Power jack damage from laptop use

[r50cheapskate]

95% of the time I'm using my ThinkPad, it's on my lap. I have learned to keep the left side clear for venting (it just seemed like common sense when the fan came on and blew out hot air).

Here's my question: How durable is the power jack and/or its fasteners? Frequently when I reposition the machine, the power jack gets some movement. It feels like it's loosening up. Should I be more careful? It would make sense (at least to me) that the jacks on a notebook would have a life cycle of several thousand unpluggings and leave some "wiggle room."

[BillMorrow]

YES, you should be careful and not stress the plug OR the socket..

in other words, don't tip the thinkpad up in front and thus "bend" the plug that is protruding from the back..

if i were designing these ac adapters, the plug that gots into the thinkpad would be shorter, so as to avoid this problem..
but then ibm has not been noted for smart design in this area..
most likely because others design this part..

[verktyg]

The plugs on the the old TP7xx series were so fragile that they included spares with the laptops. The later yellow tipped plugs were an improvement.

Dells have a much poorer design. The socket comes loose inside the laptop. A friend of mine's son just got to college and found that his AC socket was broken off on his Dell laptop. It's just a week out of warrantee and it's going to cost her $500 USD to replace the main board plus take up to 3 weeks to get back from Dell! He's an engineering student and he'll be without a laptop for all of that time.

[AlphaKilo470]

Contrary to what you say about the 7xx series, I've never had any problems with the 755CD I once owned, or the many 760's I've owned or the 760ED I currently own though I do agree that the yellow tipped barrel plug is much nicer, mainly because it's a standardized connector that can easily be replaced if broken, unlike the proprietary connector of most early ThinkPads.

The barrel plug socket on the back of my 380 is now wearing down, I can't move it around too much because the slightest bump or vibration now seems to cause the connection to break, even if the plugs still in there all the way. You have to fiddle with the plug until the connection stays.

[r50cheapskate]

The Dell problem Verktyg referenced is the kind I'm afraid of - that they would do something so stupid as to make a fragile connection point part of the main circuitboard. Isn't IBM known for smarter design and easy part replacement? I'll take a look at that hardware manual one of these days.

[verktyg]

Contrary to what you say about the 7xx series, I've never had any problems with the 755CD I once owned, or the many 760's I've owned or the 760ED I currently own though I do agree that the yellow tipped barrel plug is much nicer, mainly because it's a standardized connector that can easily be replaced if broken, unlike the proprietary connector of most early ThinkPads.

I still have a bag full of the replacement tips for my old 755CX. The square end connector broke 2-3 times under normal use during the 4 years I used it. They were pretty easy to repair but.....