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Gateway MA7 laptop won't charge or run off of A/C

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    #21
    Re: Gateway MA7 laptop won't charge or run off of A/C

    I just inherited my moms old gateway, the power jack has been replaced once already and it is having the same problem again, only intermittent charging when you wiggle the plug. It seems that the way to go is with a jumper, could some one who has had success with this method, throw up a pic on the placement of the jumper? I have it all torn apart and i am ready to throw it into a picture frame and use it as a digital frame, that i can also watch all my recorded tv on as well. thanks

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      #22
      Re: Gateway MA7 laptop won't charge or run off of A/C

      I would love it if someone could help me out.

      Where can I go to have this fixed? I am not a computer tech and cannot pull this apart to fix it. Gateway is ZERO help. BestBuy refused and said buy a new computer.

      Everything is great about the computer except it wont charge or run off the charger. I tried to buy an external charger, but can't seem to find one that fits.

      Thanks,

      Shannon

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        #23
        Re: Gateway MA7 laptop won't charge or run off of A/C

        ksckamkmom (whew that was hard to type), what do you mean with "external charger"? all laptop chargers are external pretty much?

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          #24
          Re: Gateway MA7 laptop won't charge or run off of A/C

          Originally posted by davis View Post
          I just inherited my moms old gateway, the power jack has been replaced once already and it is having the same problem again, only intermittent charging when you wiggle the plug. It seems that the way to go is with a jumper, could some one who has had success with this method, throw up a pic on the placement of the jumper? I have it all torn apart and i am ready to throw it into a picture frame and use it as a digital frame, that i can also watch all my recorded tv on as well. thanks
          Post a macro shot of both the top and bottom areas of the DC jack area and someone can mark it up.

          Comment


            #25
            Re: Gateway MA7 laptop won't charge or run off of A/C

            Originally posted by ksckamkmom View Post
            I would love it if someone could help me out.

            Where can I go to have this fixed? I am not a computer tech and cannot pull this apart to fix it. Gateway is ZERO help. BestBuy refused and said buy a new computer.

            Everything is great about the computer except it wont charge or run off the charger. I tried to buy an external charger, but can't seem to find one that fits.

            Thanks,

            Shannon
            If KSC in your name means what I think it does, PM me and I can probably fix this for you. Although I doubt another charger will help, for future reference the MA7 plug is 5.5mm outside diameter, 2.5mm inside diameter, 12mm length. Some came with 65W chargers (19V 3.42A) and others came with 95W (19V, 4.74A).

            Comment


              #26
              Re: Gateway MA7 laptop won't charge or run off of A/C

              Some MA7 jacks have a short center pin. After market adapters reach the pin but Gateway original adapters do not. eBay sellers have no idea which they are selling.
              sig files are for morons

              Comment


                #27
                MA3 power fix

                Found this forum while trying to figure out where to solder a bypass wire for a gateway ma3, and noticed it needed pics. no making fun of my soldering job, but it worked!

                Here is a pic of where i attached the wire, and some helpful soldering advice would be nice in return, what is the best way to solder the wire to the back pin of the power jack? I had a hard time making it stick to the rear of the jack, would flux help?
                Attached Files

                Comment


                  #28
                  Re: Gateway MA7 laptop won't charge or run off of A/C

                  A little flux might help, but I would have scraped the post a little (hobby knife will work) to make it a rougher surface. That'll help the solder stick better.

                  Comment


                    #29
                    Re: MA3 power fix

                    Originally posted by keithjg View Post
                    Found this forum while trying to figure out where to solder a bypass wire for a gateway ma3, and noticed it needed pics. no making fun of my soldering job, but it worked!

                    Here is a pic of where i attached the wire, and some helpful soldering advice would be nice in return, what is the best way to solder the wire to the back pin of the power jack? I had a hard time making it stick to the rear of the jack, would flux help?
                    Sorry I have not been on in awhile, Glad you posted the picture. That is basicly how I repair them, but I just make a small L shaped piece of copper wire and soulder it in place. I picked up about 30 of these laptops (MA1-MA7) from a recycler last week and was able to repair almost all of them. Make sure that when you put your boards back in to use some electrical tape on the back of the jack and on the chassis to keep anthing from grounding out.

                    Comment


                      #30
                      Re: Gateway MA7 laptop won't charge or run off of A/C

                      I've got the same problem with an MA7, 6955 I was given. I'd like to see a very clear picture if anybody has one. It's hard to tell by the pictures already posted where the other end of the jumper wire connects to the diode. Thanks!

                      Comment


                        #31
                        Re: Gateway MA7 laptop won't charge or run off of A/C

                        Originally posted by bazthespazz View Post
                        I've got the same problem with an MA7, 6955 I was given. I'd like to see a very clear picture if anybody has one. It's hard to tell by the pictures already posted where the other end of the jumper wire connects to the diode. Thanks!
                        Hello everybody, I was browsing the net to see about this MA7 problem, and found this forum. After seeing the original message left by BTMMIKE, it confirmed what i'd been wondering about - the silly design of POS pin on these sockets, added to a bad design where it goes thru the board, means it does indeed wear a bigger nasty hole in the contact.

