Can a Notebook AC Adapter (power brick) go bad?

[ArchStudent]

I am just curious about this problem. I noticed that the laptop lcd sometimes starts to fade to white, or when powering on the laptop the lcd is completely white. This is usually fixed by powering it off and then powering it back on, and sometime it takes a couple of tries.

Now this is the really weird part! I had a spare AC adapter that is identical to the one currently being used, and when I switched the two I am not getting any problems thus far *knocks on table*. I have also tried this trick with another identical laptop, and had similar experiences.


Could a bad or faulty AC adapter (power brick) be the culprit? If that is a yes. what could be causing the issue in the AC adapter? Should I just grab a Targus Universal Travel adapter instead of trying to fix it?

Much thanks peeps

 

[Ravenit]

Weird. Either you get power or no power with a power adapter.
Maybe you have a shorted diode in your brick, thus not giving you a true DC voltage.
But this probably would stuff your battery quick.
If another ac adapter works just go that way.
May cost you more in the long run if you dont fix it now.

 

[ArchStudent]

Originally posted by: Ravenit
Weird. Either you get power or no power with a power adapter.

Yeah I was figuring that as well.

Maybe you have a shorted diode in your brick, thus not giving you a true DC voltage. But this probably would stuff your battery quick.

you could be correct about that, and for now I think that I'll go and get a replacement targus travel ac adapter

thanks for the response

 

[4dm]

It seems very unlikely that a bad powerbrick is the culprit. The laptop electrical system has circuitry that senses when the power fluctuates, or is outside of the normal range, and then switches power to the battery. Not sure if you have the tools, but any multimeter will have the functionality to test the output of the powerbrick. Set the multimeter to read DC voltages less than 12v, put the black lead on one of the contacts, and the red lead on the other while the powerbrick is plugged only in to the wall. If the voltage fluctuates, there is definitely something wrong with the powerbrick.

What it sounds like to me though, is that you have an open circuit (break in the wire) on the ground cable that runs from your graphics card to your display (will be located inside the computer). This improper grounding would cause the symptoms you are describing.

 

[ArchStudent]

Originally posted by: 4dm
What it sounds like to me though, is that you have an open circuit (break in the wire) on the ground cable that runs from your graphics card to your display (will be located inside the computer). This improper grounding would cause the symptoms you are describing.

thanks for the info