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Replacement power cord for my Sony TR3A: does it need to be branded?

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Replacement power cord for my Sony TR3A: does it need to be branded?

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Old Sep 13, 2007, 4:23 pm
  #1  
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Replacement power cord for my Sony TR3A: does it need to be branded?

The power cord for my Sony Vaio TR3A must have a broken wire, as the power occasionally blinks on and off. I've just done a froogle search to find a replacement cord. Do I need to buy a branded cord, or does an after market replacement work?
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Old Sep 13, 2007, 6:05 pm
  #2  
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You say the cord is broken, which part? The part coming off the power brick, or the AC cord that plugs into the brick?
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Old Sep 13, 2007, 6:08 pm
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The part coming off the power brick. If my light flickers, I can wiggle the bit that is immediately beyond the power brick, and it will make a connection again.
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Old Sep 13, 2007, 6:09 pm
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I have no idea whether this is the same for Sonys, but on ThinkPads that can also be the symptom of a failing motherboard or inverter.

Do you have a friend with a voltometer who could test?
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Old Sep 13, 2007, 6:13 pm
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It doesn't happen with my IGO cord. I'm pretty convinced the problem is the original Sony Vaio cord. The point just beyond the power brick is where the cord has the most wear; it's the curve point for me wrapping it up around the brick to toss it in my briefcase for trips.

All my computer friends are on FT. Now, if someone wants a reason for a Mileage Run to San Diego and cares to toss a voltmeter in his bag.......
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Old Sep 13, 2007, 6:17 pm
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The replacement should work just fine, but it always makese sense to go with the original part. Call Sony and ask for the price of a replacement, it shouldn't be too much.
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Old Sep 13, 2007, 6:24 pm
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Thanks, Scotty.
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Old Sep 14, 2007, 8:58 pm
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Similar thing happened to my original PCGA-AC16V6 adapter that came with my Sony Z1 series laptop -- sparks going off at the wire-and-powerbrick junction. I found an original Sony adapter at an electronic store: VGP-AC16V10. It wasn't marketed to be for my laptop, but it has the same voltage (16V) and it plugs into my laptop perfectly.

The VGP-AC16V10 has a different design (the powerbrick looks different, and the cable from brick-to-laptop is very short, meaning it's designed to be placed on a desk as opposed to on your lap.

I would add that be careful of eBay sellers. I purchased one that claimed to be "Genuine Original Sony Adapter", but it was not original or genuine and it didn't work well (power was sometimes on, sometimes off). I quickly returned it so it wouldn't screw up my laptop.

PM me if you would like the name of the eBay seller/store to avoid.
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