Acer Aspire 5552 Jack Replacement Tutorial

The goal is to replace the DC Power Jack Plug Cable for Acer Aspire 5551. For those needing to do so, it would be a good time for another replacement: LotFancy Keyboard for Acer Aspire. My keyboard was okay and I didn’t have to replace it.

This video helped me to repair the Acer Aspire 5552.

Symptoms

This laptop was not charging up as it should. The jack was very loose and didn’t seem to be secured very well. Simply put, the laptop quit charging and something had to be done. The jack needed to be replaced with a new one.

As far as the instructions on the video, it was pretty much to the letter. I must say this was a very helpful video. I appreciate the valuable information.

I wrote the steps down as an aid when putting the laptop parts back together. The instructor was absolutely spot on every step of the way.

Video Source: After Hours Tv & Pc repair

Steps To Follow

1. The keyboard comes off. Loosen the insertions. A little patience is required here.
2. After gently prying off the keyboard, press on the white piece toward you. It is attached to the keyboard itself. If the tabs fall off, they can easily be put back in place. Don’t panic, but be sure to put them in place when possible, because you may lose them.
3. Disconnect the track pad.
4. Unhook speaker.
5. Unhook the power switch.
6. Disconnect white tape with green sticker.
7. Disconnect black attachment, which goes to screen.
8. Install the new power jack.
9. The two wires that connect to the power supply near the outside need a couple of drops of glue applied. Otherwise, the smaller wire especially has a tendency to disengage itself, thus preventing the laptop from charging. This poses a problem if not glued properly. Super Glue works fine.
10. Reverse steps for assembly.

It was kind of a pain to get the keyboard loose. It’s not so bad after you do it once. I was afraid of breaking something, but I did not break anything. A few tabs fell off and I just put them back on. No problem.

So, this project can be done if you don’t mind a small amount of stress. The main thing is to get started and keep confident. Persistence is key.

Overall, not a bad project. The best part is that the old laptop works great now. There was no repair bill, other than a few hours of time. After replacing the jack, the charge light came on and I was ecstatic.

This repair was a success!

Recommendations
1. I think it would be a good idea from now on to keep the charging cord plugged in at the laptop. And, when it’s time to unplug, just unplug at the electric outlet. This prevents wear and tear on the laptop jack.
2. I used a Lutz Screwdriver for my project. These are well made screwdrivers.

Update: [2/4/15] The repair worked great for several weeks and the laptop stopped charging. As noted in the ten step instruction plan, the two wires that plug into the power jack kept popping out of place. The simple solution was to add a few drops of Super Glue on the ends, after they were plugged in of course.

CONCLUSION

It turned out that my jack wasn’t bad. There seems to be a ground problem and the computer is working at the moment. Instead of the glue process, I would recommend soldering the ends to the jack. Acer makes good computers and this model works great. There’s just a small grounding issue. No problem.