power adapter fails

I have a compaq nc6120 laptop. The power adapter will not work. I bought a new one today and it will not work either. Both adapters are hp and are supposed to be compatible. The old one did work until recently. The old one will work if you press it in very very hard. Then when you let go the power fails.
I also noticed that when the old adapter is removed there is slight odor -like when electrical components get hot. I see nothing obviously wrong with either adapter or the slot the adapter goes into. Any ideas?

 

I was just looking at sites that sell compaq adapters. Can anyone recommend a good reputable dealer that will sell good reliable adapters? Thanx.

 

it could be the connection on the other side of the adadpter the solder could be lose or may have a broken board which when pressure is applied the connection is there when released it splits. this can be fixed with someone who knopws how to soder and has good eyes and a magnifineglass or somthig simmular

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I was wondering about that myself. I will look into it.

 

I have a dv6000 laptop that needed a power cord, when I called HP they asked told me it would cost almost eighty dollars. After looking around I found this link http://computercornerhawaii.com/wpp/laptop-power-cord-review/ posted on another forum. After reading it I will never pay more than $20 for a power adapter again. Hope this helps.

 

Yes, I agree with buying power adapters from sources other than the manufacturer to save money. But, I believe pattyandme hit the nail on the head here; in other words, the problem is probably a damaged power connector on the computer. So, throwing more money at another adapter - keep in mind tm711 said he already bought one - is not going to solve the problem.

 

After you pointed out the fact that tm711 already purchased a power cord, I tried looking up the dis-assembly for the nc6120 to see if there was a possibility that tm711 could swap out the power adapter port. But I need a Product Number (PN) to look deeper and accurately identify the correct make, model and system board on HP Partsurfer. tm711, by any chance do you have the PN number available? Perhaps you may be fortunate enough to have a model that you can just swap out the power adapter port and have it up and running like new in no time.

 

This compaq has a soldered power jack.-typical repairer..............
http://www.powerjackrepair.org/hpcompaqnc6120.html

 

Bummers for tm711. Would've been an easy fix if the port was replaceable.

 

If you bought an off-brand replacement, it's possible the second one is also bad. I'd check the output voltage using a multimeter before resorting to a repair of the power jack or motherboard. Also, be sure the power tip is the exact length of the old one; I've seen a few cheap aftermarket power adapters that falsely claim to fit a given model.

The lowest prices on notebook power adapters are usually at amazon.com. Type your PC's make/model # (Compaq nc6120) in Amazon's search bar and sort what comes up by user rating. The Anker brand usually has the best ratings (avg. price $25); Laptop Mate on Amazon also usually has good reviews and is in the $10-$15 range.

Hope this helps.