Pro tip: a tiny piece of foil saved a laptop from the trash

I was working on a five year old Dell that wouldn't charge. The DC jack was fine, but the power light just blinked. I opened it up and saw the tiny metal contact inside the port was pushed down flat. I didn't have a spare jack, so I cut a sliver from a gum wrapper and wedged it under the contact to lift it back up. It's been working for three weeks now. Has anyone else done a weird fix like that to save a part?

3 comments

3 Comments

elizabeth_jackson13d ago

That gum wrapper trick is pure desperation genius.

mary_kelly13d ago

Honestly, the paperclip move is way more terrifying (in a good way). That's next-level MacGyver stuff.

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miles58113d ago

My buddy used a paperclip as a fuse once.

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