Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Semi-Crazy Idea for Laptop

OK, I asked awhile back about a device that was supposed to prevent a problem I already have: the power cord on my Toshiba laptop has been yanked around too much, and the port on the machine has worked loose. I've already had it repaired once at considerable expense, but it's already worked its way out of joint again--as the computer tech warned me it was likely to do.

Someone helpfully suggested a docking station that would power the computer through a different port while it was being used, and that sounded great--but I can't find one that says it's compatible with a Toshiba Satellite A75-S206. I don't know enough to really know whether there's a dock out there that I could use . . . I really just want to be able to power the thing, the other features don't make any difference to me.

Then I thought about something else--what about a way to charge the battery outside the computer? Surely that's doable, right? Nope. Apparently the Li-ion batteries in these things are excessively 'splody and they're all completely different, so there's no generic charger and a homebuilt unit would be beyond my tech skills.

This leaves me with opening it up and re-soldering the power jack--again--myself. The prospect is frightening, yet strangely exhilarating. And if I completely screw it up, the case is large enough for several Shoot-N-C targets to stick.

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