Not all Power Supplies are Created Equally
by Charlie Niehaus
January 19, 2012
Even though power adapters, also called power supplies, will plug into a laptop it may not work correctly. Power supplies from other laptops, like HP, that you have at home may look very similar to the power supply the school provided with the 1-1 laptops. The problem is the power supply that comes with the 1-1 laptop provides 19.5 volts. Other power supplies may provide 18.5 volts which is enough to run the laptop when it is plugged in but not enough to charge the battery. You may even notice the power icon on the laptop indicating “Plugged in but NOT charging” when one of these other power supplies is in use. So make sure you use the Dell power supply that came with your 1-1 laptop. The correct power supply will have “Dell” on the bottom in small print and should have the serial number of the laptop inscribed on the side of the power supply. Remember – just because it fits when you plug it in, does not make it the right power supply.
