Replacement for broken coaxial power connector at Acer netbook power supply?

Hello, the power supply of a friends Acer netbook has the problem that the cable breaks just at the coaxial power connector. This happens frequently and takes just a couple of weeks after a repair. I have tried to find the coaxial power connector (5,5x2,5) as a replacement part, but all I could find was a plug like the one at the right side of

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This plug lacks the spring of the original plug which prevents the connection coming loose at the slightest movement. What do you do in a situation like that? Do you know a source where I could purchase the original coaxial power connector?

Thanks in advance Jens Herrmann

Reply to
Jens Herrmann
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Have you considered using shrink-wrap tubing to create a strain relief?

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

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Colin

Reply to
Colin Horsley

Using a 90 degree (right-angle) plug is much more resilient and suffers less from abusive treatment, IMO. The external connectors provided with many types of compact portable equipment are inline/straight types, which makes little sense in terms of reliability.. straight plugs generally exert more stress on the cable ends near the back of the plug, and also the internal sockets of the equipment, in addition to making the footprint of said compact equipment much larger when accessories are connected.

Some equipment users routinely jamb equipment up against other surfaces, oblivious to the strain being placed on the cables, especially cables with straight plugs. Trouble is, there are too many fragile connectors used on consumer grade equipment for the sake of making the equipment compact.

A connector needs to be installed on a cable in a way to minimize movement of the soldered connections. Soldered stranded wire will break easily if allowed to move. When the cable jacket is secured in the metal tabs of the connector, there should be some slack in both conductors.. not a taut straight line to the cable, but a loose wavy length.

I try to implement shrink tubing to act as a strain relief, in addition to the strain relief of the connector cover. It's important to securely clamp the cable sheath/jacket with the metal tabs on the connector.. just pinching them with pliers is by far inferior to firmly crimping the tabs around the jacket with a hex die crimper. Hex dies deform the metal in such a way as to make a secure, compressed restraint that lasts.

Additionally, the extra length of shrink tubing I add will be long enough to enclose/grip the metal crimp fully, and extend along the cable to provide more structural strength to the cable.

Trying to implement numerous improvements in modern connectors isn't always easy since there is rarely any wasted space in many connector bodies.

DigiKey, Mouser and numerous other suppliers have power cables with molded connectors mounted on them. Even that RS store chain in the USA has several right-angle connectors in some limited styles.. typically 2.5mm and 3.2mm signal cable plugs.

-- Cheers, WB .............

Reply to
Wild_Bill

A cable has at least two conductors and several insulating layers. EXACTLY what is breaking? Assume the plug is fine, 'cause you said "cable". So, this is a wire problem...right???

What are the mechanical conditions that cause the break? Could be anything from "just sitting on the table untouched" to "I tripped over the wire" to "I use it to measure G-forces when I'm on my pogo stick".

What happens when you put a small loop in the cable and hot-glue it to the plug?

This happens

Spring????

of the original plug which prevents the

Reply to
mike

less

tabs

dies

to

always

cable

Its a swings and roundabouts thing with elbow connectors, like on guitar leads. Someone trips or catches the lead and a whole cabinet falls over with breakage or personal injury, compared to the lead just pulling out. Same with a laptop, lead pulls out , if straight connector or almost certain fatal breakabe with a laptop , if someone trips over an elbowed power lead. I would go with straight in both circumstances , just reinforce with hotmely glue around the connector , heatchrink around, and excess squeexed out blue, fared-off.

Reply to
N_Cook

Its like the trick with inertia and (potentially safely) pulling the table cloth from under a complete dinner service of crockery

Its a swings and roundabouts thing with elbow connectors, like on guitar leads. Someone trips or catches the elbowed lead and a whole cabinet falls over with breakage or personal injury, compared to the lead just pulling out. Same with a laptop, lead pulls out if straight connector or almost certain fatal breakabe with a laptop , if someone trips over an elbowed power lead. I would go with straight in both circumstances , just reinforce with hotmelt glue around the connector , heatshrink around, and excess squeezed-out glue, fared-off.

