h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Am being asked where to get a power cord for a notebook computer, which says on it: "elite Midwestern micro"... anyone know if this is a standard IBM type clone? One Google entry, about the PCMCIA card. It appears to have been made about 1995... any help out there?

I would go to the nearest Mom and Pop brick and mortar, myself.
And take the computer.
This is the kinda thing I wouldn't trust to figure out online.

Regardless of the OS, some suppliers came up with their own proprietary cords. So, sometimes you are stuck with a mix and match situation at the store.

Ah, the myriad woes of power adapters. Speaking of which, I have a Dell Inspiron 2650 (no, dude, I haven't got a Dell; I bought it before they started that series of advertisements) which has an extremely unusual AC adapter connection. It doesn't look at all like a regular DC plugin.
Anyway, I need a car adapter for it, but none of the "universal" adapters look like they'd fit, even the ones manufactured by Dell. Does an adapter exist? Is it possible to simply take the laptop apart and put in a "normal" adapter? If all else fails, can I simply stick one finger in the laptop and another in the socket?

Confusedly but not yet Electrifyingly,
Vroomfindel

Oddly enough, some of the school supply and library supply catalogs carry that kind of stuff.
Edmund Scientific has even been known to be useful.

But it's still not as good as walking into a brick and mortar.

Some of the repair shops keep the cords when they part out machines or toss them.

It is not possible to take a laptop apart and change the power connection. The power connection is normally soldered directly onto the main motherboard. Unless you are extremely good at soldering and have expensive soldering equipment for high temperature solder, you will not be able to do this and will have to dump your laptop.

Most laptops use a huge amount of power. Since they are low voltage, they tend to be very high current (2 or 3 amps is typical). This means that handy power adapters that you get in your diy store won't be good enough - they rarely go above 0.5 amps. You'll find the exact power requirements on the back of the computer.

Well, CompUSA (which, for you Brits, is a chain of computer mega-stores) tells me that they sell a "universal" power supply which can be set to a variety of power levels... but this still requires knowing the appropriate setting doesn't it? I went through this once myself, but with a Compaq, so the requirements were mercifully well-documented. Somebody stole it though, so they also took this problem off my hands and I can't report whether CompUSA is in fact correct in telling me that this will solve the problem.

Anyway If anyone can tell me about this Midwestern Micro, I'd appreciate it. The owner does tell me the 1995 date is probably accurate or, close.

Thanks
Dana

Rebadged laptops can be a real pain.
Sometimes the info that appears when it boots up, (if it has enough power left to start up) or possibly some variant of a part no. on the case can help identify the generic machine one is based on. Failing that, there's always a chance that there may be some kind of useful ID inside the casing.

What's the physical power connector like - is it some custom effort, or for a roughly standard DC power plug (one of the things that ends in a hollow metal tube.
Many older machines did seem to use 2.5mm or 3.1mm power plugs, taking 15-18V or so, but one *does* have to get the polarity correct, so if it isn't indicated on the case there is a chance of damage with the wrong supply (unless the design has been made safe against reversed voltage).

It does sound like the kind of thing best taken to a store (they may have seen the same machine under a different name)

I've emailed a friend in Austin who has more experience than I and has seen more computers than I can imagine. He used to ride on one of the dot coms. I've asked him your question.

thanks to both of you. Please keep me posted. Right this second I can't remember what the socket for the plug looks like but I will report details as they become available... it's a real issue for the friend who does not own a computer and would like to, and was given this one sans power cord...

And no such luck, sorry, it won't start. I did try that.

Dana