[acorder]

Strange things have begun happening in the last two weeks. I have a PB G4 15" 1.5GHz. About two weeks ago I unceremoniously dropped the power adapter onto a tile floor. The only visible damage is that the two prongs which fold down (I don't have the extension cable) are now no longer in sync; i.e. they move independently of each other. This didn't seem to affect anything much, and the local Apple store told me I needed to buy a whole new adapter. I had hoped they might simply pull one of the little slide-on prong thingies out of a drawer somewhere.

Anyway, a few days later I noticed that my battery was not charging while plugged in. However, when I jostled the adapter at the outlet the charge light came on at the other end. Unfortunately it would only stay on and power the laptop/charge the battery if I held it with a little bit of pressure on either side, sort of angling it into the outlet. It made an audible electrical popping sound (like something you might hear when you put in a light bulb and it immediately pops and dies) when I pushed on it, after which power worked. It now does this all the time, and I can't charge my laptop without leaning something against the power adapter or holdin it in place myself. It's very touchy.

My brother sent me an extra one of those slide-on prongs, and I figured that would fix things. Nope. Doesn't seem to affect things at all.

So I'm not sure what's wrong; I've tried a dozen different outlets in four different buildings, so what could it be? Anybody have and/or dealt with this problem?

[ibook_steve]

Sounds like something broke loose in the fall. Unfortunately, a new adapter is probably your only (and safest) solution.

Steve

[charlespsu]

I would just get a new adapter for the known $65 fix. Otherwise, keep playing and you could fry something, catch fire, etc..etc.

[acorder]

Maybe I'm a fool, but I've resorted to using a rubber band lodged behind the top corner of the outlet cover plate and the other end pulling up on the cord running out of the back of the adapter. With a couple of tries it seems to maintain connection fine. Since the PB is old, scratched, and otherwise not a huge investment, I'm going to continue using it this way. My next course of action is to probably locate one of the extension cables that slides on the adapter and see if that helps. Just got to find one for sale on its own...

[romeosc]

Originally Posted by acorder 

Maybe I'm a fool, but I've resorted to using a rubber band lodged behind the top corner of the outlet cover plate and the other end pulling up on the cord running out of the back of the adapter. With a couple of tries it seems to maintain connection fine. Since the PB is old, scratched, and otherwise not a huge investment, I'm going to continue using it this way. My next course of action is to probably locate one of the extension cables that slides on the adapter and see if that helps. Just got to find one for sale on its own...

Try using a cheap extension cord.... the prongs are probably slightly bent out making it loose in wall outlet!

[acorder]

I've tried plugging it into a couple of different extension cords, but the problem persists. I'm going to see if my brother (the parts guru) happens to have one of the adapter extender cables lying around.

[Andy8]

Originally Posted by charlespsu 

I would just get a new adapter for the known $65 fix. Otherwise, keep playing and you could fry something, catch fire, etc..etc.

Exactly.

[acorder]

I'm aware of the potential for hazards. I've also been reminded. Twice. So, I'll post when I find the extended power cord.

Cheers.