[Freeload] sent us his custom MagSafe adapter build for laptops. MagSafe for those unaware is Apples (patented) power adapters that prevent damage to laptops when the cord is accidentally yanked from the socket. While we’ve seen some custom versions before of MagSafes they were usually bulky, ugly, and used a ton of unremovable glue. We really like [Freeload’s] because its quick, good looking, and the best part – completely removable without marks or damage. In short, an easy weekend project that could one day save your laptop.
due to owning an aspire one with a 9 cell battery I got from china for 60 bucks, I never have to charge my laptop unless its sitting at home not being used.
9 hours :P
If you read the comments on this, it seems that he is making the current flow through the magnets, adhesive, and metal foil… which is all heating up nice n toasty
suggestions have been made so it might be worth looking if you actually plan on making this
I saw this on instructables.com already, but didnt actually understood what it is, so what is the magsafe?
if you trip over the cable it disconnects instead of breaking, my laptops cable has a breakaway that just unplugs itself.
i’ve got that similar 9 hour battery on my aspire one, its great.
yah basically the Apple MagSafe is a plug that is loosely plugged in, but is held in securely by magnet, but when you trip over it or w/e, the force is enough to remove it without damaging the board or the cord.
instructables BOOOOO!
dang! I wish I could find a aspire one for $60! especially with a 9 cell…the 9 cell cost $60 a lone. personally I think this mod is crap bc neodymium magents are strong and who wants that next to there hard drive..
Clayton.. he meant he got just the battery for $60 ;)
erm… perhaps someone who knows that there is a much stronger magnet INSIDE the hard drive, and you’d need to literally remove the cover and scrape one across the platters to destroy the data.
Clever idea.
hehehe, yes just the battery clayton :P
(I got it from Dealextreme)
hopefully these things dont short while being removed
hey just wanted to say thanks for posting my article. hack a day has always been a big inspiration for me and its actually really cool to see something of mine on the front page.
thanks again,
the ultimate da of every laptop i own is due to the power jack breaking
Having dragged a laptop off the table and shattering the screen in my finals I really approve of this mod. It will stop you screaming like a high-pitched thing. (I used a monitor to rescue work)
@ Osgeld
Well if you read the comment by the instructable author completely, you will learn the following;”If the use of copper foil will solve/help the heat issue then i will hunt some down tomorrow and update the instructable.”
The instructable was updated. Any good reason for posting incomplete information here?
dennis jus try tu put your hdd side by side to a decent sound system to see what happens… :P
benn there done that …
Walt BOOOOO! :p
Nice work. My problem was that the power plug was in the back, and anytime my laptop tipped off my lap or whatever else it was on, it landed right on it. I could replace the port inside by myself, but after a few times nothing really repairs a cracked board…
next to a decent sound system
so not only did you have alsorts of fluctauting magnetic fields but vibration would have been worse for a hard drive than the magnets
cant you just splice in the disconnect from a xbox 1 controller? seems like it would be easier.
Beware, the Instructables website has been poisoned by a myantivirus.com popup (possibly via an adserver). I would strongly recommend NOT connecting to this site for the time being.
problem with this is, the magnet is on the plug, so you can easily get it next to the hard drive.
@dennis – that little stack of rare earth magnets is PLENTY strong to damage a hard drive with a quick grazing
difference with apple’s magsafe is the plug itself is just ferrous metal, the only magnet is in the computer, a safe distance from the hard drive that won’t/can’t get any closer
I don’t know.
An extension cord and a few seconds of planning have kept all of my laptop power connectors in one piece since I started carrying them.
Maybe I’ve just been lucky.
Freeload thanks for the instructable, you have saved my wife’s life! I just stopped cringing after a while when she would trip over it, thanking my stars for foldersync and vpn lol. I’m gonna order the parts today but in the meantime I’m gonna try CLIFF’s idea of the xbox “girlfriend saver” and see how that works. Thanks again freeload for the hard work and I will definitely use copper foil. I love it when people actually work together :)
“We really like [Freeload’s] because its quick, good looking, and the best part – completely removable without marks or damage. In short, an easy weekend project that could one day save your laptop.”
From the instructable itself:
“Epoxy the large washer to the side of the laptop, taking care not to get any into the socket. Hold for a few minutes, making sure it sits flush”
The part about putting epoxy on the side of your laptop doesn’t sound very removable.
why the eff do I have to be a member to see all of the pictures?!! geeez I hate instructables.com
@dennis
“there is a much stronger magnet INSIDE the hard drive”
— obviously you didn’t disassemble one: most of the field is confined within the bracket where the voice coil moves.
This is a good idea I screwed up my first plug by a friend tripping over it and the replacement isn’t perfect, this would fix that problem on top of protecting it.
I always wondered why laptops didn’t use magnets to keep the plug held in place loosely instead it was on an old deepfryer of mine and I though it ingenius and it took a company like apple to rip that off lol.
Nice, too bad the post is on instructables.com.
ghaldos: agreed, my deep fryer has the same deal, and I’m pretty sure they’ve been doing it longer than Apple has. My power connector is the only thing I dislike about my laptop, but I’m not 100% sure this “upgrade” would solve the problem…
Man, this is awesome!! I’ve always been jealous of the apple guys and their magsafe connetor.
Nice, but as others have noted here, the Instructables site has been infected by the GoPro virus. To see the entire instructable and all its pictures you have to input your credit card information for a “membership.” That membership includes ‘targeted’ ads made just for you.
Instructables was MUCH better before being infected. Someone should kill the site or establish a non-infected alternative.