Laptop Battery Charger: Everything You Need To Know

Any laptop needs a reliable and effective power supply, so you must buy the right laptop battery charger to replace the lost or defective one.

For instance, purchasing an incompatible charger can damage your laptop battery, waste money, or even cause a fire.

Therefore, this article details everything you need to know about a laptop battery charger, including its parts, charging basics, and how you can choose a compatible laptop charger. 

Laptop battery charger parts: names and functions

Not all laptop battery chargers have identical or similar components; some feature additional circuits and parts to add functionality.

You can find the following components and circuits in any laptop battery charger.

Power plug

This component of the laptop battery charger connects to the power outlet on the wall via a cable attached to it, while the other end is permanently fixed to the “power brick,” which has more essential components and circuits.

With other laptop battery chargers, you can remove the female end of the power cable, which allows for charging power bricks without buying a new power plug or vice versa. 

The most popular power plugs are 1.5mm AC.

Transformer

A transformer is a popular component used to either step down or up the voltage of incoming current.

Laptop battery chargers must have a transformer as the current in the wall outlet is at a very high voltage.

For instance, power outlets in European homes receive 220 volts, while those in the United States receive current at 120 volts.

The voltage must be stepped down before it goes into the laptop charger because components and circuits inside a laptop operate at a very low voltage compared to the electric current supplied by the wall outlets.

Failure to step down the wall outlet current will fry circuits inside the laptop.

Rectifier

You can use an AC/DC rectifier circuit to convert an incoming AC to DC.

There are thousands of rectifiers. However, a diode rectifier is the most common type of AC-to-DC converter.

Power companies transmit AC instead of DC as it is impossible to transmit DC over long distances.

However, laptops, like all other home appliances, require DC to operate.

Therefore, manufacturers make laptop chargers with rectifiers to convert the AC to DC.

Filters and regulators

DC coming out of a rectifier usually is janky.

So, it has to pass through a filter and voltage regulator circuit, such as smoothing circuits or capacitors, to ensure your laptop gets reliable, constant, and smooth power.

The filter and regulator circuits store a little bit of energy and release it when there is no power output from the rectifier.

Resultantly, there will be reduced ripples in the supplied power.

Ferrite bead

A ferrite bead or choke is a magnetic, cylindrical module-type thing with a wire.

It is found at the end of the power cable, which comes from the power brick. Its function is to ensure that the wire does not turn into a radio unintentionally.

There can be the following scenarios if your laptop battery charger does not have a ferrite bead;

• The wire becomes an unintentional transmitter and begins transmitting radio waves, interfering with your laptop.
• The wire becomes an unintentional receiver. For instance, the wire starts picking up unintentionally transmitted radio waves. Resultantly, these waves will start interfering with the current flowing through the wire, thus causing a disturbance in the power flow.

Charger connectors

The charger connector is the most critical component of a laptop charger, as it is the part that plugs into the laptop.

Although all laptop battery chargers use DC power connectors, the connectors vary vastly between brands and manufacturers.

They also come in different sizes and shapes, including square, cylindrical, and other weird shapes.

Laptop charger

How to choose a compatible replacement laptop battery charger

Laptop battery charger manufacturers use different connections for charging laptops, which vary according to wattage.

Therefore, understanding some additional information about the model of your laptop will help you source the right replacement charger for your laptop.

Identify the model number of your laptop.

The first thing you need to do is identify your laptop’s model by looking at the sticker on the underside.

You will see information such as warranty and serial number.

And towards the label’s top, you will see the full model number, which may look like one of these;

• Lenovo YOGA 500-14ACL
• HP Elitebook 850 G5
• Samsung Np350V5C-A01UK
• Toshiba SATELLITE PRO 6100

It is essential to note that the ‘range’ listed around the laptop’s keyboard will not provide enough details to find your laptop’s ideal or right charger. So, we recommend looking for the main model number instead.

Another way of identifying your laptop’s model number is by looking at the manual or original receipt/invoice that came with your laptop, which is the best option if you can not locate the sticker or find it difficult to read.

Find the wattage of your laptop.

Understanding your laptop’s power or wattage rating is always a good practice. 

Is there a minimum wattage required to charge a laptop?

Although a minimum wattage is needed to charge a laptop, it depends on several factors.

For instance, a laptop battery charger must output at least 29W or 31W to give your laptop enough power that it consumes when it is ON.

If your laptop is larger and runs heavy-duty programs, a 30W battery charger may not charge it as fast as you are draining it.

The laptop battery charger’s safer and ideal wattage range should be 45-96W.

Laptop voltage

The voltage requirements of laptops are as follows;

• Input voltage: 19 volts DC
• Output voltage via USB ports: 5 volts DC

19V is the standard voltage requirement for most laptops. However, not all laptop battery chargers supply a suitable voltage for all laptops.

