Using the wrong AC-Adapter burned my motherboard?

Hi..

For a couple of months i used in a Laptop (HP XE4100 -1.1Ghz/256MB R/32MB V), the wrong ac-adapter (but i didint knew)..first signs of problems:

-The battery went death in a couple of days
-Laptop keys started to malfunction
-Strange beeps after Bios Post, more than 20 beeps before XP start (while a gray bar from XP was filled, the laptop had these loud beeps)

But the Laptop never jammed!

One day i tried to turn on the Laptop, but no life even with ac-adaptor connected, doesnt turn on the the usual lights..it´s completely dead.

These are the AC-Adaptor specifications:
Correct
18V-20V
72W / 3.5A

This was the AC-Adaptor that i was using
19V
60W / 3.16A

Was the AC-Adaptor the problem? Is there any way to fix it (without buying a new/used board)?

 

So the battery doesn't hold charge anymore? Try booting it up with the battery. You don't know if its a dead mobo quite yet. It could be the power supply. Try using the battery or another adaptor if you know someone who has the right model. Only assume the mobo is dead as a worst case scenario.

If anything the adapter you were using was underpowered, and was probably pushed too hard and burned out. The only way to know is test it.

 

What brand was the AC adaptor? and how old is the battery?

Try wiggling the AC jack, solders might be loose.

Its an old notebook, so it might have been on its way out too.

 

Yes, you used a power adapter that was too weak.

You should try using one that is >= 72W.

 

The board didint recognize that battery from the beginning of the first signs (first didint charge, then i tried HP software to adjust batterys and it killed the battery) .. My first guess was a problem in the Power Supply, but i tried a Toshiba adaptor (again with not correct specifications) but the light that usually turn on when you plug a adaptor was still off.. so i assumed that the board was dead. But i´m willing to try anything before thinking on buying a used board

The AC adaptor that i was using is from a Compaq Laptop (cant confirm the model). This was a laptop with very few use, no scracth, it look like new! The battery before using the wrong Adaptor last 1hour..

I can try tomorrow "wiggling" the AC jack, one curious thing is in Ebay 99% of XE4100 parts is Batterys and AC Pins to solder in the motherboard, i found this thread in HP forum that specifies a AC pin problem

The funny thing, is that my correct AC Adaptor is with my EX-G and i have her´s adaptor...short story, i can get my AC back!

But i will look for AC adaptors that match mine.

Thanks for the answers and sorry for the bad english

 

Let me tell you my experience with insufficient power supply on Desktop:
It turn off suddenly without warning, I open it up and saw the power connector totally burnt.
Motherboard damaged beyond repair...
Maybe this will teach you an expensive lesson about remembering the correct power rating for electrical appliance.
Don't sound so indigant when it is your fault, the manufacturer even had the power rating printed on the laptop bottom.

 

I'm not really sure how running on a power adapter of too low rated current would be able to kill your laptop. Can you please post what happens when you use the correct adapter?

 

When the system demands more power than the adapter can supply it can cause a power surge it is just like when you overload an electrical socket.
It can cause current surge overheat and electrical fires.
It is probably what shorted Poster's mainboard

 

I hear you, but I don't understand and am not sure how the mechanics behind that are possible.

 

What weinter is said is completely true, i've seen it from experience when I was younger thinking one power supply works for everything . Hopefully in this case it didn't burn out the board, and only the psu failed, but its totally possible there was a power surge.

 

Sorry only replying now..

I´ve tested with many AC-Adaptors but no luck, not even the lights of "ac adaptor plug in" work...is totally dead. I didint get a a battery to test it..

I replace the AC-JACK of the motherboard, but still no signs of life..so i assume all the problems of beeping/keyboard was signs of motherboard failure..maybe using the wrong ac-adptor helped in damage the motherboard, but i´m not sure if it was the really cause of the failure.

XE4100 motherboards are rare to find, i saw this site http://pcxs.everestondemand.com/Amazing/itemdesc.asp?ic=F4640-69056&eq=&Tp=

With a motherboard for 35$, but i dont know if they ship to outside US. Anyone know what is the meaning of "PCA" (check the link)

Thanks.

