Replacing a Vostro 1310 power jack, soldering?

I have a Vostro 1310 with a faulty power jack so it's now loose and intermittently provides power depending on its position. I'm having difficulty finding exactly what is needed for a repair though, the Dell service manual shows to lift the DC power module out and connect it back in however DC jacks usually seem to need soldering. Looking at the service manual diagram it looks like the part does have a cable and plugs in at the end but it's not entirely clear, has anyone replaced this part before?

I haven't checked on the faulty 1310 as it's still working and it's quite a bit of work to take the whole machine apart.

Thanks,
John

 

DC jacks need soldering if they're soldered to the motherboard (obviously, right?), but Dell's been getting smart about that these days and putting them on cables. In the case of the 1310, it looks like you can just buy a new cable, which shouldn't be expensive at all.

 

I went ahead and bought the cable anyway as it was only seven quid, I was concerned if the concerned that if the cable was in the centre of the motherboard then the jack shouldn't stop working if it's loose. However as it's not simple to open it all right up and put back together again I didn't want to do all that and find I did actually need a cable after all.


Anyway opened the machine up today and had a look to find it's not just the cable that's at fault, there's a plastic bracket which holds the DC jack in place and with the jack being pushed backwards the rear side of the bracket had snapped allowing the jack to move about. With a bit of work and few extra materials the bracket is back in place and hopefully will hold but will see, I've put it back together and it appears to be working better but not sure how long it will last. Kind of kicking myself I didn't buy a USB daughter board at the same time as they're only eight quid and would have been a doddle to fit when I had the machine open.

John