                        The very small photo showed me just what i needed to see, and believe me this is a simple repair

                        I've attached 2 photos as clear as I could get, so hopefully this will help others with the same problem. As mentioned previously, many ebay-type suppliers don't seem to know what they are selling.

                        There are 2 main types of this socket - one is used usually by IBM and has a flat rear pin. The Gateway MA7 uses a round pin - the 2 sockets are NOT compatible, cos the pins are just the wrong size for a quick swap-over.
                        The other point is, most of the suppliers are selling ones with only 2 ground/side contacts, so the socket is less sturdy. The MA7 uses 4 ground/side contacts, a ground/centre contact, and a rear/Positive round pin.

                        So assuming you have the right one, you can just put a wire from the underside of the positive, and then poke it thru one of the tiny holes shown in the photo. Sorry about the bad soldering shown (lol) here but the local shop had no 1mm tips for me so i'm waiting for one, this was done with a monster 3mm on an Antex

                        There is a small black fuse (is it a fuse? looks like one to me, it's either that or just an un-needed smoother) sat just behind the rear of the socket (in the photo it links the red to the green area).
                        It's up to you if you attach to the 'red' side of that instead of directly thru the board as I have done. Depends on how much that part bothers you, but I couldn't get in there to solder to such a small component with my monster tip today

                        It works fine, done 2 without a hitch and they all start up now with all blue lights showing

                        Hope this all helps somebody. I'll drop back in again soon and see if anybodys read this

                        (I soldered a blob directly across from my wire to the nearest good sized component - but I advise just soldering your own wire onto the hole it comes thru. On these boards, no way would my iron get the solder to grip the actual board itself. Maybe bad board surface/solder tip/solder quality - I wont know till I get the proper stuff in a few days.

                        Good luck with this one
                        Attached Files

                        Comment


                          #32
                          Re: Gateway MA7 laptop won't charge or run off of A/C

                          Originally posted by runderwo View Post
                          By the way, when you add a jumper wire, pay attention to the conductive surfaces (one copper foil, one braid type) that rest between the power jack and the plastic case when the board is installed. Insulate with something in between. Otherwise you'll get a neat fireworks show and probably hate yourself for a little while...
                          I made that mistake but fortunately I had one hand on the power button and the other hand on the power cord at the wall outlet, so there was a spark but no damage.

                          Chris

                          Comment


                            #33
                            Re: Gateway MA7 laptop won't charge or run off of A/C

                            Originally posted by filesponge View Post
                            Hello everybody, I was browsing the net to see about this MA7 problem, and found this forum. After seeing the original message left by BTMMIKE, it confirmed what i'd been wondering about - the silly design of POS pin on these sockets, added to a bad design where it goes thru the board, means it does indeed wear a bigger nasty hole in the contact.

                            The very small photo showed me just what i needed to see, and believe me this is a simple repair

                            I've attached 2 photos as clear as I could get, so hopefully this will help others with the same problem. As mentioned previously, many ebay-type suppliers don't seem to know what they are selling.

                            There are 2 main types of this socket - one is used usually by IBM and has a flat rear pin. The Gateway MA7 uses a round pin - the 2 sockets are NOT compatible, cos the pins are just the wrong size for a quick swap-over.
                            The other point is, most of the suppliers are selling ones with only 2 ground/side contacts, so the socket is less sturdy. The MA7 uses 4 ground/side contacts, a ground/centre contact, and a rear/Positive round pin.

                            So assuming you have the right one, you can just put a wire from the underside of the positive, and then poke it thru one of the tiny holes shown in the photo. Sorry about the bad soldering shown (lol) here but the local shop had no 1mm tips for me so i'm waiting for one, this was done with a monster 3mm on an Antex

                            There is a small black fuse (is it a fuse? looks like one to me, it's either that or just an un-needed smoother) sat just behind the rear of the socket (in the photo it links the red to the green area).
                            It's up to you if you attach to the 'red' side of that instead of directly thru the board as I have done. Depends on how much that part bothers you, but I couldn't get in there to solder to such a small component with my monster tip today

                            It works fine, done 2 without a hitch and they all start up now with all blue lights showing

                            Hope this all helps somebody. I'll drop back in again soon and see if anybodys read this

                            (I soldered a blob directly across from my wire to the nearest good sized component - but I advise just soldering your own wire onto the hole it comes thru. On these boards, no way would my iron get the solder to grip the actual board itself. Maybe bad board surface/solder tip/solder quality - I wont know till I get the proper stuff in a few days.

                            Good luck with this one
                            I just wanted to thank you for the directions and, most of all, the pics! My motherboard was just a tad different but I was able to find a place to solder the wire to the motherboard and test it with my voltmeter before turning it on.

                            It works great! I am installing Windows as I write this.

                            Again, thanks!

