Customer Reviews

Lenovo ThinkPad 90W AC Adapter - power adapter - 90 Watt ( 40Y7659 )

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I am on my third 90W AC Adapter, and this one is now showing signs of failure. It is failing in the same way that the other reviewers have said; the wires start fraying near the barrel jack that plugs into the notebook. This is how my previous two died.

On average they have lasted around 6 months before dying. I take special care to not bend that area of the cord excessively, and in general I treat my laptop and accessories with extreme care when handling them, but even with my pampered treatment of my AC Adapter, it is dying through no fault of my own.

I have called the support lines about this many times, and they will not acknowledge that this is any fault of their product.

Ideally, the cord that leads from the brick to the computer would be user-replaceable like the cord that leads from the brick to the AC wall jack is. Instead of paying $60 or so for a new AC Adapter, one could pay $10 or so for a new cord. That would definitely improve my rating of this product.

I will say that while it is in working condition, it functions as any reliable AC adapter should. But, I cannot rate it any higher than the two stars I have given it, knowing that it eventually fails to function through no misuse.

I have had two of these fail in just about a year and a half. Both failures were due to the cable on the output side breaking between the plug and the choke. It is bad enough that Lenovo uses shoddy wire on this expensive adapter, but they also use a proprietary connector plug. It is therefore impossible to replace just the plug and you are forced to shell out for another complete power adapter. I rate this as a piece of junk. Unfortunately, there are not many other choices available. Shame on Lenovo!

P.S. I found some supposedly compatible units available on ebay at very low prices. I'll give one of them a try since it irks me to no end to give Lenovo any more money for something so poorly engineered.

UPDATE April 2010: I did purchase a third party charger via ebay for around ten dollars. The connector was the correct one and it has been working fine for a year now. It is slightly bulkier than the Lenovo, but I am highly satisfied with it and I strongly recommend that type of purchase rather than throwing away money on Lenovo's overpriced rubbish.

The Lenovo ThinkPad power adapter lasts about 2 years. (I live on my laptop) Twice I have had to replace them. This time we wraped the end that breaks with LOTS of electical tape so that it won't bend and eventually break the wires.

We have 3 idential T60's for work. After just under 2 years, all three powercords started fraying significantly, right where the plug (that is inserted into the computer) connects to the power cord. This is a big problem, as when the outer wrap of shielding wires frays through (which took less than a month, even with very gentle use!) the computer will no longer be charged. Luckily, we had the extended warranty, and Lenovo said they will replace all 3. However, I had to argue with customer support first (who insisted that I was out of luck, even with the 3 year extended warranty), before they transfered me to technical support in Atlanta who took care of the issue without any problems. So if your cord is breaking, call lenovo tech support. 1 star, as in my opinion this is a defect in the design, and customers should not have to argue for a replacement.

I agree with the others who have had problems with the wire bending and breaking just past the plug that goes into the laptop. I've managed to get to the one and half year point, but bare wires are now showing through. These are too expensive to have them break this quickly!

Yep, same exact thing for me. Wire broke, as described, after 1.5 years. I know that this should just be about the power supply, but the Lenovo T61 has been a disappointment. Multiple issues developed after one year: not just the power cord, but screen backlight started dimming in particular areas and the keyboard and built-in mouse "clicker" starting wearing out. Lenovo has not carried on the tradition of IBM Thinkpad quality. I will be looking elsewhere for my next laptop.

Today I saw the break in the cable. Just as everyone describes it - it is just below the grey jack (the base) that plugs into the laptop. I don't know if I am relieved to know that it is not only me experiencing this. I bought the thinkpad because it came with high reviews but I didn't expect this problem. I wonder if there is a generic charger that would do the job????

got one with my t61.
first one broke after 6 months of light usage, replaced with lenovo warranty
the second one broke after 7 months, replaced with extended warranty from credit card.

My Thinkpad AC adapters last about six months: yesterday I've purchased my fourth within a period of two years. The cable end that plugs into the laptop stops functioning adequately after a few months, and after you get tired of jiggling it all the time you have no choice but to purchase a new adapter :(

I've encountered exactly the same problem as others are describing here - the cable just beyond the grey plug that fits into the laptop is weak and it constantly cuts the power. Even worse, this has occurred after only 3 months of use as an actual "lap-top" laptop (which has clearly accelerated the damage). You think this part is expensive? I'm currently looking at $60+ for a replacement in the UK... (although my adapter is a US model)