Fix your sparking Powerbook adaptor

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By jonahbc
Posted 2008/03/14 @ 6:21 am
Category Computers & Mobile

I used to have an old Powerbook before I upgraded to a MacBook and this problem happened to me continuously. My power adaptor was constantly fraying to the point where I had to buy a new one every 3 months. This hack shows you how to repair your old adapter to stop this from happening forever. Plus you get to see what’s really inside those over-designed white cubes.

Repairing a Powerbook G4 45x AC Adapter – Link

In the Maker Shed

Cube 3D Printer

BeagleBoard BeagleBone Black

Calculator Kit from Spikenzie Labs

MAKE Rovera 4WD Arduino Robot Kit

6 Responses to Fix your sparking Powerbook adaptor

Capitan Obvious on March 14th, 2008 at 7:08 am said:

Really? This is a Make?

Cut a wire, strip it, and put it back in the box?

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follower on March 14th, 2008 at 7:50 am said:

A tip I’ve used to get some longevity from the adapters and avoid the cable getting fatigued where it enters the case:

Make a loose “U” out of the cable starting where it enters the case and then tape the other side of the U onto the adapter. This prevents most of the movement that causes the fatigue/fraying.

It doesn’t look pretty but is cheaper than a new adapter–but it’s preventative not healing.

–Phil.

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computerwiz_222 on March 14th, 2008 at 8:37 am said:

lol – this is not a MAKE

also, LOOK AT HIS POWER CORD! It looks like he was using it to jump rope or something. The reason this happened is because he failed to take care of his product, not poor engineering…

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undecided on March 14th, 2008 at 8:52 am said:

@computerwiz I think it’s a combination of poor flex/strain relief design and a poor usage model. Designers of consumer products rarely engineer accessories to perform as well or last as long as the main product. It is after all a form of extra revenue when the accessory needs to be replaced. Product reliability vs planned obsolescence…

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Lee Gibson on March 14th, 2008 at 9:47 pm said:

Overdesigned? Clearly, you’ve never seen the ridiculous wad o’ cable that’s made when you try to wrap both cables that come out of a Dell power supply around the power supply.

The mechanical design of the Apple adaptor is absolutely superb. The electrical design, and the ruggedness, well, they need some work.

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gear head on March 15th, 2008 at 11:05 am said:

@Lee Don’t confuse industrial design with mechanical design. Sure it looks good but if it doesn’t hold up to repeated use… like the ugly Dell PSU does ( and I agree it’s horrible) then it’s not very useful.

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