Laptops can be temperamental machines. One day they are fine, the next, they are making an unusual noise or being especially slow. This is practical in a way, as it is letting you know in advance that some laptop repairs will be needed; if a screen is about to break, it is easy to tell. The power supply, however, is not this kind. There is no warning; you know it has stopped working simply because you have no power, and no power demotes a laptop to a mere metal box. Although chargers and adaptor cables are easily replaceable laptop parts, there are ways to prolong the well being of your power cables.
The most common affliction of laptop power cables everywhere is trauma, namely taking a beating. We are guilty of pulling them harder than need be, or leaving them exposed for people to trip over and yank out of the laptop port. If treated with more care, laptop adaptors will last a lot, lot longer.
Heat can irreversibly damage adaptors. Use a laptop for any prolonged period of time and you will notice just how much the adaptors heat up. Just like the battery, this is expected, but only to a certain degree. Being enclosed in an area where heat cannot escape can make the process even worse. Always make sure that the laptop power cables are well ventilated when in use and also be sure keep them well away from heat sources when storing them.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 3:53 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed.