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halcob

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halcob

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January 29th, 2007 16:00

Blinking LED on AC Adapter

The power adapter recently started acting up on my Inspirion 1100.  I purchased a new (generic) adapter off of Ebay... it worked for about a month.  Now when I have the adapter plugged into the wall (and disconnected from the computer) the LED blinks regularly--- on one second, off one second.  Does this blinking signify something specific?  Did I buy a bad adapter or does this seem like a different problem?
  • J

    JoiseyBill

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    Posted January 29th, 2007 16:00

    Hold on...
     
    If you mean the LED on the computer - or the LED on the brick?
     
    The LED on the computer will slowly blink when the system is in hibernate or standby mode.
    (one of those)
     
    If you can get or borrow a cheap voltmeter, you should be able to test that the voltage coming from the brick is correct. (20V / 3.5 - 4.5 A)     The local Radio Shack or local computer repair shop may even test that for you free.
     
    When you say ".. when the cord is connected the computer doesn't receive power"..
    please clarify:
     - do you have a good battery in there, and does the machine work with battery alone?
     - does the battery stay charged as long as things are plugged in; even if you can't make the machine work?   [ another indication that this may be a hibernation problem ]
     
    To help diagnosis, take any power source away.  Unplug AC adapter, remove battery, and hold power button for 30 or more seconds (to drain stray charge).
    Then only plug in your AC adapter and try to start up.
        [If that works, you may have a dead cell in your battery]
    If a normal one-second press on the power button doesn't help, try a good 15-20 second press and hold while plugged in.    Try another short (1 sec) press to turn on.
    If your problem is a bad battery, or a hibernation issue - this should help.
     
    good luck!
     
    If all else fails, yes I'd buy Dell adapters. 
    I see a Dell PA-9 adapter which should work on eBay for $10.
    Dell is selling them new and with a warrantee (perhaps a free return, too?) for about $60.
    I also frequent swap meets / flea markets for parts like this.  The $10 price for a used Dell adapter is pretty reasonable.
  • J

    JoiseyBill

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    Posted January 29th, 2007 16:00

    Since this is a "generic" adapter, I have no idea what the system engineers designed into the system.
     
    I will venture a guess - if there is a slow [ you said one second on / one second off - that is slow] blink, and the LED is green during this oscillation, then I think things are okay.  
    Of course, nothing beats a model number or a support handbook.
     
     
  • J

    JoiseyBill

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    Posted January 29th, 2007 20:00

    No, sorry.
     
    It sounds like you got a bad adapter.   At least it was an adapter that went bad rather quickly.
    I went back and re-read your post where you sad this happens when you have the brick connected to the wall only... sorry about the speculations into other things.
     
    If you don't want to spend a lot; check if someone local is discarding or selling an older / maybe non-working computer that you can get a good adapter from.   Colleges/ Universities are a start, also Craigslist or of course, eBay.    If I use these aftermarket sources, I usually drive to the place and pick it up.
     
  • H

    halcob

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    Posted January 29th, 2007 16:00

    Thanks for your thoughts...I agree a manual would be nice.   The blink seems to signify some problem, because when the cord is connected, the computer does not receive power.  (When it was working, the LED was constant).  I believe the problem is with the power adapater and not with the connection to the computer itself --- my original adaptor obviously had a connectivity problem on the brick. 
     
    Would you suggest buying an actual Dell replacement adapter... or is there something else I should test out first to make sure that is really the problem?
  • H

    halcob

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    Posted January 29th, 2007 17:00

    JoiseyBill wrote:
    Hold on...If you mean the LED on the computer - or the LED on the brick?
     
    When you say ".. when the cord is connected the computer doesn't receive power"..
    please clarify:
     - do you have a good battery in there, and does the machine work with battery alone?
     - does the battery stay charged as long as things are plugged in; even if you can't make the machine work?   [ another indication that this may be a hibernation problem ]
    The LED I have been talking about is on the brick.
    The battery I have is weak but consistent --- it holds a charge for about 40 minutes.  When it is charged, it will work fine on the battery alone...
    Right now, I have used up the charge on the battery ---
    the battery does not charge, and the computer does not receive AC power with the cord plugged in.
     
    I'm not near my computer right now, but will try removing the battery to see if that has an impact. 
     
    Otherwise, it seems like I'm back to buying a new adapter and will pick up a Dell one...
     
    Any other thoughts?
  • M

    madis25

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    Posted March 28th, 2007 13:00

    I have the same with d266 and original adapter DP-2
    I tested motherboard parts separately - If there is only chipset and processor part (DP/N 0000282C...) then it's ok, but if i'll add video and PCMCA part (DP/N 00055718...) it starts blinking again. Both boards are without any visible burnoffs...
    I there some shematic diagram somewhere just to replace this broken switch or transistor?

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