How AC Adapters Work

Laptops are useless without AC adapters. They are what run your laptop when your battery dies. They are what charge that battery when you want to use it on the go. With that in mind, it’s important to have a basic understanding of how they do what they do, especially if it comes time to replace them.

A laptop AC adapter will consist of essentially three main parts: the cord that carries unusable AC to the box, the box that converts the AC to DC, and the cord that carries the usable DC to the laptop. Your house is powered with AC, or alternating current, because it travels well without losing energy, but alternating current is not usable by laptops. They require direct current, or DC, power.

The box of your adapter technically does more than simply converting current, or rather there is more to the process. As alternating current enters the box from the cord connected to your wall, it is run through a transformer. This drops the current from about 110 volts to around 19 volts, which is what most Sony laptops can work with. Other brands of laptop often use 15 Volts, but most other variations are plus or minus a volt in either direction. The current then runs through a rectifier which essentially forces the current out in one direction only, thus making direct current. Finally, the current runs through a regulator, ensuring a steady stream of voltage despite any changes in power consumption. After running through all these components, the current continues through the second cord, and into your laptop.

Knowing the basics of AC adapters will allow you to make some more educated decisions on replacement or upgrade adapters. First, check your cords. Match your main power, or AC, cord to whatever plug you’ll be using. For example, plugs in Europe are different than in the US, and plugs in your car or on a plane are different than the ones in your home. Also, invest in a surge protector to help ensure the longevity of your AC adapter, essentially protecting it from being overloaded.

Your laptop will also require specific voltage from your adapter, and a minimum wattage as well, typically listed on the underside of your machine, or available from the manufacturer. When it comes to wattage, you can get higher than what is listed on your machine’s specifications, but going lower can cause the box to overheat, and shortening the life of the laptop AC adapter.

As for the DC cord, the main thing to look for is the connector. If it doesn’t fit the DC jack on your machine, it won’t do you any good at all. If you’re not sure, check with your spare parts retailer, chances are they will be able to assist you in finding an adapter that will fit your machine. Also, when looking at replacing an adapter, be sure to confirm that the problem isn’t with the physical DC jack on your machine, as it can become loose or unsoldered. A loose DC jack can cause problems that may simulate issues with your AC adapter and may require the DC jack to be repaired.

Review of types on connectors found on AC adapters

When it comes to laptop AC adapters, there are a wide variety of connectors that connect the adapter to the laptop’s power supply. Manufacturers specifically try to make their adapter unique for each model, and even compared to other manufacturers, to avoid a user plugging an adapter into the wrong machine, which could cause damage. Here we will look at a few of the most common types of connectors.

Barrel Connectors

Most modern laptop AC adapters use a “barrel” type of connector. It consists of a cylindrical shaft that is hollow inside. When the barrel is connected, a pin (tip) goes inside the barrel, and the outer portion of the barrel makes contact with a different part of the power supply. The tip usually carries the positive pole while the barrel carries the negative pole. Barrel connectors come in a wide variety of sizes to avoid confusion between different manufacturers and models. For example, HP laptop parts often use a different pin and barrel size than another manufacturer such as Acer.

3-Pin and 4-Pin Connectors

Some laptops and AC adapters use a 3-pin or 4-pin type of connector, also referred to as a “Snap and Lock” type. These connectors use a large cylindrical connector with 3 or 4 pins inside. Snap and lock connectors are particularly useful in laptops that are designed for durability, as they are very stable and secure, and not prone to breakage.

Oval Connectors

Oval connectors are similar to barrel connectors, but utilize and oval shape to prevent connecting them to standard barrel connections, since connecting an adapter to the wrong laptop could cause damage to the system board or other components, requiring a costly laptop repair. They are not used frequently.

Octagon Connectors

Octagon connectors are similar to snap and lock connectors, but they utilize 8 pins that give even more stability and a more solid connection.

Finding the proper HP Laptop AC Adapter

If your HP laptop is not charging the battery while your AC adapter is plugged into the laptop, you probably need a replacement Laptop AC Adapter. It is important to ensure you have the correct AC adapter for your specific HP laptop, as using an incorrect adapter could potentially cause damage. Here are a few methods for finding the proper HP laptop AC adapter.

The simplest method is to use an online parts locator tool. Many online retailers offer such a tool. Simply enter your HP laptop’s model number into the search and the tool will provide you with the proper replacement parts that are compatible with your specific model. The benefit of this method is that you are often given a choice of both OEM and third-party Laptop AC adapters for your HP notebook. Third-party adapters are often much less expensive than their OEM counterparts, and as long as they are purchased from a reliable source, should perform every bit as well as the OEM version.

