What is this called?

Schmidt19891

Solid State Member
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What is the input called that the adapter goes into on a laptop?

I have an HP Compaq 6720s that I bought last December, and i'm getting ready to purchase my THIRD adapter for it. The first two adapters (the original and a replacement) got fried out. The first one basically melted and smoked a little. this second one hasn't smoked, but got hot enough to the point where its very move-able and the metal tip comes out easily.

So i'm thinking it might be a problem with the input thats actually on the computer, its getting too hot? Or... I don't know.

Anyway, yinz know wwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy more about computer than I do, so anybody have any clue whats going on? Or if I need a new input, where I can go to get one?
 
The power adapter? Are you getting the one that is specific for your laptop? They shouldn't be getting so hot that they "fry".
 
Have you tried contacting HP support and asking about the problem? It sounds like there is something wrong with either the port or the power system of the laptop. Is the battery fully charged?
 
Have you tried contacting HP support and asking about the problem? It sounds like there is something wrong with either the port or the power system of the laptop. Is the battery fully charged?

Right now, the battery is pretty low. I shut down and on my home computer. I havent called them yet, but i'm not under warranty, so I figred i'd ask for advice here then check around locally. I figured it was the port, but perhaps it is a different problem.

Actually, my dad poointed out that perhaps it is only the adapter. I was like, well then why does it get hot? He told me that the adapter shortening out could heat it up a lot. Which now I completely understand. I cannot say that my care for the cord and adapter has been the best. I have been rough with it. I think i'm going to buy another charger, take extra good care of it, and then 6 months down the road we'll see if this problem persists.

However...

Before I do that, I was wondering if there are any alternative methods I can use to charge my laptop. Obviously, the charger is the only way, but is there an aftermarket universal charger or anything that maybe isn't as flimsy as a cord?
 
However...

Before I do that, I was wondering if there are any alternative methods I can use to charge my laptop. Obviously, the charger is the only way, but is there an aftermarket universal charger or anything that maybe isn't as flimsy as a cord?
No, I do not recommend those. Only use a power adapter specifically designed for your laptop. Those universal adapters could cause you a whole new world of problems.

When you say your care of the adapters hasn't been good, what do you mean? What do you do to it? When you say it gets hot, do you mean the power brick gets hot or one of the plugs gets hot? My brick gets hot when my hp lappy is charging, but not so hot that it would fry I don't think. Then when I have it plugged in and running it stays warm. I don't know what you mean about the cords being flimsy? Mine is pretty sturdy. Mine just sits on the desk all the time too, I use it on battery till it runs out then bring it back to the desk and plug it in, the charger never moves. I got the upgraded 9 cell battery with mine though so I have around 3 1/2 hours of battery life depending on what I'm doing.
 
Ok.

You don't need to get a HP power supply for this laptop. And don't try supplying your laptop with a 12V supply cause thats asking for trouble.

You need to supply your laptop with an 18.5V - 65W supply. Thats 18.5V @ 3.5A!

So look out for a switching PSU ~ 18V-19V @ at least 3.5A.
 
No, I do not recommend those. Only use a power adapter specifically designed for your laptop. Those universal adapters could cause you a whole new world of problems.

When you say your care of the adapters hasn't been good, what do you mean? What do you do to it? When you say it gets hot, do you mean the power brick gets hot or one of the plugs gets hot? My brick gets hot when my hp lappy is charging, but not so hot that it would fry I don't think. Then when I have it plugged in and running it stays warm. I don't know what you mean about the cords being flimsy? Mine is pretty sturdy. Mine just sits on the desk all the time too, I use it on battery till it runs out then bring it back to the desk and plug it in, the charger never moves. I got the upgraded 9 cell battery with mine though so I have around 3 1/2 hours of battery life depending on what I'm doing.

I think thats where my problem is... I constantly have it on the charger, I rarely ever have it not plugged in. But this is also because my battery only lasts for up to 1.5 hours, also depending on what i'm doing. All I usually do is firefox and itunes and MS Word for writing papers (I am a journalism major so I do write a lot).

When I say hot, I mean only the plug that goes into the computer. And by flimsy I meant that when it gets so hot, the rubber gets soft and the cord at that end is very flimsy.

Perhaps I should also look into upgrading myy battery.

To Remeniz:

The charger i'm using now (the one thats on the verge of frying completely) is:

INPUT: 100-240V~1.8A-0.6A 50/60Hz

OUTPUT: 18.5V-3.5A

It doesn't say how many watts it is. But when searching around for a new one, I will look for one with the specifications that you have given me. Thank you.
 
My brick gets warm but not hot. sounds like it may be a cell has gone bad in the battery. When you get a new power brick might want to get a new battery. Bricks are cheap but batteries are out of this world.
 
My brick gets warm but not hot. sounds like it may be a cell has gone bad in the battery. When you get a new power brick might want to get a new battery. Bricks are cheap but batteries are out of this world.

X2. I have seen a few laptops with this problem. More often it turns out to be a bad battery, not a power adapter...especially since he's gone through almost 3 now. I'd put a safe bet on the battery. Which, like Seti mentioned, cost an arm and a leg basically. Pathetic, but necessary.
 
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