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I have a fairly common problem with charger. The wire on one end is getting pulled out. How can I fix this problem?
My hunch is that it should be possible to open up the charger, and put the wire deeper into the charger (or something like that).
I can't seem to find a way to open the charger.
Any ideas?
Here is a picture of the charger:
soandos
Posted 2012-07-13T00:29:16.930
Reputation: 22 744
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Practically and safety speaking, and although its a simple task in theory, its just not a good idea for such an inexpensive and critical part. I would agree with @KronoS on this.
I've tried something similar and found that most chargers are fused together (the two "plastic" parts) with either high temperature or glue. The only way to break the seam causes a very ugly edge that even if you are lucky to get a semi-clean fracture without causing a side fracture, will still look really sloppy when its glued back together.
Inside, there are mostly likely two large capacitors that would still hold a charge, regardless of how long its unplugged - because chargers contain switching circuits that aren't like an open faucet that can "run out". So in theory, if you managed to cut this open without loosing any fingers, avoided the capacitors, you then most likely find that the AC cord needs to be resoldered back on. It should have a knot on the inside to prevent it from coming out of the charger case. (Underwriter's knot).
Take a look on ebay. You can get a replacement generic charger for about $10 with a 3 year warranty. Speaking from experience, its just not worth the time and risk to bother hacking a semi-broken power charger.
jdh
Posted 2012-07-13T00:29:16.930
Reputation: 6 645
I would think/hope the higher-end components would use the tabs inside instead of the heat-fusing, but yes, the fused ones can be nasty. As for generic chargers, I really wouldn't trust any of those because I have read nothing but bad reviews. I was looking for a power-adapter to turn an internal hard-drive to an external one, but a huge number of reviews keep saying that the adapters burned their hard-drives. :-o – Synetech – 2012-07-13T01:15:19.377
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I've opened one before and it's way harder than you think to get open and there's no nice way to close it again.
There's almost nothing you can do to fix this ...plus it's not worth it as others have pointed out.
Try not to buy a cheap replacement. Google for a better one in fact as it will likely be worth the money since you're already loosing time on this one...
wbg
Posted 2012-07-13T00:29:16.930
Reputation: 223
The previous answer is right on...oops didn't see the whole thing...however, just to be a nerd, I would think it irregular for a commercial product to not have a bleeder resistor on the caps. – wbg – 2012-07-13T01:15:11.623
You pointed out that cheap power-adapters are bad. – Synetech – 2012-07-13T01:16:16.100
Normal cords I'm more than happy to cut and play with, but this is a power supply and can be VERY dangerous. I would be careful no matter your decision, and highly suggest you purchase another. – James Mertz – 2012-07-13T00:36:25.073
@KronoS, what do you think the discharge time is? – soandos – 2012-07-13T00:37:07.417
So your question is how to crack open the plastic case? Usually it will have a tab where one half has a sort of hook and the other half has a sort of loop, just like Velcro. You need to pry the side open a little to get a close look to see which half is which and then you can manipulate the sides in a way such as to pull the hook out of the loop and undo the tab. Repeat for all the tabs and the whole thing will just pop open. Then to close it, you just apply some pressure to snap it back because they are designed to be tapered so that you can just press the two halves together. – Synetech – 2012-07-13T00:37:35.337
I don't know... and that's the problem. – James Mertz – 2012-07-13T00:38:19.953
Are you sure that the wire coming out isn't designed that way? Most laptop chargers have two sections: The brick with a thin wire going to the computer, and a removable cable for the wall. – brunston – 2012-07-13T00:46:59.790
@elegantonyx, yeah, I'm sure. Exposed wiring is bad. And power fails when it is moved – soandos – 2012-07-13T00:48:41.320
I've done similar things. You have to pry the box open (it's either been glued or thermally welded), breaking the plastic in spots. Then figure out how to re-close the box securely. It's something of an art, with a good helping of stubbornness and a dash of stupidity thrown in. Very occasionally you'll find a box put together with "tamperproof" screws or some such, but that's fairly rare. – Daniel R Hicks – 2012-07-13T01:43:52.207
@Synetech -- It's rare anymore to find a box that's been snapped together like that. They now are almost always glued or welded. – Daniel R Hicks – 2012-07-13T01:47:40.437
@DanH, why is that? – soandos – 2012-07-13T02:02:01.930
@soandos, cheaper? (I mean cheaper in both senses of the word.)
:-|– Synetech – 2012-07-13T02:07:38.817@soandos -- Cheaper, and it is, at the very least, "tamper evident", so that if someone mucks with the device and starts a fire, it's more likely to be evident that the mucking was done, avoiding a potential product liability lawsuit. It also, of course, makes things harder to repair, increasing sales (and adding to the refuse stream). (Kind of a win/win/win from the manufacturer's viewpoint.) – Daniel R Hicks – 2012-07-13T11:38:56.227