Hey everyone,

Been a whole long time since I posted, but I got a question.  I have just gotten a new AC Adapter for my laptop (Universal 70W Home Charger), and using the right limiter thingy for the power.  Well, for some reason the battery light turned red.  Upon investigating in the BIOS, it informed me that there was an Battery Overvoltage. It had a picture of the AC Adapter Plug and an X going through it, and it turned off the AC Adapter on its own.  However, im using the correct tip to be compatible with my notebook, so I'm wondering what that means and how to resolve it and get my battery to work again without it exploding.

Dane

Does the brick itself have a voltage/current/power adjuster? Usually with universal adaptors, it's not just the right connector, it's also the right voltage/current settings. Laptops usually have a label underneath with information about what voltage and current the mains lead can supply without causing trouble. It's usually accompanied by a symbol that's two horizontal lines, like a long =, but the bottom line is dashed. Either that, or one like this image.

Edit: In fact, not just laptops: any electric/electronic device has this info.

Nope.  The only directions on the AC Adapter were to install the correct tip, which I did.  However, even with the AC Adapter unplugged, the battery still says overvoltage.

did you ever see what happened with the old charger?
is this the first time it happens?

Yeah, this is the first time its happened.  The old charger had a tear in the wire and no longer functioned and a replacement was really really expensive so I opted for the Universal one that wasnt as expensive.  Everything else works fine but the battery.

On your old power adapter, does it have an Input and Output listing? Make sure that output matches the one set on the new one.

Example: My power adapter says
Input: AC 100-240V~1.5A(1,5A)
Output: DC 19.5V(19,5V) 3.34A(3,34A)

quote:

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Originally posted by Old Adapter

Input: 100 - 240V~ 1.6A (1.6A)  50-60Hz
Output: 19 V == 3.42A (3.42A)

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quote:

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Originally posted by New Adapter

Input: 100 - 230V~ 2A   50-60Hz
Output: 15 - 24V == 65W Max

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The newer adaptor runs at a higher current, and has a variable voltage. Both of these can cause problems. The new adaptor should have a voltage setting on it at least though. Since you're getting 'overvoltage' errors, you've probably got it set too high.

The voltage setting on most universal laptop power supplies is determined by the plug adapter being used.

I suspect there is no solution to this problem, other than returning the not-so-universal  power supply to the store and getting the more expensive proper replacement for your laptop.

You may want to check on eBay, too.

lol, theres no setting thing, the only thing I can actually change is the tip that the adapter uses and thats supposed to control the current flow or something like that.  I'm using the tip number it said for my laptop model, so idk.

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Originally posted by Kobol
Nope.  The only directions on the AC Adapter were to install the correct tip, which I did.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Kobol
However, even with the AC Adapter unplugged, the battery still says overvoltage.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Kobol
Yeah, this is the first time its happened.  The old charger had a tear in the wire and no longer functioned and a replacement was really really expensive so I opted for the Universal one that wasnt as expensive.  Everything else works fine but the battery.

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quote:

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Originally posted by RaceProUK

quote:

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Originally posted by Kobol

quote:

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Originally posted by Old Adapter

Input: 100 - 240V~ 1.6A (1.6A)  50-60Hz
Output: 19 V == 3.42A (3.42A)

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quote:

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Originally posted by New Adapter

Input: 100 - 230V~ 2A   50-60Hz
Output: 15 - 24V == 65W Max

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The newer adaptor runs at a higher current, and has a variable voltage. Both of these can cause problems.

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quote:

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Originally posted by RaceProUK
The new adaptor should have a voltage setting on it at least though. Since you're getting 'overvoltage' errors, you've probably got it set too high.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Adeptus
The voltage setting on most universal laptop power supplies is determined by the plug adapter being used.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Kobol
lol, theres no setting thing, the only thing I can actually change is the tip that the adapter uses and thats supposed to control the current flow or something like that.  I'm using the tip number it said for my laptop model, so idk.

