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My W541 charging port is acting up lately, is it easy to fix it? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 1 year ago by Madbrad200@sh.itjust.works to c/thinkpad@lemmy.ml

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It's the classic "you've plugged the charger in but you have to wiggle it a million times and get it in a perfect position for the laptop to actually charge". Obviously, this is less than ideal.

I've ordered a replacement charger just in-case it's the actual adapter that's the issue, but if the port itself is broken, does anyone know if this is fixable easily? Are there any guides anywhere? I guess maybe the pins inside could be bent or something

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[–] sopo@sopuli.xyz 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Hello, I'm seeing a T540P W540 W541 "Power Jack cable" available for less than 5 bucks (aliexpress, ebay, etc). The cable has the charging port and a connector that goes on the mobo so should be a pretty easy fix, no soldering.

Do you have the HMM (hardware maintenance manual) downloaded to double check?

Btw you don't need the whole "lenovo square tip" charger if you have a 20V capable USB C PD charger (65W or more), you can get a 3 bucks adapter, I use it all the time it works perfectly.

[–] Madbrad200@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Yeah I found a guide on how to replace it and bought a part, it's a massive hassle but doable (you basically need to take apart the entire laptop).

USB C PD charger

not ideal since W541 doesn't have a USB C port (it has 3.0) but I have considered this. I assume all I'd need is a USB C to USB 3 adapter for this to work.

[–] sopo@sopuli.xyz 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

No I mean a USB C to Lenovo Square tip (the name of that Lenovo yellow plug) adapter, no USB A involved.

USB C PD charger > USB C - C cable > adapter > laptop. I've done this on many thinkpads, the only thing is if you use a small charger (45W or less) and have a big battery or the laptop uses a lot of watts, it might not charge or charge only when off. With 65W you're good, and with GaN tech they are tiny nowadays

This is also so you can also charge your phone tablet or anything else usb C while traveling with only one charger