I have noticed the exact same problem - my 8500 is also about the same age and its power supply has started to beep (simultaneously ceasing to work) recently. In fact I bought a second power supply (before this problem started) and both have had the issue, each at several different outlets in our home, different circumstances, etc. Very frustrating! No suggestions, but hoping that someone at Dell can help. Yours is the only post I can find on this issue......
Fortunately, my problem only lasted a day and all the sudden the power supply instantly started to work again. Just incase it may die soon I went and bought another one on Ebay and guess what it did the first time I plugged it in?? Yup, it started to chirp for about a minute and then worked. It was only plugged into the outlet and not my laptop so I know the problem has nothing to do with my laptop.
i have an 8500 that i've been useing as a movie player. i haven't used it in about 2 months. i go to use it today, and find that the power supply is beeping, and the green light is not on. it dosent matter if it is plugged in to the laptop or not. luckily the battery is still charged.
i bought this adapter back in 12/04, to replace another bad power supply.
am i just resigned to buying a new one, or can i get it replaced for free?
I contacted Dell to ask about this last week. The tech support gal was not very helpful, and basically told me if the green light was out, the unit was bad and would have to be replaced. The one that came with our machine was out of warranty; the one that is only 6 months old is not. Both had the same problem. She couldn't identify what would have happened, but thought perhaps a power surge. In any case, she said, both are bad; if the light is on, they're dead. Since they are expensive, I waited to replace it. A day later, one started working again, light came back on. So obviously they are not dead! I wish Dell would look at this more closely and discover what the problem really is. The beep is obviously put there for a reason; it would seem easy for a help board or web site to explain what it is there indicating and what to do.
It appears to be a design flaw in the cord: After experiencing the same problem with mine, and getting little help from Dell support, I bought a new one, and took the old one apart. What I found was a crack in the wire where the cord met the plug that is inserted into the laptop. This allows the wire to shift and short out depending on how the plug is twisted or moved. Once it shorts the screen can go dark, or the AC adapter will start beeping.
The beeping is actually the unit telling you that there is a short and that it is shutting down to keep from frying the AC adapter, which is actually a helpful design feature.
ah, even better. i will jst cut the plug off and put on a new one. iirc, its a 5mm positive tip... but i will check later. might even go gold plated... :smileywink:
It was not the adapter, it was the end of the cord, just before the plug into the laptop. I used a small craft knife to carefully cut and peel back the insulation. All in all a very simple thing to do, but soldering it back together will be trickier. Just make certain that you use a multimeter to make certain that you have reconnected it properly and not shorted it out further.
Note: I fully expect that doing this would void the warranty. Of course if you were under warranty you would probably not be considering doing it. :)
dmk4118
2 Posts
0
March 14th, 2006 01:00
kbeeveer46
9 Posts
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March 14th, 2006 11:00
schweet_nectur
6 Posts
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March 19th, 2006 21:00
kbeeveer46
9 Posts
0
March 20th, 2006 01:00
schweet_nectur
6 Posts
0
March 20th, 2006 03:00
kbeeveer46
9 Posts
0
March 20th, 2006 03:00
dmk4118
2 Posts
0
March 20th, 2006 12:00
I contacted Dell to ask about this last week. The tech support gal was not very helpful, and basically told me if the green light was out, the unit was bad and would have to be replaced. The one that came with our machine was out of warranty; the one that is only 6 months old is not. Both had the same problem. She couldn't identify what would have happened, but thought perhaps a power surge. In any case, she said, both are bad; if the light is on, they're dead. Since they are expensive, I waited to replace it. A day later, one started working again, light came back on. So obviously they are not dead! I wish Dell would look at this more closely and discover what the problem really is. The beep is obviously put there for a reason; it would seem easy for a help board or web site to explain what it is there indicating and what to do.
kbeeveer46
9 Posts
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March 20th, 2006 22:00
schweet_nectur
6 Posts
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March 20th, 2006 22:00
johntdilloniii
2 Posts
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April 17th, 2006 21:00
The beeping is actually the unit telling you that there is a short and that it is shutting down to keep from frying the AC adapter, which is actually a helpful design feature.
schweet_nectur
6 Posts
0
April 18th, 2006 02:00
john,
how easy was is to open the adapter...? i might try a repair before i fork out more money.
thanks.
Will
schweet_nectur
6 Posts
0
April 18th, 2006 03:00
johntdilloniii
2 Posts
0
April 18th, 2006 03:00
Note: I fully expect that doing this would void the warranty. Of course if you were under warranty you would probably not be considering doing it. :)