Travelmate 4001LCi repair question

My dads laptop is broken! Little sisters being reckless snapped the small rod that the AC adaptor connector plugs into. So basically laptop battery drained and died so now that the AC plug cant be plugged in cuz the small rod in the laptop is broken. Acer basically say the part that connects to the motherboard is broken/snapped off and the only way to fix is to replace the whole motherboard for about $350 not incl labour!! so is there anyway i can get this for cheaper, either the part or the whole motherboard?

 

Yes/no/maybe....

You can try to find the motherboard online and then try to replace it yourself, or you could try to find out what kind of pin connector it is, unsolder it from the motherboard and then attach a new one yourself, either way it's going to be cheaper, but you risk damaging something else on the motherboard.

 

Yeah i might try an get the motherboard elsewhere like online but anyone know where? Tried ebay but doesnt seem like its the place and google isnt giving out specific sites, all are general and pertain to the actual laptop not the parts as per my search.