ASUS G73JW Power adapter and battery mode messages

So recently my laptop displays messages that say "AC mode" or something similar about 3 times in a row, then it says "Battery mode" about 2 times then back to "AC mode"

It should only say AC mode when I first plug it in, why is it randomly displaying these messages?

 

Does it happen only when you plug it in, or will it happen randomly after it's been plugged in?

Is the plug loose at all?

 

It's plugged in right now and the message is still constantly coming up.

The end of the plug that goes into the laptop also gets pretty warm, if you take it out and feel it, it basically burns your hand, is it supposed to be this warm?

 

No, that is not right. There is a chance it's the AC adapter that's at fault, but it could be the jack at the laptop side, especially if it's getting hot. You should probably back up your personal data and set up an RMA with ASUS as soon as you can.

 

I did happen to put a scratch in the AC adapter when it as being moved, it's not terribly deep but could a scratch pose a problem?

 

No that's nothing to worry about really.

Here's the warranty support links.

http://service.asus.com/products_nb.html
http://support.asus.com/contact/contact_right.aspx
http://promos.asus.com/US/ASUS_NB_Warranty/NB_ANSP/index.html

 

Oh, well thanks for clearing this up, the messages were getting REALLY annoying, I'll take it down to the shop where I bought it, see if they have any different chargers and see if that's the issue.

I'm also sure this is pretty obvious but using this charger could cause permanent damage in one way or another if defective, right?

 

Yes it could damage the system, but it would hopefully power itself off before anything serious happened. It's probably not a great idea to keep using it like this for much longer.

 

Alright, so it isn't getting hot anymore which is weird...

I actually found out it just it's just loose, isn't fully meeting the connectors, anything I can do about that? Like take it apart and fix it or something?

 

I would RMA it as soon as possible. You'd need to be extremely comfortable with a soldering iron to replace the jack yourself.

 

It needs to be replaced? It can't just be calibrated in some way?

I'm only really asking because I'd be much happier if I could fix it and not have to wait weeks for it to return...

 

If the connection is loose and sometimes the plug is getting hot, that's a sign that there is probably trouble ahead for the jack because it's not making good contact. The plug on the G73/G53 can basically be considered a design flaw, and to add to it it's got a straight plug coming from the AC adapter which increases flex and the likelihood of snagging the cable and harming the jack. A right angle cable prevents this and you can get an adapter for it after you get it replaced.

 

So looking at the support sites, it has a year warranty but a card needs to be mailed in as proof? What if it's been more then 30 days and the card hasn't been mailed?

 

The card is for the accidental warranty. To register for the regular 2yr warranty just figure out your purchase date and sign up at ASUS Member Login

The regular warranty you can register for whenever really. But the accidental has to be registered within 30 or 60 days I forget exactly.