Therefore, read on for more information about the voltage or wattage of your laptop and overall supply voltage requirements.

Laptop battery charger voltage

Generally, the voltage of laptop battery chargers is as follows;

• Input voltage: 100-240 volts AC
• Output voltage: 19 volts DC

Most laptop battery chargers convert mains electricity, whose voltage is between 100 and 240 volts, into 19 volts to charge the battery and power a laptop.

Although most global power grid supply voltage ranges between 100-240 volts, there are laptop battery chargers that provide a wider input voltage of between 95 volts to 250 volts.

Therefore, we recommend verifying your input and output voltage requirements before sourcing a new laptop charger.

Finding the laptop’s wattage, amperage, and voltage can help you match what is listed on the replacement battery charger with the requirements of your laptop.

You should check the laptop manual for its voltage requirements. You can also find your laptop’s wattage by looking at the original charger if you still have it, and you will see information like this;

OUTPUT: 19V DC 3.42A

You can calculate the wattage of your laptop by multiplying the output voltage and amperage. In our case above, it will be 19 x 3.42 = 65W after rounding up.

Choose the replacement laptop battery charger.

Now that you have all the information required to choose the suitable replacement laptop battery charger, let’s go through the three common types of laptop battery chargers available online;

OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers) laptop battery chargers

When you first buy a laptop, the battery charger that comes with it is called the OEM laptop charger.

Usually, third-party companies, such as LiteON, ACBel, and Delta, manufacture these laptop battery chargers on behalf of the laptop brands such as Lenovo, Samsung, and HP.

Therefore, OEM laptop battery chargers are usually branded with a logo.

Advantages of OEM laptop battery chargers

• If you buy the right laptop battery charger, the OEM charger will work with your laptop.
• Their functionality is similar to the original battery charger and performs similarly.

Disadvantages of OEM laptop battery chargers

• Depending on the availability, OEM laptop battery chargers can be expensive.
• They can be hard to source, especially for older laptop models, because the OEM manufacturers might have stopped making a charger compatible with your laptop.
• Many counterfeit or fake OEM laptop battery chargers being sold by private sellers/ dealers across marketplaces like Amazon and eBay are likely dangerous. For instance, counterfeit OEM laptop battery chargers usually lack features, such as short circuit protection and temperature control, which make battery chargers safe.

Therefore, if you want to purchase an OEM laptop battery charger, ensure it is from a reliable and reputable company that offers warrant and insurance on their laptop chargers.

Universal laptop battery chargers

Universal laptop battery chargers are widely known for replacing most leading laptop brands. You can even use some of them on multiple brands, and they come with various sets of ‘pins’ or ‘tips.’

Third-party brands make universal laptop battery chargers and rebrand them through different manufacturers across the common marketplace.

Advantages of buying a universal laptop battery charger

• If you have multiple laptops compatible with the universal battery charger, you can use one charger for all your laptops.
• Universal laptop chargers are generally affordable.

Disadvantages of buying a universal laptop battery charger

• They do not guarantee quality, and most of the universal laptop battery chargers we checked on Amazon and eBay came with no warranty mentioned.
• Universal laptop chargers have a switch to select the needed voltage manually. Therefore, using a universal battery charger with the wrong select voltage can result in irreparable damage to your laptop.
• You must research the pin size needed for your laptop before buying, as attempting to fit the wrong pin into your laptop can cause permanent damage to your laptop. Many customers have complained about the available tips not fitting their laptops.
• By nature, many parts of a universal laptop charger, such as the pin section, are removable. So, they can be poorly fitting and will degrade with time.

We can not recommend purchasing universal laptop battery chargers because many factors can risk damaging your laptop.

Compatible (third-party) laptop battery chargers

Non-OEM companies manufacture compatible laptop battery chargers you can use as a straight replacement for particular OEM laptop battery chargers.

Advantages of buying compatible (third-party) laptop battery chargers

• Third-party laptop battery chargers are available for over 50,000 laptops, including laptops manufactured from 2000 to date, most of which do not have an OEM replacement.
• Despite the high quality of compatible (third-party) laptop battery chargers, they are usually cheaper than OEM replacement batteries.
• Compatible (third-party) laptop battery chargers are tested and matched to work with multiple devices. Therefore, you can expect these chargers to be compatible and work with your laptop.
• Compatible (third-party) laptop chargers are designed to provide equal or more quality than the OEM laptop battery chargers.

Disadvantages of buying compatible (third-party) laptop battery chargers

Laptop AC adapter

Conclusion

Hopefully, this article has assisted you in finding the correct battery charger for your laptop. 

However, contact us today via the comments section below if you need more assistance.