Splicing cables to make a charger

[JhonConners]

I have a 2013 Samsung chromebook that is dying on me. Sometimes when I try to turn it on, it shuts off immediately.

Could I splice an extra charger and a USB cable to make a USB to chromebook charger, and use it with a portable power brick to jump start my chromebook when needed?

 

[Ralston18]

Well you could do that....

Key would be a end "device" whose output (amps, voltage, polarity) match what expected by the Chromebook when being recharged.

I am a great believer in DIY solutions but this case would hold off.

As I understand your post you do not really known why the immediate shutoff occurs. Just trying some "jump start" solution may finish off the Chromebook.

Have you ever replaced the battery? Does the Chromebook work when plugged into AC? Are there any other problems when power is on?

Could be a bad switch. Google your specific model and see what you can find with regards to troubleshooting and diagnostic options.

Contact Samsung - check their forums and FAQs.

 

[TMTOWTSAC]

If I understand you correctly, you want to take a power brick and connect it to the wiring from a Chromebook charger, and then connect that to the Chromebook's DC in port?

I do not believe that would work. Power bricks supply 5 Volt current at .5-2.5 amps for a total of 2.5-12.5 watts. Your chromebook charger supplies 12 volt current at 3.33 amps, for a total of 40 watts. That's enough of a voltage difference to potentially damage to sensitive electronics.

 

[Solandri]

The USB 2.0 spec only allows it to carry power at 5 Volts. Most laptop chargers are 19V, with some of the smaller ones being 12V. Unless your Chromebook can be charged via USB, jerry-rigging something that takes USB power and converts it to 12V or 19V would require a step-up transformer. Those use a large pair of magnets with spools of wire running around them, and tend to be rather bulky and heavy. (USB 3.0 allows 20V, but I doubt any 2013 computer supports it.)

Your details are way too sketchy, but my first guess would be your battery is dying. Can you describe the problem some more? Does it work fine when the AC adapter is plugged in? How long does the battery normally last? Do you mean it shuts down immediately even though the battery reports a full charge? etc. If it's a battery problem, you may be able to fix it simply by replacing the battery. I see online guides on how to do so with multiple Samsung Chromebooks.

 

[JhonConners]

When plugged in, works fine. If it shuts off when turned on, I just have to plug it in for a second to jump start it then it works as per usual

 

[Solandri]

That probably is a bad battery then. Li-ion batteries can catch fire or explode if they're overcharged, or over-discharged and then recharged. So there's a lot of circuitry added to prevent these things from happening. They also have a very flat discharge voltage curve - their voltage does not change much from a full charge to what's considered fully discharged.

When you first turn on a computer, the act of powering up circuits and devices like the screen draws more power than keeping those things powered on under normal operation. When you draw a high load off a battery, it depresses the battery's voltage. The voltage is probably dropping below the battery protection circuitry's threshold, causing it to immediately shut your Chromebook off because it thinks your battery has been over-discharged. When you have the AC adapter plugged in, it is providing the power to cover this initial spike, the battery voltage remains stable, and there's no shut-off. Once the Chromebook is running, its power draw would then be low enough that you can unplug the AC adapter, and the battery voltage isn't depressed enough to cross this threshold. So it remains on.

I would try searching online for guides and videos on how to change the battery on your model Chromebook. It's not trivially simple like adding RAM to a laptop, but on most models it is one of the simpler repairs you can do.

If replacing the battery fixes the problem, you can dispose of the old battery at Staples, Home Depot, or Lowes - they have recycling bins for Li-ion batteries. It's still possible for the battery to catch fire if it's punctured or damaged, and it contains some toxic chemicals, so you don't want to just throw it in the trash.

 

[JhonConners]

Well, thing is, this used to be my old school chromebook, which when we left the school we got to keep them(to clarify, yes, it is mine. I am at a different school)

But last year when this started happening, I turned it into our tech person and they said they tried replacing the battery. So this situation is very odd.

But, she was very dishonest about pretty much anything else, so I wouldn't set it in stone that she did replace the battery.

Most likely just pulled a Best Buy Geeksquad trick, tried plugging it in, and gave up.

 

[JhonConners]

Also. It doesn't need to be jumpstarted after every reboot. Sometimes it'll work just fine booting up, And other times it'll shut off after just closing the lid.

 

[TMTOWTSAC]

I'm with Solandri, that is symptomatic of a dying battery. Is it more likely to turn on when it's been on recently? And less likely to start if it's been off for a while, and when you're outside in cold weather? Those would also point towards the battery.

 

[JhonConners]

Not necessarily. Take today as an example, I was using it first period, then when I went to my second period class, it wouldn't turn on. But sometimes I'll be using it one night, leave it at my house, the next night turn it on and it'll be fine.

It seems more of a luck of the draw rather than being on a time schedule

 

[Ralston18]

Temperature related perhaps. Gets warm/hot and does not work. Then after some cooling and time - it works again.

Both heat and cold can be bad for batteries.

 

[JhonConners]

Possibly, but I'll be doing intensive work at home, and it'll shut off and turn on fine