How much of an idiot am I?

Okay, still one of the newbies, but I'm going to bite the bullet, and be honest.

Power cord for my -28 stopped working. Got impatient, and needed some data off of it.

So I took the head from my -28 cord, snipped it off. Then I took the head from my old Dell (P.O.S.) cord, and snipped that off. I put the -28 head, on the Dell cord, and plugged it in.

Dell cord was 19v. -28 was 16. (or 15.5-.6, whatever it should be)

Lasted about 10 minutes, then the laptop went out. No shutdown, no warning for dead battery, just dead. Hit the power switch, and I don't even get a red battery light.

Based on the above, I conclude I fried my -28. While that pisses me off tremendously , I was wondering if any of you guys think this might be salavagable?

And if I did fry the mobo, can it be replaced, if I can find one cheap enough?

What do you guys think


Bryce

 

Y i k E s . . .

Hope you had warranty.. and I hope it is "just" a mobo that needs a replacement.........

 

your laptop is toast

 

That's the thing, I don't know for sure what I fried. a couple of my buddies are telling me I probably fried the power supply, or even the mobo itself.

I'm lost.

 

Came across your thread by accident and couldn't help posting a thought.

Have you tried removing the battery, plugging in the correct power supply, and trying to see if it'll boot? If you're really, really lucky, the control mechanisms in the battery and power line-in may have burned out in order to prevent damage to the computer itself. If those control mechanisms were built into the battery alone, then it should be possible to test things by removing the battery and attempting to power up with the correct power supply.

If that doesn't get results, then you might try opening the system up (but only if, when you're calm, you'd agree that you have the technical skill needed to do so ) and inspecting the innards physically to see if you can see any signs of burning, starting with the point at which the power cord plugs into the computer. If there is burning, but it is limited to just the point at which the power line enters the computer (i.e., where the power jack plugs in), then you might still have a chance at saving the system, although you would have to send it in for service to replace the burned components.

Otherwise, you are, as they say, SOL. Sorry, mate.

 

Ogreman,
Welcome to the Toughbook forum. Disregard advice from non TB types, they don't understand these machines. Do a google search for fuses on this forum, we have heard about this before, and there are fuses on the motherboard. After you have read the thread on plugging a 20v power supply into a Toughbook come back with any questions. The forum search engine is junk, use google.
CAP

 

I'm going to make an attempt to do that. Have access to the proper cord for short term use at work. Just have to remember to grab the comp. and bring it with me.

I'm hoping that that's all it is. That I just fried the connection or something along those lines. But that's only if I'm lucky.

 

Thanks Capt.,

I did look around for a previous thread on this. I guess I just didn't find it.

Appreciate the advice.

Bryce

 

We must have been typing at the same time. I still have some DC-DC supplies if you need one. Hopefully its not too late.
CAP

 

By all means. Let me know what I need to do.

If I can get my other half to sign off on it, or hide the money in cash and have my buddy use his paypal , I might be able to even go through with it.

Bryce

 

Don't you just love the advice from others that don't even know what a toughbook is??
Ok,,,, first things first, even if the old 28 is dead you can still get what you need off of the hard drive by connecting it to a USB adapter and running it from another computer.
Now back to the 28,,,
Parts are cheap,, if you are handy enough to do the work yourself then the repairs are cheap.
Start by reading the sticky CF- 28 FAQ, and yes read it all, It is very helpful.
From that,,, there are links as to where to get a service manual, and then buy the parts as needed to repair the old 28.
Yes it is worth it,,, the 28 is a great computer and is worth fixing.
After reading come back and ask intelligent questions and someone will help you get through this ......

Bob

Oh?! and welcome to the group of us crazy toughbook people.

 

Yep, read the FAQ (all of it sir! ). And I thought the only dumb question was the one not asked?

Found the thread Capt. referred me to. Found the fuse index. I know for sure, I will probably mess it up. But since I can't afford to send it off or pay a pro to do it, I guess I'm up for a learning experience.

Nice to meet ya.

Bryce

 

Well, don't waste your time trying to remove the old fuse. If you have access to, and know how to use a multimeter, identify the blown fuse. Then do an internet search for that type of fuse, you won't find the exact one, but if you match the specs you will be fine. Then, once received, just solder the new fuse on top of the blown one, piggy-back style. If you can, take pictures before and after and be sure to let us know if you need more help.

 

I'm surprised a rugged computer, especially a TB, would have such a narrow tolerance range for input voltage. Check your power supply/solder job, as I know I've melted a barrel connector once (my Macbook Pro power supply is modded with an inline barrel connector for Thinkpad and Kensington DC power supply.) Thought my solder job was good, but I guess there wasn't enough wire contact and a lot of heat built up on the connector and melted it.

 

1. Yes.. Non-Toughbook types DO NOT understand that these are robust machines... They are not Dells.
2. Could be an under-rated power supply used and the supply burned out...
3. Could be a bad connection where spliced
4. Could be a bad battery - remove and try with known good AC adapter
5. Could be fuse on mobo. Test for continuity. They are usually small white rectangular boxes. No need to hunt down the correct SMD fuse for replacement... Buss fuses work great provided they are small enough and are the correct voltage/amperage. Just solder legs on them and encase them in heat shrink.

Canuck... From what I have heard these will take a varied range and still work. I too think it was the connections on the splice that is either the problem or caused the problem. Things like that must be soldered to work efficiently. An improper splice can create tremendous resistance... It's like trying to start your car with a loose battery terminal.

