My alienware Power Cord is BLAZING HOT!

I have a sentia 14 inch laptop about 2 yrs old no issues, but today while i was using it the battery was almost dead so i plugged in while using it, about 20 mins later i was going to put things away and noticed when i unplugged it the metal end of the power cord was SUPER HOT!

Never noticed this before, seems to be charging up the battery fine and running the laptop fine while plugged in but the HOT part of it concerned me.

Can anyone confirm for me does this connector get hot when you use the laptop and have the power cord plugged in to charge battery and run the unit?

I did notice after it cooled down leaving things plugged in but laptop NOT on the cord was fine unplugged and checked a few times to confirm, all was cool, just when the unit is running and charging the battery at the same time i notice the tip of that power cord is scorchin hot.

Bill

 

Heat is typically generated by either the flow of current or through arcing across tiny imperfections in the connecting surfaces (those maglock power on the Mac's used to toast themselves originally).

If the heat is so high, you should feel it radiating out along the length of the cable, if it was caused by current (although it may not feel quite so hot, you should notice a definite warmth). If it's only hot at the very end, that may indicate a connector issue.

Is there any discolouration on the power cord contacts? Obvious black marks and pitting would be a giveaway but it might not be quite that clear. Leaving it plugged in but disconnected from the laptop won't put a load on the power supply and hence won't draw any meaningful current.