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65W charger with 90W laptop...
Until recently I've been using the same 90W charger that my laptop came with two years ago. It had been repaired on one occasion but recently stopped working once more; my dad fixed it the first time as I have no experience with that myself, and as I am no longer living at home I had to get him to send up my mum's spare charger. Unfortunately, this charger is only 65W, obviously less than the 90W recommendation.
I wasn't expecting any major issues to stem from this, but since plugging it in my laptop has said the charger is "plugged in, not charging". The battery charge remains on 5%. I didn't have any such issues with my original charger or the 90W one I borrowed off a flatmate while waiting for the spare to arrive, so I imagine this is due to the current charger being 65W. What I'm hoping to find out is whether this is something that can be changed (perhaps there's a setting defaulted to not charging the laptop due to the power capabilities) or whether I'm stuck with not being able to charge it fully until I buy a 90W replacement.
Hopefully, the charger would charge the laptop while it isn't running, but part of me assumes this won't be the case. Obviously for general use this isn't an issue as I'd keep it plugged into the charger. It's when I'm taking the laptop to lectures and seminars that it would become an issue, as I wouldn't have it plugged in at these times and if it won't charge fully, I won't be able to use it like that.
I'm hoping there's a workaround, but I'm prepared for the worst. Either way, any help is appreciated.
Short version: 65W charger won't charge a 90W laptop, is this a fixable issue or am I stuck until I buy a 90W replacement?
ejn63
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March 7th, 2013 11:00
If the system BIOS (F2 at powerup) does recognize the adapter as 65W, then the problem isn't with the adapter - either the battery is bad, or the charging circuit on the mainboard is faulty.
A 65W adapter WILL charge the battery -- albeit more slowly -- than a 90W adapter -- unless something is wrong elsewhere.
PurpleDaemon
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March 7th, 2013 11:00
The model is an XPS L501X.
I get the first message, so it certainly detects the charger fine, and the laptop will run off the mains power, but it just doesn't charge. The battery stays idle at 5% available power. If I unplug the charger then I immediately get the "plug into a power source" warning.
I have no issue with it charging the laptop slower than a 90W charger would, but right now it doesn't seem to be charging it at all which is a bit of a pain.
ejn63
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March 7th, 2013 11:00
If you see the message that states "you have attached a 65W adapter where you need a 90W" - that's one thing. It means the system DOES properly detect the adapter (but you will find the underpowered adapter won't charge the battery as fast and may not run the system at full speed).
if you're seeing the adapter as "unknown", that's different - and means that your system needs an internal repair - either a new power jack (if that's possible short of a mainboard replacement; it is not on all models) or it needs a mainboard replacement.
What model system do you have?
jerryyang
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November 13th, 2013 23:00
There's more to this than 65W vs. 90W. If that had been the only difference, you would not be having a problem. In
selecting a charger unit, you need to make sure several items match up:
1. Is the charger unit supplying AC or DC to the laptop? MUST be same as specified for the original charger.
2. Type of battery in the laptop. Many chargers are designed for a particular battery type and supply exactly the right
voltage and charging rate (current) for that. Some even are "programmed" to alter the charging rate depending on the state
of the laptop power charger. All have a limit on the battery's maximum voltage to avoid over-charging. All of these are
important, and that's why using the wrong charger can cause trouble.
3. Polarity of the connector - MUST be the same as original.
4. Voltage MUST be the same.
5. Wattage MUST be at least as much as the original charger, can be higher without problems.
6. Max amps must be at least as much as the original, can be higher.
7. Connector on the end of the charger cord - must be the same size pins and spacing so that it fits the connector in your
laptop without damaging it.