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m9750 -- Power Brick Issue

post #1 of 16
9/18/07 at 12:18pm
Thread Starter 
So my 9750 has been absolutely awesome so far. I've had it with me for a few of my four week shifts, and I'm about to return from one -- time for four more weeks of R&R =)

But I spotted a problem. Someone tripped over my cord and unplugged it. No big problem. But once I plugged it in, I noticed something I never saw before. The jacket to the cord on the end that is ATTACHED to the power brick (the end nearest the green light) is sliding back. It is still under the ribbed/thick outer jacket, but I am concerned now that the bare wiring is visible. There's no slack or excess jacket that I can spot on that side, though.

Is this normal? Or did that end possibly bend around too much? It's never been under stress... I know it didn't happen when my co-worker tripped over it -- the opposite end was the main side that took a jolt. The opposite side (the one in question) just felt a bit of a tug. The brick itself never even fell off the desk.

So what do ya'll think? Is it something rather normal to see on these bricks and I've been blind 'till now? Or should I look in to mailing this to Alienware for a trade-out/repair? I have bad memories of an alternate laptop I had ages ago (a Dell) that wore out near where it plugged in to the computer and it refused to charge. Having that happen during one of my four week shifts would be horribly inconvenient.

I'd like for it to not take long, but I'd probably be stuck waiting 2-3 weeks on something like this. Ugh.
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post #2 of 16
9/18/07 at 7:03pm
Hi,

I just had my power supply replaced on my Alienware M9750. Rang them as mine was making a funny clicking noise, they offered to replace and 3 days later I have a replacement psu.

I Didn't need to send the old one back either so now have one as an emergency spare.

Mine does not seem to slide back so I think if you were to report it as being dodgy they should offer to replace FOC .
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post #3 of 16
9/19/07 at 4:35am
For now, it would probably be ok if you left it alone but you could put some Goop or silicone over the exposed wires to prevent a short. That would also keep the electricity molecules from escaping causing your thought to turn into germs. :-)

dt
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post #4 of 16
9/19/07 at 5:01am
Thread Starter 
homme20 --
Howdy. So you just called them up and handled that? Wow, thought you'd have to mail it in... Having a spare *would* be pretty darn awesome.

dst --
What sort of "goop" do you recommend? =p It's right up against the brick itself, so I'm uneasy putting anything near there (fear of it frying something on the inside).

Thanks for the quick and helpful responses, guys.
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post #5 of 16
9/19/07 at 1:15pm
There is a product called, "Goop". It is like silicone (It might be silicone.) and it is marketed as glue. It can be applied thick for potentially good strain relieve which would be good for your application because it looks to me like inadequate strain relief is partly responsible for your problem. Goop is clear so that you can see what is going on with the joint. My only reservation with using Goop is the brick gets so hot but I think it would be ok. Also, Goop can be removed with a product called "Goo Gone".

dt
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post #6 of 16
9/19/07 at 1:29pm
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post #7 of 16
9/19/07 at 2:08pm
Thread Starter 
Awesome =O M'kay, I'll call them up once I get home. Hopefully your treatment wasn't out of the ordinary... I *am* under warranty, so... =D

Any recommendations on where to snag some Goop? Think local stores (ie: Lowe's, etc) would have it, or would I have to look in to possibly ordering?
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post #8 of 16
9/19/07 at 2:17pm
I think most USA hardware stores have Goop in there glue department. There are similar products with different names so if the hardware store you go to doesn't have it, ask if they have anything similar.

dt
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post #9 of 16
9/19/07 at 9:21pm
Hey guys, my power supply seems to make a loud noise, kinda like when those circular lights before they burn out. And when I unplug the power you can hear it wind down. Any suggestions? Other than that it runs fine
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post #10 of 16
9/20/07 at 5:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tate View Post
Hey guys, my power supply seems to make a loud noise, kinda like when those circular lights before they burn out. And when I unplug the power you can hear it wind down. Any suggestions? Other than that it runs fine
Sounds a bit like mine did. I can best describe the noise as like a hard disk clicking type noise coming from the block, but only once the power brick has warmed up. Maybe it's because it's such a large power brick, none of my older laptop ones seem to emit noises. As I said earlier I had mine replaced and the second one makes the same weird noises. We have a couple of hardware engineers where I work so when I get a chance i'm going to ask them if it's a bad thing...
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post #11 of 16
9/20/07 at 11:21am
I havent had any clicking noise or high pitch noises coming from my power block yet that is kinda weird tate
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post #12 of 16
9/20/07 at 11:38am
Yeah everything runs fine but just sounds weird. If I get some time I'll call AW and see what they say
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post #13 of 16
9/20/07 at 11:43am
sounds like a compacitor or resistor...
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post #14 of 16
9/21/07 at 7:16pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah it seems things are gonna be fine. I contacted Alienware and they said they'd send me a replacement. They're doing a security charge of $35 or so on my debit card for this, but I think I'll keep both bricks and just take the $35 hit =D No complaints.

I'll probably rig this up with some Goop. If they inquire, I'll say that I wanted to ride the part out until it fried. Shouldn't be a problem, right?
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post #15 of 16
9/21/07 at 8:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GeopAg View Post
Yeah it seems things are gonna be fine. I contacted Alienware and they said they'd send me a replacement. They're doing a security charge of $35 or so on my debit card for this, but I think I'll keep both bricks and just take the $35 hit =D No complaints. I'll probably rig this up with some Goop. If they inquire, I'll say that I wanted to ride the part out until it fried. Shouldn't be a problem, right?
As long as it doesn't catch fire and burn down your residence. I wouldn't trust it because they get very hot even when they are working well. As it is, you would be paying $35 for brick that is a potential fire hazzard. Why not ship the bad one back and chip in another $5 for them to send you another new one? dt
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post #16 of 16
9/22/07 at 2:13pm
Thread Starter 
Didn't think it'd be a fire hazard, just that it'd have a chance of shorting at some point =o Hm. Didn't know they'd let you buy an individual power brick. They're only $40?

Maybe I'll take you up on that. Thanks for the tip, bud
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