carnetix1900 not powering the laptop

bangumandoo · 06-02-2007, 04:23 PM

sorry in advance for another noob installation question but i did my research and couldnt find much info on my laptop charger specifically. i think i did most of the install correct because the carnetix 1900 has a solid red light but the fan isnt turning on. im not sure what this means. my jumpers are set as follows
1-2 open
3-4 jumpered
4-5 open
6-7 open
8-9 open

i checked the output wires on the PSU and it seems to be putting out voltage but the laptop isnt turning on. i checked the green and black wires connected to the power button and tested it. its soldered fine. my problem lies probably in the laptop charger cable. the dells setup is a little weird. let me show you a picture of what my cable looks like.

laptop side of the charger

this is the segment from outlet to brick. this end connects to the brick. if you hack off the outlet side of the cable you see 3 wires. i assumed that the 1 isolated was ground and the other 2 were voltage but i think im supposed to connect the Carnetix outlet wires to the 2nd segment (brick to barrel connector)of the cable closer to the barrel connector (next pic)

this segment is from the brick to the laptop barrel connector

i believe i intercept the brick and barrel and connect the PSU here but its confusing because when i cut open the cable. there were 3 layers of wiring. im not sure how to connect the red/black cables from the psu to this cable.

and to go over my output harness i have the 2 red wires connected together, 2 blackes connected together the brown going to my usb hub. green blue and white arent used. how do i ground my usb hub?

RickS · 06-04-2007, 10:23 AM

You're better off putting your cables back together and using an inverter to plug the laptop into. Your Dell uses a three connector barrel that detects whether you're using a Dell approved power supply or not. I've heard you can get it to power the laptop but not charge the battery but I don't know which of the three wires you need to hook up to make that happen.

DarquePervert · 06-04-2007, 10:39 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by RickS

You're better off putting your cables back together and using an inverter to plug the laptop into. Your Dell uses a three connector barrel that detects whether you're using a Dell approved power supply or not. I've heard you can get it to power the laptop but not charge the battery but I don't know which of the three wires you need to hook up to make that happen.

Even better than the inverter is a laptop car power adapter.

Inverters work, sure. They're also highly inefficient, they generate excess heat and are more likely to introduce noise into the audio system.

RickS · 06-04-2007, 04:31 PM

True, if you can find one...

bangumandoo · 06-04-2007, 04:58 PM

so..... i cant use my carnetix?

bangumandoo · 06-04-2007, 05:13 PM

do you mean something like this?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Car-Adapter-Fits...QQcmdZViewItem

billmee · 06-04-2007, 07:24 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by bangumandoo

do you mean something like this?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Car-Adapter-Fits...QQcmdZViewItem

That looks like a crappy inverter packaged to make you think it was designed for your laptop.

Dell sells Auto adapters...

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/c...id=5851&~ck=bt

..beware they will only supply the Laptop not a Laptop+Docking station. This was confirmed in the power supply section of this forum.

Serialk1llr · 06-05-2007, 12:08 PM

You can in fact use the dell power brick assuming it is like mine. 1 hot wire and 2 Ground wires.

I believe i have my + and - running from the Carnetix PSU to the hacked off end of the power plug from my power brick (the end that goes into the laptop) At least for me I have not had any of the charging issues that I assumed would happen.

bangumandoo · 06-05-2007, 02:04 PM

is your charger like mine? i have pics above. if so which did you use for the + and the -

shotgunefx · 06-05-2007, 02:15 PM

Not sure what Dell you have, but there are problems with some dells and their proprietary interfaces. Check this thread out. I ended up getting an auto-air adapter from Batterybiz and it works great and is strong enough to power the port replicator as well.

Serialk1llr · 06-05-2007, 02:27 PM

My charger goes to an Inspiron 5100. Dunno it it is "the same" or not.

I'm not sure what the 2nd part of your question asked. I used a volt meter to tell me which was the + and - wires.

bangumandoo · 06-05-2007, 02:38 PM

the last pic i have showing is how my power cable looks when the end was hacked off. it clearly shows 3 separate connections from the brick to the barrel connector. i tried using my voltmeter but they all read off the charts. when you hacked off you end of the cable did it look similar to that?

Serialk1llr · 06-05-2007, 02:40 PM

And actually, if i remember right, the 2 - wires were outside 'layers' surrounding the inner most wire which was the +

Serialk1llr · 06-05-2007, 02:42 PM

Yes. The inner most wire was my (+) positive wire. Are you using a professional volt meter or a cheap homeowner one. My cheap-o-matic went wonky on me, so I used my buddy's who is an electrician by trade.

bangumandoo · 06-05-2007, 02:53 PM

im using a cheapo homeowner one. did your cable look like mine when you hacked it? the inner most wire looks the thinest by far