDER WARRANTY IT WILL INVALIDATLE THE WARRANTY. IF YOU DISMANTLE IT AFTER THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED THEY DON'T GIVE A S@*T.
and i wouldn't advocate drilling holes in anything either just to save the trouble of taking your computer apart as you never know what you are going to hit!!

//h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c00212209.pdf

NOTE- Your laptop may be very slightly different from the manual depending on what country you bought it in, and the manual covers all models- so look at the instructions for your model. DON'T WORRY. The instructions vary only slightly [1 or 2 screws different, the odd cable] between models so it isn't that confusing.

IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE MANUAL IS TELLING YOU TO DO, ie- remove heat sink, undo ZIF connector- THEN ASK! The people on this forum are very helpful, or do a google search and find the information you need. The pictures in the manual are good too, and I didn't know what a ZIF connector was but I could tell from the picture and it was obvious.

//206.130.101.158/pictures/Solder_Here.jpg

Put everthing back EXCEPT the hard drive. This is so that if you have made a mistake somewhere along the line you don't loose all your stuff.

This repair cost me 9.99 UKP, as i had to buy a soldering iron and solder, but if i has sent it to compaq, or even PC world it would have cost me a minimum 140 quid.

THANK YOU AGAIN to all on this forum

Becky

My PC had the poblem as described in this post. The supply would suddenly disconnect and turn in to battery mode. This became worse and worse. My battery took damage of this and would at the end last for only 2 minutes. I bought a new original battery from HP and replaced, so that i wouldnt loose all my documents when the supply got disconnected. But now my computer has another problem....it wont turn on...!

When i insert the power cord, the charging light turns on and the power led lights weakly. Regardles of if i run on supply without battery, battery without supply or both supply and battery. Do you believe this is an evolvement of the same issue?

Riich, it could be the same, at best. or worse. If you can get a startup [battery out] with the adapter plug in a certain position, it would be a clear indication of your power-in jack being the culprit. It may be impossible by now to start from the battery because it is completely drawn empty? If you have a voltage meter, check the most left and most right copper contacts of the docking port for a voltage, with the adapter attached. If you measure the 19 Volts there, the jack should work, and your running/charging problems might be caused by malfunctioning parts of the board, capacitors, voltage barriers, etc.

@Becky, congratulations! It sounds like you did not heat up the contacts you soldered enough, solder should flow almost like water, but it works, so who cares!

I have tried to se onlye battery as written in my last post... But also then the charging light goes on, and the power light is glowing weak! I have now opened my computer fully and can reach the power circuits. But the ironing does not look bad. And when i measure ohm between the transformator and the power cord, i measure 0 ohm....on both positive and negative!

I can upload an picture later, though i do not know much about electronics, this looks like a good solder to me.

good luck I bought the r3000 and 5 days after the waranty went out it died. same issue with the power cord so i tried the cable fix and still nothing. after filing with the B.B.B and over an hour on the phone i was told to pay to have it fixed. Not!!!!!!!!! screw hp. I took all the parts out and smashed it to pieces. Biggest load of crap i have ever heard but its cool I bought a dell and much better than anything i have ever bought from hp. I will never buy hp anything or will i let my company or family and friends. I have never seen a company that says i dont care if its bad manufacturing you fix it. Thats just bad business. There is a class action going on with a firm but ill have to get the name again. I think thats our best bet. It has become obvious that hp could care less when they take good money for a product that isnt even worth 2 cents if it does not work. they don't care about the people they do business with so good luck but hp could care less if you ever buy from them again i guess? I know i never will and i upgrade atleast 3 laptops every year for my nursery.

anyway thats my story and im sticking to it. The only way ill even try hp again is if they give it to me.

I have tried to se onlye battery as written in my last post...
But also then the charging light goes on, and the power light is glowing weak!

* = a letter for the production date.

I wish I found this forum 6 mos ago. I had the same problem with my R3000. It started out with the battery charging intermittently and got to the point where the AC input would not work. I paid $150 to get it fixed by compaq & now I am angry to find out that is was poor workmanship that caused the problem in the first place. I think they should be made to reimburse all of us for our time and expense in fixing their screw up. I could understand if it was caused by normal wear & tear and I would have no problem paying for that, but when it is a design flaw and they refuse to take responsibility then that is a different story.

