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BoulderDandG

4 Posts

107522

October 4th, 2006 15:00

MORE POWER AC ADAPTER BEEPING

I know everyone is asking the same questions, but no one is getting answers. Does anyone find this weird?
 
I (among may others) am on my THIRD POWER CORD. I am no longer under warranty and have no patience for the dell support hotline members who, although eager to help, make me (good with computers) feel inferior.
 
MY PROBLEM: The brick part of my power cord is beeping. No light. Just beeping, and if I move it around a little, even no beeping. Never-the-less: not charging the battery.
 
I'm not paying for yet another power cord. Can someone PLEASE help me?

stimpo

7 Posts

October 4th, 2006 16:00

beeping?... never hear of that before. Tell me does the transformer box in the middle of the cord ever smell like O-zone? (that smell after a thunderstorm)

Red Dragon

221 Posts

October 4th, 2006 19:00

Shouldn't be beeping, but if more than one AC adpater does that then it is probably the motherboard.

PitterDad

1 Message

November 27th, 2006 12:00

Boulder, I can vouch for your sanity.  I was doing a search because I'm having the same issue.  I've got a Latitude D600, and I think the power adapter (NDP-90KB) is about to die.  Sometimes the light doesn't come on, and the Systray indicator shows the laptop is running on batteries at that point.  This morning I picked up the adapter to unplug it/plug it in, because that's solved the problem in the past.  When I was holding it before I unplugged it, I noticed a faint beeping emanating from it.  No ozone odor, no smoke, just beeping.
 
I don't have an answer for you, because I'm looking for the same answer.  I just wanted to show that this isn't a unique occurrence.

Message Edited by PitterDad on 11-27-200608:35 AM

Cuckoo

1 Message

August 24th, 2007 19:00

Okay, here's the issue as I have experienced it.
 
1. The brick part of the power arepter DOES BEEP. It makes noise whether people believe it or not, and I visited a dell kiosk at the Bayshore centre (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) to find out if a dell employee can get me in contact with a dell technician so I could fix the problem or at least document the case with educated people. When it's connected to the computer AND when it's not connected to the computer, it starts beeping as soon as it is plugged into the outlet.
 
2. The source of beeping can produce sounds of different frequencies (pitch), and changes the pitch as it is rotated about it's centre. More than that, if rotated into the right position, the green LED lights up and the tip starts feeding power to the computer. The right position is not constant (changes over time), and may not exist. This gives me two ideas on the origin of the sound:
a) it is a diagnostics utility which starts making moise if two conditions are satisfied. Condition 1 - it is fed power from the outlet. Condition 2 - there is something in the brick of the power adapter which is not working as intended by design.
b) it is a part of the power conversion circuit which is not acting as intended by design and beeps (when power is fed to it from the outlet) as result of its malfunction.
In both cases I can't help to think that whatever is malfunctioning (and something certainly IS), it is subject to gravity, it is not fixed firmly and thus moves inside the brick, and its position affects the productivity of the power supply (which I defined for myself as a variable with two possible values: WORKS and DOESN'T WORK).
 
My personal situation is such: I was able to work with my computer fo two weeks when the power adapter was beeping as I rotated it around (guided by the pitch, the shriller the sound, the closer to right position) until it started up and I was able to work again. However a couple weeks ago I just couldn't do it and am unable ever since. This is my second Dell power adapter.
 
I also used a universal kensington power adapter between my first and second Dell power adapters. This kensington power adapter uses tips to complete its circuits and feed the right kind of power into the right kind of computer. So far two N19 tips stopped working. From what I know, power adapters are rather durable, and can work for years. However with my computer it seems never the case (and I bought my Inspiron 9400 in february of year 2006). I can't help thinking that somehow the quality of wall power outlets might be the case and the adapters can not last in some countries (like Canada, with it's wierd electricity network, which is very much different from European brethren). It also might just be the case of bad soldering.
 
At this point I seek information for my further investigation of the problem. Particularly I would like to know how the adapter is opened, so I could delve into its depths and at least see what is making the noise, what is fixed firmly, and what can move, what should move by design, and what shouldn't.


Message Edited by Cuckoo on 08-24-2007 03:59 PM

beffx

1 Message

April 22nd, 2008 20:00

Mine just started doing it today. I had already had trouble with the power, I had to adjust the computer and the brick so that my laptop would keep charging. My laptop is 5-6 years old, and it hasn't ever given me problems until this year when it started these power problems. I would really like to know if I need a new cord, or if I have to send it for matinence!

 

DC Wales

1 Message

January 21st, 2015 06:00

After searching on line it seems the beeping indicates a short in the low voltage cord caused by mechanical damage. My cord had been damaged by vacuum cleaning nearby and so I cut out the damaged part and soldered the two ends together, carefully insulating the live connection from the outer shielding.  Voila it worked and is now powering the laptop. It seems the beeping is a sort of diagnostic but not very helpful if you don't know what it's trying to tell you.

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