Laptop charger dead

[Tbag]

Yesterday my laptop battery was low so I tried to charge it only to find out the charger stopped working and the green light was not on. I changed the fuse but that didnt help.

Today i took it to a local computer shop who confirmed it had died even though it wasnt that old but did get really hot at times, they then tried a universal charger on the laptop and it started to charge up. I phoned my closest Sony Center only to find out the genuine charger costs £100.

I phoned a few computer shops to see who had the best prices but I got mixed answers from them about compatability problems, half the shops said that a universal charger will work fine and it doesnt matter how many volts it needs because it will pick it up (mine is 19.5V) and the other half said only a genuine sony charger will work for vaio's and the universal chargers will definetly not (even though it did work at the shop where I took it )

any ideas? do i buy the one at the shop where i took it or will that harm it?

Sony Vaio AR61M
charger VGP-AC19V20

[SLK001]

If the voltage output is the voltage required by the computer at the required current, then any generic charger will work. The charging intelligence is in the battery so the charger doesn't need it.

The ones saying that only "geniune" Sony parts will work are full of shit. Either they are lying to you or they are too stupid to know any better.

[Tbag]

If the voltage output is the voltage required by the computer at the required current, then any generic charger will work. The charging intelligence is in the battery so the charger doesn't need it.

The ones saying that only "geniune" Sony parts will work are full of shit. Either they are lying to you or they are too stupid to know any better.

So basically yes then?

I found it wierd that they said non sony chargers will not work even though it did when I took it to the shop.

[cd090580]

Universal laptop power supplies are all fine if the required voltage (often selectable with microswitches) and current are met.

A higher output current is not a problem, a lower one yes.

Look at this one on amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ex-Pro-Universal-selectable-worldwide-Indication/dp/B001BAF9WM...9536722&sr=8-2

Only 19,97 £

Check if 4A output is enough (look at your old one).

[SLK001]

If the voltage output is the voltage required by the computer at the required current, then any generic charger will work. The charging intelligence is in the battery so the charger doesn't need it.

The ones saying that only "genuine" Sony parts will work are full of shit. Either they are lying to you or they are too stupid to know any better.

So basically yes then?

I found it wierd that they said non sony chargers will not work even though it did when I took it to the shop.

Uhhh, yes.

Check eBay for adapters. MOST that you will find are generic copies of the original. They will all work at substantially less dollars, euros, pounds than the genuine article.

[Tbag]

Universal laptop power supplies are all fine if the required voltage (often selectable with microswitches) and current are met.

A higher output current is not a problem, a lower one yes.

Look at this one on amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ex-Pro-Universal-selectable-worldwide-Indication/dp/B001BAF9WM...9536722&sr=8-2

Only 19,97 £

Check if 4A output is enough (look at your old one).

My old one reads:

INPUT: 100-240V 1.3A 50-60Hz
OUTPUT: 19.5V --- 3.9A

[Tbag]

The shop where I took it tried one and said its charging, I didnt see it because they took my laptop/charger in the back but they did say its charging and the shop it pretty trustworthy. They said its just a basic charger at £35.

I dont mind paying £35 at all but I just need to know it will not harm the laptop or battery in any way.

[JohnnyMalaria]

BTW, bear in mind that it is important to check the output of a power supply while it is providing current. i.e., measuring the voltage across the output with a multimeter by themselves won't tell you if the power supply is able to produce the current. A damaged power supply may seem to be generating the right voltage but as soon as it is connected to a load, the voltage will drop markedly.

The green light can also be misleading - many only come on when actively powering something as opposed to being plug into your mains.

[edDV]

"OUTPUT: 19.5V --- 3.9A"

3.9A is high for 19.5V. That requires a beefy supply.

My old Vaio wants 19.5V @ 2.15A. The newer Compaq uses 3.5A.

Last Black Friday I scored a Kensington Universal Laptop Supply for only $24.95 from Fry's.com. Its voltage switchable and handles 4.7A @ 19.5V. It works fine and runs cooler than the others but it is larger in size. The Compaq/HP supply runs very hot during 100% CPU encoding.

Its similar to this one but without the USB jack.
http://shop4.frys.com/product/5530900?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

[Tbag]

I just noticed my Sony charger reads OUPUT 19.5V 3.9A but on the Sony Style site it shows the battery for my model and says OUTPUT 19.5V 6.2A

Could this be the reason it died and used to get very hot at times?

[SLK001]

I just noticed my Sony charger reads OUPUT 19.5V 3.9A but on the Sony Style site it shows the battery for my model and says OUTPUT 19.5V 6.2A

Could this be the reason it died and used to get very hot at times?

Probably not. An adapter will generally not put out much more than its rated current. Also, if your computer required more current than your adapter could provide, you would most likely see a dramatic system shut-off.

Batteries are not generally rated by their output currents, but by their WATT-HOURS (or milliWATT-HOURS) at their nominal voltage.

My laptop has the power requirements on the back on the model label (19.3V, 6.3A) - maybe yours does too.

The charger was getting hot because it is poorly designed. A well designed switching power supply should have efficiencies > 85%.

[Tbag]

Its all getting a bit too technical for me im getting confused lol

Underneath it just say 19.5V and next to the charging port it says the same.

So whats the bottom line then? Any 19.5V charger will work or does the A got to match too?

