[PLUG] Failure Mode in 20 volt Power Adapters

[wes]

On Wed, Jan 27, 2016 at 6:17 PM, John Jason Jordan <johnxj at comcast.net>
wrote:

> On Wed, 27 Jan 2016 17:17:20 -0800
> Dick Steffens <dick at dicksteffens.com> dijo:
>
> >On 01/27/2016 05:08 PM, wes wrote:
> >> the center pin is a "data" line, the computer uses it to identify
> >> the power adapter powering it. the computer may refuse to do things
> >> like run at full speed, or charge the battery, if it cannot verify
> >> that the power adapter is capable of handling that load.
> >>
> >> I think it's some sort of fire prevention scheme?
>
> >Interesting. Overload protection sounds logical.
>
> The power brick for my System76 laptop has four contacts. I have been
> told that the extra contacts are to communicate the charge level of the
> battery to the brick, lest it overcharge the battery. I'm not sure I
> buy that, but then, I'm not terribly clever with electrical circuits.


well your power brick is more like a small nuclear reactor so who knows
what sort of crazy magic tricks it can do?

-wes