HP Recalls Notebook Computer AC Power Cords Due to Fire Hazards

[ReeceyBurger123]

Re: HP Recalls Notebook Computer AC Power Cords Due to Fire Hazards

Thank you for this thread my brothers laptop had this chord, wasn't showing any signes of failure but good to know its now prevented

[momaka]

Re: HP Recalls Notebook Computer AC Power Cords Due to Fire Hazards

i remember seeing the name "Longwell"

I really like Longwell cords. They always seem better built that the others.

[eccerr0r]

Re: HP Recalls Notebook Computer AC Power Cords Due to Fire Hazards

Surveying the "cloverleaf" cords I can see now...
I see some I-Sheng, some Longwell, a Volex, and the particular ones that I have that may be under the recall seem to be made by Linetek. I have two of them (one from my personal ultrabook, other from my work laptop). Luckily I have one I-sheng spare that I can use for my work laptop for the time being, and I'll just use the Targus brick for my personal laptop.

I don't quite get that some of these cords are rated 2.5A and others are 7A... though they all look very similar on the outside. These Lineteks look fairly well made too, the cable itself is even stamped(instead of printed) Linetek. Maybe they aren't affected? Unsure.

[goontron]

Re: HP Recalls Notebook Computer AC Power Cords Due to Fire Hazards

Surveying the "cloverleaf" cords I can see now...
I see some I-Sheng, some Longwell, a Volex, and the particular ones that I have that may be under the recall seem to be made by Linetek. I have two of them (one from my personal ultrabook, other from my work laptop). Luckily I have one I-sheng spare that I can use for my work laptop for the time being, and I'll just use the Targus brick for my personal laptop.

I don't quite get that some of these cords are rated 2.5A and others are 7A... though they all look very similar on the outside. These Lineteks look fairly well made too, the cable itself is even stamped(instead of printed) Linetek. Maybe they aren't affected? Unsure.

volex makes Dell cords, so i dont think it would be them.
the linetek on this toshiba charger in my hand feels pretty nasty...

[goontron]

Re: HP Recalls Notebook Computer AC Power Cords Due to Fire Hazards

well, theres all she wrote. the toshiba cord burnt up.

[ben7]

Re: HP Recalls Notebook Computer AC Power Cords Due to Fire Hazards

well, theres all she wrote. the toshiba cord burnt up.

Oh dear, what you do with your cords to wear them out so fast!?

[eccerr0r]

Re: HP Recalls Notebook Computer AC Power Cords Due to Fire Hazards

I've yet (knock on wood) have a power cord burn up... There are some that have weak contacts but never burn up...

[lti]

Re: read this.

Toshiba and Lenovo have recalled the same cords.
http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2015/Lenovo-Recalls-Computer-Power-Cords
http://www.recalls.gov.au/content/in...itemId/1066015

OTOH I did have random crap Chinese cords spew flames at the end that plugs in the charger. Cheap insulation got ripped due to regular wear and tear and the cord shorted out.

I've heard of that happening to the two-prong power cords that come with newer Toshiba laptops (made by H.R.Silvine-CMC). My laptop uses that cord.

[eccerr0r]

Re: HP Recalls Notebook Computer AC Power Cords Due to Fire Hazards

That picture is weird in the Toshiba recall notice, it's using a round cable instead of a flat cable like all the other LS-15 cords I've seen. I wonder if that's a stock photo or it's really round?

The Lenovo cable looks the same as the HP cables however.

[JF-Caps]

Re: HP Recalls Notebook Computer AC Power Cords Due to Fire Hazards

Before I was able to get my replacement cord, my HP G60 died. I have another cord that worked with another HP laptop, so I knew it wasn't the cord on my G60.

[kaboom]

Re: HP Recalls Notebook Computer AC Power Cords Due to Fire Hazards

Surprised there wasn't anything about the load-side cable, where it comes out of the PS.

All too often, many of the strands of the wires break, leaving too little ampacity for the connected load.

Had one from a junk dv-whatever on the dummy load a few weeks ago. Voltage dropping from 19.5 to just under 18 at rated output current.

Strain relief and a few inches of outgoing cable got a little warm. If I held it just right, the voltage came back up.

After "busting" it open, it wasn't that great inside. The heatsinks were this heavy copper "foil" material, and I wasn't sure if I broke the transformer core, so bye-bye it went.

Hewlett-Packard and Compaq notebook computer AC power cords.

Haha. "hp" and compaq. "hp" is compaq- the same in every way, right down to how junky both are.

[stj]

Re: HP Recalls Notebook Computer AC Power Cords Due to Fire Hazards

Surprised there wasn't anything about the load-side cable, where it comes out of the PS.

that's build quality, not electrical safety.
recalls are only a legal requirement if they can cause a fire or kill someone.

[kaboom]

Re: HP Recalls Notebook Computer AC Power Cords Due to Fire Hazards

recalls are only a legal requirement if they can cause a fire or kill someone.

A good one:

Here's a power supply where some were assembled w/ line and neutral reversed. Some of these "HAM" supplies do not return the secondary side to chassis ground- the entire secondary floats.

Since the supply is unfused with the wiring reversed, a ground fault to the secondary side will leave you with line voltage either sitting there, or returning via an external device with a path back to the source. But w/o a fuse to blow, what do you think will happen?

Those are insulated binding posts- they're not gonna clear it by returning the fault to the chassis.

If the output common were bonded to the chassis, even a pri-to-sec transformer short, with reversed line wiring, would not present a shock hazard. Not only does this one not bond the secondary, the output on my Manson also floats.

The fact that these had a serious latent hazard w/ the wiring reversed further suggests the output floats.

A common computer supply, with its output common bonded to the case, would just blow its fuse during a pri-to-sec fault.

If L&N were reversed, it would either burn the fault clear or trip the branch ckt bkr. As well as any GFCI/RCD, if present, since current leaving on the hot would not be coming back on the neutral/grounded, but the GND/grounding instead.

With a reasonable return impedance there's a shock hazard during a major (bolted) fault until the bkr trips. The case will go up to half the supply voltage. One half dropped across the line wire, the other half dropped across the gnd wire- this assumes there are no other parallel paths from the case of the power supply in question. These would reduce the voltage rise considerably.

http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2008/...d-Fire-Hazards

There were also computer supplies with reversed line wiring, deers and antec stupid-powers. Now there was the fuse as the above supply, but there was also an NTC thermistor.

So if line wires were reversed, instead of L to fuse and N to thermistor, you'd have L to thermistor and N to fuse.

A major fault in one of those would blow the fuse or thermistor, the latter taking more to clear.