[Number Six]

[quote="Tbag"]

My old one reads:

INPUT: 100-240V 1.3A 50-60Hz
OUTPUT: 19.5V --- 3.9A

You need to buy an adapter that has an output of exactly 19.5V DC - not higher or lower. The amperage must be equal to 3.9A or higher - but absolutely not lower. You also must match the polarity of the connector - they are usually center positive, but some of them are center negative. You should see a symbol that tells you this info on the label of the old adapter.

[Tbag]

I just found out ive been using the charger for the N series Vaio when mine is the AR series.

Like I said my charger is 19.5V 3.9A but on the Sony Style message board it has been confirmed that my charger is meant for the N series when mine should be 19.5V 6.2A

It looks like i've been using a lower amp and from some of the comments here its real bad right

It was a ex display laptop and that was the charger given to me.

So I have to find a universal which is goes UP TO 19.5V and NO LESS THAN 6.2A with the right connector... Its gonna be fun looking for that

[ahhaa]

There is a possibility that there is a fault in the battery as well, or that the power management software on the Vaio somehow isn't set correctly.

If you are using the machine as a desktop replacement (rarely on battery) and the battery isn't holding a charge, the charger will then be always on and very likely to overheat.

The shop sounds honest, don't let the discount mentality make a bigger deal of it than needs be. Ask them again now you know more.

Also- you could also recharge via an auto adapter from any 12v source, they are usually much cheaper.

[Number Six]

Quote:

"Like I said my charger is 19.5V 3.9A but on the Sony Style message board it has been confirmed that my charger is meant for the N series when mine should be 19.5V 6.2A

It looks like i've been using a lower amp and from some of the comments here its real bad right "



That is why your charger got very hot and burned out.

[ahhaa]

T- the amps measure how much current it can deliver; your old charger got hot because the battery was drawing its full 3.9 continuously. IF the battery setup was OK, it should have just taken longer to recharge, then shut down the chraging circuit- d'y'see?

[edDV]

Remember from high school physics that Voltage x Amps = Watts.

Or,
19.5v x 6.2A = 120.9 Watts

That is very high for a notebook. Most aftermarket seem to be 70-90W.

Here is a site for Sony aftermarket adapters.

The one at the bottom doesn't list "N" series.
http://www.laptopacadapter.com/sony/vaio.html

The label on the laptop bottom should give an exact model number.
The manual should list the exact power supply model number.

[JohnnyMalaria]

Don't assume that the value quoted on the battery indicate what the adapter rating should be. Batteries and adapters are different beasts and their ratings can be dramatically different.

e.g., my Dell laptop uses a 19.5V 4.62A adapter but an 11.1V 56Wh Li ion battery. If you measure the voltage from the adapter, it should read the quoted value. A battery, however, when charged will read higher than quoted.

An adapter comprises a bunch of electronics that has an upper current limits above which things will likely frazzle. A battery can dump its entire stored charge pretty much without a limit.

[SLK001]

You need to buy an adapter that has an output of exactly 19.5V DC - not higher or lower. The amperage must be equal to 3.9A or higher - but absolutely not lower.

Not exactly true. A 19.0 volt adapter will most likely work, as will a 24 volt adapter. However, as noted, the amperage must be very close to the original 3.9A. A lower amperage (within reason) will work 90% of the time. It is only on the off-chance that every high current device requires maximum current simultaneously that you will run into problems. My laptop supply is rated at 19.3V at 6.3A. Monitoring the current flow shows that the maximum current draw is about 5.2 amps (during startup). The normal nominal current draw fluctuates between 3.2 and 4.2 amps during operation.

You also must match the polarity of the connector - they are usually center positive, but some of them are center negative. You should see a symbol that tells you this info on the label of the old adapter.

True, but most are center positive. If you get a generic adapter for Sony, it will most likely be the same polarity. What you DO need to look at is the diameter of the outer barrel and inner pin to make sure that the replacement adapter actually fits your computer's power jack.

The AC adapter is just a "pre-regulator" for the real regulators on the computer's main motherboard. The highest voltage produced on the motherboard is maybe 15 volts for the battery charging circuit. The switching regulators will produce the actual required voltage with quite a large range of input voltages.

[Tbag]

This is the one i need
VGP AC19V16 for AR series
https://shop.sonystyle-europe.com/SonyStyle/catalog/setCurrentItem/(xcm=PCM_b2ccrmstandard&layout=15_114_61_121_115_1 19&citemarea=3E99583C304E7370E10000002BC29B8F&uiar ea=2&ctype=areaDetails&bc_search=acc&next=seeItem& z_accStore=z_accStore&carea=3E99583C304E7370E10000 002BC29B8F&order=&isHideActive=&citem=3E99583C304E 7370E10000002BC29B8F43FDC1EEA31A0059020000002BC29B 74)/.do

I found this in a shop near me for £30
PCGA AC19V9 for K series i think
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-PCGA-AC19V9-adapter-external/dp/tech-data/B0001J024Y/ref=...581710-6347460

The only difference that i can see is that the amps on the one i need is 6.2A but the £30 charger is 6.15A, I know it fits my laptop and the volts are same but just the amps are diff.

what you think? buy that or get a proper 19.5V 6.2A incase it damages my vaio?

[SLK001]

Go ahead and buy the one in the shop near you. Also, you won't damage your Vaio. At the worse, your system will just shut down (but this is unlikely). Your system will rarely (if ever) require the full current of the supply.