 

Update:

Got it apart without major damage. Points for me. There's a reason my username and nickname are Ogre. If I can't finesse, I usually resort to brute force.

Using the Fuse PDF I found on another link in this forum, I located all 4 locations that were marked on the top of the MOBO. However, I only found 3. Is it possible that F2 is mounted on the bottom, but shown on the top? I just want to make sure the fuse is not somewhere else, before I try to replace it. I did find solder marks on the F2 (top) location, but there is absolutely no evidence of a fuse. When these blow, do they normally disappear? And if that's the case, I can't tell you how happy that makes me. Even though I know there might be some other damage that can't be seen/detected yet.

The other thing, I removed what I believe to be the modem card that was in it. There are some fuses on there, and I'm going to try to track down some specifics on them. I don't need it, so I figured I might be able to salvage one from it. Sound like a plan ? thoughts, comments, opinions?

Oh, and all the other fuses (3,4,5) all tested fine on continuity. I did this myself, but the father-in-law (electrical engineer) made sure I didn't blow anything else up.

Bryce

 

Where did you find the fuse pdf?... I'd like to put it into the CF-28FAQ

 

The fuse that you are going to track down is the one near the dc jack which is bigger than those of the F4 or F5. I don't recall the marking, I think it is F2 if I am not mistaken. Correct me if i am wrong coz I've lost my schematic.


ohlip

 

Toughbook:
Lemme search around for it again. I can't remember the post off the top of my head. I'll find it and let you know.

Ohlip:

According to the schematic I had, F5 was the DC jack fuse, or the one located next to it anyways.

What I was trying to verify, was that all the locations did indeed have a fuse on them. That there weren't any open fuse spots, because if there aren't, I believe I may have found my problem.

 

These Dell guys make me wanna pinch thier heads off! I can't for the lif of me think that we would go over in there world and write this crap.

now, back to the topic.......If I am not mistaken, isnt the Mobo board and the sister board seperate? I believe I read something from Panny that they did this for the reason if your power plug, power supply became defective you did not have to replace the entire Mobo board? It may have been on the 30 I read that, not sure about the 28's or 29's. I wonder if Dell's have that? Oh, never mind. I have plenty of friends that have thrown away thier Hp's and Dells because of this reason.

 

Well, I know on my 29 it is all one board. So maybe what you are referring to is the 30.

 

Paul... He's referring to the CF-28....

 

Ya, Boss, I knew that. I was replying to this comment for clarification on the 29's.

 

Ahhh... Gotcha... I missed that one..

 

Just wanted to ask since power adapters are being discussed...I have noticed that the generic adapters I see on eBay state that the output is 16 VDC and the CF-28 is for 15.6 VDC...would there be any problems with the supply being a little over on the voltage output? Thanks in advance!

 

Not that small amount... You're safe. I always prefer a true Panasonic AC adapter but I run my CF-30 from a Lind adapter when I am on the road with no issues whatsoever.

 

I’m with toughbook on buying a Panasonic power adapter
They are almost as durable as the Toughbooks

16volts will cause no problems though
The dc/dc Lind adapters that I use are rated at 15volts and 16volts and have worked well


Alex

 

Mmmmhmmmm...

I fear that since it didn't die right away, you prolly have something more than a blown fuse to worry about, unless it was excessive loading from the battery being driven at too high a voltage. This can sometimes take a while as batteries, especially older ones, tend to charge on a "bell curve"; drawing less current at start, then more, then less again as they reach full charge.

Unfortunately when it's something that just a fuse can fix, it usually happens instantly. My guess is something died by "slow cooking", if you get my meaning.

Did you let the "magic smoke" out? Was there a smell of something getting hot?

As for the question of Voltage ratings - where laptop AC adapters are concerned, a good rule of thumb is if you can get one that is rated within 1/2 a volt and/or 1/2 an amp capacity of the original, you are good. Remember that laptops adapters are voltage regulated, so you can actually use a laptop adapter that is rated for a much higher current capacity than your original, but NOT higher voltage. I routinely use a Compaq AC adapter on my HP laptop that is rated 7A vs the 3.15A of my original; the only difference is it's about 2x as big, and it NEVER even gets warm.

Some machines are more picky than others; I've seen a machine rated for 19V run quite happily on a 24V adapter accidentally swapped from a printer; (and that one was obviously like that for several months by the dust on the desk) on the other hand I've seen machines shut down over just a couple volts too high or too low. 4 volts difference is a lot; you could have conceivably had a fire if some critical capacitor decided to be unfriendly-like & explode.

mnem <~~~Fire-Dwagon~*

 

A couple of months ago when I was educating myself on the several different types of adapters from Lind I had some questions that the cust support man could not answer. I was transferred to the R&D Manager to answer my specific questions. After he was finished answering my questions we were shootin the breeze. He told me they do extensive, very intensive testing on the Toughbook lines. They have seen the TB, specifically the 30, since that was we were talking about, take 20 volts and much higher amerage than normal and has not seen one malfunction yet.

I accidently cut my original Panny cord about 1 foot from the end with the slide on the Gamber dock, stupid moment, I was going to try and repair it since I can't leave anything alone that's broken without trying to fix it. Decided a adapter was not worth my 5K 30.

I believe you must have had the perfect storm when you plugged it in. I hope for the best with you!

 

Toyo... Two words.... Solder - Heatshrink

You can't go wrong unless you maybe transpose the wires! That's easy enough to spot and/or test.

 

Thanks for the info...just purchased a Panasonic Toughbook adapter on eBay so I should be GTG. I'll let you all know how the assembly goes.