Your Power Cord Only Works At Just the Right Angle: Now What?
We’ve all done the dance routine of trying to make a power cord work when it doesn’t want to. Sometimes you have to bend it at just the right angle. Sometimes you have to push it in just hard enough. Sometimes, it stops working for no reason at all and you don’t notice until you get the low battery warning.
No matter what strange ritual your computer cord is demanding, it’s better to fix it now than try harder and harder halfway solutions until it finally fails when you need it most. Try these four fixes:
1. Align it in the socket.
Just like the sockets in your home indicate, your charger’s plug has a larger prong and a smaller prong. Usually, it doesn’t matter which way you plug in a device. But sometimes it can make all the difference, especially if your prongs aren’t making a complete connection. Mark your charger so you always align the larger prong with the larger slot, and see if that creates a more consistent charge.
2. Put electric tape over those frays.
Charger cords see a lot of damage over their lifetimes. The ends get bent and twisted, the middle probably gets pinched and stepped on… Eventually, wires will start to fray or even pop out of the protective material. Cover the gaps with electrical tape. This material can stop tears in the rubber from growing and cover electrical wires. Use electrical tape specifically, never duct tape.
3. See if a new one solves the problem.
Wasting money on new supplies always seems like a cop-out. But if the problem is the charger, you have to get a new one. Even if the problem isn’t the charger, testing out a new one lets you cross potential problems off the list. Borrow one from someone who uses exactly the same cord as you do, or take it into an electronics store to see if they’ll let you test it out.
4. Take it in to see if the input jack is loose.
If it’s not the charger itself, it could be the input jack. Sometimes this internal part gets loosened or knocked to the side because it’s such a high-contact part. If your charger can’t make a good connection because the jack no longer lines up with the holes, it won’t charge. Luckily, this is something a shop can easily fix.
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