Dell D-series Power supplys

Systems with Intel integrated video will work with 65W adapters.  Those with ATI and nVidia video (and the docking stations) need 90W adapters.

If multiple adapters fail to charge the battery, the fault is with the battery or the mainboard -- not the adapters.

Third-party adapters generally lack the circuitry needed to complete the charge loop for the battery.

Ya know I don't care if the battery charges at all. I just don't like all the messages that you get with the Dell if the PS is not Dell branded.

There is a place in the bios called Post that you can tell the computer not to warn you of the power adapter. I set it to "don't alert me" So this helps with when it boots up. It does this if you don't have the right charger or the Dell charger.

Then the Quickset program has it's own warning. So if it's not Dell branded then it will say that the battery is not charging. If I have a non-branded charger and am getting these messages then I uninstall Quickset.

The other day though I had a battery that was charged to 25% and I stuck in my charger and checked it in two hours and it still said 25%. This is a good battery too. But the non-branded charger kept the laptop running, it just wouldn't charge the battery.

I don't understand if it powers up the laptop but skips the battery. How could it skip the battery for charging?

I will never get one of those non-branded chargers again. My batteries are good. The computer works fine so I don't see any mainboard problem. We use them everyday and they work great.

There are two different kinds of Non-Dell branded chargers. One is skinnier than the other. They both say Replacement AC Adapter with the Dell-sized plug on it.

Thanks:emotion-15:

Now do you know this from experience or are you making an assumption? Is there any info online that I can read about this?:emotion-8:

Why would anyone create and/or sell a power adaptor that does not do its complete job. Isn't this a waste of Earth resources and peoples' time?:emotion-12:

I'm making no assumptions.  As with many notebooks, the power supply is proprietary - it's the same situation you'll find with Apple, Sony, and a host of others. ONLY the OEM power supply will work properly.

Yes I hate to say this but you should only use a Dell charger in this case.  It converts AC to DC for the computer to run but it is not true DC only AC with the cycles smooth out by a transform and circuitry.  Third party ones usually don't do a good enough job.  The third party ones can damage your computer and your batteries and is the reason the bios is warning you. Also their use could void your warranty for whatever good that is.

I just did an experiment with an non-Dell charger. My battery was at 52% and I stuck this Replacement AC Adapter that had a plug perfect for my Dell D620 and the battery went down to 7%. In the battery properties it said nothing about charging.

I then stuck in my Dell charger and it is now saying Charging and it two minutes it is now up to 13%.

So that solves another Dell laptop issue.

The Dell PA-10 and PA-12 power supplies have an extra connection (the center post in the plug) that provides information to the notebook about the charger, including the information that the charger is indeed a Dell charger.  The inner sleeve and the outer sleeve of the plug provide the positive voltage and the ground for the charging system.  The notebook's BIOS decides whether or not to allow the battery to charge based on the information it receives from the charger through the center post.  Third party chargers evidently do not provide this information to the center post, so most of the time the notebook will run but the battery won't charge.  This proprietary Dell design means that when a Dell charger in this series dies, it will probably have to be replaced with another Dell charger.  However, if a used Dell charger has ever been shorted through to that center pin, the information that would have been sent through the charger pin could be erased.  Then, when that apparently intact OEM Dell charger is plugged into a notebook, it will be treated exactly like a third party charger, so it may or may not allow the battery to charge.  The center pin's information could be erased if a dog were to chew the charger cord, or a screwdriver is placed inside the charger tip, or a probe tip is inserted to measure voltages, etc., all while the charger is plugged in.  So there is a real possibility that a used charger, even one from Dell, would not be recognized by the notebook and therefore might not charge the battery if that center post has been bent and touched the side wall at some point in time, or the wire was perforated somehow, or in other words, a host of possible odd situations.  That would include a situation where the ID information might be lost without a definable cause, resulting in a Dell charger that won't be recognized any more.  I don't know of another vendor that has a charging system with an identification handshake like this, but I suppose it's possible.

Now do you know this from true facts that you are getting from Dell? Or are you guessing this information? Or you know this from past experiences? I want to be sure that this info is correct. I don't like being wrong about these things because I buy so many adapters that do not charge the batterys and I am wasting time and money if I need a certain charger. I have been buying these Rocketfish universals model number RF-BPRAC3 and they do charge the battery. I've tested this process.

So let me know so I am sure about these chargers and other brand name chargers.

Try a google search for "dell pa-10 ac adapter center pin" and read for yourself, then draw your own conclusions about the true facts.  It is certainly appropriate for you to be suspicious about what you read on the Internet, but you must be prepared to follow through with your own investigation process.  When you ask someone whether or not information they posted is correct, that can easily be misunderstood as at least rude and inappropriate, if not insulting.  If a poster wanted to mislead you with malicious intent, then they would of course tell you that they have the true facts from Dell, or that they knew this from past experience.  If a poster was simply ignorant, then they might admit they were guessing this knowledge, but it's not too likely that they would admit they were guessing.  The only way you will be sure about these chargers is when you have acquired enough knowledge to convince yourself, through whatever methods that might require.  And don't just go by what you read in Internet forums, that is the easy way out and mistakes can and will happen.

I don't work on Faith alone. I have been doing Internet forums and online help since Windows 3.1 was out and I can't tell you how many times what was written did not work. I always triple check everything before I make a move. Like I said I have a Rocketfish adapter that makes the battery charge. Not related to Dell at all.

If I want to know something I don't mind asking where they got the information. I speak my mind, I am not one of these "Oh Well" kind of guys that lie to people just to not hurt their feelings. I like to be sure about things before I screw them up which has happened before.

If it works - wonderful.  The truth is though, that the vast majority of third-party adapters will power the system but will not charge the battery in Dell systems.  Same goes for most third-party adapters for Apple, Sony and Toshiba - and others.

Yes I have some that I got on Ebay for Dells and they look just like the Dell dogbone charger, same shape and they will power up the laptop but the laptop complains and the battery does not charge. So they are only good for laptops with dead batterys and the person will not buy a battery.

Some HP chargers have the same tips as Dells now. At least the D-Series.