I have previously done two reports concerning Dell laptop adapters for the Dell 1501 series and also for the 90 watt two wire adapter used on other Dell systems. I also made contact with Dell representatives and received a reply as follows:

Ron-

I am support analyst at Dell headquarters, and this blog was pointed out to me by Richard to take a look at. He also forwarded your email address on to me, so I’ll ping you there as well.

Firstly, I want to make sure everyone understands that the AC adapter we’re talking about is the same 90-watt adapter in use for most of our notebooks, and has been for over 3 years. As such, any problems with this adapter would not be 1501 specific.

Looking at the comments to the article you posted, the most striking feature about all the people posting is that there seems to be no *one* issue they are complaining about. For example:

Steve (feb17th) notes a problem with his adapter on his c510, which uses a different adapter altogether.

Leona (mar17) stated her AC adapter snapped off in her hand right after purchase. This is an unrelated incident, and should have been covered under warranty.

Martine (mar25) states the lead going into the adapter itself is defective, so that it won’t fit into the brick.

Jen (May23) had several problems with her notebook, the last of which was an adapter malfunction. It is unclear if it is a problem with the onboard socket or the adapter itself.

The comments are a smattering of many different problems. Since this adapter is the 90-watt adapter shipping with all Dell notebooks that require such an adapter, I am sure you can see that millions of these adapters are currently being used in the field. In many cases, when the type of malfunction you note here is happening, it is the result of plugging/unplugging the adapter in at an angle, which sometimes will deform either the socket on the system or the plug itself. Depending upon the damage, either an AC adapter replacement or a motherboard replacement is required.

There is no known systemic problem with these adapters or the 1501. Each case is the result of individual circumstances, as can be demonstrated by those commenting on the other article, and is not Dell specific in scope.

I recently wrote an article for Direct2Dell, showcasing a survey put out by our product engineers to gather information on the way people are using our AC adapters. The goal is to change the design of the product to better meet the needs of those using it. If you’d like to provide feedback to our product designers regarding these adapters, now is a golden opportunity:

Direct2Dell post

I hope this information is helpful, and I welcome any feedback you or your readers may be able to provide.

John
Dell Customer Advocate

There is another note from reader Meg who stated:

You guys just aren’t using enough muscle! :]
I have an Inspiron 1501 & at first I thought I had the same problem with my adapter, it seemed like it didn’t fit and it was too short. So, I tried put tape on it & what not but I finally got fed up & I called tech support. All you have to do is push harder than you think…I thought I was going to break it, but nope it went right in & fits great.

Hopefully this information will assist those who are expriencing problems with their Dell adapters.

Commenst welcome.

[tags]dell. 1501, adpaters, notebooks, help,  [/tags]