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MagSafe trick

D

dbqvimo

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 30, 2009
1
0
I recently got a new macbook pro (thanks to Apple's great customer care/Customer Replacement Unit policy), and two days later, it got stuck under a moving chair, which peeled off the outer rubber insulation for the power supply cord. And a beautiful thing happened...

I used to notice that the magsafe power adapter would slip out when i was moving my macbook around from place to place a little bit too easily.

Then I put 1 1/2 inches of electric tape about a centimeter away from the actual magsafe-macbook port, and the addition added just a little bit of resilience because of some sort of physics i can't explain.

so if you want your magsafe to be a little bit stronger, but still pull out if you move it too hard, just add an inch of electrical tape to the end. works like a charm!

it was a revelation that i thought i had to share.

thanks,

-dan
 
So, you're saying we have to shear off the insulation under a chair before applying this mod?
 
dbqvimo said:
I recently got a new macbook pro (thanks to Apple's great customer care/Customer Replacement Unit policy), and two days later, it got stuck under a moving chair, which peeled off the outer rubber insulation for the power supply cord. And a beautiful thing happened...

I used to notice that the magsafe power adapter would slip out when i was moving my macbook around from place to place a little bit too easily.

Then I put 1 1/2 inches of electric tape about a centimeter away from the actual magsafe-macbook port, and the addition added just a little bit of resilience because of some sort of physics i can't explain.

so if you want your magsafe to be a little bit stronger, but still pull out if you move it too hard, just add an inch of electrical tape to the end. works like a charm!

it was a revelation that i thought i had to share.

thanks,

-dan
Click to expand...

I'm taking AP Physics and can tell you that doing this will WEAKEN the connection between MBP and MagSafe adapter. The distance between the two is made longer when you add a layer of electrical tape. But the attraction force is still the same. The longer the distance, the weaker the force.
 
Something tells me Apple's industrial designers would have thought long and hard about the precise dimensions of the MagSafe connector, before deciding on what they have. In all likelihood, they probably went through a few hundred prototypes. I doubt very much that you have managed to better their design without compromising on the whole purpose of the connecter.
 
tempusfugit said:
Uh Oh Watch Out Ap Physics Ftw.
Click to expand...

Seconded. At least we know he's an expert!

edit:

SnowLeopard2008 said:
I'm taking AP Physics and can tell you that doing this will WEAKEN the connection between MBP and MagSafe adapter. The distance between the two is made longer when you add a layer of electrical tape. But the attraction force is still the same. The longer the distance, the weaker the force.
Click to expand...

Nothing is being "made longer." What is this mystery "attraction force" ? The above statement makes so little sense it's comical.
 
miles01110 said:
Seconded. At least we know he's an expert!

edit:



Nothing is being "made longer." What is this mystery "attraction force" ? The above statement makes so little sense it's comical.
Click to expand...

I think he is saying that the force is a constant and if the distance increases the force will be lessened.

Give the guy a break.
 
HellDiverUK said:
Hint: next time don't drive a chair over a 3 days old laptop. That's just plain stupid.
Click to expand...

Hint: Don't make snotty comments about people who have made mistakes. It makes you look like a self-righteous ass, and you'll feel even worse when you have your first accident with your MBP ;)

I still want to know where exactly the OP put the tape.
 
SnowLeopard2008 said:
I'm taking AP Physics and can tell you that doing this will WEAKEN the connection between MBP and MagSafe adapter. The distance between the two is made longer when you add a layer of electrical tape. But the attraction force is still the same. The longer the distance, the weaker the force.
Click to expand...

i think you are misinterpreting what the OP said. he is not adding electrical tape between the MBP and MagSafe. he is adding it 1 cm away, around the MagSafe
 
SnowLeopard2008 said:
I'm taking AP Physics and can tell you that doing this will WEAKEN the connection between MBP and MagSafe adapter. The distance between the two is made longer when you add a layer of electrical tape. But the attraction force is still the same. The longer the distance, the weaker the force.
Click to expand...

Hahahaha....

Quick! Everyone listen to what the high school student has to say!
 
chriszzz said:
Hahahaha....

