A8J Power Adaptor just died

Hello all,

My A8j power adaptor JUST died. I plugged it into my laptop and my laptop was still on battery saving mode. When I looked at the adaptor the light was off and i heard this sound. Then all of a sudden I smelled something burning then I quickly disconnected it.

I don't know if theres a store near me (Mississauga) that sells the official adaptor (Canada Computers is sold out/needs to order it). Would I be able to use a 3rd party/another party adaptor to power the laptop? For example, an HP 90W power adaptor?

 

1- make sure that they have similar voltage values (plus/minus 5% is fine)

2- make sure that they have similar amp values (the amp value of the new adapter should be >= the amp value of the old adapter)

3- If the plug tips are not compatible, you can cut the cables and connect them accordingly. Make sure that you do not reverse the poles.


As long as you do these, any adapter will be just fine...



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Thanks for the very quick response.

How are universal adaptors with Asus laptops?

 

I am not very familiar with the universal adapters. But as long as they have similar volt/amp values and plug tips you should be fine.

Try to buy a well-known brand instead of an el-cheapo chinese crap. If something goes wrong with the adapter, you will risk your laptop including all the data inside...



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My friend loaned me his old IBM power adapter and so far it is working fine. The values are slightly different:

My burned out adaptor:

Input:100-240V~ 1.5A(1.5A) 50-60Hz
Output: 19V--- 4.74A(4.74A)

Loaner Adaptor:

Input: 100-240V~ 1.2A-0.7A 50/60Hz
Output: 16V---3.36A

I have bolded the differences. Difference in Output volts and amps. Would this damage my laptop in the long haul or should I quickly remove it and purchase a replacement adapter?

 

You should still get a new power adapter from Asus. The one your friend gave you is a lower wattage power supply. The only problem you'll get is if you're running your laptop without the battery and only the adapter, you'll get a blue screen or automatic shut down when you're performing intensive tasks like gaming or photoshopping.
If you have both the battery and adapter plugged in, you should notice your battery life slowly decreasing. This is because your loaner adapter can't supply enough power for your laptop and will start drawing power from your battery.

 

Sorry to give this ANOTHER bump but I just got this power adapter for a test run after I placed an order for an official ASUS one. Its the Kensington Universal Power Adapter. Heres the technical specs:

INPUT: 11-16 volt DC
OUTPUT: 3-24 volt DC
Output current: 6 A
Power: 120W

At first glance 16 V significantly lower than my original input of 100-240V and the output of 6A is higher than my 4.74A needed.

From memory, I believe the laptop just takes the amount of power it needs from the adapter, rather than using what is provide (unless the adapter cannot provide all then it will share from battery). Is this true? Would this harm my laptop if I try it out or will it work fine?