Thinkpad power adapters break easily - solution: Right angle

[politicorific]

I just finished soldering/shrinkwrapping my x61's power adapter for the 3rd time. Being a straight 180 degree cable causes too much strain for the internal plastic covering inside the power cable. They have frayed and short against each other.

I think all thinkpad adapters should be designed so that the cable comes out at a 90 degree angle. This would prevent the strain. My 3rd party auto/dc adapter came with one and it's a superior setup since no strain is up on the cables, but is instead transferred to the socket/larger rubberized connector.

Who do I email for this suggestion?

[RealBlackStuff]

Lenovo comes to mind!

[TTY]

I think all thinkpad adapters should be designed so that the cable comes out at a 90 degree angle.

On all ThinkPad AC adapters that i've seen, the cable seems to come out at a 90° angle from the adapter's short end. It then immediately makes a 90° turn, so that the cable runs parallel to the adapter's short end. This is a smart solution in order to protect the cable from getting damaged during travel. If the cable would just continue straight ahead after leaving the AC adapter's short end at a 90° angle, it might easily get broken when being subjected to harsh treatment during transport.

[aaa]

I think all thinkpad adapters should be designed so that the cable comes out at a 90 degree angle.

On all ThinkPad AC adapters that i've seen, the cable seems to come out at a 90° angle from the adapter's short end. It then immediately makes a 90° turn, so that the cable runs parallel to the adapter's short end. This is a smart solution in order to protect the cable from getting damaged during travel. If the cable would just continue straight ahead after leaving the AC adapter's short end at a 90° angle, it might easily get broken when being subjected to harsh treatment during transport.

He's talking about the end that plugs into the laptop.

[spuddog]

I don't Understand. Straight 180 degree? Straight is 0 degrees, 180 would be U shaped.

Maybe pictures would help.

Scott

[aaa]

One of these deals:

http://www.papyrus.co.il/images/ek1tipD.gif

... would be 90 degree. Versus the straight ones currently used on Thinkpads.

[proaudioguy]

Why on earth is this beneficial? How about a magnetic connector like on the MBP? I haven't had any problems with my various PSUs since 2001 when I started using Thinkpads, but I must admit I'm envious of that magnetic connector.

[j-dawg]

Why on earth is this beneficial?

Think about it. I have an X61 Tablet, and the socket I usually plug into is to my left. That means the cable comes out of my computer on the right side and has to make a 180 degree turn to get to the socket. I'm close enough to the socket that I can give it slack so it's not a problem, but what if I were farther? The cable would always be under tension. The only time I get a proper zero tension setup that doesn't rely on having extra cable is if the socket is to my right.

An angled connector would mean that the most tension I'd ever get would be at 90 degrees to the connector. If we pretend that power sockets can only be to the left or right of where people choose to use their computers, that would mean all computers would get a 90 degree bend on their power cords all the time instead of getting a 180 degree bend half of the time. I'd prefer that.

Honestly, I don't know if any of what I just said makes sense. But it makes sense to me.

[dr_st]

It makes some sense, of course. However, having worked with Thinkpads and other laptops for years, I have yet seen a single power cable that had developed any problem due to any tension being applied to it (and none of them were 90 degree angled). Therefore I don't really see a problem that needs addressing here. More likely politicorific's power cable was just particularly bad, or he applied unreasonable tension to it.

However, from another point of view, both politicorific and you have X61 laptops. These laptops are unusual in the Thinkpad line because they have the power socket on the side, and if the outlet happens to be on the other side, there can be some serious tension applied to the cable. It just doesn't happen with most Thinkpads, where the socket is on the back.

So if this problem really is serious, it emanates from the non-typical design of the X60 series. At least non-typical compared to other Thinkpads, since I know many non-Lenovo laptops do have the power socket on the side.

[proaudioguy]

Why on earth is this beneficial?

Think about it. I have an X61 Tablet, and the socket I usually plug into is to my left. That means the cable comes out of my computer on the right side and has to make a 180 degree turn to get to the socket. I'm close enough to the socket that I can give it slack so it's not a problem, but what if I were farther? The cable would always be under tension. The only time I get a proper zero tension setup that doesn't rely on having extra cable is if the socket is to my right.

