On Sat, 18 Mar 2017 22:16:31 +0000, Andy Burns
wrote:

Dell laptop power supplies have a 3rd "sense" wire (a pin in the centre
of the coaxial barrel) which allows the laptop to identify whether a
genuine Dell charger is being used, and without one it is likely to run
at low CPU speed, and refuse to charge the battery.

The power plug on the Dell Inspiron 15 5558 does have a 3rd wire.
Here's the replacement (clone) charger. Here's the connector:
http://www.cdnclouds.net/p/cde390e7778c9e9bbc74-433100c529497552c56006a41824fb24.r16.cf2.rackcdn.c om/6b8fdeb23c4011e698f22631369794a1_14.jpg
The usual problem is that the 3rd wire breaks inside the plug. The
plug cannot be disassembled or easily replaced, so I have to replace
the cord. At the current selling price, it's not worth the effort.

I haven't had any laptop reject clone chargers yet. Mostly they check
for charger capacity. If I plug a 45 watt charger into a laptop that
wants a 65 watt charger, the charger will run the laptop, but not
charge the battery. Sometimes, I see a "wrong charger" message appear
on some screens, but not always.

Look on ebay for an appropriate PA-series, what model laptop do you have?


--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558