Compaq laptop will not boot

[TJK915]

For the second time, I have a power issue with one of my laptops. For a while now, sometimes barely moving the power cord has caused the laptop to shutdown. The laptop has no battery installed, the battery appeared to have an internal short (was hot, did not hold charge). Now, the laptop does nothing when the power button is pressed. Voltage at the power jack on the brick is 19.3V (18.5V rated). Holding the power button down and wiggling the power cord does nothing.

Work done last time to resolve the issue (about 1-2 months ago):
-replaced dc jack on motherboard
-replaced power brick

My fear is that one of the solder points for the jack failed due to my inexperience with soldering. Any other thoughts or suggestions before I tear the laptop down again for inspection? Thanks in advance.

 

[Harvey]

I have two Compaq laptops, and the power connector from one is a BCH narrower than the other. I accidentally plugged the brick with the thinner connector into the other laptop, and it worked, but it was touchy, just as you describe.

I since learned that power bricks use two different standard diameters, 5.2 mm (0.2047") and 5.5 mm (0.2165"). That's not a lot, visually, but if the power connector feels loose in the socket, the problem may be that you need the wider plug.

 

[TJK915]

Thanks for the suggestion. From what I can tell, it is the correct size. There is a little play, but does not feel loose.

I also just noticed I probably should have posted this in the Computer Help forum. Should I re-post it there or does it get moved? Thanks

 

[TJK915]

FYI, if anyone is interested, re-soldering the solder points for the DC jack resolved the issue.