[Coop de Ville]

Hi All,

Maybe one of you could help me out. I have an Inspiron 1150 that I dropped the other night :frown: It landed on the power plug and the interior plug broke.

The computer seems to work fine, however, it won't charge (the interior plug is visibly moved...

I called Dell and their quoting me about $300 for a new motherboard... apparently the whole thing needs to be replaced.

Question: If it's just the plug piece, would it be worth trying to solder the connection? I really don't have $300 to drop right now.

Any thoughts?

Thanksss-Coop

 

[IndyGunFreak]

If you don't have the 300, and have a little know how with soldering, then sure, why not, what have you lost. Just don't fry the board beyond use while doing it.

IGF

 

[fastvfr]

Since it's already broke, in other words? Sure, I guess.

Just know that there are probably seven or eight layers to your laptop's MOBO...direct heat isn't going to be such a good idea.

I have an idea that you might want to invest in one of those cold-soldering pens on the marketplace and see if that'll get you by.

It might not even need resoldered, and you won't know if the housing for the jack just bent until something came disconnected. A quick twist with a pair of pliers might get you back up if the jack is still solidly attached.

And if a realignment gets it going again, a liberal blob of that JB Quick Weld ought to hold it there forever.

Good luck!

 

[Coop de Ville]

Thanks for the info. I'm going to take it apart and see what I have to work with.

Best -Coop

 

[kAr]

You may want to google your laptop model and 'disasembly.' Having replaced a motherboard in a Gateway Solo, the Gateway is loaded with screws in strange places and plastic clips. If you can find instructions on how to take it apart, it will potentially save you from breaking something expensive. (And it will help you not end up with spare parts when you get it all back together.) The power jack is likely soldered onto the board, and depending whether the traces on the board are damaged, you may have to do more than just resolder the connector. Used motherboard pulled from disasembled laptops can also be had off EBay for less than the price of a new one.

 

[HAVOC]

Dell has an online service manual for most of their systems.

 

[Hailstorm]

Ok, lots of screws.Take your time, mark the locations of the screws if they are different lengths. I would take it completely apart and then take it to a electronic shop to have it soldered. Thats if you feel you can't do it.

Rules of thumb. Don't force anything. It doesn't move, find the screw that is holding it. Becarefully of static. If you can keep your self grounded. Use only a fully heated soldering gun. Don't screw around if your going to do it yourself. Get the stuff in place then flux it up and touch the heat to it. Don't over heat the board. Don't scratch the board at all. Pathways can be destroyed very easy.

Good luck man.