An angled connector would mean that the most tension I'd ever get would be at 90 degrees to the connector. If we pretend that power sockets can only be to the left or right of where people choose to use their computers, that would mean all computers would get a 90 degree bend on their power cords all the time instead of getting a 180 degree bend half of the time. I'd prefer that.

Honestly, I don't know if any of what I just said makes sense. But it makes sense to me.

It makes no difference whether it's 90(right angle) or 180(straight). I don't claim to understand how the average consumer thinks though so perhaps it would be a selling point. As a professional dealing with tens of thousands of cables I am usually aware of how my plug is oriented and I give it enough slack to avoid damage. However I've seen a lot of stupid people mishandle cables of all kinds (musicians are especially guilty). I have even seen people wrap electrical cords end over end around there elbow and hand,...HERESY I say! In this case I think the logic is flawed in that you now have to orient your cord to go in a certain direction as well as having the proper slack. What if your edison is in front of you (behind the computer) and your right angle is pointing toward you,..now you are back to that 180 degree (really 360 degree BTW but I understood what you meant) scenario. Honestly none of this solves the REAL problem. If we put too much tension on the cable it might just break something. Only Apple has finally addressed this issue appropriately. One of the most common failures (not limited to thinkpads by any means) is the broken power jack. Your proposed solution does not solve this problem. If you pull on it, it will likely break regardless of the angle of the cable connector.

All but one of my thinkpads have power jacks on the back and that one has a media base that has the power jack on the back.

[j-dawg]

However, from another point of view, both politicorific and you have X61 laptops. These laptops are unusual in the Thinkpad line because they have the power socket on the side, and if the outlet happens to be on the other side, there can be some serious tension applied to the cable. It just doesn't happen with most Thinkpads, where the socket is on the back.

Ah. I didn't realize that that was an X-series peculiarity.

I don't feel as uncomfortable with the tip on my X24's power cord, and that one has the plug on the back. So I think that is definitely a factor. It also doesn't help that the current Thinkpad power connector is much larger than the one on my X24. But yes, I think you're completely right.

And I'm probably more worried about the strain on my power cable than really matters, but I have an unreasonable terror that somebody (probably me) will trip over my cable and that will be it for my tablet.

[Harryc]

To the OP, your best bet is to find a decent after market AC adapter with a right angled plug, like this one. I'd be very surprised if you find just a 90 degree adapter tip. If you do, I would buy a couple ...

[politicorific]

Lenovo comes to mind!

Wow, really you think?

I looked on the lenovoblog for a contact email but couldn't find one. Having worked in a corporation, it seems that the only way to really get attention is to complain in mass media, on a blog, or review to have the desired effect.

Why on earth is this beneficial? How about a magnetic connector like on the MBP? I haven't had any problems with my various PSUs since 2001 when I started using Thinkpads, but I must admit I'm envious of that magnetic connector.

Patents, patents, patents! I'd love one, but don't think it'd solve the problem since the problem is that the tension is focused on the wrong part - the internal wire rather than the rubberized bulky connector with the 20V on it.

wonderful post

Thank you for the constructive post, I must say your comprehension skills are great, plus you envisioned the exact scenario which caused this to happen. My audio jack is a bit strained as well - the cable I used was damaged as well - had I found a 90 degree adapter less strain would've been on the cable.

It makes some sense, of course. However, having worked with Thinkpads and other laptops for years, I have yet seen a single power cable that had developed any problem due to any tension being applied to it (and none of them were 90 degree angled). Therefore I don't really see a problem that needs addressing here. More likely politicorific's power cable was just particularly bad, or he applied unreasonable tension to it.

I was not being unreasonable with it, I realize now after looking at the ac/dc adapter that there is a stress relief boot on it to prevent the cable from bending too far. If there was one on the laptop end this problem wouldn't have happened.

To the OP, your best bet is to find a decent after market AC adapter with a right angled plug, like this one. I'd be very surprised if you find just a 90 degree adapter tip. If you do, I would buy a couple ...

Thanks, although I may fashion some sort of plug to work with my existing auto adapter since the tip is removable.

[Radioguy]

I'd be very surprised if you find just a 90 degree adapter tip. If you do, I would buy a couple ...

x2.