How To Fix Laptop Power Jack Without Soldering? 7 Tips you should know

December 4, 2021

8 minutes read

How To Fix Laptop Power Jack Without Soldering

Our laptops are a huge part of our life, and almost all of us use them on a daily basis. Whether to complete work tasks, gaming, watching movies and videos, or simply for basic daily tasks.

And because of that, we charge it almost every day. Whenever the battery is low, you reach for the charger and that is it. But what if the charger isn’t working? What if you keep plugging it into the laptop jack and try to bend it several times without any luck? What can you do then?

You may have so many questions, what is the problem? What caused the charger to stop? Is the power jack faulty? Does that mean that you need to go to the electrician or you can handle it on your own?

In this guide, we will learn how to Fix Laptop Power Jack Without Soldering and we will answer all of your questions regarding this topic, with experts’ solutions for the problem, and how to perform it.

How does the power jack work?

The DC power jack is the part that provides the laptop with the necessary electricity to charge it and keep it running. Most laptops have two connectors, +VE, and GND. They are also called positive and negative connectors.

Is it possible to fix the laptop without soldering?

To answer this, you need to know how the DC jack is connected to the motherboard. it is possible if it is connected through a wire connector. But if it is soldered directly into the motherboard, it can’t happen unfortunately and you can’t avoid soldering it to fix the problem.

You can also read about how to fix that laptop fan making grinding noise.

Power jack damage causes

The most common reason for the damage is that when you plug in the charger, it can’t be handled right. This is probably because there is no reinforcement within the structure of the casing and motherboard.
It can happen normally as, over time, laptop parts start to loosen. This depends on many factors such as laptop models and usage.
Sometimes the jack itself can loosen. This could happen if the charger is dropped or pulled.
In some models, the power jack is not soldered well.

Types of power jack damage

damaged internal pins of the power jack.
The whole jack is damaged.
The DC-in jack is hot or there are sparks.
The DC jack is out of the laptop.
The charger has loose pins.
The jack and circuit connection got burnt.

Power jack failures indicators

The main function of the power jack is to provide power consistently. So failing to do its job will show you that there is a problem.

The on/off power light that confirms charging flickers. What happens in a broken jack and it will switch from AC adapter to battery power.
Wiggling the charger cable to make the connection steady in the socket, indicates that there is a problem with the jack.
Everything may seem fine and you didn’t notice anything, however, the battery is not charging.
If you need to keep it in a fixed position or a specific angle, this means it is broken or loose. Many people underestimate this issue but it is very critical, so don’t try to use it until you find a solution.
There are visible sparks after inserting the adapter plug into the power jack.
The laptop shuts down all of a sudden.

How to identify the exact issue?

Before trying to implement solutions or disassembling your laptop, you have to identify the problem so you can choose the right action, so try to do the following things:

Test the power adapter by using a multimeter. You know that there is a problem if the voltage difference is more than 1-amp. The voltage number that your laptop operates on is on the sticker attached to the back. Note that 1 voltage above or below the average will cause your device serious damage.

If there is no problem with the power jack, then probably the charger is faulty and it must be replaced.

Now you need to check the power jack. Turn over your laptop and pull the battery out. Plugin the charger then check the VGA port or other ports. Then use the multimeter to touch both the negative and positive probe. For the battery terminal’s pins, you should find all of the pins except for two, carrying current. The internal volt and amp should be lower than those of the adapter.

If you find the reading jumping high, then the motherboard is burnt. But if there is no reading, this means that the jack is probably faulty as there is no power.

Finally, check the jack’s connector. It is supposed to be connected to the motherboard. Take it out then connect the adapter for the power supply to the jack. Then use the multimeter to check the voltage on the jack connector. If the connector is faulty, there would be no voltage.

How to Fix Laptop Power Jack Without Soldering?

Required equipment

AC adaptors with connectors in a generic package and the attachments must be compatible with your laptop model
A few zip links
Tape Electrics
The empty barrel

AC tools

Iron solder
Stripper Wire
Electrical tape
Hole Maker – You can select a combo between laser, hammer & drill, nails, and screw & screwdriver.
Multi-meter
Solder
Clamp
The Pliers

This includes damaged pins or jacks which should be replaced. Don’t try to use glue or other ways to stick it. This will damage the motherboard in the long run because of the inconsistent current flow.

You can search for the perfect jack through the serial number of the laptop.

The DC-IN jack can be removed from the laptop body by disconnecting the connector from the motherboard and loosening the screw. If the jack is soldered directly to the board, remove it carefully as it can damage the circuit wiring.