Another method of finding the correct AC adapter for your HP laptop is to use the support software provided. Click Start, the Help & Support. Here you will find the product name, model number, and serial number. This will help you locate the correct part for your HP laptop. The product’s serial number is usually located on the bottom of the machine as well. You can call HP support directly to order a replacement AC adapter, though this will usually be the most expensive route. Another option is to call or email an online retailer with your model number and serial number, and they can often help you locate the correct part.

Finding replacement parts for an HP laptop is not as difficult as it once was, with the benefit of online parts locator tools. It is now a simple process to find parts even for older models. Take advantage of the many tools available for finding an AC adapter for your HP laptop.

Buying and Installing a Dell Laptop Battery

Buying and installing a Dell laptop battery replacement can be very simple, and doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. There are a few things to consider, however, when buying a replacement battery.

Buying a replacement battery directly from Dell is one way to ensure quality, but buying directly from the manufacturer is usually the most expensive option. Instead, many buyers may want to consider a third-party retailer. Make sure you find a reputable retailer who stands behind their product, especially one that offers a satisfaction guarantee and a solid return policy. If you buy from a third-party retailer with a reputation for quality and customer satisfaction, you can pay less for your replacement laptop battery and still have the peace of mind that your battery will work reliably.

The best way to ensure you purchase the correct replacement notebook battery is to use an online parts locator tool. This tool allows you to choose your laptop’s model number and then shows you the parts that are compatible with your model. It is a good idea to compare the voltage and amperage from your old battery to ensure they match the new battery you are planning to buy. In some cases, you may have the option to buy a battery with more capacity and longer battery life than the one you are replacing. Most of these batteries accomplish this by including more cells. For example, the original battery may have 6 cells, while the replacement battery has 9 cells, and therefore, longer battery life.

Replacing the battery in your Dell laptop is very easy. First, shut down the laptop and disconnect the AC adapter to ensure that no power is running to the machine. Second, release the latch near the current battery, and remove the battery. Align the new battery in the same way the old battery was removed, and snap it into place. You may need to fully charge the battery before running the laptop from battery power only.

Benefits of Memory Upgrades for Netbooks

Netbooks are becoming increasingly popular of late, due to their incredibly portable size and convenience. However, as a result of their size, many netbooks don’t have the kind of powerhouse hardware you’d expect to find in a laptop or desktop machine. One way to offset this and cheaply improve the performance of your machine is simply to upgrade your RAM.

RAM, or random access memory, is the storage your computer has for data that can be accessed immediately without searching or pulling it from the hard disk. You can think of it like your hard drive being the books in a library, and RAM is how many you can check out and reference at a time. The more RAM you have, the more easily accessible data your computer can pull from, which reduces the amount of time it spends polling the entire hard drive for your machine.

There are different types of RAM, each one progressing and becoming more and more efficient and effective. When purchasing your RAM, you’ll need to check it against your computer’s specifications. The newest form is DDR3, which means it allows data transfer rates of 3 times the original form. Some newer netbooks like the Toshiba NB305 support the higher speed DDR3 RAM, which makes it an attractive machine for users seeking a little more power.

When looking into purchasing RAM, you’ll want to check your machine’s configuration to see how it’s set up. Some are set up in banks, which is built for pairs of RAM. Others allow them to be placed individually. Your computer will handle any size listed in its specifications, but make sure that if they are in sets, that all sticks in that bank are the same size.

As far as pricing goes, you can get 2 GB sticks of memory for around $55 to $60 at many memory suppliers. Most Netbooks like the HP Mini 5100 have 1GB memory standard, and can be upgraded to a maximum of 2GB due to mainboard chipset limitations. Generally speaking, and upgrade to 2GB will do plenty to improve the speed and performance of any netbook, making it an even more useful and convenient machine.

PCMCIA Cards, Cardbus and ExpressCards – What exactly is the difference?

PCMCIA, Cardbus and ExpressCards are similar technologies that are very easy to confuse with one another. In fact, many experienced computer users still get the standards confused. Let us try to shed some light on the differences between these three standards, and eliminate some of the confusion.

PCMCIA

PCMCIA stands for Personal Computer Memory Card International Association, the organization which standardized the format. It is an interface for connecting external memory cards, modems, and other devices to a laptop as a means of expansion. It later began to be referred to as “PC Card” instead of its long acronym.

The first cards were Type I cards, which had a 16-bit interface and were 3.3 mm thick. These Type I cards were prevalent on many of the early Compaq laptop systemboards. Type II cards are somewhat thicker, at 5.5 mm, and use either a 16-bit or 32-bit interface. Common Type II devices are modems and network cards, which often have to use a dongle, as their height does not support a full-size jack. Type III cards and devices are even thicker, at 10.5 mm thick, and can support full-size connectors without dongles and even hard disk drive cards. Type II Cards were the standard size of PCMCIA Card for some time before they were replaced by CardBus.

