I'm having major issues with the power jack on my Satellite A75. Apparently, this is a common problem with this model (board gets so hot that it cracks the solder on the jack) along with overheating problems.

I've seen it suggested online to relocate the jack outside of the computer itself to alleviate this problem. Before I do something so drastic, I was wondering if any of the resident gurus had any other ideas?

8/21/2006 11:54:35 PM

i've got a Toshiba, and my drastic fix for mine is going to be the purchase of a shiny new IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad T60p

8/22/2006 9:26:35 AM

Your motherboard didn't get so hot it cracked the solder. I'm not sure that it's possible. Something would catch on fire unless their idea of solder is bubblegum. You moved it around too much with it plugged in and you hit the jack enough times that it broke. Sadly, this happend with most laptops. I've done it too. Have it resolder it or send it in for service. And next time, be more careful when you have it plugged in.

8/22/2006 10:51:50 AM

I have the same problem too. Moving it around doesn't work. I have already had to take it to Bestbuy 4 times this year. Luckily I have a Bestbuy extended warranty, which covers it till November. If it happens again after November, I might have to go the route MiniMe_877 went because it will be too expensive to lose my data.

I have it with them now for almost 3 weeks. I will let you know how they fixed it once I get it back. I wish they will just let me pick a new comparable model price-wise and move on with my life.

8/22/2006 11:18:31 AM

^^ I agree that it seems unlikely for the heat to crack the solder. Most everyone that has posted about it on the net has claimed this to be the case. I can attest to the fact that the board in that area gets unusually hot, but I dont know about that causing the solder to crack. BTW, I have resoldered this before with it only being a solution for a few weeks.

8/22/2006 2:48:55 PM

Their technicians usually just resolder the jack to the board and then send it back. I can do the same thing in a day for a $60 flat fee if its out of warranty or you don't want to wait 3 weeks.

The problem is caused by the stress placed on the jack from the power cord (and often by someone tripping over/yanking the cord, etc). To keep it from happening again position the laptop so the power cord doesn't pull sideways on the jack.

8/22/2006 4:09:30 PM

looked online and found that Toshiba would try to fix it if you hassle them enough even with an expired warranty.

http://inc-omplete.org/2006/07/17/toshiba-class-action-lawsuit/

Hopefully, the motherboard, fan and casing recall should fix the problem. Not sure you want to wait 3+ weeks though.

[Edited on August 22, 2006 at 8:23 PM. Reason : out]

8/22/2006 8:23:23 PM

Ok, so after having a buddy likely ruin my computer I am coming back to you tech talkers for additional help. My jack is still unresponsive and now he has splashed a bit of solder on an unintended portion of the mobo. My first question is, is this still a fixable issue? And if it is and you are confident that you can fix it, can you do so between now and friday? Here are some photos for reference:

Mobo w/ solder points for jack and splattered solder in red circles:


Up close of solder points and splattered solder:


Up close of reverse side of mobo (overead shot of jack):

8/28/2006 8:32:57 PM

Come on now, someone here has to have an idea about this

8/28/2006 10:38:16 PM

Does anyone know of a good store that I can take this to to get worked on?

8/29/2006 1:13:10 PM

You may have just fucked the thing completely with that poor soldering job. Start looking for a motherboard replacement.

8/29/2006 1:34:56 PM