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If a laptop battery is dead, will the unit also NOT work on the plug?


Fonzie

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Is that normal? Seems kinda odd to me.... But then I'm no tekkie.

Batteries plus has replacements for $120. Seems kinda high to me for a 5 year old model??? I can buy a whole new laptop for $400..... But again.... What do I know :dunno:

http://www.batteriesplus.com/p-33963-dell-inspiron-5100-latitude-100l-computer-laptop-battery-rayovac-raycl3473g.aspx

eBay has some used ones for $20+, but some say flat out they fail inspection, and'll only hold charge for 45-60 minutes. I don't remember the OEM lasting much longer than that though

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Some will, and some won't. I'd say most will work on AC power with the battery removed.

edit:Specifically, some laptops will not work on AC with the battery installed, if the battery is really dead.

Take the battery out, and find out if it runs on AC power only.

Normally laptops will try to work with the battery installed, with or without the AC power. That's their job, heh?

Edited by ReconRat
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No. If the battery is dead, it will still run off the A/C. If you have nothing via battery or A/C, you have a problem other than the battery. Depending on the laptop, it's probably the board which the A/C plugs into. On most PC laptops, it's the motherboard (most likely not worth repairing). If it's a Mac, it's the sound/power board, which is about $30.

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HOLY CRAP BATMAN!!! I just started this a minute ago.... You guys were all over this thread!! :lol:

FYI.....It's a Dell Inspiron 1150

I should've thought that info would be helpful.... Duhhh ;)

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Would the fact that it's sat unused for a reaalllly long time have anything to do with it?

Just tried pluggin' it in without the battery, and the little green indicator lights on the front are flickering like crazy.... Power one green, Battery one yellow

Is that some kind of standard SOS or laptop Morse Code?

Edited by Fonzie
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Plug the AC power with the battery installed, and hope the battery charges up after a while.

It's not typical, but I've had a couple of laptops in for repair that had terminally dead batteries. Those would not start with the battery in, on AC power. I removed the battery, and they would start on AC power.

Some of the newer laptops have a separate cheap part for the power plug inside the laptop. Saves the system board from damage if it's dropped on that plug. Cheap part, but sometimes not so easy to replace.

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Seems like if I touch the cord back where it plugs into the laptop, the indicator lights on the front get brighter.... Even if I just lightly touch it.... But still doing the frantic blinky thing. Then after a few seconds, they get dimmer again

Bad connection maybe???

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Seems like if I touch the cord back where it plugs into the laptop, the indicator lights on the front get brighter.... Even if I just lightly touch it.... But still doing the frantic blinky thing. Then after a few seconds, they get dimmer again

Bad connection maybe???

Yup, probably. But not necessarily bad enough to prevent power or charging. So you are saying it won't run on AC power with the battery both installed and not installed?

When in doubt, I always go straight to a known good battery and see what I get with that. I also try a known good AC power supply if one is around. I don't have any of that type battery, sorry.

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It's definitely the socket in the laptop. I just played with it some more with the cord plugged in. Pushed the cord gently to the left, where the indicator lights get bright, held it there & pushed the power button & she fired right up.

Took a closer look at the socket, and it's wiggling a bit back & forth in the case when I nudge the cord around

How easy is that socket to fix/replace?

Edited by Fonzie
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It depends on the model and the style of plug mounted on the system board.

If it's on the system board, it would have to be re-soldered, or soldered off and and a new one put on. Finding a board mounted plug that fits and works can sometimes be difficult.

Anything else is easier, if it's a separate part or on a separate assembly board. Easiest way to tell, is an estimate, or info from the internet. Or look up the parts and disassembly manual on line at DELL.

Some places will say system board has to be replaced.

Sometimes requires gutting the part from another dead board.

Other people will solder in an extension pigtail for the plug.

So I guess it varies a lot, but it can be done on the cheap if it has to.

DELL Inspiron 1150 Manuals

I looked at the manual, and it appears to be one of the "little metal box" type connectors, on the system board. It's a bit hard to tell looking at the grainy pictures in the manual. I've not had much luck finding replacements for those.

Edited by ReconRat
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At some point you have to question what your time is worth in messing with it. That and whether you wanted to go get a newer laptop anytime soon. The cheapest way out might be getting another dead or used laptop for parts. I kind of like the "wire with plug" sticking out the back. It would be so unique. But still a lot of work getting it done.

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Plug the AC power with the battery installed, and hope the battery charges up after a while.

It's not typical, but I've had a couple of laptops in for repair that had terminally dead batteries. Those would not start with the battery in, on AC power. I removed the battery, and they would start on AC power.

Some of the newer laptops have a separate cheap part for the power plug inside the laptop. Saves the system board from damage if it's dropped on that plug. Cheap part, but sometimes not so easy to replace.

My Toshiba has a separate jack, with a harness attached for the charger input. I have dropped mine on the plug, so I bought a new one on ebay to fix it. Well wouldn't you know it, that part didn't break, but the slots that it sets into in the laptop shell broke! Super glue FTW!

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I just went through a similar problem w/the same model laptop. The power cord transformer was the culprit. Was allowing enough current to run the laptop, but not enough to run the laptop and charge the battery at the same time.

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