By David Coe, founder and bench technician
Laptop not charging? Port, charger or board
"Not charging" is three very different faults wearing one label: the charger, the port, or the charging circuit on the board. Selling the wrong fix. A port swap when the controller behind it has died, or a charger when the board has stopped negotiating. Is how a simple job becomes a comeback. This is the triage we would run, in order.
The ten-minute triage
- Swap the charger and cable for known-good ones. Cheapest variable, rule it out first.
- Test every port, and wiggle gently. One-side-only charging on a MacBook, or a port that charges only at an angle, is a port/board fault.
- Look inside the port. Bent pins, lint, corrosion, a cable that sits loose. Physical damage is physical damage. No software fixes it.
- Watch the numbers if you can. USB-C meter behaviour splits port faults from power-circuit faults the same way it does on a no-power MacBook.
- Windows saying "plugged in, not charging": that is a negotiation or charging-IC conversation, not a dead battery yet.
The trap: replacing the port and stopping there
On modern laptops the port is not the part. The port, its power-delivery controller and the charging IC are one circuit on the logic board. A shop can fit a shiny new USB-C connector and hand the laptop back still not charging, because the controller behind it was the corpse. Our bench checks the whole charging path: connector pins and pads, PD controller, charge IC, the rails between them. The port only gets replaced when the port is what died.
Gaming laptops and barrel jacks
Big gaming laptops still use DC barrel jacks, and those fail the other way around: the jack is a wear part, and when it dies it often takes its solder pads with it. That is textbook board work. The jack is replaced and the pads rebuilt properly, not reflowed and hoped for.
What it costs
Diagnosis is £35 + VAT, waived when the repair goes ahead; charging-circuit repair lands in the fixed £120 + VAT laptop logic board repair (post both ways and a 12-month warranty included) or £180 + VAT in the priority slot. If the fault turns out to be bigger, a revised quote comes to your portal before any paid work.
Charging-fault questions
How long does a charging repair take?
Diagnosed within one working day of arrival; most repaired within 2–4 working days. The priority slot is diagnosed the day it lands and back within two.
Do you replace the charging port or the whole board?
The port is replaced when the port is what failed, and the charging circuit behind it (PD controller, charge IC, rails) is tested either way. That is the difference between a port swap that lasts and a comeback.
Could it just be the battery?
Sometimes, and the diagnosis says so. A battery fault is a cheap, quick answer; a charging-circuit fault is board work. You are told which one before anything paid happens.
Do you stock charging ports?
Common laptop ports are stocked on the bench; unusual connectors come from donor boards when needed. Anything out of the ordinary goes through the revised-quote flow.
The books are full. Join the list
Our bench is at capacity, so we are not taking new jobs right this moment. Open a trade account and we will email you the moment we are booking again. No commitment. Questions? Email jobs@soldersector.com.
