On Mon, 02 Jul 2012 04:39:06 -0700, Jim K wrote:
Got charger here now, plugged in, green LED on tranny box is lit,
multimeter on the DC jack end - measuring 0.01V - it's rated on the
tranny label at 19.5v 3.3A....

Seems something not right - but :-

do laptop chargers "sense" and adjust their output somehow?? meaning I
can't actually say 100% it's the charger that's shagged & just acquire a
new one...?

The one for my Dell throws out 19V even when it's not connected to the
laptop.

It might be a broken cable on the PSU's output, without any obvious
damage to the outside of the cable. BTDT. Most likely to happen either
right where the cable exits the PSU, or where it disappears into the
power jack which plugs into the back of the laptop.

If you've got nothing to lose, chop the cable a few inches* from the end
and check there for voltage; if it's OK, find another power connector
(e.g. possible donor from junk shop PSU) and splice/solder the cables
together (use some heatshrink if you want it to last, use electrical tape
if you want it to fall apart within a year ;-)

* and if that doesn't work, you can try opening the PSU, but they're
usually complete sods to get open, plus you'll have to bodge some way of
sealing them again once you've fixed he fault.

cheers

Jules