Hi There,

I have a Toshiba Satellite 1200 notebook with a power socket problem. There is a problem with the socket where you plug in the power cord and as a result, I can't power it or charge the battery. My only hope until I get that fixed is to find a way to charge the battery away from the notebook. Now, is there a way to do so? The battery is dead now but it's fine and can hold a charge if I find a way to charge it.

Thank you so much in advance for your help.
Mack.

Mack, March 2006

You need to get the laptop repaired as charging a laptop battery is not easy without a proper charger. There are risks of it exploding if not charged properly and you would need a current limited variable power supply. Doing it this way could also reduce the life of the battery.
There are extra connections on laptop batteries to enable the battery to 'talk' to the charger to tell it what stage the charging is at. The battery monitors its internal voltages, currents and temperatures and tells the charger to increase or decrease the charge rate. Good luck in getting the laptop socket fixed. I have just fixed the socket on a friends HP Compaq and it took me 1.5 hours. If I were charging my friend at work rates, i would have charged £57 (£2 for the part, £55 for labour).

Dave, March 2006