this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2025
416 points (93.9% liked)
Technology
60456 readers
4127 users here now
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Our Rules
- Follow the lemmy.world rules.
- Only tech related content.
- Be excellent to each another!
- Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
- Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
- Politics threads may be removed.
- No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
- Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
- Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
Approved Bots
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
At least some Dell laptops authenticate to the charger so that only "authentic Dell chargers" can charge the battery, though they'll run off third-party chargers without charging the battery.
Unfortunately, it's a common problem -- and I've seen this myself -- for the authentication pin on an "authentic Dell charger" to become slightly bent or something, at which it will no longer authenticate and the laptop will refuse to charge the battery.
I bet the charger on yours is a barrel charger with that pin down the middle.
hits Amazon
Yeah, looks like it.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086VYSZVL?psc=1
I don't have a great picture for the 65W one, but the 45W charger here has an image looking down the charger barrel showing that internal pin.
If you want to keep using that laptop and want to use the battery, I'd try swapping out the charger. If you don't have an official Dell charger, make sure that the one you get is one of those (unless some "universal charger" has managed to break their authentication scheme in the intervening years; I haven't been following things).
EDIT: Even one of the top reviews on that Amazon page mentions it: