Video of Pomeroy Computing replacing a power jack on an Acer Swift 3 laptop.
How do I know if my Acer Swift has a bad charge port?
I’ve repaired multiple Acer Swift series laptops and the big problem I find with them is that the power jack is very small and delicate. This makes for a fragile and weak design which leads to a broken jack. If the socket connection is loose where you plug in the ac adapter, you most likely have a broken plug.
What does the dc jack look like?
Close up view of a Acer Swift 3 with a broken charge port.Broken Acer Swift 3 power jack.Charge light flickers back and forth from AC to battery power.
What symptoms will it have?
Loose connection where you plug in the power cord.
Intermittently switch back and forth from Ac power to battery.
Power cord doesn’t fit snug like when it was new.
Can I fix this myself?
The video above is a step by step guide in how to fix the Acer Swift 3 laptop. This is board level repair that requires complete disassembly of the notebook. Once the computer is disassembled to the motherboard you will need to de-solder the old broken charge port and solder a new one back on. This will require proficient soldering skills and tools to successfully complete this repair.
What is the cost of replacing the jack?
At Pomeroy Computing we provide nation wide mail-in laptop power jack repair. We do this service for $69 parts and labor to replace the socket on a Acer Swift 3 notebook. Visit the homepage of our website to get started.
Stephen Pomeroy is the owner of Pomeroy Computing (www.pcrepairhelp.net) and has been performing laptop and desktop pc repairs since 2005. He is an A+ certified technician with 19 years of experience in diagnosing and repairing notebook and desktop computers. He is also in his Senior year at Florida Atlantic University studying Electrical Engineering.
What is a power jack, and how do I diagnose it properly?
First, you might be wondering, what exactly is a power jack? Here at Pomeroy Computing, we are experts in power jack repair and offer guides and tutorials to fix it yourself, or we offer our $69 parts and labor mail-in repair services. Contact us today for a free diagnostic!
The power port is a socket input soldered directly to the motherboard or a cable connection that plugs into it. It’s important to know what type of power jack you have to properly diagnose the issue and fix it.
Power enters through your DC adapter cord and into the laptop to power it and charge the battery through this power jack port. It doesn’t regulate your battery or do anything special. It’s just the physical gateway for power to come into your laptop. If the connection is bad, your laptop won’t properly power on and charge the battery. These are typically intermittent issues that go back and forth. This problem will get worse over time, and trying to manipulate the port to get it to work can cause further and more extensive damage to the motherboard.
This information might be relevant because you’re having power problems with your laptop and are seeking solutions. There are ways to repair it yourself, but sometimes it is better left to an expert in laptop repairs due to the complexity of the disassembly and reassembly, along with safely removing the bad socket with different soldering tools and techniques.
New power jack for a Dell 15 3000 laptop.New power jack for Asus Republic of Gamers laptop.Power jack used by many Toshiba and Lenovo models.
What symptoms does a failing charge port have, and how does it fail?
A laptop that is experiencing power jack problems has distinct symptoms. They tend to go bad over time because of stress on the cord and heat going through the solder points. That leads to the weakening of those points and a slow loosening of the DC jack from the motherboard. Another reason you might be experiencing these symptoms is because the computer took a fall or the power cord was tripped over. This results in the port becoming physically damaged and breaking off the motherboard, is the laptop will not charge or power on. Laptops with power jack problems start to exhibit signs such as:
Loose or broken connection where you plug in the power cord
Intermittent switching of the laptop going back and forth from power to battery
Sparks or overheating buildup near the charge port area
Battery won’t charge
The video above shows what a typical bad power jack looks like. You can wiggle the connector to make the laptop power on and charge.
How can I be sure my charge port is bad, and where do I start?
If you’re not sure whether your laptop has a bad charge port or not, then start by testing your AC adapter. It is a common cause of DC jack-like symptoms and can be tested and ruled out as the problem before you take it anywhere. You can use a multimeter to check the integrity of your power cord or try another known working cord to rule out this problem.
The most common way to know if you have a bad power socket is the very distinct symptom of the connection being very loose when you plug it in. The AC adapter will feel extremely loose when you plug it in versus very snug when you first bought it. A lot of times, you can see physical damage to the port, which is pretty obvious. This is the telltale sign of a bad power jack. Sometimes, the loose feeling can start small but get worse over time. You might start to wiggle the tip of the power cord at a certain angle to get it to work. Eventually, it will stop working altogether. Continued use can cause potential damage to the motherboard and will never get better until the charge port is replaced.
It is important to note that there are two different kinds of power jacks. The first is a plug that is soldered directly to the motherboard with as few as three pins and as many as nine or more. They are a through-hole solder connection, which can be de-soldered when it needs to be replaced, and a new jack soldered back on. The other type is a cable with wires that plug directly into the motherboard. Like the soldered-on types, they come in many different shapes, sizes, and configurations. These are much easier to replace because they are a “plug and play” situation that doesn’t require any type of soldering unless you solder a new jack on the tip of the cable. They can usually be purchased in the full cable form, so soldering isn’t needed.
This is important for many reasons, such as when you’re diagnosing a bad power plug, a cable-type jack will usually have some play in it. It can be misleading when you’re trying to diagnose it because it’s wiggling around in the laptop a little. The cable sockets usually become detached from their housing (chassis or body of the laptop) and flop around inside the laptop when they are bad. You should feel a noticeable change in how the laptop feels plugging it in after experiencing power problems compared to your normal computing experience. The soldered-on jacks have very little play in them, so they feel distinctly different and loose when they are going bad. If you have a soldered-on jack and it feels solid, you might have a different type of power issue going on.
What does a broken DC jack look like?
Below are some pictures of what a bad DC jack looks like. You will notice physical damage to many of the jacks. This is usually a result of tripping over the cord, dropping the jack on the plugged spot, stress on the power cord over time, and finally breaking the connection. If it is a soldered connection, those tend to be completely or partially detached and broken from the motherboard. Sometimes, if you look at the solder points closely, you will see an oxidation of the power pin or pins. This is usually accompanied by the symptoms of the wiggling of the cord to find the sweet spot to get it to charge.
DC Jack pushed inside the laptopInternal view of the broken plug.MSI with broken power jack.
Can I fix the power jack myself?
Yes and no. If your computer uses cable-type ports that plug directly into the motherboard, and you are tech-savvy and can follow a guide on YouTube, you might be able to replace the jack yourself. No soldering is required with these cable jacks, and they simply plug and unplug into the motherboard. Your biggest challenge will most likely be the disassembly and reassembly of the laptop.
The other type is the soldered-in power jack. The most challenging part beyond taking the laptop apart and getting it back together properly is the de-soldering process. You will need to have a quality soldering iron, soldering skills, and the necessary tools associated with it. I would not recommend learning this on your laptop when you have power problems. I see many laptops that have had an attempt at the de-soldering process that is now damaged beyond repair. If you’re in doubt of your abilities, that is a good sign it’s better to leave it to an experienced professional.
Below is a video of Pomeroy Computing replacing a power jack on an Acer Aspire 5 from start to finish.
Conclusion
A power jack provides power to your computer, but it is a common weakness for laptops. Both types of solder and cable ports can go bad but can be repaired or, better stated, replaced. I always recommend replacement instead of trying to repair it. When properly diagnosing a jack, make sure it has distinct power failure symptoms and test it out with the information in this article. If you have any questions, contact us!
Stephen Pomeroy is the owner of Pomeroy Computing (www.pcrepairhelp.net) and has been performing laptop and desktop pc repairs since 2005. He is an A+ certified technician with 19 years of experience in diagnosing and repairing notebook and desktop computers. He is also in his Senior year at Florida Atlantic University studying Electrical Engineering.
If you’re thinking about shipping in your laptop for a dc jack repair you have a few different good options. First, I highly recommend buying a Fed Ex laptop shipping box from their brick-and-mortar store. They have removable foam cutouts that will snugly fit small and larger laptops (see picture below). They are high quality, very protective, and reusable. At the time of this writing, they are $23 usd.
Fed Ex laptop shipping box.Foam cut outs for protection.
Second, the original manufacturer box is a great way to ship a laptop. Most have similar foam cut outs that were made to stand up to regular shipping conditions. If you’re like me, you have that old laptop box laying around so it can be put to good use.
The third option is buying or reusing traditional packing materials. Buying a roll of bubble wrap and a custom box can work great too. I suggest you try and think overpack vs. putting just a little thin bubble wrap around the laptop and then using a box that the laptop barely fits into.
Lastly, don’t skimp out on a shipping solution. Using old amazon boxes, small boxes that you get for free at the brick-and-mortar shipping stores, and similar ideas can lead to a damaged laptop. It’s not worth trying save a few bucks when it comes to shipping a notebook.
