HELP - ibook AC power adapter not charging Battery!

V

Vic T

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My 12" ibook is about 2 years old and I use AC power nearly 90% of the time -- just always available when I'm using, so I figure I'm saving battery power.

But the AC adapter has always been a little hinky -- occasionally notice that I'm on battery power even when plugged in, unless I jiggle the wire. This week, the AC gave out entirely and wouldn't jiggle back on. Battery started to drain.

I go to the Apple store and they troubleshoot the problem with their own laptops, and say the AC adapter is shot, kaput - the power cord itself was OK.

So I buy the new adapter, head home, plug it in and battery appears to be charging so I walk away. Return in a half hour to see it is no longer charging and the battery has continued to drain, now almost down to nothing. Never fully recharged. Back to apple store, salesman says my battery was probably beyond hope. I buy a new battery.

Put in new battery (50% charged at purchase), and it appears to charge almost to full capacity with my new power adapter. As soon as I touch the keyboard to awaken the ibook, it stops charging. Amber light goes to green, and it's been dwindling ever since.

Cannot get it to re-charge -- now I have a new adapter, and a new battery and am barely clinging to life.

What to do???????????

12" ibook, with dual USB ports, 500ghz G3.
 
It sounds like it may be the port on the iBook that the power adaptor cord plugs into -- have you had the techs check that?
 
How does it (the recharger) do when you leave the battery out? Will it run the computer even under load? If not, then seems it's either the "new" brick or the charging circuits themselves.

I'd bet on the charger. I started using an old 1400 charger after the second white brick gave up on me.
 
Thanks for the input.

Sadly, the Tekserve evaluation was that it would cost about 225 to replace the jack (the purported problem), after having already purchased a new adapter and a new battery, which set me back over 200 bucks. In fact, after noting my wobbly hinge ("You DROPPED this once, didn't you" she murmured), my hinky keypad, and after noting evidence of a spill behind the keyboard, the Tech told me she would NOT advise me to repair anything -- "I am NOT going to let you repair this!"

She pointed me to the sales division -- I bit the bullet, bought a new ibook. My kids will inherit the old one. I just have to charge the battery for them with mine, and they can go to town............
 
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