This has been one of the most frustrating experiences I have ever had, especially since I work from home on this computer!! I really thought I was the only one with this issue! AND just like all of you, I thought it was my fault at first for having to prop the power cord up on my remote to get a charge... which I thought resulted in the metal connector in the port for comming loose! I assumned it was the battery or the power cable that was causing the issues, but now I cant even turn my computer on!!

I am going to buy a new laptop soon anyways... but NOT a Compaq! AND like the other comment I saw, the battery and other power issues started pretty right after the warrentee expired!

For what it's worth, I had the same problem happen to me right after the warranty expired. As it turned out, I had a new company laptop to use. New job now, back to my Compaq and it seems I have no choice but to fix this myself.

I'll never buy a HP product again.

I am also having same issue of loose power cord and not sure how to solve this problem with minimum cost. I know I can't do by myself. Anybody know any service provider in Minneapolis, MN can help me to fix this problem.

HP caled me back the next day, but I was out of town. They haven't called again, so I am presuming that they are not eager to tell me that they intend to charge me to fix my PC. At any rate, my husband put a little more solder on the middle pin, and although the power light doesn't come on, I've been on AC power for a week and the unit is working fine.

I would still urge everyone on this blog to write to their State Attorney General's office and chronicle this issue. Attach some of the comments on this blog, and give them the URL. If enough people complain, these guys take action.

Hi, I did the quick fix on my PC, and it's working fine. If you scroll back through this blog, you'll find a post where someone did the same thing and attached pictures of how he did it. It's very easy, and when you're finished, you can't see the small hole you punched through to get to the motherboard. His pictures are explicit, and if you can use a screwdriver and small soldering iron, I'd suggest doing it this way. Any repair shop is going to charge you around $300.00, mostly because they have to take the entire unit apart to get to where they need to solder. The soldering takes about 15 seconds, but they charge you for the time it takes to take the unit apart and then put it back together. Good luck - before mine was fixed, I was going to throw it out on the lawn!!!

Incidentally, we only soldered the front of the board, even though I have a Pentium 4 Processor. It's working fine, but the power light doesn't stay on. You just have to plug it in once you've done the work and see if the power cord icon appears on the bottom right of your toolbar. It actually took about a half hour after the soldering for the unit to start working on AC, but it's been on for a week, and it's fine.

Having the same trouble with my Presario R3000. Am going to attemp to fix myself. Upset that company will not take responsiblity on this issue! Please contact me if you pursue legal actions.

The only legal action that is cost effective is to write a letter to your State Attorney General. The AG's monitor the business dealings of Corporations in their states. If they find that HP is not operating in good faith on this issue, they will force them to take responsibility and make things right with all of us. They can also impose large fines for non-compliance.

I would like to add my thanks to all who assisted with this problem. My R3140CA started having this problem several months ago. Ripped her apart last night and it appears to be fixed. One question, why are there ALWAYS a couple of extra screws left over when it's done?

I have the power cord problem with my Presario R3000 also. Exactly as many of you have described it. The new BIOS, suggested by one of the sufferers, didn't work for me. Is anyone aware of any solutions yet? Gary Navarre

Carlsbad, NM

I have the power cord problem with my Presario R3000 also. Exactly as many of you have described it. The new BIOS, suggested by one of the sufferers, didn't work for me. Is anyone aware of any solutions yet? Gary Navarre

Carlsbad, NM

Not working at all off the adapter [battery removed from laptop], any lights lit on the laptop when trying to?

Purchased a XC1000 cable on ebay. works great. problems solved! Thanks to those who suggested it.

Guys: I have been facing the same problem with the power cord and bad connection to the power jack. I contacted HP and they say that it is not a manufacturing defect. Following is a copy of the email that I received from HP. I have a Compaq Presario R3000z series bought in Sep 2004. Thanks ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Akshay, Thank you for contacting HP Total Care. From your mail, I understand that you are experiencing the issue with the DC jack of the Notebook. Let me assist you in this regard. Although this service is provided as a means of technical support for our customers, we appreciate any feedback about our company's products and services. And I would like to inform you that we have not come accross the one perticular issue occuring with one perticular series or couple of series. And i assure you that the issue is not from the HP manufacturing side. In order to resolve the issue you may have to resolder the power jack or replace the jack with a new one. I will help you with the available options to fix the issue. Option 1: To fix the power jack, please visit the Web site given below.

