5 Myths About Laptop DC Jack Repair/Replacement

1. “If you have a dc jack problem the motherboard needs to be replaced”.

This is the number one quote I hear from users looking for dc jack repair. Many computer repair centers and large companies (dell, gateway, acer, Toshiba, etc.) will tell you the only way to fix a dc jack is to replace the entire motherboard. This is very costly and simply untrue. The dc jack can be safely and successfully removed and new power plug installed.

2. “Can I repair the dc jack myself?”

This is a pretty common question I get asked. It’s not impossible to do this yourself but you need the equipment such as quality soldering iron (and tips), desoldering braid or pump, and a steady hand. I’ve heard people say, “soldering is easy”. Soldering can be easy but desoldering is usually the tricky part for most people. Also knowing where to pry and how to properly remove cables without breaking retention devices is a must. Lots of laptops that people have attempted the repair themselves can’t get the old solder out and or broke the connections on the motherboards for things like touchpads and keyboards.

3. If the dc jack gets repaired once it will fail again.

This is true and false. A quality dc jack repair can last for the life of the laptop. At the same time it can go bad again. Some laptops have poor design or design flaws that can’t be changed and are likely to reoccur.

4. Epoxy and epoxy like substances should be used to reinforce the dc jack.

The problem with epoxy is it suffocates surrounding circuitry causing motherboard failures. Components on a motherboard (voltage regulators, capacitors, power filters) heat up due to voltage running through them and should not be covered by epoxy products. Sometimes dc jacks fail due to cold solder joints and epoxy will do nothing to combat that problem except make it harder or impossible to get the dc jack off safely.

5. All laptops with dc jack problems are repairable.

If your laptop is displaying the dc jack symptoms it might not be the power jack or a symptom could be another different problem. For example, I get inquiries stating the laptop won’t charge the battery. I also find out the laptop does work when plugged in. This means the dc jack is working but something else on the motherboard has failed. Another example would be sometimes when the laptop is disassembled I find out the motherboard is burnt near the voltage pin. This is a pretty common occurrence on gateway laptops and replacing the dc jack won’t help. The entire motherboard would need to be replaced in this case.