Hot AC Adapter

I bought a refurbished Dell E6410 laptop to take with me on vacation. I noticed the AC Adapter gets very warm during charges. Something went wrong with the laptop and it was replaced with another refurbed E6410. Although it has a different AC Adapter, it too gets very warm while charging. Is this normal for that model or do I need to find a better charger. Neither are Dell's brand. Is there a replacement that will charge without the heat being present? if so, does anyone have a recommendation? I noticed Dell's prices are pricey!

 

Perhaps it's just summer. Mine gets abnormally hot during winter days as well, but it works perfectly since 2007 (Asus) and serves as the best toe -heater I've encountered so far.

 

Newer PSUs tend to be more efficient and therefore get less hot. Any Dell Latitude charger should fit - they have had the same size DC plug and voltage for many years event though the charger shape and size has changed (the newest generation has rounded edges). Check the label on the bottom of the computer to see if you need a 65W (19V x 3.42A) or 90W (19V x 4.74A) charger. However, there's no harm in having a higher-rated charger and it will get less hot but it will be bigger and heavier.

John

 

There are basically three things that will determine how hot a charger gets.

1. Efficiency as John mentioned, that varies from PSU to PSU depending on quality and generation, some are just more efficient than others.
2. Rating, how many Watts it can deliver and power draw, the more power you draw, the hotter it gets. Charging the battery draws more power, hence it gets hotter. Higher wattage PSUs will usually run cool on low power draw because of this.
3. Heat transfer, if your PSU is on a flat hard surface, it usually runs cooler than say having it covered by something or on a cloth surface because of better heat transfer.

Get a genuine Dell adapter, you'll save some headaches that way, it can be a used one from eBay, but make sure it's the real deal.

Side note: some genuine Dell adapters may not be branded as Dell, I have one that is branded Delta (the actual PSU manufacturer that Dell subcontracted to) that is recognized by the laptop as genuine Dell. I have a more recent one for the same laptop branded as Dell in big lettering and in fine print, it's mentioned that it was made by Delta.

 

One point I would add is that a 90W adapter producing 65W should be cooler than a 65W adapter producing 65W because the former has a bigger body which is able to dissipate more heat. The most recent generation of Dell PSUs (with rounded sides) have their gross power consumption indicated in very small print. The ones I have say:
65W PSU: 77.658Wh
90W PSU: 103.122Wh
130W PSU: 142.96Wh

Which suggests that they all waste 12-13W irrespective of capacity but the information doesn't reveal the efficiency under different load conditions.

John

 

Also Madhater's point about ambient temps plays a big role as well.

 

Ambient temps play a large part IMO... Winter is hence the best time for benching as my home is cold as the forest since we hardly switch on the heating!!