//www.compaqrepair.com/guide/Compaq_motherboard_ac_power_jacks.htm

//www.laptopjacks.com/service.php

//www.aacomputerelec.com/categories.asp?ca

HP Total Care

And I would like to inform you that we have not come accross the one perticular issue occuring with one perticular series or couple of series. And i assure you that the issue is not from the HP manufacturing side. Sincerely, Peter

HP Total Care

I totally agree Que. I think Peter is a liar too, but he has to, he cannot admit his company's mistake...it cost him his job. Also, if he admits, they will be bound to replace the power jack in thousands of laptops...which will cost the company a helluva lot of $$.

Hi all. I'm trying to figure out if my R3000 problem is the same as what is posted here. I have a Compaq Presario R3410US, and when I turn it on it only stays on for exactly 5.5 seconds. [When I try to turn it on, some indicator lights come on and the fan starts up, but then exactly 5.5 seconds after it gets power everything turns off.] However, I have never had any problems charging the battery, and I have never before had any problems with the AC power failing unexpectedly. Furthermore, this happens even if it is running just on battery power. So is this the same problem? And if it's not, what else could it be?

Riick it can be anything between a failing cpu or memory and leaking capacitors or failing power regulator switches. Try an external monitor on the vga port, any picture? Is your battery still charging? [see the charging led]

If you have a voltage meter, measure the most left and most right copper connectors of the docking port, if the voltage the adapter puts into the laptop can be measured there, the dc-in jack is not the problem. In case of multiple memory sticks, remove one, test per stick per slot, switch slots. Check your processor for blue [burning] marks, this requires removing the heatsink, and re-applying of thermal paste on the processor die before putting it back together.

Que- Thanks for replying; it's nice to have someone offering their ideas. There is no picture when I plug into the vga port, but I'm not sure anything would show on the monitor during the first 5 seconds even if it were working correctly. When both battery and AC are connected, the charging LED indicates that the battery is charging; the LED is steady and stays on for as long as the cord is plugged in. The docking port connectors register something between 18 and 19 volts when the AC cord is connected to the laptop [but not when running on battery power]. Before you wrote, I did turn on the computer with the secondary memory module removed and then with the secondary memory module in the primary slot. It died after 5.5 seconds just as before. I have not yet tried turning it on with nothing in the primary slot. I have not yet checked my processor for blue burn marks. Give me a few days to do these things. In the meantime, if you or anyone else has any ideas based on what I have just reported, I would love to hear them!

By the way; aside from wearing a ESD wrist strap attached to the computer's metal and aside from not working in a carpeted room, are there any precautions I should be taking to make sure I don't damage anything while I am working on this computer?

Riick, always take the battery out and the adapter off when working on internals like memory/cpu. Hold the memory modules on the sides only. If you are going to change the memory module under the keyboard, also reseat the connector that connects the screen to the board, no contact there can halt posting too. Remove the harddisk and dvd drive too, to exclude them from being faulty and stopping the start up.

I'm afraid it is a mainboard component though, capacitors leaking maybe. Keep pushing that startup button right after the computer turns off, does it stay on longer after some attempts? [Mine did, but only for about 8 sec. max]

Que- I finally got some thermal compound and was able to do the other tests you had suggested. I removed the memory from the primary slot and turned on the computer; still dies after 5.5 seconds. I swapped out memory cards so that the other card was in the secondary slot and nothing in the primary, still dies after 5.5 seconds. I didn't see any obvious blue burn marks on my processor. [However, if this is a very subtle effect I could have missed it; is it subtle?] I did however notice that the factory really globbed-on the thermal compound; enough so that it had spilled over and appeared to be touching two contacts of one of the adjacent components. Ask me for more details if this is relevant. I also tried re-melting the four solder points where the power-cord jack connects to the motherboard, just in case. My soldering skills aren't great, but they're good enough to make an electrical connection. The solder points looked great before I re-melted them; perhaps a bit heavy on the solder, though. They look OK now that I've re-melted them. It still dies after 5.5 seconds. There is a pattern that happens when I push the power button repeatedly, but it's not quite like yours was, and it is very predictable. The first time I push the power button it stays on for 5.5 seconds. Then after it turns off, if I push the power button a second time it stays on for slightly shorter- about 4.5 or 5 seconds. Then after it turns off, if I push the power button a third time it stays on for about 5 seconds and then starts blinking as if it has gone into sleep mode. It continues to blink until I lean on the power button for 5 seconds, at which point it turns off. If I push the power button thereafter, it again stays on for about 5 seconds and then goes into the blinking mode until I lean on the power button again for 5 seconds. The pattern will reset if I unplug the computer and then plug it back in a few seconds later. This pattern [5.5 seconds, 4.5 seconds, blinking mode, blinking mode, blinking mode...] is highly reproducible. I have never seen it vary from this sequence.

