When you need a replacement power adapter for your laptop; and assuming you’re planning to purchase a universal one or use a spare one that you have at home from another laptop, you need to ensure that the following criteria are strictly met:
1. The Voltage rating must be the same as what’s on the original (ie: 18V)
2. The Amperage rating must be the same as what’s on the original. (ie: 2.5A)
3. The connector that plugs into the laptop must be a PERFECT fit!
Both ratings are on the label of the original power supply so do not use an adaptor that doesn’t match the electronic requirements.
NB: There is a plus or minus 5-10% tolerance for these values but that’s for electronics people to work out so stick to the exact values when buying just in case!
Equally important is to never use an adaptor that satisfies the electronic ratings (criteria 1 & 2) but is a little bit loose!
If the connector is a little bit loose it simply means that the adapter is not making perfect contact all of the time so eventually you’ll end up with an operating system that doesn’t flash its buffers, resets/restarts prematurely and eventually over some time you’ll end up cross-linked files, hard disk errors, and even damage to your motherboard.
The bottom line is that Laptops *must* have the correct constant supply of power.
I’m telling you all this because I just saw a beautiful expensive laptop totally trashed because the user was given the wrong adapter and he never got suspicious that it was loose and kept using it for 2-3 months. Now he has to buy another one!
Let that be a lesson people...
