Dog got at my laptop power cable - could it damage my laptop?

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I am very ticked off at myself right now. I wasn't watching closely enough and my puppy got at my laptop's power supply cable :( Of course, it had to be the bit that's not easily replaceable and right at the base of it, too, where I can't repair it.

If I bend it around, it causes sparks (which I assume is because it's closing a circuit that shouldn't be closed). As long as I have it sitting still on my desk, it doesn't do any of this.

I'm obviously going to have to crap out some money that I don't have to buy a new power adapter. Question is: is using this going to cause any damage to my laptop in the mean time while I wait for my new one to arrive?
 
I wouldn't think that should cause damage, honestly. With a laptop the power supply is less critical, it really just sort of supports the battery. All you'll get is the battery might not charge fully or take longer to charge, depending on how bad the damage is.

To be safe, get a new power supply brick whenever you can. And keep the new one away from the dog. :p
 
^ Yeah, I plan to make some calls tomorrow to the local computer shops. I need a new one ASAP.

I wouldn't think that should cause damage, honestly. With a laptop the power supply is less critical, it really just sort of supports the battery.
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What about when the battery is not connected? Since my laptop is on my desk most of the time, the battery is usually sitting on the shelf as it preserves overall lifetime. For now, though, I have connected, just in case.

BTW, thanks for the quick reply, I really appreciate it.
 
In that case, I would recommend you keep the battery charged and use it just until you get a new brick. Direct power into the laptop with a broken lead could cause some damage to other components, they're designed for a certain power, when they don't get the exact power it causes problems.
 
The dog is alright though, yes?

Also, I'd just be safe, get new cables and not use old ones till then.
 
is the bite before or after the transformer?

EDIT: lol i wasn't too clear there, is the bite in between the transformer and the laptop or is it in between the transformer and the wall plug?
 
The dog is alright though, yes?
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Yup.

Also, I'd just be safe, get new cables and not use old ones till then.
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I'm not sure what you mean.

is the bite before or after the transformer?

EDIT: lol i wasn't too clear there, is the bite in between the transformer and the laptop or is it in between the transformer and the wall plug?
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No, you were clear enough. I understood what you meant, anyway. It's after the transformer, otherwise, this would be no big deal.

The area circled in blue is where there are a couple of bite marks in the cable.

http://pic.armedcats.net/2007/12/13/laptoppsudamaged.png

It's one of these deals:

http://pic.armedcats.net/2007/12/13/laptoppsu2.jpg
(ignore the electrical tape beneath it, that's something totally unrelated)

I'm not sure this cable is replaceable. Or am I mistaken? Will it just "unplug" if I pull it out? I tried yanking it a little bit, but I don't want to do any further damage.
 
you can fix any thing, how hard can i be?:p it seems like you have to get a new one ASAP
 
^ Er, I meant "easily" replaceable. Will that just pop out or is it hard-wired into the power brick or is it just a tight plug mechanism?
 
there's no definite answer to that considering all models are different, there's only one way to find out....:p
 
That end is hard wired into the brick. You should be able to fix it, but you might have to open it up to do it. I'd open it up, cut off the cable past the bites and re-solder it.

I wouldn't connect it at all to the computer if it has a short in the cable. You could really fry something, with the battery connected or not. The battery does not regulate the power coming in through the power jack. A separate circuit distributes the power to the computer and/or the battery as needed. At best you could fry that circuitry. Worse, the motherboard or something like that. Worst, you could short the battery and cause it to explode. Plugging in a bad power cable? Bad idea. Period.

There's a chance nothing would happen if you used the brick but personally I wouldn't chance it.
 
Yeah if you are seeing shorts I would put the brick away and order a new one.
They expect the power for the most part to be regulated before entering the laptop circuitry (the reason why they have a brick in the first place) and causing shorts and etc can not mean good things. If you can tape up the wires (the exposed one individually) , you can repair it for a short term fix.

You can fix it, but, again your going to need to cut the wire and shorten it and do a lot of work. It might be cheaper (as in time wasted) to buy a new brick.Since the pic you posted looks like an older dell you can find a bunch of them on Ebay and etc for decent prices.

Also, its not a transformer as its not stepping up or down AC, but its converting AC to DC and providing a constant amount of power.
 
^ No, actually both of the pictures are from my relatively new HP. I need to get one ASAP because I can't work without laptop :(

I'll try to repair it. I've done things like this before (soldering up busted wires and chords). It would be easier if I could open up the brick, but it appears that the manufacturer has never heard of "screws"....
 
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epp_b said:
^ No, actually both of the pictures are from my relatively new HP. I need to get one ASAP because I can't work without laptop :(
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I thought that power adapter looked very similar to mine. I have a HP laptop as well, and your power cable is EXACTLY the same as mine, :lol:.

Man that's gotta suck, you can get a new adapter here. But in the meantime, I'd try not to use the adapter with the laptop, just to be on the safe side.
 
Yeah, I know where to find 'em. Thanks.

I just need one sooner than later :'(

EDIT: I peeled away a bit of the cable encasing and It appears that the cable consists of an inner cable encasing one wire (- or +, I don't know, but if it "obeys" the specification of the plug, the inner cable should be +) with the outer wire coiled around it. The inner wire isn't chewed at all, so I'm thinking it should be safe just to fix up the bit of fraying of the outer wire and wrap it up with electrical tape. Does that sound right?

I just need something to use in the mean time while I wait for a new one to be shipped.

EDIT 2: Nope, I was wrong. The inner cable does have one bite mark in it. So, I'll tape that up to make sure the two wires are separated and then it should be good, just for now.
 
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Alright, so I taped up the bite hole on the inner cable with a couple of layers, recoiled the outer cable around it and taped that back up. It's looks shoddy, but I think it will hold for a while, at least until I get it properly repaired or replaced.
 
As long as you've isolated the short, you should be OK until you can replace/repair it.
 
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