SXPS 1645 charging problem

I have SXPS 1645 replacement from 1640 back in October 2010 and my laptop is experiencing an odd problem. Since May 26, the laptop is unable to recognize and charge the battery. When I plug the AC in, it's as if no AC is connected at all. No messages saying that it's unable to charge or anything. It runs fine with the battery though.

At first I thought my AC adapter was at fault so I ordered a new one but still unable to charge. So now I'm thinking that the DC jack that connects to the AC adapter is at fault. I'm still waiting for the part to arrive.

So my questions are:
1. In the case the new DC jack does not solve the problem would the motherboard be the problem?
2. Could the motherboard fail at JUST the charging section of the board? I mean everything seems to be fine when I run with the battery.
3. If it is in fact the motherboard is the problem, is it worth replacing it or a new laptop?

 

1) Correct, the motherboard is the problem. In fact, I'd say that even if it *IS* the DC jack on your laptop that is the issue, you'd likely be stuck with a motherboard replacement anyway (since DC jacks are typically soldered on).

2) Yes, it could fail right at the DC jack. It's not uncommon, actually. Over time, stress on the DC jack (by bumping into the power cord while plugged in, pulluing power cord out at wrong angle, etc) could cause the solder to loosen between the DC jack and the motherboard. So it's very possible that the solder / electrical connections between DC jack and motherboard have loosened or failed, giving you the symptoms you described of being fully functional on battery, but unable to charge or operate on DC power.

3) Buy a new laptop. You will most likley need to replace the motherboard, which is the most expensive part to replace (costing you several $100's). And even if you do replace the motherboard, there's a good chance that some other part will get damaged or fail in the near future, forcing you to sink even more money into that laptop. The best bang-for-your-buck will be to take the several $100's you'd spend on a motherboard replacement, and put it towards a new laptop instead.

If you aren't doing gaming, you can find several awesome laptops for anywhere between $700 - $1200. And buying a new laptop will give you a faster machine, an SSD (which is BLAZINGLY fast), as well as a nice fresh warranty on your new machine.

Hope this helps. Cheers.

 

Thank you for your reply kent. I'll see how the new DC jack turn up and I hope that it solves the problem. The motherboard seems to cost about $300 CAD so I suppose a new laptop is the next solution. I mean I already spent $68 on the new AC adapter and the DC jack. Thanks again kent.

 

Hope it works out.

On the bright side, Dell AC adapters are very frequently cross-compatible. So even if you do need a new laptop, you will most likely be able to use your "new" power adapter as a spare adapter with your new laptop (as long as you buy Dell).

 

Oh since the 1640 throttling issue back in 08-09 I despise Dell. Never buying from Dell again with their atrocious customer support. I do play games a lot on my used-to-function-1645 so I'm looking at Asus and Sager. I will return the AC adapter but not DC jack. It will probably cost more for me to return on a $7.50 product.