Need >=15V@3A RA & Straight plugs and panel & inline sockets - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: i336_
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 11, 2013, 12:23:59 pm
content: Hi allA few months ago my laptop's power socket conked out, only working if I wiggled the plug a certain way. After resoldering it I decided that if it ever happened again I would replace the socket if I could. Aaand... it finally failed again. So, time to fix it - and PROPERLY this time!After getting very confused by some photos I'd taken of the board first time around and thinking the power socket had 5 pinsI was greatly relieved to find that not only did it only have three pins (the other two were solder pads for an unfitted SMD cap)... the laptop's power input system doesn't actually use the socket's 3rd/switch pin - it detects the presence of electricity electricallyand I can thus connect more than one socket in parallel - so I'm hoping to put one on the back (for when I'm eg on a table), and one on the side (for when I have it on my lap), as a balance between strain and inconvenience (since the side socket *might* get in the way of the PCMCIA slots, and thus my PCMCIA/USB 2.0 card).I also thought it'd be cool to switch to a right-angled power input plug so I could completely eliminate the original issue - lifting the laptop makes the plug/cable, which connects at the back (but of course...) slowly lever the socket off the motherboard. That said, I love Japanese hardware (at least in this case): it took 14 years for the original solder connection to fail (but the second failure only occured about 9-12 months later *blames self/soldering iron/skills*).So I set about finding a panel-mount socket, a right-angled plug and line socket for the extension cable, all in the Toshiba's original 6.3mmOD/3.0mmID. That was this morning, at about ~10AM. It's now ~10PM (although admittedly I gave up a couple of hours ago).Basically, I can find perfect factory-replacement Toshiba-compatiblepremade (!) R/A plug cableson eBay, and I've found apanel-mount socketonline too... but the line sockets simply do not exist, and as far as heatshrinking that panel-mount one onto a cable is concerned... I reckon it would have sufficiant substance to it to annoyingly get in the way when I don't want it to, stub my feet on (especially early in the morning), and even perhaps knock someone out with, if swung/grabbed accidentally... so I'dprefernot to go there.So I gave up, tossed the original diameter specifications out the window, and have been in a a bad case oftrying to find explicitly 15V@3A-or-better rated plugs/sockets/cables - particularly with the RA adaptor/cable; after remembering how easily those DIY/hobby RA plugs come apart from long ago, I certainly don't want to be using one ofthoseto deliver 15V at 3A toanything, even if I did find one rated highly enough: I'd far prefer to get a premade cable with a RA plug on it, or get a right-angle plug adaptor. But while I can find various RA-plug-terminated cables on eBay none of the listings I saw provided explicit current ratingsand I haven't eventriedto find RA plug adaptors (mostly because it's now 10:25PM).So...I have no idea where to go from here. I usually go a bit dazed/loopy in the head when important hardware goes kaput like this (you could probably have cut, diced, packaged and shipped the tension in the room - and fed a small country - when I was troubleshooting/fixing my broken PDA (an MC218) after its plastic chassis practically dissolved...) so I'm probably just still getting over it (it started playing up yesterday afternoon), although I do think I'm in over my head here (in terms of ordering parts...I never knew it could be this hard!!1), although thinking about it, it's just that I haven't been able to find a line socket or diameter-compatible RA plug adaptor that's got me stumped at this point.Links / pointers (not the hexadecimal kind though!) / advice much appreciated!!-i336_

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 11, 2013, 01:05:41 pm
content: Lenovo's laptops have free-floating sockets in the body, connected to the mobo via a short lead (presumably to avoid the stress you describe), andsome of them look suitable for your purpose.

author: i336_
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 12, 2013, 12:30:30 pm
content: I see. That looks interesting, and I actually came across those on my search.The listing for that particular item states however that the inner diameter is 2.5mm and I need 3.0mm (and it doesn't even mention any outer diameter!), so I can't confidently say that would workA couple of days of doing other things has reassured my nerves somewhatand I've been thinking of cutting (yes...) the cable on my laptop's PSU, inserting a generic plug+line socket inline, then wiring a second identical line socket to one of those RA cables on eBay. That would work, and I think that's probably the least amount of hassle.So, new question, and much simpler this time-where on earth can I find a specifically 15V/3A-rated matched line plug and socket - any diameter?All these tech companies' fancy parametric search systems are nice and all, but not if the databases don't list the parameters I want in the first place... lol. I'm not really at the point where I can say "eh, that looks big enough" from practical experience.Thanks again in advance.-i336