Laptop Power Supply Cord

**dmcdlrn** · 05-31-2005, 06:38 PM

I'm using a compaq original car adapter that was made for my laptop, and have come accross the problem of the little barrell thing thats on the end of the cable is getting in the way of stuff when I slide the computer in and out of the glovebox. I'm not sure what this barrell does, I'm thinking its like a magnet for scooping out noise in the power wires, or is it something else?

Ultimately I really would like to cut the cable and move it down the line or something. Anybody know what that thing is for and what I can and cannot do to it?

**dmcdlrn** · 06-01-2005, 09:07 AM

Ok, I did more research and found that it is most likely a ferrite bead used for filtering out rf. My ac supply for the computer doesn't have one (at least visible outside of the transformer pack in the middle of the cable) I was wondering if I could just remove it? I don't think we have to worry about it picking up signals, its more that we don't want it to put out signals, but I ran the computer in the car off the ac adapter for the first like week before my dc to dc adapter arrived from compaq, and I didn't have any interference issues.

Any ideas?

**Frankino** · 06-01-2005, 05:06 PM

I opened up one of those things, the one I opened was absolutely NOTHING, just a plastic cilinder
they place this stuff only to avoid ruining your cable if you route this near a wall
e.g. the VGA cable has one of those things because a monitor is supposed to be placed near a wall and moving it with the cable scratching the wall could damage the cable itself

**dmcdlrn** · 06-02-2005, 09:01 PM

Well, I did remove mine, I just cut the the ac acapter and swapped ends with the dc adapter. Mine definitely had a ferrite bead on it, but after it was removed, an interference with my sound card went away, so it actually was better that it was gone!