On Sat, 29 Jan 2011 08:04:05 -0600, Ken wrote:

I see you have a reply that directs you to a website for a schematic.
That might be useful.

If I could get to that it could be handy because ..

But not having worked on your computer or one
like it before, here is what I would do:

If the trouble began when the PS lead was pulled, it is possible that
too high a voltage might have been applied if there is a feedback lead
for the PS and it was broken. That might have applied too great a
voltage to the laptop. This is just theory you understand.

Understood ...

I would plug in a known good PS and with a DVM measure both ends of
components near the connector. Look especially close for low value
resistors or anything that might be a SM fuse.

Thinking about that and what has been said later that makes a lot of
sense and there /is/ a sm device of some sort right behind that socket
(sm stuff was only just being used as I was leaving the trade) so that
could well be it. I guess it's either a sm fuse or diode and it
shouldn't be difficult to test for either.

The lad has just found this site / pictures. ;-)

http://www.deliran.net/refrence/Insp...boardFirst.jpg

This last pictures here show the charging board pretty clearly (top
left corner is the DC socket).

http://www.deliran.net/refrence/Insp...eng/td_fan.htm

You can just see the charger board under the system board top left.
Luckily it looks like you can get to the back of the socket and
'device' with the thing mostly in one piece. Soo, if I measure a
voltage on one side of said device and not the other (with battery in
and charger in an on) /and/ it looks like it's wired in series with
the power socket it would most likely be a fuse?

If too great a voltage
were applied you might have opened a component and that is why a good PS
still does not work.

Yup, nor charge what could be a good (second) battery.

Also look at the daughter board if it is attached
with a connector to the mother board. A tug on the power connector
might have caused a poor connection where the daughter board meets the MB.

It is connected by hard mounted plug / socket pair and I checked for
any possible movement damage on there but the board sits on shouldered
mounting pillars and is still a very rigid connection.

We didn't try to power it up with just the chassis as you have to take
the cpu heatsink off to get the system board off the top of said
charging board but looking back at it with a voltage measurement in
mind it might nearly be doable with just the rear top cover removed
(two screws). I'll have a look in the morning. ;-)

Assuming it is a fuse, are they normally marked with their rating and
if so and if there is space, could I tack a suitably rated / type wire
ended fuse / fusewire in place as an experiment at least?

Looking at eBay if it is the board then 30 quid isn't too terrible
(compared with a new laptop especially).

A fuse would be cheaper of course. ;-)

Cheers, T i m