I can force it to go into this blinking mode if I push the power button and then push it again more than 1 second later [but before it turns off]. However, this does not cause any alteration in the pattern I mentioned previously. In other words, it can do [forced blinking mode, 4.5 seconds, blinking mode, blinking mode, blinking mode...] or [5.5 seconds, forced blinking mode, blinking mode, blinking mode, blinking mode...] or [forced blinking mode, forced blinking mode, blinking mode, blinking mode, blinking mode...]. In all cases the pattern demonstates a rather bizarre ability to count to three. But will this mean anything to you or to anyone else as far as what might be wrong? I doubt it... but I'm still hopeful.

Odd, all this. And never a picture on screen. Sofar I learned from other posts/pages that this can also occur when the bios went corrupt, or when there is no connection available for the video chip to the screen, as in: bad connector/cable/converter. The last can be tested by disconnecting the cable that goes to the lcd screen from the socket on the mainboard, and attaching a monitor to the vga port. Riick, see if holding the Fn-key and the b-key together, then pushing the power switch, keeps the laptop running, likely with fans at full speed. If so, a bios recovery method might help. Holding Fn + b, alternative Fn + windows-key, is a way to make the computer look at any attached usb device for a valid bios file and flash program. For that, you need a usb floppy drive, a bios file [renamed to bios.wph] and a flashing program [phlash.exe file]. You can get those files by extracting a bios rompack file, get the latest for your model from compaq's support site. Rename the bios file to "bios", so that it reads bios.wph, put that together with the plash.exe from the rompack [or was it rompaq?] on a clean formatted floppy. Do the procedure mentioned above with the Fn and b-key. Maybe...... As for the processor showing no marks, if it was fried, you would see it as a large blue mark, maybe half or total chip size. I don't think it is burned. But it would help if you could have it tested, this goes for the memory too. A local shop tested my processor for 5 euro, maybe someone can offer that service there?

If all to no avail, it might be down to board level components. I think you suffer from a mainboard with leaking capacitors. Fixable, but hard, very hard, even for someone with good soldering skills.

this thread and the link to the compag assembly instructions are great. I had the problem and so far its fixed with a hot solder job. Re-assembled and still have two screws left; it works again. Removed some dust bunnies on the heat sinks, and now both fans start at power up but only one continues to run. Hopefully its the bunnies fault. Maybe I need to get another dob of heat sink goop? and re-apply to the processor. When I took the heat sink off originally, the cpu came with it. Plus I didn't undo the cpu screw release. [used it on installation]

I'm amazed it works despite all that.

Que- I really appreciate your continuing to troubleshoot this with me. I unplugged the display from the mainboard and connected a working monitor to the vga port. It still died after 5.5 seconds. I tried starting it while holding down ; this made it run longer- although other keyboard input did too, and the time varied as I will explain shortly. However, the fan was not any noisier than when starting without , nor did the fan stay on longer than when starting without . [Although this may not be relevant, I did try plugging a flash drive into the USB port before starting the computer with . The flash drive LED failed to light, which I assume means that the computer was not checking the flash drive.] When I kept held down for the first 3 seconds of operation, the computer stayed on for a total of 6.5 or 7.5 seconds [it was not consistent as to which]. Same result when I kept held down for the first 5 seconds of operation. However, when I kept held down until the the computer died, the computer stayed on for 9 to 10 seconds [again not consistent; the exact time varied within that range]. As a experiment, I kept the 'r' key depressed until the computer shut off. This also caused the computer to stay on for 10 seconds. Same with the key. I didn't try any other keys. So how likely do you think this is to be an indication of a corrupt BIOS? Could it instead mean that keyboard input somehow increases the amount of time it takes for the computer to "realize" that it has a hardware problem? If there is still a possibility that a corrupt bios may be the problem, do you know whether bios recovery can be done with a USB flash drive instead of with an external floppy drive with a USB connector? Secondly, I checked HP's website [since HP owns Compaq] and I was a bit perplexed. The only bios software I could find for my model is a "ROMPaq for system BIOS update" called a "SoftPaq executable". It is a single 1.7MB .exe file which is designed to be run after windows XP boots up. Should I assume that the information you gave regarding extracting, renaming, and flash programs does not apply for this? Do you suppose this "SoftPaq executable" would work in place of the phlash.exe / bios.wph files that you mentioned?

