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11 Responses to “Apple’s MagSafe Powercord Issues”  

1. 1 Constable Odo Feb 23rd, 2008 at 5:11 pm

   I have a MacBook Pro C2D 2.33 that I’ve had for well over a year. I have the charger that came with the machine and I use that upstairs and purchased a second charger for downstairs. I have not had one single problem with those Magsafe adapters. They seem to stay very secure until definitely tugged upon. I certainly never received any shock from them either. People said they had problems with the cord pulling out of the adapter fitting. Both of mine are as solid as the day they were purchased. No wear that I’ve noticed even though I’ve pulled it a number of times by the cord on purpose or by accident.

   I’d recommend that people who do pull it out by the cord and have problems should use some sort of rubber adhesive to beef up where the cord meets the plug. I personally think the Magsafe adapter is a fine device. I never had any pins stick or anything of the sort. But then again I don’t put crap into the male or female Magsafe connectors for them to stick or short out.

   Anyway, this is my personal experience and I’m not stretching the truth.

2. 2 Kiwiiano Feb 24th, 2008 at 3:12 pm

   Your problems & symptoms raise the question as to how you detach your magsafe(s) from the laptop. Ideally you should press down on the plastic housing to break the magnetic grip before rotating it away. Simply pulling on the cable overstresses the connections and can break wires within the coupling. The subsequent intermittent open-circuits will cause the ‘not charging’ warning.

   The shocks are a mystery. The charger is rated at 16.5VDC, waaay less than the amount needed for a tingle. Is it possible that static electricity is involved? Dry atmosphere, synthetic fabrics, lack of earthing points….?

3. 3 Mr. Nosuch Feb 24th, 2008 at 6:16 pm

   My MacBook Pro has a pretty stationary lifestyle, and the magsafe connector is almost never removed intentionally. However, that hasn’t stopped the very weak strain connector from the wire to the connector to start to come undone. Those of you who keep the laptops on a desk, where the cable has no tension on it probably have no problem. People like me or John, who must be putting a bit more tension on the cable, are getting failures.

   I think it’s a bad design. The strain relief on the connector is very poor. I haven’t gotten shocked, but probably because the moment I saw the cable insulation separating from the connector, I put tape on it. But that’s already wearing out.

   Not to mention my first magsafe power brick outright failed and needed warranty replacement. But that’s obviously a different issue.

   Some Mac Book Pros need more wattage than plane power outlets provide. My friend blew two circuit breakers on a plane using his. My suspicion is that’s why your laptop wasn’t getting charged. Good news is you’ll get a very long life on a flight like that, but it won’t run forever, that’s for sure. A different aircraft/flight and you may have a better experience.

4. 4 Ryan Feb 24th, 2008 at 6:38 pm

   I have really good luck with my power adapters. However, I stopped using the fold out cord pins on the adapters because I think they put too much stress on the joint where the cord enters the brick. I either wrap my cord loosely around the brick itself or around my hand.

   As for the airline adapter, I haven’t actually used mine yet. However, I did notice in the documentation when I opened it up that Apple warns that it will not charge the battery. I suspect that the airplane does not provide enough power to run the computer. Does the adapter at least slow the battery consumption and extend usage?

5. 5 Jp Feb 24th, 2008 at 9:08 pm

   I’m a Certified Apple Consultant and use a MacBook Prop for my main computer. I take it everywhere and plug it in most times It’s used. This is at least three times a day since late ‘06. I have no problems whatsoever and I’ve not had a client who has had an issue with their adapters in any way.

   I can’t explain why yours keeps failing so often. Perhaps I just value my equipment more and baby it?

6. 6 John Feb 25th, 2008 at 1:39 am

   I’ve had a 17″ MacBook Pro for almost two years and have had no problems with the power adapters. I have one that stays home and one that travels with me. The traveling adapter is frequently deployed and stored on almost a daily basis as I travel around the country.

   I would like to see a little better strain relief at each end of the thin cord.

   I’ll support the advice you got above. When disconnecting the power hold the connector and remove it from the laptop. Don’t yank on the cord.

7. 7 Krishna Feb 25th, 2008 at 5:26 pm

   I’m on my 2nd MagSafe adaptor with my Macbook Pro. I agree with the author of this blog -there are some definite design issues with the MagSafe adaptor that need to be addressed. As it stands, it’s the weakest link for an otherwise awesome machine.

8. 8 vandenhog May 8th, 2008 at 12:26 am

   please. i have had 1 magsafe fail on me after 18 months and my daughter had a failure after about 6 months. I have a PBpro and she has a MB. The design is a POS and i would be surprised if you see if on future macs.

9. 9 Bob Crossman May 8th, 2008 at 11:15 am

   MagSafe problems, Do what Leo LaPorte does. . . http://www.twit.tv/dgw507

10. 10 Ryan B May 24th, 2008 at 5:39 am

    I have had my 17″ Macbook Pro for 2 years now and have had the same problem of the fraying on the end nearest the magsafe connection. I am, unfortunately, in Germany at the moment and my 2nd one has just developed the same problem and I have babied this one ever since I got it. The only thing I can think of is that I don’t sit at a desk to use my computer I am usually sitting on the bed as there is very little furniture in my room and that puts more stress on the end. When I’m at home I usually sit on the couch to use my computer. I am firmly convinced it is a design flaw. The first cord lasted about 6 months. The second has lasted about a year but that’s because I purchased an extra one. I thought this one would last for at least 6 months when I came to Germany but it has lasted only 3 months, otherwise I would have brought my extra with me. Although, because I had the two at home it had lasted for a little over a year there plus the 3 months here. Now I’m not sure what I’m going to do since this one frayed and is about to come totally apart and it did it in less than a week. I know I can call Apple but a new cord will take closer to two weeks to get here. I may be without my computer for a while.

11. 11 unrulyasides Jul 12th, 2008 at 2:42 am

    i’ve had the same problem with my magsafe power adapter. have had intermittent (though probably only 5% of the time it’s being used) issues where even though the adapter is plugged in, and it’s connected to my macbook, it simply will not charge. has caused issues where i haven’t noticed this and thought my macbook was charging, only to find 30-45 minutes later the battery’s almost dead. sometimes turning the little connector over works, sometimes it doesn’t. so far, i haven’t been able to figure out what makes it happen when it does happen. hopefully it doesn’t become more prevalent. but good to come across your post, to realize i’m not the only one who’s had this problem.

    oh, also, 3 years of owning various ibooks, and not once did i ever pull the ibook off a desk or anything via some mishap with the power adapter cord. but this damnable magsafe adapter comes off at the slightest provocation, and given how i generally work in a chair with all my work piled on top of me, it’s a hassle grabbing the thing from the floor and putting it back in. personally i’d prefer the old adapter style, but possibly the magsafe kind has advantages for some people.

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