MBP 85W MagSafe Power Adapter Cord Failure

[bmwpowere36m3]

So I purchased my Macbook Pro in November of 2007, so it has been about two years since I got it. One of the things I made sure to get was AppleCare since my experience with laptops has been and I lucked out during the eBay/Live Search Deals....

This past week I've been on a road trip and this morning I look at my adapter as I'm packing everything away and find this:

^^^iPhone pic taken at the Apple Store

I seen other failures of this kind, but they were always at the plug end (MagSafe-end). The idea was people pulling excessively by the cord instead of the connector leading to eventual cord-shielding failure. I have always been careful with the power supply and have wrapped it carefully, yes on the provided "hooks" when I travel.

Anyhow there was a local store on my trip and I figured I stop in and maybe get a replacement. Sure enough, no questions asked, they were going to do a warranty replacement. To finish my replacement, the Genius had to run a diagnostic test to get some code and what did he find....

My battery tested BAD, so kindly I got a replacement battery as well. I had no indications of a bad battery other than the Battery Health dropped to somewhere in the high seventies, low eighties. However, after two years I figured as much. I also made a point to calibrate the battery on a monthly basis, maybe a failed power supply is to blame....

So in summary, the Apple Care was worth it and the Genius was very helpful

 

[danp212]

glad to hear that worked out. Funny though, same exact same thing happened to me with my power supply last year (after 2 years of ownership), and I used to own an E36 M3 lol.

 

[miles01110]

That happened to me when I was in Switzerland. The Genius tried to tell me that it was because I was wrapping the cord too tightly around the little wings, but still gave me a replacement.

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

After some thought, it makes "sense" that the PS "wings" might be the culprits... especially if you wind the cord different ways (rotationally twisting the cable insulation with respect to the molded strain relief). Come to think of it, I wound the cable opposite of the "normal" way I was doing it.

Being a mechanical engineer myself, problems like these kind of make me question who's designing these things... the artists/designers or the engineers (predominately). In today's world everything (consumer goods) needs to be designed for the "least common denominator" (individuals that don't know, uneducated, lack experience, dumb, however you put it). It's foolish to put these "wings" on the power supply and then complain about people wrapping them too tightly (within reason of course) . Or individuals yanking by the cord, instead of the connector... that's why they invented strain-reliefs since people f*ck up. I hate to say it, but at times I think practicality suffers because "LOOKS" and "DESIGN" dominate Apple products (and that's what really sells many products since people don't know better).

I don't hate, I enjoy products that have both technical/practical appeal and at the same time visual appeal. But when form>function, then it's a no go for me. Either way, maybe I'll refrain from wrapping it on those "wings" from now on.

 

[Maccleduff]

I just keep the first loop around the wings quite loose, then wrap it tighter after that.

Apple have a guide about this too
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1630

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

I just keep the first loop around the wings quite loose, then wrap it tighter after that.

Apple have a guide about this too
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1630

That is exactly how I've always wrapped it... making sure not to stress the strain relief end of the cable. While that article is good common pratice anyway, it's Apple's attemp at covering their behinds.

"If the computer is being used regularly in the same locations, consider obtaining an adapter for each location. Having a dedicated power source in each location limits the need to setup and store the adapter on a frequent basis and helps avoid potential strain relief issues all together.", this is meant to be a portable device no that'll get a lot use, abuse, and movement?