Thinkpads Forum

Hello all,

I have a couple of 560E's that are happily working, but for the fact that they seem very particular about how the power supply plug is inserted. After a quick search here I can't seem to see any obvious threads - before I dismantle to investigate further, is this a general problem?

Thanks,
Dan.

I had the same issue with 340s which use a thicker barrel jack like the L40SX - I did all sorts of testing for corrosion, cracked solder, shorted traces and never found anything wrong except the original socket for the barrel power lead was not reliable. I stripped the machines down, desoldered the 3 points and replace it, which fixed the problem.

I've had similar issues with barrel plug connectors.

Sometimes the socket looses grip of the plug itself which then falls out. This is a mechanical issue with the socket and would need to be replaced. Wedging something under the power cable to lift the plug inside the socket can help but this is an annoying way to charge the device and may be causing mechanical stress on the cable.

This issue can also be down to a freyed cable within or just beyond the flexible 'boot'. The quickest way to fix this is to cut the freyed end off the cable and solder the plug back on.

If 1 power supply has the same issue on all of the laptops, it's likely to be the power supply.

Good luck! Let me know if I can help at all.