[PLUG] Laptop Repair: Gateway NV53A74u Power Connector

[Keith Lofstrom]

On Fri, Sep 07, 2012 at 04:53:47PM -0700, Chaz Sliger wrote:
> I did get it open enough to see that the molded brackets holding the jack
> had broken allowing the jack to slide back into the case when attempting to
> insert the power plug.  I wedged some paper behind the jack to prevent it
> from retreating but still no power.
> 
> I believe that the jack has probably broken one of its power leads and needs
> to be re-soldered.

That is likely the problem, I've seen a few laptops fail that
way.  I use docking stations around the house and office, so
I don't wear out the power and ethernet jacks.  

I don't know whether Gateway puts hardware manuals online 
anywhere - one of the advantages of IBM and Lenovo Thinkpads
is that the manuals are (or at least were) available.  If worst
comes to shove, you might learn how the IBMs come apart and do
the same for your Gateway (hint - keep very careful track of
the parts!).  Laptops are held together with about a zillion
screws, so it takes a while to disassemble and reassemble
(assuming you carefully keep track of each part).  That
suggests that a repair outfit will charge a lot to do so.
To get at it, you will probably remove the keyboard first
(screws on the bottom) then the top bezel that surrounds it. 
Sometimes the power connectors are buried pretty deeply,
sometimes they are accessable with just the bezel removed.

I've used acsparts.com for replacement parts, but they are 
offline right now.  A web search reveals this $29 "refurb"
(ha!) part:  

DC-IN CABLE-65W Part #: 50.WJ802.010

http://www.partstore.com/Part/Gateway/Gateway/NV53A74U/Gateway/Gateway/50WJ802010/Refurbished.aspx

And from the part number, here's the part on eBay for $6.34:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-GATEWAY-50-WJ802-010-NV53-NV59-AC-DC-IN-POWER-JACK-CABLE-HARNESS-WIRE-CJ50-/110692593697

That looks like the right cable - and you are in luck, because
you aren't replacing a whole board.  That ebay part ships from
New York.  It is cheaper direct from China, but add another week
for shipping.  Things are more complicated if you also broke
some case plastic.  

If you are ambitious, and with some hints from Thinkpad and HP
hardware maintenance manuals, you might be able to figure out
how to fix your laptop for $6+ and a lot of careful work. 
Since this failure is quite common, I suggest you buy TWO cables
and keep a spare around.  That might also be a good idea if you
take the laptop to a repair shop - they may still charge an arm
and a leg to fix your laptop, but you will have the part they
need to do so, saving some time and avoiding a refurb part.

Good luck.  I like fixing my own hardware, but that isn't for
everyone.  You don't own laptops, you borrow them from the
repair shop, so it is wise to develop a good relationship
with whoever repairs it for you.

Keith

-- 
Keith Lofstrom          keithl at keithl.com         Voice (503)-520-1993
KLIC --- Keith Lofstrom Integrated Circuits --- "Your Ideas in Silicon"
Design Contracting in Bipolar and CMOS - Analog, Digital, and Scan ICs