Don't be a cheapass - aka I'm a dumb-twat

[PseudoChef]

So about a month ago I'm sitting there using my laptop that's just over a year old (important to note warranty is henceforth invalid) when my screen fades, warning me that it has now switched to battery power. Now, since I suck at life, my battery has been "dead" for awhile already (a component not covered on the warranty, because apparently the manufacturer knows they produce shit hardware). Dead in the sense is will charge but only be good for about 20 minutes or so.

So I check out the power supply - switch to another outlet and it works again - I figure my outlet just shorted or something crazy weird going on in that sense. A day or so later same thing happens. I find a friend with a similar laptop and use that power supply and everything works fine again. Ok, so I order a new power supply myself. Me, being a cheapass buy a universal one off ebay. Get it home, plug it in - works for all about 15 seconds before the same story starts again. What the fuck.

Now I figure it's the DC jack has gotten loose (same thing happened with a previous laptop of mine). So, being an engineer, I take the fucker apart and check out the connections - everything seems legit, no loose solder.

I'm stumped here, so I take it in to a private laptop repair (not about to let some 16 year old at CC rip apart my computer). Just got the call now - "it's just the power supply, nothing wrong with the jack." So had I not been a cheapass and bought the power supply from the manufacturer in the first place, I would have saved myself time (I need this for work) and money (since I have to pay the diagnostic/labor fee for them taking apart my computer). Fuck me.

[Lerxst]

What do ya have? I might have a spare at work....

[Ó Flannagáin]

Cheapass!

That might have been what happened to my last laptop. I didn't even think about it and went out and bought the cheapest laptop they had bestbuy and ripped my old one's harddrive out.

[PseudoChef]

It's an HP dv6000.

[Shenanigans]

I hear ya dude.........I would have taken the cheapest route also. Sure this time it wasn't the best option, but it saves me money a lot of the time





Prost!! to cheapasses!

[Lerxst]

sorry...no dice.

[PseudoChef]

sorry...no dice.

No prob. The guy who's "repairing" mine is selling me a brand new one for $15 less than retail, so it's not all bad.

[Lerxst]

Not a bad deal. Sounds like you're good to go!

[Evan!]

I hate the BS they pull with power supplies. Even within the same make, they differ. My work lappy is a Dell Precision M90, a fuckin workhorse of a beast. It's got the same power jack on the back as every other Dell lappy...but if I try to plug in a power supply from another Dell, it will give me power but won't charge my battery. Dumb shit.

PC, I don't blame you for trying to be cheap---I mean, given what they try to charge for replacement parts from the manufacturer, I'd say a new power would cost an arm and a leg.