T42 - AC Power Problem

[mike10s19]

The problem started a week ago, i had my t42 plugged in, but noticed it was running solely off the battery. I jiggled the plug and it started charging again. This problem persisted and I kept jiggling the plug to get it to charge again. Now that I've looked around, this jiggling could have made it worse, but too late now.

I took it to my University Laptop Support Center and they say the motherboard is dead and my warranty is expired. They say I need to replace the MB, but the computer still runs fine on my spare charged battery, it just won't charge. Seems like its just the connection thats bad, but I'm not really sure.

Is this fixable without replacing the motherboard? Is it possible/probable that the plug just needs to be reconnected/soldered to the MB?

[richk]

The jack is a separate part that plugs into the motherboard. You need to remove the motherboard to replace it.

[mike10s19]

Thanks for the reply richk. The support center tried replacing the port and said they had no luck. I'm not much of a technician myself so I've decided to just get a docking station and bypass the port completely. I'll just use it as a desktop and run off the battery if I need it on the go. I've got a brand new battery so it will be able to hold a good charge in case I need it.

[Troels]

Did they try with a completely new socket for the T42? If you need to wriggle the plug, to get it to work sometimes, it's only a mechanical issue. A new DC socket is below $10... saw one on ebay for $6 with cable and everything.

[richk]

If they couldn't replace the socket, you need a new service center

[mitchellst]

On the other hand, it could also potentially be a failing AC adapter. You might try another one if you have one handy.