                            Chris

                            Comment


                              #34
                              Re: Gateway MA7 laptop won't charge or run off of A/C

                              Originally posted by aubrey52 View Post
                              i got this from differ tech

                              Gateway MA7 - MX6958*
                              Centrino Duo

                              Dead, Battery will not charge
                              Works with good battery,
                              Will not work with Adapter

                              This unit arrived with a common problem that DC jacks presents. However when you continue to use with the defect, it eats the copper around the POS terminal of the jack. In this case the copper had been eaten away, as well as shorting between planes of the motherboards phenolic. So there is only one way to resolve it, by bypassing that section (if possible). The condition of this MA7 was too far gone to be able to bypass.

                              One picture shows the scorching under the copper, the other shows the current path of the DC In.
                              good to luck all
                              Thanks for the props- The bypass usually works when you either take a thin small gauge wire directly from the post to the diode legs (both legs are common) and then attempt power on. Otherwise the most common problem on them are broken post directly behind the jack, and not really visible to naked eye.
                              If it's hard to repair I can do it. If it's impossible, it may take me a while.

                              Comment


                                #35
                                Re: MA3 power fix

                                Originally posted by keithjg View Post
                                Found this forum while trying to figure out where to solder a bypass wire for a gateway ma3, and noticed it needed pics. no making fun of my soldering job, but it worked!

                                Here is a pic of where i attached the wire, and some helpful soldering advice would be nice in return, what is the best way to solder the wire to the back pin of the power jack? I had a hard time making it stick to the rear of the jack, would flux help?
                                Yes Flux does help. It does two things. It deoxidizes the tinned post, as well as spreading heat more evenly.
                                If it's hard to repair I can do it. If it's impossible, it may take me a while.

                                Comment


                                  #36
                                  Re: Gateway MA7 laptop won't charge or run off of A/C

                                  I fixed an MA7 with the wire through the hole. That's a nice clean fix.

                                  Here's a Gateway MA3 with 31MA3MB00B1 Turion64 motherboard. The power trace is on the jack side. The via breaks in the middle so the top is no longer connected to the board. That's why the via comes out when removing these jacks. The bottom is connected but to nothing because it's just a solder point, no trace.

                                  The jack was in good shape so I wanted to fix this without removing it. There's no holes so the wire must go around. After marking where the wire can fit through I add a jumper wire from a dead ATX power supply. It lives!
                                  Attached Files
                                  sig files are for morons

                                  Comment


                                    #37
                                    Re: Gateway MA7 laptop won't charge or run off of A/C

                                    plz help the jumper of MA3 Gateway make an screenshot please.

                                    Comment


                                      #38
                                      Re: MA3 power fix

                                      What I did is scape the middle with a knife first then heat it up apply some flux then solder seem to work very good

                                      Comment


                                        #39
                                        Re: Gateway MA7 laptop won't charge or run off of A/C

                                        Hi Chris (Comitatus1), glad the details helped a bit. There does seem to be quite a few slightly different types of these boards, so I think it's gonna be a bit of self-logic on the wiring eh? Good thing that mosfet is so big and easily findable. I've gone through 14 of them so far, all worked so far

                                        Good point on that mentioning of the voltmeter - just for anybody trying this kind of thing for a first time, i'd suggest doing that too.
                                        Grab 'any' voltmeter (digital or analogue type), and just check the ohms from a good ground, to the centre pin on the socket . . .
                                        You should get some resistance, but the amount varies from one board to another. If you get NO resistance, you've got a short on your soldering probably check it all, and redo your wiring if needed. Never plug it in if you're getting that type of short.

                                        Just to be safe, I suggest always take any RAM, CPU, modem, WiFi and CMOS battery off the board before soldering or plugging back in. If the unthinkable should happen, it saves killing other components too.
                                        __________________________
                                        LaptopDoctor, I had a first looking at these things a few days back, the centre pin was lose at the outside, but solid and connecting on the board. Turned out a strange design of socket for the MA7, allowed the centre pin to snap in two just inside of the plastic holding section. Cheap and nasty socket design ?

                                        ________________________
                                        Bnash01, the photos Severach has shown do show where to wire the MA3. The first photo showing the board before surgery , then the 4th photo shows the wire attached to the underside of the POS pin, and the 5th photo shows the wire attached on the socket side of the board.
                                        Find the board label where it says C687 and C2 (that will be different on other board models so verify it with the photos!) - just below that label is a brown component, and to the left is a black one. You can attach a wire to either the brown or black as they are both on the same POS section of the circuit.

                                        Comment


                                          #40
                                          Re: Gateway MA7 laptop won't charge or run off of A/C

                                          still unfix.. not charging..if the battery is full only it well turns on if dc adaptor connected ,if not dc adaptor connect even the batteries full it well not turns on. when the computer turning on with dc and batteries connect it wont charge the batteries but when i try to turns on without DC adaptor it wont turns on.why? anybody can help me for my MA3 Gateway please .. thank you


                                          sorry for my bad english

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