Meanwhile, I will start looking around to see if anyone in my area can test the memory cards and CPU to determine whether that's where the problem lies.

Trevoz, you did apply some thermal paste, did you? A paperthin layer is enough. The second fan turns on too when booting, then turns off, and should start again if cpu temp goes over 55°C. Riick, if you have a extracting program installed to zip or unzip packed files, use that to extract the exe file. Something like winrar or winzip, free programs. Unlikely that the bios file went corrupt, but possible. Anyway, there is no use in trying, even with an usb drive, [don't know if it would take the usb stick/flash drive you mentioned] because flashing the bios would take much longer than the few seconds the laptop will run. It wouldn't do here too, but at least I did not see the usb drive lit up, so the bios recovery was not kicking in, and likely the bios was not currupt. The only thing I noticed during the seconds the laptop ran with the Fn + b-key combo, is that the fans were blazing like hell, never heard a laptop make that much noise Measure the voltage from the bios battery, if it is dead or way below 3 volts, this may be your problem.

I hope your cpu turns out dead in a test. Better that than the motherboard. :?

Trevoz, you did apply some thermal paste, did you? A paperthin layer is enough. :?

I've disassembled a Compaq Presario 1400 laptop, and re-soldered the DC jack on the motherboard. After re-assembling it, and plugging in the power cord, I get the green "power connected" light on the indicator panel [below the touchpad], but nothing happens when I try to hit the power-on switch! The machine simply does not respond! Since I get the light, it seems the jack is connected, so why can't I boot the machine? I've tried replacing the 3V BIOS battery with a fresh one -- still nothing... Hope someone can help! Maybe some other components on the m.board are fried, in case the whole machine is junk, I guess...

- Joakim

If nothing works at all, check the memory, cpu and powerswitch. Remove the first 2 and check the contacts/pins?

I'm not sure how to perform such hardware checks... Also, this was a favor for a friend - see if I could revive his old laptop. After all the work of soldering the jack, and it still doesn't work, I don't think I'll bother doing more. Unless you think it's strange how I have power, but am unable to boot? Am I very near a solution, or can it still be a world of fried components?

You probably forgot something, a cable or a screw maybe in the wrong hole shorting something, or there's fried component[s]. Soldering the board with the processor and memory on it might have killed one of them. Even touching the board without an anti static wrist wrap can.

Yes, I didn't bother wearing the wrist band Is it really that likely that static discharge can zap components? I did try to touch "earthed" points on the board [like heat sinks, etc] before touching anything else [does that make sense?]. I guess there's no quick and easy way to check this, or is there? How much harm is it likely that my friend has done to the motherboard just by using the laptop with a loose, "wiggly" DC jack -- until it finally caved in? What's the most likely culprit?

The thing is, I'd love to help him out/impress him by fixing his laptop, plus also there's the environmental benefit of not wasting useful stuff. Still, being a novice means frustrating obstacles abound... Thanks for replying!

If you have the time you could start from scratch again, just the board-memory-cpu [on a plastic sheet] and lcd screen attached. Check that soldering again, some boards require contact to the positive lead on both sides of the board, so it may need soldering on the other side too. With the laptop stripped, it is also easy to take one stick of memory out in case of multiple sticks, and test per stick per slot. Your friend will be impressed if he sees his lappie stripped while you try to fire it up like that.

It is not very likely static killed components, it hardly ever does, I never saw it happen and usually do not care to get the wrist thing out of the bag. At least always touch a metal ground part of the board, to get on par with it, just like you did. Good luck.

I found that if you keep the cord pulled foward or towards you the power cord stays connected it is a cheaper method rather than opening up your computer and resodering the plug on the motherboard.

...well, obviously... Still, while DIY equals free, doing this is for learning purposes, mainly.

Plus, your "trick" will stop working at some point [and possibly damage the motherboard], when the DC jack finally cracks.

Same problem - but I had a 2 year warranty, and was too lazy to get it repaired before it ran out [and got bad]. grrrr