CF29 Power plug needs to be replaced

I have a CF29-ETKGZKM and the plug where the power goes in needs to be replaced I think... It doesn't hold the power cable in very good at all. I plug the cable into my computer and sometimes it won't even charge until I get it in just the right position. So my question is how do I get to it to replace it and where can I buy a replacement for it?

 

It's not a simple project. You will need to disassemble the laptop and completely remove the motherboard. Unsolder the old jack and solder the new one on. Fleabay sells them. I would suggest getting the service manual to help with the disassembling and re assembling.

 

Inspect it first. It may need only to reflow the solder.


ohlip

 

Are you sure that it is the socket on the computer? Have you checked the plug and wire on the charger?

 

Yeah its for sure the plug on the computer and not the cord. I have a few different power supply's and it's all the same.

I don't think I need to re-melt the solder, I think the actual thing needs to be replaced. It just doesn't "lock" the cord in anymore. It should still hold the cord in fine even if the solder came loose. Any idea what the actual name of this thing is so that I can look it up on Ebay?

 

I can't find any on Ebay right now, I am probably wording it wrong.

On some older laptops (HPieceofS***, and a trash COMPAQtor) I ended up pulling the motherboard and soldering the incoming wires directly to the motherboard pads. The HPieceofS*** still works to this day, but it is ugly as cuss.

It would however probably detract from the lovely industrialism of a good toughbook. And it would also reduce it's portability and water resistance. Although if you use it as a desktop or at a fixed location you are probably fine.

Be aware that pulling the motherboard to replace the socket can take some time, and there are plenty of opportunities to mess it up completely! That is if you can find a spare, power port, jack, socket, or whatever they call them now.

Or you could always buy another cheap broken toughbook to use as a "charging station" and swap the batteries as needed. From the specs, a good battery will last about 4+ hours, longer than it takes to charge on a powered off toughbook which is about 3.5 hours. If you use a media bay battery as a hot spare, and only run on it for a few minutes while you change the other battery, the system could theoretically stay on indefinitely. Every few hundred or so charges you will probably need a new battery, but it just might work...

Good luck!

 

Here is an external battery charger.
PANASONIC TOUGHBOOK BATTERY CHARGER CF-VCBTB1W NEW - eBay (item 160425303173 end time Aug-16-10 19:38:15 PDT).
The connector is called the power jack. I don't see one specifically listed for the CF 29 right now on Fleabay. If you do a search for a CF 28 jack you will see a similar item. It is not the correct part, but it gives you an idea what you are looking for. Otherwise, you could either order from Heartland or find a junk motherboard from a forum member and pull the jack from it.

 

The one listed above works with the CF-29 and CF-51 ; don't know about the units they say it fits, though.

BTW: the smaller plug charges the Media Bay battery.

 

I have a VCBTB1W and have used it to charge my CF 50 and CF 29 batteries. The smaller plug also charges the CF 28, CF 48, CF 50 battery.

 

Ohlip may be correct... You can get a better look at what you need to see without total disassembly. Remove the three screws that hold on the nylon port cover on that side... Then the two that hold on the plate below it. Then you should be able to pull back the silicone membrane the port cover snap into to reveal a better picture of the DC jack.... See if the center conductor is flopping aound... If it is... It needs to be replaced. But the basic design of the jack and port covers protects the center conductor from being broken as, if you have the correct OEM adapter, it locks into place.... So if someone trips over the cord it jerks the whole laptop instead of breaking the DC jack as it would on other laptops.

Keep us posted.

 

VCBTB1W

I was just wondering if a beast such as this existed, so thanks for the heads up! Are some of these units more valuable than others? After following the fleabay link above I looked to see what price others were asking. $150 to $200 seems a tad steep to me, unless there is something special about them that I'm not aware of.

 

Nope!

The retail price is quite high:

Panasonic CF-VCBTB1W Notebook Battery Charger

so some ebaY™ members think they can get inflated prices for theirs.

WRONG!!!

 

Keep checking and you will see them as low as $30. I have two of them. One given to me and the other I bought for (take a guess!) $29.99 NEW.

STOP I JUST CHECKED EBAY!!!

Actually a search on eBay came up with this. Do a search for CF-VCBTB1W. I found item #160425303173 for $9.99 and $5 for shipping. He has more than 10.

 

Sorry to hijack ert01's thread. This is actually the guy I ordered from. He's saying these take 15vDC input. So does that mean the standard laptop cord plugs into it? If not, then what does?

Thanks,
Keith

 

Yes, the standard Panasonic charger supplies the power. There are 2 power inputs for the different types of Panasonic power supplies and two outputs for the different types of batteries.

Glen

 

These are very handy. To add to db04p71's comments, the seller refers to an auto adapter. This is only one option you can use but not your only option. Your CF-29 power adapter will plug in very nicely.

 

I had a similar problem on a cf-28 i had gotten a while back. I was about to part it out then got the idea to just replace the plastic part (it was broken on the inside) instead of trying to solder. This is what i did here.



http://forum.notebookreview.com/panasonic/490575-cf-28-repair-ac-power-port-replacement-motherboard.html

 

I don't know how I missed that post. ADOR... GREAT write-up!