Issues With The Motherboard, Wires, and Pins

To resolve this, there are two options:

1- The Motherboard Has A Separate Connector On The DC-In Jack

First, unplug the jack’s connector from the motherboard. After doing that, you link the adapter to the DC jack. Then, on the power jack connector, check the reading of the voltage, and it should be changed.

Now you can repair it. Do this by locating the damaged wire or the DC jack’s disconnect pin, as it is now attached and soldered well. It would also help a lot if you have heat shrink PC Cooling Tubing to use for reinforcement.

Now you may check the voltage once again, and the link should have been made. Finally, reconnect all the parts of the laptop to get it back to normal.

2- Soldered DC-In Jack On The Motherboard

For this condition, you are going to work on the motherboard and replace the power jack. Fixing the laptop’s power socket is going to need you to focus and be careful as you work in this critical situation.

You are going to need a few specialized skills for this repair. Apply flux to all of the jack’s pins and try to solder it again carefully to protect it. Be aware that any wrong link will damage the laptop and make it very hard to repair later.

Try to locate which track is the burned one through +VE, GND, or inductive signal. Then, solder the wires directly from the jack pins to where the track would settle.

To prevent more harm to the device, you can use hot glue or an epoxy mixture. When you attach any of them to the adapter, it will create a rugged link to the motherboard enabling it to endure movement.

To avert potential burning, you should use thick copper wire and avoid letting the adhesive inside the DC-IN connector enter.

If none of this works, you can try and check the battery to change it.

1- Check if the battery works

Pull the battery out of the laptop then plug in the charger in the absence of the battery. As the laptop is running now on AC power, check and see if it works.

The problem isn’t always with the power jack. A faulty battery can cause the issue. So you can easily figure out if the battery doesn’t work by easily plugging in your power adapter after removing it as the device can’t run without a constant supply of power.

Do not plug your power adapter from your outlet, it wouldn’t work as you will be cutting your laptop’s power supply, thus causing it to turn off.

2- Check the battery life through CMD

Right-click on Start and select Command Prompt (Admin).
Type this “powercfg energy” in the Command Prompt.
You will find a visible file path on the screen, so open windows explorer.
Keep scrolling until you find the section Battery: Battery Information.
Then, look at the Design Capacity and Last Full Charge.
Divide the Design Capacity value with the Last Full Charge value, then multiply by 100%.

Now that you have the percentage, you can determine the health of the battery.

Hiring a Technician

If you have tried all of these options and you still can’t find the problem or can’t fix it on your own, consider going to a repair center and hiring a specialized technician.

Be aware that some repair centers will tell you to replace the motherboard instead of the power jack. This is because the cost of replacing the motherboard ranges from $300 to $700 while the jack costs between $20 and $25 to fix or replace.

That is why you need to get a second opinion in this case and try to find a good repair center that doesn’t lack the required equipment, supplies, and training to perform such repairs.

Frequently Asked Questions

1- How do I repair the power jack on my laptop?

Identify the source of the problem, it is probably the AC adapter
Disassemble the laptop until you reach the motherboard
Let the laptop’s motherboard off.
Remove the broken power jack and desolder it
Attach the new power jack to the motherboard by soldering it.

2- How to solder a DC power jack?

Most people believe that soldering is hard and this is far from the truth. Soldering a jack is actually easier than removing it by following these simple steps:

Place the power jack inside the pinholes
Apply flux
Solder each pin one after another with melted soldering wire.

3- Can I repair a broken laptop charger port?

You have to identify the issue first. detach and install the power jack if it is attached to the motherboard. But on the other hand, If the power jack is soldered to the motherboard, you’ll have to desolder it and replace it with a good one.

4- Is it bad for the laptop battery if I let the charger on overnight?

The smart circuit used in modern laptops stops charging after reaching 100%. So you can let the charger be plugged in overnight. There is no damage.

5- Does using a different charger damage the laptop?

It is very rare to find a laptop that matches another charger brand because the pin size won’t match. But even if you found one, we recommend not using it as there is something called power rating. This means that f the power rating of the laptop and charger are not matched, your laptop or charger will be damaged slowly.

6- How to find the perfect replacement charger for my laptop?

Try to follow these steps:

find the laptop model number by turning over the laptop and looking at the sticker. You shall find the model number here.
search using this query “[laptop model] + charger”
Check before using: before using the replacement charger, double-check if it is fully compatible. Check connector, voltage, watt & power rating.

Final thoughts

I hope this guide has been helpful to you and you were able to fix the issue. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us and type your comments and inquiries, good luck!