Acer 5672 AC adapter problem

Hey all,

Well I have now had my new Acer 5672 laptop for a whole day! I have to say it is even better than I expected, multitasking performance is amazing compared to what I was used to and has been really handy in setting up my laptop as I can easily run 2 to 3 installers at the same time with no noticeable slowdown . The speakers are better than I expected, hardly any bass, but more clear than my girlfriends old Dell 100L laptop. The screen is fabulous too, the reflection isn't as bad as some might think, it's nice and bright and I'm quite impressed by the overall build quality and the condition it has arrived in. Oblivion is playing smoothly on mediumish settings (looks pretty **** nice to me getting around 15-30 frames per second indoors and about 15-25 frames per second outdoors after overclocking (and I still haven't clocked it as high as it will go yet!). This is on 1024x800 widescreen resolution.

I'm loving thi laptop.... except for one issue! I've found right from the beginning an issue similar to an issue I've seen with several other Acers at my workplace (IT technician for Nottingham Trent Uni). That is that the AC adapter, when plugged into the laptop sometimes needs wiggling about to register as connected, sometimes the AC connection icon in the system tray either says it isn't connected or repeatedly flashes on and off (as if the connection were loose). This is one problem I'd really rather not be experiencing as at my workplace I have known Acer laptops to become unresponsive to an AC connection and therefore they become unable to recharge. Now I suspect this is due to a loose connection somewhere in the AC connector in the laptop, or a slightly dodgy AC adapter.

Has anyone else experienced this problem, and if so have you been able to remedy the problem? I'd rather not send the laptop back so soon for something that seems like it would be rather trivial to fix. I'd rather not void my warranty if possible (but if needs must I'd probably rather fix it than send it back), but I'm pretty good with fixing things being an IT technician.... just thought I'd check with those who know best first though. So I'd love to hear from anyone who might have any suggestions as to the practicality of fixing a problem like this?

I'll see if I can post some more info on my experiences soon.

Best wishes,

Steve

 

Hey Steve,I haven't had any problems with mine at all. Our models may be different though (you having the X1600 and me having the X1400,but it's just a guess - maybe you have an X1400 too). I think there's some loose contact or something. Maybe you should call tech support? Don't worry they aren't that bad. I called them and my experience with them has been overall good.

 

Hmm, is it all the way in? There should be no silver metal part visible. I know that sounds stupid, but when mine arrived, the adapter plug was tighter than anything I've seen before and I thought I was going to break it if I shoved it in.

Other than that, my plug has been very stable and has never switched the laptop to battery power. I've also used the notebook for long periods of time with a third-party adapter (the Kensington 120W adapter plus an Acer tip) and that worked fine as well.

Could it have something to do with loose power lines/sockets/wires in your office, perhaps?

 

Hi again,

thanks for the replies! I'm actually using an x1400 model as the x1600 model doesn't seem to be available in the UK yet that I've found. I've noticed a couple of differences though, the keyboard has a full sized enter key and the laptop doesn't have a webcam, I think that's a good trade though because I'm not fussed about a webcam and the reduced size enter key would have been somewhat of an annoyance.

As for the AC adapter, yes it is pushed all the way in, it did confuse me at first as it did feel almost a little too tight when pushed all the way in, but there is no silver showing on the adapter and it still suffers from the problem. The company I brought it from (acernotebooks.co.uk) have just sent a mail offering a free first week of 24/7 support however, so I may try ringing them and see what they say. Of course, I'm still open to suggestions!

Cheers,

Steve

 

Actually, today I noticed the same issue while working outside. I was using the third-party adapter (which normally works fine) and the notebook would toggle in and out of battery power for a few minutes. I jiggled the cable a bit and it worked for a while. So maybe it's not just you?

 

Ahh, that's okay then, I'm not going mad!

It's not too bad, just a bit of an annoyance when part way through a game the screen starts flashing bright and dark as the machine thinks it's on battery mode. I can live with the problem if that's as bad as it gets, but if it progresses to the same problem as I have seen where the connectino fails entirely, then it could become a big issue.

I just found out my 24/7 support thing is for software only, so I'll have to ring acer as I need to register my Warranty anyway, I'll try them instead... perhaps it's nothing to worry about, but I'm not sure!

Steve

 

I'm now wondering if this might actually be a software problem. Last night, the laptop wouldn't recognize the AC connection no matter how much I wiggled the connector... then I double clicked the Acer power management system tray icon and all of a sudden it picks up the connection. Any time the problem occurred after that, it was fixed by clicking or double clickin that icon.

I think I'm going to try removing the software and seeing if the problem stops.

 

Make sure you log it with acernotebools.co.uk before their return period ends (if you cannot resolve it).
The adapters are a bit dodgy, same with my TM8106.
But luckily, knock on wood, not the same problem as you.

Cheers

Drio