CardBus

CardBus is the successor to PCMCIA. In fact, it is the name used for cards and devices that supported the PCMCIA 5.0 or later specification. It has much in common with the PCI bus on a desktop computer, as it provides a 32-bit, 33 MHz PCI bus with a smaller form factor designed for laptops and notebooks. Most CardBus slots support earlier PCMCIA devices, but CardBus devices can not be inserted into older slots, as they are notched differently. If these newer cards are forced into the older PCMCIA slots, it can cause damage to the card slots and a relatively expensive laptop repair.

ExpressCard

ExpressCard is the latest successor to be developed by the PCMCIA organization. It was introduced in 2003 to replace earlier form factors. There are two form factors included in the specification that are used on laptop systemboards; Expresscard/34, which is 34 mm wide, and ExpressCard/54, which is 54 mm wide. ExpressCard/54 cards can be rectangular or L-shaped, supporting either 26 pins or 68 pins. ExpressCard/54 slots are often used on HP laptop systemboards to support a remote that conveniently hides away in the slot. The ExpressCard interface allows for much more bandwidth than previous technologies, up to 2Gbit/s. This allows users to connect high-speed disk drives and other devices that need more bandwidth to operate effectively.

Understanding the progression of these three technologies will hopefully clarify their differences and applications. Currently, ExpressCard slots offer the best performance for external devices, but it will likely be replaced by a faster technology in the future as well.

Ways to Extend the Life of Your Laptop Computer

Laptops can sometimes be troublesome devices, and anyone who has had either a hardware or software problem with a laptop may have wondered if there was anything they could have done to prevent it. While some problems are unavoidable, there are a few steps that any user can take to help prolong the life of a computer and prevent problems from occurring.

  1. Cleaning

Dust and dirt are two of the biggest enemies of a laptop computer. Since dust buildup can sometimes cause overheating, it is important to ensure that it doesn’t affect the function of laptop fans or block air circulation. Turn off the laptop, remove the battery, and gently spray compressed air into any vents in the laptop to dislodge any dust buildup every few months.

  1. Repairs

If you suspect you may be in need of a laptop repair, don’t put it off. In many cases, you may be able to perform the repair yourself. Do a search for Toshiba laptop parts or HP laptop parts, for example, and you may find the replacement parts you need to solve the problem yourself. Putting off a necessary repair could cause more damage to your laptop and lead to more problems down the road.

  1. System Maintenance

Not all laptop problems stem from hardware issues. In many cases, users purchase a laptop because their old one has become very slow. This is often caused by software problems. Every few months, uninstall any unnecessary software on your machine, defragment the hard drive, empty the recycle bin, and clean up temporary files. If the system still seems slow, you could consider backing up necessary files, formatting the hard drive, and reinstalling the operating system.

  1. Upgrades

As a laptop computer ages, it may not have the performance to handle newer software. This can be a good time to make upgrades to your machine. For most laptops, upgrading the memory to the maximum amount supported is the most cost-effective upgrade. Upgrading the hard drive is also a great way to gain more storage space for files.

At some point every laptop becomes obsolete and will need to be replaced, but if you follow these steps, it will be less likely to be due to hardware or software failure of some kind. With a little extra care, you may find your laptop outlives its expected life.

Common Issues That Can Lead to a Dead Laptop

When it comes to laptop repair, few things are worse than a dead laptop. Once a laptop does not turn on or respond in any way, it is difficult to even diagnose any kind of problem. Here, we will explore some common issues that can lead to a dead laptop if not addressed ahead of time, in the hopes that you can avoid a costly repair or replacement in the future.

The most common cause of a “dead” laptop is the laptop systemboard or motherboard. Because the systemboard controls input and output of data to and from each component, and also controls the power to each component, a problem with the systemboard often means a laptop will not respond when turned on. Many problems are caused by overheating, which can often be avoided by periodically cleaning dust from all fans and vents, and keeping good ventilation to the laptop at all times.

Many dead laptops are caused by a bad battery or a faulty AC adapter. If the laptop is not receiving power, or is receiving the wrong voltage, for example, it may not even turn on or respond. Check the AC adapter periodically for damage to cables or the transformer, and test your battery with battery monitoring software to avoid these problems in the future.

Less frequently, a dead laptop can be cause by a failing laptop CPU. This can also be caused by overheating, as the CPU creates a high amount of heat inside the laptop. Most often, however, a CPU problem manifests as a laptop that crashes or gives errors, rather than one that is dead. If you suspect that you may have a CPU issue, its best to take the machine into a repair center for diagnosis, as they will have the tools and parts to address the problem you are having with minimal investment on your part.

