Tip of power adapter bent: can I splice, or get a 3rd party adapters

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Tip of power adapter bent: can I splice, or get a 3rd party adapters

The very tip of my power adapter got broken. The adapter itself is fine, and has worked well for nearly a year and a half. I would rather not do the "$80 solution" and buy a brand new adapter from Apple.

So... does anyone know how safe it is to splice in a tip from another broken adapter? (And does anyone have one, or know where I can get one? I just need a bit of the cord and the tip.) MacAlly makes an adapter, and the cord from the box to the computer can detach from the box. They will send me just the cord for $17, and I can try to splice that in.

Otherwise, I will just go with a third party adapter. Which ones do people think are best? Apple has told me that if my laptop has a problem that they determine is caused by an adapter, my AppleCare is void, so I want to make sure I get one that is good.

I have heard that the one from Other World Computing is good. The one I mention above from MacAlly looks good, and the removable cord is a nice feature in case the tip gets hurt again. But reliability is key! especially since it could void my warranty. Suggestions, anyone....?

iBook G4, Mac OS X (10.3.9), iBook G4

Posted on Mar 15, 2006 2:12 PM

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Answer 1

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Ronda Wilson

Level 8

42,650 points

Mar 16, 2006 12:06 AM in response to Earle Monroe

I would be afraid to try the splice.

When the adapter tip broke off in the DC port, requiring replacement of the adapter and the Power Input Board, we decided to look elsewhere for an adapter.

Upon doing a lot of searching, I have found the following options for replacing a white iBook power adapter:

http://www.macresq.com/store/detail.php?prodID=P009141

MCE Technologies

http://www.madsonline.com/index.html?

adapter at Other World Computing

I suppose you know that Apple's is the only one with the glowing ring which indicates charging status, though, and is found here:

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore?productLearnMore=M89 43LL/A

I believe the one from Other World Computing is the sturdiest of the lot. We've tried most of them. The one from MacResQ gave out after two years. The MacAlly (at least, the two of them which we've had for about a year) has wires that are much less substantial that the one from Other World Computing. We use the MacAlly ones less frequently for travel (since they look more fragile) and trust the OWC ones for daily use.

If Apple is questioning your choice of adapters regarding AppleCare, I'd be afraid to buy anything except their adapter. I'd fear that any problem you have from here on in would be blamed on a third-party adapter. If you've invested in AppleCare, it would be a shame to void it by trying to economize on the adapter.

It may be of some consolation that at least your adapter tip didn't break off in the computer. That's a much more complicated (and expensive) problem.

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