Broken power plug in pin on computer

You will need to have this resoldered on the motherboard itself

It sounds like either a bad connection on the motherboard or a broken wire in the adapter making intermittent connection.

1. With the power adapter disconnected, do you have a power light? This would indicate the adapter is good and the plug is questionable.

2. Check your power adapter output with a multi-meter.(be sure to wiggle the wires around) If the power fluctuates, replace the plug.

3. If the power is solid, replace the motherboard connector.

Could be a combination of things.

1) Battery is low. Not enough power to turn the laptop on.
Caused by;

2) AC adapter has a plug on the end of the cable. The plug plugs into a DC Power Jack on the laptop.

The DC Power Jack is bad.

2a) The DC Power Jack has a bad connection to the motherboard, (Cracked solder joints), and/or the jack itself is bad.

2b) Center Pin is loose in the jack's mount.
The back of the Center Pin where it mounts has become loose.

2c) The plastic body of the jack, which composes the jack's case, is cracked. This allows movement of the Center Pin.

2b, and 2c cause a bad connection with the AC adapter plug.

No charge to the Battery, no power to the laptop.

http://www.laptopjacks.com/view_part/For-Gateway-MX6920-DC-Power-Jack-GW51425.html

[ If this is the case the DC Power Jack needs to be resoldered to the motherboard. The cracked solder joints need to be re-melted, (Reflowed)
Entire laptop needs to be disassembled down to the bare motherboard in your hand.
(No Processor, Ram Memory, or any adapter cards mounted to the motherboard. Nada)

OR,
The DC Power jack needs to be replaced.
This entails disassembling the entire laptop, down to just the motherboard in your hand. (Same as above)

The old DC Power Jack is de-soldered, and a new one soldered in place.

Very FEW computer repair shops have the necessary skill level.
They just want to replace the entire motherboard.
IF one is available.
More Ka-Ching for them also. ]

3) The AC adapter is bad.
Not providing power to the laptop, to charge the Battery, nor give power to the laptop without the Battery.

AC adapter cord from adapter to plug, which plugs into the laptop, (DC Power Jack), may have a break in it.

May be an intermittent contact provided by wiggling the cord.
If this is the case the wires have stretched, and broken.
Wiggling causes the wires to briefly touch, and make contact.

Where this cord meets the plug itself. A lot of times there is a break in the wires in this area.

Solution is to replace the AC adapter. There are universal AC adapters you can buy, or perhaps Gateway still has some for sale.
(Ka-Ching)

You probably got the WRONG type of jack. Thes jacks have different sizes, including the pin. You probably got one with a smaller sized pin.
These are really a pain to make sure you got the right one.

If you can, verify the pin diameter with a caliper.

ALSO verify the adapter is putting out power FIRST. The forces that broke the jack MAY have destroyed the plug on the cord from the adapter or brolen the cord. Use a voltmeter to verify operation.

If cord is broken, get new plug and replace the plug on the cord that plugs into the unit.

Unforturnatly you cannot just glue back on the pin from your ac adapter.

but you can buy just the "brick" part of the ac adapter and should be less than $80.00 for the complete set.

Hope this helps.

The power cord to the system uses a sensing pin (Small wire in center of the plug) to ID the AC adapter. If the pin is broken or bent, then the system cannot ID the Adapter. If the adapter is intact then the issue is the power connection on the motherboard.

In either case, if the system doesn't ID the adapter the battery charger is disabled.

If available, try a different Dell D-Series adapter. If no change, then replace the motherboard.

You can find the broken piece on line to purchase,This can be repalced by soldering it to the motherboard.You will need to find someone to replace this probably a tv repair technician who is good at soldering small circiut boards.You can also purchase the motherboard and replace it
Good luck

Hello,

Are you getting any of the power lights on? There should be a LED light showing "on AC power" and another showing "battery charge". It sounds like either the ac adapter is shorted out or the power jack in the laptop is broken. If you have a multimeter you can test the charger/adapter. Put the meter on DC volts and put the red lead on the center tip of the plug and the black lead to the outside metal of the plug. You should get from 18 to about 26 volts. If you don't get anything then the adapter is bad and will need to be replaced. If you do get the right voltage reading then the laptop jack is likely broken. You can get it repaired at most computer service depots.

I hope this helps, If so please rate my solution.

Buddy
Corporate Computer
www.ccl-la.com
Over 21 years of PC and printer support/repair.

remove the battery from the laptop and try to start it on AC power only, this will eliminate the possibility of the AC adaptor on the laptop hasn't snapped
post back please

Hi, You can get the power adapter pin replaced at an Electronic store. Radio Shack has it but it must be special ordered, have you tested the power cord? I think that you might be right about the power socket cause thats what most common problem of the ones that I repair.