The Power Supply For Your Laptop

The power supply for your laptop consists of 4 elements. Knowing what these elements are and what they do will ultimately save your computer from potential power issues that can fry your computer or destroy valuable information. Having a working knowledge of your laptop power supply is a good thing to have.

Going from the wall towards your computer, the first part of the power supply for your computer is the wall socket. It delivers alternating current (AC) which is too powerful for your computer and often has spikes which can easily damage your laptop. This is why it is important to make sure that you use a functional power strip or surge protector in line. Your laptop power cord should be plugged into the surge protector only after the power strip has been plugged into the wall socket and turned on. The power strip will help regulate the current for natural spikes that occur from your wall socket, but you shouldn't expect it to protect your computer in case of lightning striking your home. As with any valuable device, your laptop should be unplugged in the case of a lightning storm.

The next part of your power supply is the AC adapter. This is that annoying box that is in the middle of your power cord. The purpose of this box is to turn the alternating current from the wall socket into direct current (DC). Your laptop or notebook computer runs on direct current because this is the type of current that is needed in order to charge your laptop battery. The AC adapter is also another site where the amount of current is regulated in order to prevent your computer from being fried with too much power.

Once the power travels down the cord and into your laptop, it goes through the computer power board. The power board is usually but not always connected to the mother board of your computer. It serves two functions: 1) to send power to the laptop battery; and 2) to regulate and send power to the mother board which is the basic center of operations for your laptop computer.

You would think that this is the last part of the power supply for your laptop, but it is not. The final piece of this interconnected circuit is the computer cooling fan. This often overlooked piece of hardware is vital to your computer as it keeps your processor and other components of your laptop cool enough to function properly. If you have upgraded your laptop and are all of a sudden experiencing power outages, you may need to upgrade your computer cooling fan as well. Another thing to remember is that if your laptop is making strange noises while it is running, the first thing you should be looking at is the fan. They are often obstructed or in need of oil when this happens. If you aren't handy disassembling laptops, it would be wise to have someone who knows what they are doing deal with this issue as nothing is more frustrating than taking something apart and accidentally doing more damage to your computer when you are trying to fix it in the first place.

As you can see, the power supply of your laptop isn't really all that complicated. Having a general knowledge about all of it's parts as well as what each part does will go a long way in helping you maintain your computer as well as saving you valuable money when it comes time to figuring out what needs to be replaced should something go wrong.