Quick! Everyone listen to what the high school student has to say!
Click to expand...

oh. snap. don't make fun of the kid. he's taking AP physics, son! that isn't some of the regular sh*t....its muthf*#&^$ng AP PHYSICS!!

ahem. i think the OP is merely "cinching" the rubber insulation housing on the magsafe wire so its conducting wires underneath do not have as much give when being tugged to remove the magnetic adaptor connection. because you have some stripped insulation, putting some tape on it will prevent it from moving. they are not lengthening it because it is replacing insulation that got stripped away but are reinforcing it to keep the outer protective insulation and the conducting wire undeath from coming apart. this shouldn't be an epiphany inducing event since people do it all the time - they put tape on boxes to keep it from opening, they put tape on paper to keep it together, strippers put tape on pasties to attach to their bewbz.....the application of tape about in the real world abound and often go unappreciated. go to hope depot or staples and knock yourself out with a roll.
 
It may just be the tape diminishing the tension on the chord a bit before the magsafe disconnects. The tape probably has a certain amount of "give" more so than the rubber they use to sheath the wires. Therefore, when you pull a smidge on the chord, it seems as though the magnet is stronger, because it takes more force from you to compensate for the diminished tension of the modified chord.

sehnsucht77 said:
oh. snap. don't make fun of the kid. he's taking AP physics, son! that isn't some of the regular sh*t....its muthf*#&^$ng AP PHYSICS!!

ahem. i think the OP is merely "cinching" the rubber insulation housing on the magsafe wire so its conducting wires underneath do not have as much give when being tugged to remove the magnetic adaptor connection. because you have some stripped insulation, putting some tape on it will prevent it from moving. they are not lengthening it because it is replacing insulation that got stripped away but are reinforcing it to keep the outer protective insulation and the conducting wire undeath from coming apart. this shouldn't be an epiphany inducing event since people do it all the time - they put tape on boxes to keep it from opening, they put tape on paper to keep it together, strippers put tape on pasties to attach to their bewbz.....the application of tape about in the real world abound and often go unappreciated. go to hope depot or staples and knock yourself out with a roll.
Click to expand...
This is the closest thing to an explanation of the "physics" conundrum the TS mentioned. Everyone else who are just naysaying should sack up and show us what they think is the reasoning. Even though highschool might seem to have been a long time ago, most of you seem not to have grown up from it.
Tension is a concept from dynamics, which is a mandated (at least for public schools) topic of AP physics.
 
All I have to say is AP Physics!

and yes, I agree, the OP is putting tape near the plastic block?

I won't be trying this.
 
I seriously doubt it will work.

I have a trick too.

Strip off insulation on the OP's pc laptop power supply and electric shock him with it.
 
I would think this method would stiffen the cable to be more horizontal, rather than bent or curved down (so gravity has effect on it). A more stiff, horizontal magsafe cable would probably be less likely to come unseated, since the cable is not always pulling directly down on it.

Good work.
 
Wow! People have a lot dumb $#!† to say :rolleyes:, anyways...


for anyone who is interested, I can tell you that the end of the magsafe wire that is close to the computer should be kept straight. Whether you want to use electric tape or just remeber to keep it straight or find some other method - it should be kept -------straight-------.

I wasnt aware of this with my first magsafe adaptor, so I would often sit at "odd angles" or just at the limit of the cables length, and this would sometimes create a situation where the wire would bend at a "right angle" type degree right after the magnetic connector.

As common sense corroborates, this can strip the inside insulation :eek: and melt the wire! In fact it was this same common sense that helped me understand why I looked down one day and saw the rubber melted a cm. or so behind magnetic connector.:mad:

Not only does it suck that you can loose the adaptor and have to replace it, but this is also quite dangerous. When the insulation is stripped this melt down can happen rapidly. I smelled burning rubber one moment and saw it melt out. If I was asleep or away a fire could have broken out, etc, etc :eek:

Anyway, if putting electric tape there (if that is indeed where the OP put it...pics???) prevents that part of the cable from bending around, it is a valid and worthy mod. for sensible people whos vanity wont be too injured or enraged by appearance of electric tape on their chord. (Although there are less cosmetically infringeng alternitives :cool: ). What I usually do is just make sure the cable is hanging off the edge of the desk in a straight line (when I am at a desk and this is possible), or I slide the little plastic chord clasps up to the top (near the comp.) and fold a few inches of the cable around and hook back into the clasp. This keeps the portion in question straight.

Hope this is of value to someone and possibly even safes a few lives ;)
 
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