Need a larger PSU? No ones with the correct connector around? Let's do it properly.

PSUs can be dangerous, allow to fully discharge before opening!

NO SERIOUSLY, this brick took minutes to properly discharge!


Make sure the PSU can be opened, many are sealed units!

Doing this mod voids your warranty (Brick and system it is used on) and all safety certificates on your brick.

This mod is done by me and is in no way connected to powernotebooks. If you use this guide you do so at your own risk and I accept no liability for any of your mods.

Our vic... *cough* I mean brick of choice today is the big daddy at the bottom of the pile.



Manufactured by delta for use with the M18X this bad boy packs 330W at 19.5V.

Flipping it over you will see 4 removable feet covering the screws.



It uses torx anti tamper screws so you need one of these:



T10 security torx screwdriver (hollow 6 point star).

Let's plug it in and test the voltage shall we? NO WAIT A SECOND ACTUALLY.



DO NOT SHORT THE CENTRE PIN WITH THE INSIDE OF THE BARREL

It will kill the brick. So measure it but be careful!

Now let's take that cover off after removing the 4 screws:



You have two choices, unsolder the 4 tabs holding the shield in place, gently pry off the glue holding it all on or....

cheat:



Nice chunky leads for obvious reasons:



So you are going to have to unsolder each of the 3 connectors, ground (outside of the barrel) is next to the small data pin connector. Solder in your harvested cable from another brick into the holes.

Pop the case back on and measure the no load voltage (should be around 19.5V)

 

Where did you buy the new lead?

 

Got it off ebay

 

I`m confused: What exactly did you do?

 

I'm half way through, i'll be taking out the entire power lead from the brick that plugs into the machine and replacing it with a sealed factory fitted ended one.

I'll update the first post as I go through.

The end result should look professional and be safe for transport.

 

Oh wow, that sounds a bit interesting.

 

Wait if you need parts for an upgraded power supply...why not buy an upgraded power supply from eBay? I'm sure units like Clevo can use other Clevo power supplies...as long as you got the right tip.

 

Are you modifying the stock Clevo 180w connector/plugs to a Delta 230W?

According to the title, I would say none fits his Clevo connector

 

I am getting a cable with the right fitted connector rated for the largest power I can get.

Understandably I don't want to touch my original supply if possible.

You can't get supplies beyond 180W with the right connector.

 

Can I have the ebay link please, I was hoping to do this with a spare 220W adapter I have from my M17.

 

Store link:

eBay My World - uk.laptop.repairs

Since the cable I have ordered is not compatible with yours.





Ok I removed the two prongs from the default cable, put the new one in, check the voltage and plugged it in.

All good so far

 

How do you know the new cable is rated for so much power?

I just got a plug that has 18 AWG copper wire, do you think thats good enough?

BTW I think I have the same PSU as you (though its dell branded).

 

Meaker, I really think you should rethink what you're doing here.

The cord you bought off ebay is probably rated for 90 watts MAX and your going to send a 180 watt current through it, thats 2x the rated current.

Don't bother asking them how much its rated for. I sent a few messages to sellers of these items on ebay (and you can probably assume all the cords are coming from the same place):

The listing showed it compatible with a Toshiba 19v 5.5*2.5mm 4.74A adapter.

Keep in mind its not just the cord in plug that is rated for only 4.74 A, its also the capacitors (or whatever those are) built onto the cord.

I think what I did is a much better option. Using the original cord, I cut the plug off at the end and soldered a new one. The new plug already had 2 wires coming off of it, clearly written on them something like "18AWGX2C 300v 90c".
I just ran furmark for a while with a 740qm and a Quadro 4000m (100w) and the plug and wires did not get hot at all.
Something else I don't believe is a good option:
New 5.5 x 2.5 mm DC Power cable Male Plug Connector Adapter Plastic black Head | eBay
These are made for effects pedal boards and other small electronics. I have some, they just don't seem to be good quality, the products they were made for are generally 12v 2A max. Also, even the wires and casing from a 120 watt adapter are far too big to fit in the solder terminals, much less a 200 watt adapter.

You can find decent quality dc plugs with wires from various power supplies. I have a local surplus store where I can get some kind of strange plugs that have 20awg wire, definitely very high current rating at 20v. Unfortunately they have nuts built onto the plug. The plug will still fit but falls out easily without the nut removed. The nut can probably be most easily removed with bolt cutters - I did it with a dremel and dented the plug enough to not want to use it.
If anyones interested, they also have a fuse holder and fuse on the wires and the wires are more than a yard, they're only $.95.

There are also some plugs with about 6" of wire that I'm sure are rated for several amps of 120v AC voltage, but they are for a 2mm center pin, for Acer laptops.

 

I've read through this thread and still am not sure what's going on. Anyway here is a chart that might help you guys out.
American Wire Gauge table and AWG Electrical Current Load Limits with skin depth frequencies and wire strength

Then you can just use the power formula.
P=IV

 

Yes, thanks, this is definitely a much better method of determining what type of plug to use.
My wires would have voltage drop of .132 at 1 foot, 24v DC 10 amps and I'm using probably less than an inch.

Guess I was a little pessimistic when I was looking at the stuff on Ebay.
ACER 5.5 x 2.5mm 19v 7.1A DC TIP PLUG CABLE CORD for DC JACK SOCKET CONNECTOR | eBay
Is this what you bought, Meaker?

Looks good, at least you have some recourse if you get it and the plug heats up under load.
I still don't find myself trusting it though. Let us know the results when you get the cable, I. E. if its actually thicker than a cable for a 90w charger.

 

Yes that's the cable I got.

The iron cores around the end of the cable are there to reduce interference back along the cable (they dampen returning waves.... is the best I can put it simply) They are not active components and are not that critical. The cable does not seem to get warm and while the connector does get a little warm, considering I am probably riding around 200W that's not too surprising.

