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Recently, my new puppy in the house chewed my laptop power cable in half. Can I splice it back together and if so, is it safe?

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4 Answers

up vote 7 down vote

You can repair the cable by cutting out the chewed section. Solder and shrink wrap the middle cable first then solder and shrink wrap the outer cable next. It wont fail you if done right.

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+1 for suggesting a solder fix and not just a twist-and-electrical-tape fix. – Warren P Jul 23 '10 at 13:25
Make sure to get the polarity correct when you reattach the wires. – Peter Murray Jul 23 '10 at 18:36
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up vote 3 down vote

You can certainly join power leads.

How safe it is will depend on how connect the two halves.

It's mains power so you need a properly rated connector - don't just twist the wires together and wrap in insulation tape.

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Ah, twisting and taping is what I've been doing for the last twenty or so years, and it's never been a problem ye..zztttttztttztt....... – Skizz Jul 23 '10 at 15:45
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@Skizz - if it was me I'd be tempted to twist and tape, but as I'm offering advice I thought I ought to play safe ;) – ChrisF Jul 23 '10 at 16:35
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up vote 3 down vote

Absolutely, if you can uniquely identify each of the individual wires in the cord. If you can't be certain what to connect to what, don't guess.

If the cut is on the cord between the brick and the wall, every hardware store sells kits to fix extension cords, which will do exactly what you need.

If the cut is on the cord between the brick and the computer, it is a bit harder. I suspect if you knew how to solder and shrink wrap you wouldn't have needed to ask here! Find one of those TV/radio repair shops that has been around for 40 years. The old guy that runs it will know how to fix the cord, and you will probably have a good time listening to his stories while he does it.

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+1 for "the old guy" :-) One of "those" saved my stuff more times than I care to count ... – Rook Sep 2 '10 at 20:55
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up vote 0 down vote

You can if you want - chop out the chew then connect/tape together... I did this years ago on a damaged cable.

However, personally, now that you can get them so cheap, I would just go to eBay and order another one! It isn't worth the risk and it just isn't worth the risk of something bad happening.

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The problem here is a too quick response that adds to the "throw away" mentality that is part of the garbage problem in the world. If this is repaired with ANY knowledge, it will be completely safe. – Xavierjazz Jul 23 '10 at 13:56
@Xavierjazz - I make so many answers about repairing pretty much anything - and I did say about repairing it, but it is my honest belief that for the sake of £15 (or less) it simply isn't worth repairing and/or the danger it could cause when we know nothing about the skill level of the question asker. – William Hilsum Jul 23 '10 at 23:48
I have profited from your advice many times here, thank you, but I still feel that your answer here is very poor. The throw-away mentality in our society is leading to many serious problems, and I feel that every "small" step is very important. Sorry to preach. Warm regards, – Xavierjazz Jul 24 '10 at 18:52
@Xavierjazz - Oh well, I will agree to disagree then! I believe in fixing pretty much anything rather than throwing it away... (And I have a room filled with nothing but computer junk as I don't want to chuck it!) But when it comes to items such as power cables, I stand by the fact that I do not think it is worth the risk... inadequate repairs could lead to fire or anything really. Anyway, more importantly, who says that it can't be recycled!? – William Hilsum Jul 24 '10 at 19:39
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