So. I feel like the Neistat brothers now. Facts, listed in roughly chronological order (poor attempts at humor exempted):
My 14-months old PowerBook 65W AC Adapter broke down.
For months before, I’ve had to sometimes twist the connector a few turns when it’s already in (it’s round) in order to light up the LED on it that signals charging.
Approaching this date, more and more of the aforementioned twisting has been necessary.
90 minutes ago, I inserted the connector, twisted back and forth and the charging LED did not light up, nor did the battery indicator in the status bar (right end of the menu bar) change.
I tried with several other plugs for the AC adapter – the “with a cord” version that also came with the PowerBook and the two simple plugs that came with the household’s AirPort Express and my own iPod (all of Apple’s products use AC adapters that take these plugs).
I looked at the connector and the circled metal rim seemed to have parted at the place of the crack (the rim is not one solid, closed piece, but rather what looks to be one sheet that’s been folded to a cylinder form).
I tried to carefully pry the piece back together, into itself, so to speak.
I measured voltage – it did not say 24.5V as the adapter did. What it said was 0, give or take rounding errors.
I drove down to the local 90%-of-our-stores-are-filled-with-PCs-5%-with-cell-phones-3%-with-cameras-and-yet-we-dedicate-half-our-brochures-to-Mac-deals store (you know the kind). To my surprise, they carried five AC adapters.
Also to my surprise, they cost $97.
Furthermore to my surprise, even though they did, to their credit, carry both the simple plug and the “longer-with-cord” plug and a cap for the connector, the AC adapter itself was not, you know, gold-plated.
I am not the most casual user in the world, but an AC adapter should not break after a mere 14 months, even of heavy usage, especially not when they separately resell for $97.
The new AC adapter did not show any need for ‘twisting’ – it just plugged right in.
3rd-grade mathematics says I’ll be having oatmeal the rest of the month.
I’ve only had to replace one apple power supply, and that was the one that shipped with my iBook G4, and that was because I trod on the cord causing it to rip out bending the centre pin (which then broke when I straightened it).
Consequently the replacement cable has… well, the shiedling as it immediately comes out of the hard plastic at the laptop end has seperated. However, since then that iBook died (they really don’t like being thrown at the ground repeatedly… funny that) and the PowerBook came with a power supply, so it’s just been a bonus having one for my room, the lounge and work (at work I use one that shipped with an early white G3 iBook).
By Patrick · 2006.02.18 12:41