 

You need the power light before anything else. When an under rated brick is used it will cause the brick to try and bump the Voltage to increase total watts. This is usually unsuccesful or can cause extreme spikes that will kill the internal caps inside the system. These spikes can also cause undue load on the internal CAPS attempting to supply the system then causing them and other parts to just overheat.

You can never stress the importance of a proper brick on these laptops. If you don't get the original OEM to replace it be sure the voltage is a match and then 50% more total watts is a good starting place to be safe. Remember too there is a difference between nominal and peak outputs as well.

 

Do you have a multimeter? You could potentially test the DC jack and make sure the voltage is correct... Over pushing or under pushing voltage through a controlled circuit is never good )=,

 

I will test it with a multimeter..but i think i will get back the correct AC-adaptor, i´m not going to spend money on a motherboard and do the same mistake!!

This laptop looks like new in the outside (very estimated laptop), but in the inside....lol i replaced last year (+-the time i start using the wrong adaptor):

- Inverter
- 2x Hard Drive (yes, two!)
- and now a motherboard
- also

I guess the wrong ac-adaptor made more damaged that initial thought, only hope that didint damaged the processor

 

time to sell for scrap

 

If you use the wrong power supply, you are not only causing impedance mismatch, but the power supply you were using was 1 volt higher than the powercircuit your motherboard was designed to run. I suspect that the voltage regulators could not take this extra voltage, and when one fails, the circuit fails. That explains why your battery no longer charges, and now why your system is not booting.
You will need a new motherboard for your system.

Flipfire, do not recommend wiggling the power input cable. That is bad practice. If the solder joints were weak to begin with, wiggling will only make the situation worse

K-TRON

 

bump in this topic

After looking the HP XE4100 manual, it says that the COMPAQ charger that i was using have the same specification of the correct HP xe4100 charger!!

Omnibook XE4100:
Universal AC adapter: 100–240 Vac (50/60 Hz) input, 19 Vdc output, 60 W (3.16 A)

Compaq
19V - 3.16A - 60W

So the problem was always the motherboard..not the charger..!

 

as many people here tried to tell you.........

 

I know, and i appreciate.. but i didint want to believe that a laptop with so few use had so many problems (inverter, hard drive, motherboard)..using the wrong ac adaptor was a good excuse, but it seems that this laptop was the "black sheep" of the family

I purchased a used board+processor for 35$, hopefully will work for some months before i buy a new laptop. I almost bought a XE4500 motherboard (32mb ATI)+ P4 M 1.7Ghz for the same price, everything was compatible with the XE4100 except the RAM (XE4100=PC133 , XE4500=PC266) and the AC-Charger...i dont think is worth to spend anymore than 30$ on this absolete laptop.

offtopic.. does a celeron 1.2 + S3 Twister 32mb..can ran smooth youtube videos (SD ones, not in fullscreen)? i cant remember for sure if this laptop can do that....

 

Just an update..

I replaced the motherboard + CPU..and the laptop is 99%, but i still have some issues:

-Left arrow is stuck..i have to use Sharpkeys to disable the key.
This is a problem of the keyboard?


-After bios post, the laptop beeps a lot (continuous beep)..but then XP or 7lite starts ok. But if i choose manually the Boot to Harddrive the laptop doesnt beep.
Since i replace the motherboard+CPU, the problem should be in the HD, or the DVD, floppy drive? or is the Left arrow key stuck doing this? or is another faulty motherboard (i had this two issues with the other motherboard) lol

Any explication, i´ll appreciate

 

1. Yes, that is a keyboard problem.

2. The beeping is because of the stuck key.

 

Thanks for the reply..

That´s what i thought, two motherboards with the same symptons was too coincidence to be true.

Everything is working great..still is a good laptop for internet/office/movies, dont need a i5 for that

 

The only thing i found where not using the correct voltage, under, is that the battery takes far longer to charge if at all. One of our HP work laptops ran for 6 months using a 15vdc supply waiting for replacement. Thinks about it. 19vdc out of adapter..now look at the voltage rating on your battery. God help us if the designers leave only 1 volt tolerance in portable power supplies

We work at a remote site. Our favorite LCD cleaner is paper towels with windex! If we don't run out. Screen dead, no problem, plug in a spare monitor. Needles to say, my laptop stays in the quarters