Stephen Pomeroy is the owner of Pomeroy Computing (www.pcrepairhelp.net) and has been performing laptop and desktop pc repairs since 2005. He is an A+ certified technician with 19 years of experience in diagnosing and repairing notebook and desktop computers. He is also in his Senior year at Florida Atlantic University studying Electrical Engineering.
The reason this topic relates to dc jack repair is sometimes when you think you have a broken charge port you might just simply have a bad power cord. This is the first thing you want to check before sending the laptop in or taking it to a repair shop. Over the years I’ve seen many cords go bad when the power jack goes bad too due to the stress people put on the tip of the power cord to try and find that sweet spot to keep their laptop running. I’ve also seen a laptop not powering on simply because the ac adapter is bad and is giving dc jack like symptoms.
The first and best way to test your cord is to use a multimeter. You can find these on amazon and ebay with a quick search and they run around $10 usd. You will use this device to see if the cord is giving off voltage. Power cords are typically rated from 18.5-20 volts when powering laptops. You need to make sure your ac adapter is giving power to the laptop before you start diagnosing anything further or replacing hardware. In the picture below you will see a typical multimeter test on a power cord. The multimeter is set to 20 VDC because that is the normal range for a laptop power cord. In the case of the picture, this was a 19.5v cord giving off 19.55 volts, so the power cord is working properly. To test it you place the ground lead on the outer part of the tip of the power cord and the red lead inside the tip as seen in the picture. You will need to make sure your multimeter is set to VDC.
Testing a laptop ac adapter with a multimeter.
If you don’t have a multimeter, you can try checking the light in the ac adapter box and see if it is lighting up. This is not an accurate way to test because the break could be at the tip of the cord or the led in the charge box can be working but the power cord is not giving off any voltage. This needs further testing to be 100% accurate but can give you an indication of a bad cord if that light if off.
If you have another power cord lying around or know someone who has one that will work with your laptop this is an obvious way to cross check your ac adapter with a known working one. You need to make sure it has the correct power requirements and tip size, so it powers the laptop and fits properly.
If you look at the next picture below you will see an hp laptop with the ac adapter plugged in and a led light coming on orange indicating it’s charging. If you have a laptop that won’t power on but the light shows that it is charging the cord is working and the laptop has a different power problem than just a bad cord.
Stephen Pomeroy is the owner of Pomeroy Computing (www.pcrepairhelp.net) and has been performing laptop and desktop pc repairs since 2005. He is an A+ certified technician with 19 years of experience in diagnosing and repairing notebook and desktop computers. He is also in his Senior year at Florida Atlantic University studying Electrical Engineering.
Dc Power Jack repair being performed by Pomeroy Computing on a dell 15 3000 notebook.
I’m having power problems with my Dell Inspiron laptop, what do I do?
Pomeroy Computing is a laptop repair company that specializes in power jack repair. You may need a charge port repair if your laptop has one or more of the following symptoms. We perform the dc jack repair service for $69 parts and labor. This is a nation wide, mail in repair service. Common symptoms are listed below:
Loose connection where you plug in the ac adapter
Laptop switches back and forth from power to battery
Heat build in the area where you plug in the power cord
Holding the power cord at just the right angle to get it to work.
Can I fix a dc jack myself?
Yes and no. It is difficult to take apart a laptop, replace the dc jack and then get everything back together correctly. If you are very tech savvy it’s not impossible. The biggest problem I see people run into is the intricate ribbon cables that can get damaged and knowing where to pry and apply force to get it apart. To save you the hassle of tearing apart your laptop all weekend and risk damaging it, we perform the charging port replacement on most dell inspiron laptops for $69 parts and labor. Visit our homepage to get started.
What does a broken power jack look like?
In the picture below you can see a dell inspiron 15 5000 laptop with a broken dc jack. The plastic cable style port plugs into the motherboard and is screwed onto the case. The part where you screw the jack in directly to the chassis of the computer has broken so the whole dc jack needs to be replaced. The notebook will need to be completely taken apart to access it. We have video guides in our youtube channel
Stephen Pomeroy is the owner of Pomeroy Computing (www.pcrepairhelp.net) and has been performing laptop and desktop pc repairs since 2005. He is an A+ certified technician with 19 years of experience in diagnosing and repairing notebook and desktop computers. He is also in his Senior year at Florida Atlantic University studying Electrical Engineering.