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Hi,

quote:

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Originally posted by CookieRevised
quote:
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Originally posted by Adeptus
The voltage setting on most universal laptop power supplies is determined by the plug adapter being used.
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Absolutely not true. Plugs have got absolutely nothing todo with voltage settings... If they do, it would be a crappy adapter.

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quote:

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Originally posted by CookieRevised
Personally I never ever use so called "universal adapters".

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Just to clarify, I am using a "Targus 70W Universal Home Charger".  Tip #3 is the tip for my Gateway 6020GZ.

Adeptus, thanks for the clarifications. But I do have experience with adapters though. I use many adapters very regulary. I deal with people comming to me to power this or that, or "I have this at home, we can use it for that" and when I take my multimeter, it shows it is not the correct one afterall, or "I forgot my adapter, do you have anything" . All this is also a part of my job.

I was not talking about one particular brand, and certainly not about a type of adapter which is actually not easy to find. Most adapters are not of that kind. I was talking in general. I have a box full of adapters (left-overs from people forgetting theirs, or bad buys, etc) where I often need to grab one, because that group has again forgotten theirs at home and they need to power that device. And none of them are of the type you describe, also if I go to a store the type you descibre is seldom found (only in specialized stores; not in the common mutli shopping market).

And even when talking about that specific brand: plugs have got nothing todo with the supplied voltage or power! Even with that brand. There is no standarization for this kind of plugs and which power they should give. There are some vague guidelines and some useuall types which give the same outage, but again, no standarization at all. For each plug they have and say it give this or that voltage and power, I can show you devices with that same plug which needs a total different power/voltage.

The plugs do not determine what power and/or voltage it will give. For that type of adapter you describe this is exactly the same. It is not the kind of plug which determines it, it is the electronics inside the adapter itself (though, which in this case is build into a part of the plug as a whole).

Go to an electricity shop and confront them with "a plug determines what power it gives" and they will look at you with a face like "one day he's going to blow something up because he connects the wrong things".

Simply saying in one sentence "The voltage setting on most universal laptop power supplies is determined by the plug adapter being used." is completely wrong. If you said "for that particular brand", then it might be correct (and even then it isn't technically correct), but certainly not "most" or "all".

If people read what you've said and take it like that, they go to a hardware store saying I need an adapater with this kind of plug. The people at the hardware store will not be able to help him because the plug does not say anything about the needed power and voltage. Or they buy one themselfs and chances are high they will end up with the wrong adapter (and possibly damaging their device). It is this I want to warn about. If you want to buy an adapter you must primearly know what power and voltage it should be. What kind of plug it needs is actually of little importance as you can buy all kinds of plug converters (<= which also again shows that the type of plug says little about its power/voltage usage).

Cookie,

I think the problem is that you are talking about generic power adapters of all sorts, while I am talking about the more narrow category of power adapters specifically marketed for use with laptops.  You don't go to an "electricity store" to get one of those, you go to a computer store.

Kensington is not the only brand that works this way.  Targus (which Kobol stated earlier is what he has) uses the same method.  Which gets us back to the original point: there is nothing for Kobol to adjust manually.

Obviously, many of the tips will fit other devices.  You are not expected to take advantage of that when using this kind of a power adapter:  there are multiple tips available that appear identical, but are labeled differently and set the adapter to different voltages.  You are expected to look at the compatibility matrix and pick the one indicated for your notebook model -- not the first that fits.

Whether this design is clever or crappy, and whether it is common or not, are matters of opinion, your location, and whether you shop computer stores or electrical supply stores, I suppose.   

Anyway, what Kobol needs to do is get a different adapter -- preferably an exact replacement from Gateway, or get someone with some electronics skills to fix the damaged cord.

quote:

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Originally posted by Adeptus
...there are multiple tips available that appear identical, but are labeled differently and set the adapter to different voltages...

(...)

...not the first that fits.

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