Reply to
N_Cook

The Acer One in my possession has a right-angle plug (about 2 yrs old). Also I bought a new battery ($32) so I'm not using it with the charger attached. (Possibly, eBay has a charger for it with a right- ange?)

Reply to
Bob_Villa

Nothing can be idiot-proofed, IME. If tripping over/snagging long cables is a frequent/real problem, the equipment (laptop in the OP) needs to be placed in a better location.. near a wall receptacle, as intended.

Pulling equipment off of tables is plain stupidity.

Extension cords running across rooms is a very bad habit, subjecting equipment to breakage, but also a fire risk from traffic walking on cords.

Straight plugs don't pull out if the cable doesn't extend outward like wheel spokes.. when a cable is brought around a corner of a piece of equipment and pulled on, the plugs don't pull out, they break the cable or jack/receptacle, which ever is weaker, or both.

In TV repair, it was common to have folks unplug a TV, then pick it up and walk away to move it. Broken RF input connectors on the tuners were common. I know, threaded connector and all, but stupidity none the less.

There's no shortage of idiots fully capable, of breaking stuff which shouldn't be broken.

An accident can happen, of course.. but after a couple of accident-induced damage incidents, it indicates bad habits, not accidental damage (not neccessarily what's going on with the OP's situation).

-- Cheers, WB .............

Reply to
Wild_Bill

Guess you don't have kids or pets or visitors. You probably don't need insurance, cause you control all aspects of your environment.

Reply to
mike

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placed

wheel

and

An elfin safety probability thing. An elbow plug can never have its lead yanked and cleanly come out , whatever angle the flex lies relative to the jack , always a potential jamming angle, compared to a straight. There is half a chance that a straight connector will have its flex near enough axial to the jack and come out cleanly. I would never advise a guitarist to have an elbow 1/4 inch jack on the amp end of his guitar lead (drunken drummers careering about on stage etc)

Reply to
N_Cook

Hey!! watch the language!! or there goes your next solo !! :-)

Rheilly P

Reply to
Rheilly Phoull

Its the conductors braking all the time. As the plug is of the molded type its not possible to resolder it in a decent way. Eventually I cut off all the plastic from the plug, resoldered and wrapped some tape around it.

You can see the spring following the link posted by Colin:

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Regards Jens

Reply to
Jens Herrmann

I don't see anything I'd call a spring? Are you talking about the flexible part that's the strain relief?

Your wires break because you let the joint flex. Probably breaks at the place where the solder meets the unsoldered part of the wire.

If you expect it to last, you need to prevent movement.

What I do is go to radio shack and buy a plug. Ream out the hole in the cover so it barely fits the wire. Solder it all together. Shove some hot melt glue in it and screw on the cap before the glue hardens.

Another thing I've done is to start with a BIC-brand ball point pen with the clear plastic. Can't be sure what they use now, but the ones I have are easily molded using a heat gun to heat 'em up and form the soft plastic where you want it to go.

Hot melt glue alone is a lot better than nothing. If you get some of the hardening style hot melt, even better.

You MUST immobilize the wire at the connection, or it will break again.

Reply to
mike

Agreed. My experience has been that "strain relief" is more likely to /cause/ the wire to break.

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

Funny that you would mention insurance, because that's exactly what extended warranty plans* are supposedly intended for.. careless people who don't take the time to locate cables where traffic won't snag them and damage their gear.

*plans may exclude carelessness/abuse/stupidity, so it doesn't necessarily guarantee repair or replacement, even though the salesperson implied/stated that it would.

If I needed to insure my electronic gear, I wouldn't bother buying it.. and my stuff has generally always lasted me for long beyond it's usefulness.

My first VOM still works fine (just put a fresh battery in it last week), and it's from 1974.. which may be older than the poster making the suggestions that my assertions are unrealistic?, inaccurate?

-- Cheers, WB .............

Reply to
Wild_Bill

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