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Inspiron 1525 AC Adpater stopped working - motherboard has to be replaced??
I have an Inspiron 1525 - I've had it 10 months with no issues. Tuesday my ac adapter stopped working - went to turn it on, realized I was running on battery power and found the ac adapter to be not working. Tried several outlets, nothing. I called tech support and they told me I would have to send my entire laptop back so that the motherboard and ac adapter can be replaced. I asked why and I couldn't get a straight answer. So my question is - can a motherboard cause an ac adpater to stop working (short it out maybe??) and if not why would they want to replace my motherboard. I don't understand why they can't just send me another ac adapter.
Thanks for any insight....
kirkd
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February 5th, 2009 18:00
The adapter is definitely bad! Do try to borrow one to test, and then insist they send you a new one. DO NOT SEND IN THE UNIT. It might come back in worse shape than it is now. If they won't listen to you, try to talk to a superior and/or escalate the claim. You may also want to try to get on-line to chat with a technicion. Sometimes, the phone guys just don't seem to be able to understand. If you decide to purchase one, don't buy from Dell. You can get one for less than half the Dell price from many third part suppliers. Just make sure you get a "Genuine Dell" charger. Some sell non Dell parts which may not work.
jenpower
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February 5th, 2009 18:00
The green light is not lit when plugged in which leads me to believe the adapter is bad. When you say I need to send the unit back to you mean the adapter or my laptop? Problem is I've asked support to just send me an adapter so I can try that before I send my whole laptop and they won't do it. They're insisting on replacing the motherboard. I'm going to see if I can borrow an adapter from work tomorrow and try that.
Thanks
jenpower
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February 5th, 2009 18:00
Thank you so much!! I appreciate the help!
kirkd
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February 5th, 2009 18:00
If the AC adapter is bad, only it needs to be replaced. Do not send it back yet.
If the green light on the adapter is not lit when plugged in, the adapter is bad.
If you have access to a voltmeter, measure the voltage between the outer and inner surfaces of the DC plug. Try not to touch the small wire inside the plug; this is the wire that signals the laptop what battery charger is being used. If no voltage, the adapter is bad.
If no voltage, see if you can try it in another similar Dell. Most current machines use the same adapters. If it doesn't work, it is bad. Then you need to send the unit back to have the charger board repalced. The system board may not need to be replaced, as the charger board is a small add-on. Many other units have the socked and charger circuity on the system board, which needs to be replaced.
Failure of the connections of the power socket to the power board or system board appears to be rather common. Results from stress on the power cord breaking the solder connections.
samshal
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March 2nd, 2009 12:00
It seems as if the problem is your adapter. I have that same problem, but my adapter has the green light so it's probably the motherboard. Problem is my warranty is expired. I've been reading up on this issue on this forum and I advice you to act fast before the warranty expires as they won't do anything about it and you'll actually have to pay them to talk to you!
sks919
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April 1st, 2009 18:00
I just went through this. Did the online chat - they decided it must be my adapter. They sent me a new one & it didn't do anything. My battery icon is almost empty - will not recharge when plugged in. My computer works when plugged into AC adapter so obviously that works - there is something else wrong that my battery won't charge. I'm upset that this is my second repair in the three months I've had it.
la3875
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March 7th, 2010 22:00
I know this thread has been idle for almost a year, but I wanted to add that the same issue has happened to me! Dell supplied a new adapter under warranty and the charging issue started. Tried another charger as we have more than one dell laptop and issue persisted. I went through the steps on the support site and finally had to engage someone via chat. At first he tried to suggest we needed a new battery. When I pressed that the forums suggest that is not the solution, he admited there is an unpublished hardware error that Dell is aparently aware of. As a result they will be replacing the motherboard and battery under warranty. Stay tuned...
UPDATE - Dell promptly sent a tech who replaced the mobo with a refurb unit. The kid was good as he completed the task in about 40 minutes! This appears to be the fix as we have had no issues since. Laptop warranty just paid for itself!