Thicker cables reduce cable losses and improve efficiency. However I don't really care about a small increase in cable losses and I am already above the rated voltage for the machine so a small drop is acceptable.

 

Would the tip on that cable fit my P150HM?

 

If the HM and EM use the same tip then yes.

 

Hey meaker i want to upgrade my PSU adapter from 180W to 230W(I7-2960XM).
I saw that my 180w has ouput=19v-9,5amps and the 230w 19v-11,8amps.
If i buy one,and because of the diference(9,5AMPS-11,8AMPS),you think that i will burn(damage)my lap?
Thanks man.
edit:my brother has it, ClevoP151HM-I7-2960XM-7970M+180W ac adapter already.

 

Your notebook will draw as much power as it needs, if you have spare it makes no difference, so long as the voltage is about the same and the connector is right, how high the amps is so long as it is above what you need is irrelevant.

If anyone would like me to mod one for them, PM me and I am sure we can work out a fair price.

 

Ok thanks a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I just saw that the 180w is 19v,and the 230w is 19,5v.
Is there any difference?

 

Yes a 2.6% difference in voltage......

I would consider a 5% difference to be the maximum "safe" variation, though I would avoid going under when choosing a PSU.

 

And another:

Take one dell slimline 240W adaptor:



Take out the screws:



Squeeze the middle of the side of the unit and pull the lid to remove it:



Remove the tape and unsolder the points that connect the shield to ground:



[Images to be added from this point]

Unsolder the leads to the main cord.



Insert new cable and solder it in

Resolder shield

Re-tape sheilds

Re-construct unit and tape end if required to ensure a tight fit



Connect to machine

 

whats the green wire coming from the Dell slim and one and did u just desolder the wire and then just match the red with positive and the black with ground?

 

Something for the LED on the end or the center data pin, the pins on are just marked as + and - on the PCB though.

 

oh ok thank , well i can't wait to mod my Slim when i get it tomorrow ...

 

hey meaker can you make one for me and ill pay you instead?

 

Hate to keep a necro'ed thread going, but couldn't I just splice two different PSU cables together to get non-compatible PSUs to plug in?

 

Yes, it's just cleaner this way. Otherwise you've got a big wart in the middle, and likely a hot spot in the cable.

 

I bought the same cable meaker did and have since received the cable. However the wires at the end are blue and brown so i dont know which is positive and negative......

 

what kind of solder do you can you email me its for my 150hm with 240w psu and i will use the wire with the 5.5 x 2.5 from the 180w brick.. i am just unsure on the type of solder do i need high melting point? my email [email protected]

 

Hey man, standard solder should do just fine. You just want to make sure the contact is good.

Use a multimeter to check the polarity The outside of the power jack should be ground.

 

So I pretty much got the slimline to solder the new lead to, the same one you got from ebay, however I can't seem to get a voltage from the connector. any ideas?

 

Can you post pictures of the terminals where you soldered the cable to the PCB please. Both sides.

Also a picture of the information on the casing (model etc).

 

So pretty much here are the pics. Weird thing is, I tested the terminals coming from the adapter with a multimeter while it was plugged in and I'm getting a low reading that degrades to 0. However I know the 3 prong port is sending power becasue it reads 120V of AC. But I'm not getting a DC voltage from the connector or terminals. What can be the causes? Is it possible to use solder that doesnt conduct? I just used whetevr solder that came with my iron. Also sorry about the blurred pictures, I only have a phone camera.

 

That is a different design to what I have seen so far but did you measure the original plug voltage?

If you found solder that did not conduct then how would the leads have an electrical connection to the PCB?

 

I bought it new on ebay but didnt actually test the connector because i assumed it worked. Though i don't even see how it's possible to stop the dam thing from working between it's disassembly and me putting in a new connector

 

By shorting out the data pin to live. Some dell owners had a problem with the centre pin shorting to live and killing the brick.

I've got a 330w brick on the way to mod so look out for that

 

Guess I need a new PSU then, since theres no life in this one. Least I still have my lead

 

330W mod complete and added to first post

 

What lead did you use?

 

Harvested from a li shin 180w psu (first picture top) so not cheap.

 

Could an adapter be used instead of modding the cable?

If so, which type?

Thanks.

 

No adapters exist. It's a 5.5mm OD / 2.5mm ID and that has max rated throughput of about 180W. But in reality it can probably manage twice that if you use a quality cable/connector.

 

Hey Meaker, I've bought X75 Connector Converter - 7.4 x 5.08mm with Center-Pin to 5.5x2.5mm
And one of those slimline 240W power supplies, I've got a question about it and i'm hoping that you can help me out.

I'm considering using the connector. But I'm unsure if it's safe. Since the male connector only has 2 little pins on the inside, and the original male pin has all round metal on the inside.
I was going to buy a new pin, but then I saw your mod which also uses just 2 pins on the inside of the male connector.

Would you say it's safe using this connector or would you recommend me to just by a cable and a connector and fully mod the PSU?
If so do you have any specific connectors you recommend, or anything you look for in a connector?

 

I've been using that connector converter for a while now on my 240W Dell (Delta) PSU with zero issues. I rarely ever draw more than 200W though.

 

Thanks for the info I think I'm just going to give it a try and if I feel it getting hot, or if I don't trust it I'll just solder on a new connector.

 

I have not noticed it getting hot ever. Good luck. I think the connector is a clean and easy way to do it. I do have a modded PSU where I soldered it on too, although that was before I noticed this adapter.

 

It seems to be working out fine so far, no unusually high, or even noticeable temperature spikes in the connector while playing 3 hours of the Titanfall beta.