Defective laptop memory is not often directly a cause of a dead laptop, but memory that fails or is inserted incorrectly can sometimes result in damage to the systemboard, which can cause the laptop to cease functioning properly. Always be sure you are inserting memory correctly by lining up the notch and pins, and ensure that the memory is compatible with your specific model.

By keeping these common problems in mind and keeping an eye out for them, you can often avoid a major problem before it begins, saving yourself the time and money of a costly repair. Spending just a few minutes on prevention can help your laptop to have a much longer and more stable life.

Common issues that will slow down any Laptop Computer

Everyone who has used a computer for an extended amount of time has likely notice that it tends to slow down over time, especially computers running the Windows operating system. There are many causes that can make a computer slow down. Let us look at a few of the main culprits, and what you can do about them.

Software Build-up

The longer you use a computer, the more software that gets installed on it. After a while, this software can begin to build up and slow down the computer. This is especially true of programs that run automatically when the computer is first booted, such as antivirus programs or instant messaging clients. Each of these programs may only use a small percentage of the available RAM and CPU processing power, but add many of them together and it can add up to a lot. They may also eat up hard drive space which will ultimately slow down the PC also. Uninstall as many unnecessary programs as possible in the Control Panel using the Add/Remove Programs utility.

Lack of Memory

A computer or laptop with too little RAM is prone to slow down, especially when too many programs are running at once. When RAM gets full, the computer must use the page file on a hard drive to store open programs. Since transferring data to and from the hard drive is much slower than RAM, this will cause the computer to slow down. Consider adding the maximum amount of RAM your laptop can support for a speed boost. You can check with your laptop manufacturer or a spare parts supplier to see if your machine has room to add more RAM to help improve its overall performance. Also consider disabling or uninstalling programs that run in the background, this can help regardless of any upgrades you do to your machine.

Lack of Free Space

In some cases, lack of free hard disk space can cause a computer to become slower. Try freeing up space by uninstalling unnecessary programs and deleting unnecessary files. Most hard drives operate best with 20% of their storage space free. This allows room for the drive to temporarily swap files when moving and for other necessary tasks. If you cannot delete enough files to free up space, consider upgrading to a larger hard drive. They are available from most online part suppliers at very affordable prices.

Hardware failure

Some pieces of hardware that may be failing or beginning to fail may slow down your machine also. Laptop cooling fans are a common issue, for example the Toshiba laptop fan on the Satellite A15 has a pretty thorough history of failure due to outside contaminates getting into the fan and causing it to spin too slowly or not at all. This type of problem will often cause unresponsiveness from the machine, Windows errors, shutdowns, and often times the dreaded blue screen. The fan is pretty easily replaced by a qualified repair center and is not very labor intensive.

It may seem that computer slowdowns are a necessary fact of life, but following these few tips can help you get your computer running much faster. With the few upgrades and troubleshooting methods mentioned above, you may even find your laptop performs faster than it did out of the box.

 

http://www.uk-online.co.uk/news

Advantages and Disadvantages of a Tablet vs. a Laptop

Tablets have been around for a number of years, but only in recent years have they become a viable replacement for a laptop computer. With the release of the iPad and similar competing models, many users are ditching their laptops in favor of the portability and simplicity of a tablet. But what are the advantages and disadvantages of making the switch? Let us take a look at some of the most important tradeoffs.

Portability

The main benefit of tablets is their portability. Compared to a laptop, which may weigh from 4 to even a hefty 12 pounds, a typical tablet weighs around 1.5 to 3 pounds, depending on the model. This is a significant savings in weight, especially for a frequent traveler. The slim profile and lack of a keyboard also makes most tablets much more compact and easier to use in tight spaces, like an airplane seat.

Keyboard and Mouse

Tablets generally lack a keyboard and mouse. Depending on user preference, this can be a blessing or a curse. Models such as the iPad and Android tablets are designed with a touch-screen interface in mind, so a lack of a mouse is not a huge problem, but Windows tablets sometimes suffer, as the interface was initially designed with smaller icons and elements that don’t always translate well to a touch-screen device. Users can usually add a mouse and keyboard to a Windows tablet, but this adds extra bulk, negating some of the advantage of portability.

Hardware and Connectivity

Laptops have an advantage in that they usually offer more storage and devices such as a CD/DVD burner built right in. Many tablets, such as the iPad, don’t have any easy way to connect or use many external devices. Windows tablets usually offer more connectivity, allowing users to connect external devices, but this comes at the cost of more bulk, which might make a laptop a more efficient choice.

Summary

Overall, the choice between a laptop and a tablet has a lot to do with user preference and the aspects that are most important. Those who prefer a more streamlined interface and want extra portability should probably choose a tablet. Those who find tablet interfaces to be too simplistic, or need a physical keyboard and other devices, such as an optical drive, should probably choose a laptop.

 

http://www.uk-online.co.uk/news