MacBook power adapter...

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Flavio Matani - 29 Feb 2008 10:40 GMT

.. this is an old perennial, the issue of very thin cables fraying and
eventually splitting and shorting where the lead joins the body of the,
in this case, MacBook power adapter. It's happened to me now -and I find
it is a very common occurrence, see for instance the comments in the
Apple Store page for this item..
<http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObjects/ukstore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=37163A
AD&fnode=home/shop_mac/mac_accessories/power&nplm=MA538>

I've looked for a third party -there seems to exist one, but it ends up
costing within a couple of pounds of the Apple one and does not look any
different, so it probably has the same weakness. Does anybody know any
different/ know of a third party one?

If I weren't so rubbish at those things I'd try and solder the lead, but
I know there are things I should not attempt.... :P

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flavio matani
guitar tuition
homepage.mac.com/flavio_matani/guitar/
www.livejournal.com/users/flavius_m/

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Danny Thompson - 29 Feb 2008 11:10 GMT

On 29 Feb, 10:40, flavio_mataniTAKETHISBIT...@mac.com (Flavio Matani)
wrote:

> I've looked for a third party -there seems to exist one, but it ends up
> costing within a couple of pounds of the Apple one and does not look any
> different, so it probably has the same weakness. Does anybody know any
> different/ know of a third party one?

Had to buy another power adaptor for a PB G4 17" a couple of months
ago. The third in four years.

I did research third-party ones, but like you found that the savings
weren't great, and that there were potential problems with them not
supplying enough power to charge and run the laptop at the same time.

If I'd had the time I'd consider the Sale of Goods Act route. But I
ended up just paying for a new Apple one.

Danny

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Flavio Matani - 29 Feb 2008 15:02 GMT

> On 29 Feb, 10:40, flavio_mataniTAKETHISBIT...@mac.com (Flavio Matani)
> wrote:
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
> If I'd had the time I'd consider the Sale of Goods Act route. But I
> ended up just paying for a new Apple one.

You might still want to. I went to the Apple Store in Regent Street and
was advised to book time at the Genius Bar (which, apparently, you can
do online -except that 'all the slots available have been filled' or
some such- as this was a known problem with the first MacBook, etc.
Don't know about the situation with pbokos, but since the adapter is
essentially the same, it might be worth your while to give them a little
bit of hassle over this.

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flavio matani
guitar tuition
homepage.mac.com/flavio_matani/guitar/
www.livejournal.com/users/flavius_m/

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Ian McCall - 29 Feb 2008 23:02 GMT

> I went to the Apple Store in Regent Street and
> was advised to book time at the Genius Bar (which, apparently, you can
> do online -except that 'all the slots available have been filled' or
> some such- as this was a known problem with the first MacBook, etc.

I've had this from them before - I've always refused. If I have been
supplied faulty goods for my cash, I will not be faffing about with
some Genius Store idea. I shall be returning them and getting my money
back as per every other case on earth. They're a shop, not a temple.

The Genius Bar really, -really- annoys me. As an idea for getting
technical help it's fine, but as a conduit for faulty goods it is
simply not the right way.

Cheers,
Ian

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Andrew Stephenson - 29 Feb 2008 13:47 GMT

> .. this is an old perennial, the issue of very thin cables fraying and
> eventually splitting and shorting where the lead joins the body of the,
> in this case, MacBook power adapter. [...]

It's strange that They cannot get this right, when a reasonable
solution was discovered decades ago, in the form of wire strain
relievers. The wire doesn't merely erupt from the main box via
a grommet, the grommet forms a tube whose flexibility increases
as one moves away from the box. This is achieved in many ways,
commonly by thinning the tube wall, or by moulding in points to
let it flex. It's not even Rocket (ie, steam engines) science.
Of course, having a cable of decent construction also helps.

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Andrew Stephenson

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Mac Forum / Country Specific / UK Mac Group / February 2008

MacBook power adapter...