AC/DC Power Adapter PSA18R-120P For Iconia Tablets A100, A101, A200, A210, A500.

WJB-2

My Iconia A210-10g16u has devolved quickly from sporadic recharge failures to complete failure.  Anyone with simlar experience?

• Following recharge I  turned tablet on from AC to check weather.  Before shutdown I noticed power source was battery not AC.  Tablet ran strong on battery and recharged normally.  Again I turned it on from AC to check weather and before shutdown noticed power source was battery not AC.  Crazy; it charged fine but then rejected AC power.  Tablet continued strong on battery but come next recharge the orange charging light either lit for a few seconds or not at all. Curiously, charge indicator lit occasionally at newer, tighter AC outlets and a surge protector but for no more than six or seven seconds.
• It was then that I recalled my A210 a few recharges back had fallen about three feet onto a well-padded, shock-absorbing carpet. I had it checked to see if anything was loose.  Every connection was tight and all wires looked good, including power input.
• I tried recharging; same problem: charging light came on occasionally on some tighter outlets but never more than six or seven seconds. While trying tighter outlets to determine if the transformer or the 18W AC Clip was the problem, the clip broke.  Having broken so easily I figured the clip must have been causing a contact problem so I ordered a new one from Acer.
• Received the $4.99 clip in 3-days and ... nothing: no charging indicator from any outlet.  The so-called Power Switching Supply, i.e., transformer, gives that occasional mild spark when the new clip is plugged in but there's no warming of the transformer, with no power input to the tablet.

Certainly the easy answer is to try another charger.  But the A210 and sister units' barrel connector feeds 12-volt DC 1.5 Amp of input.  In this day of USB chargers matching output and input is hard enough without an outdated barrel connector making it largely impossible.  I'm going to call Acer to see if I can get a reference to a nearby authorized service center.  Perhaps such a center or other repair facility can at least hook up a matching charger.  But I'm suspecting the internal charger is failing.  Which is why I'm checking for anyone with similar experience. Though the battery remains strong, I've been using the unit on AC fairly often over a number of months so wonder if doing that proved bad for the internal charger.
Thanks.

WJB-2

Okay, resolved it myself by visiting a repair facility that used a voltage/amperage meter to determine the Switching Power Supply was barely sending any power to the tablet. Fortunately this charging device is fairly easy to replace through the Internet. As stated in my subject heading, it's Acer Part PSA18R-120P and fits many of the older tablets with the barrel-shaped, non USB power inputs.

One interesting aside to share. I asked the repair specialist if my habit of letting the tablet remain on AC after charging when it happens to be convenient to where I'm located could have shortened charger life. He said no, but such practice could hurt the battery cells thereby shortening battery life. The result would be a scenario in which battery level drops from 100, or say, 99 percent, down to around 92 or 91 percent very rapidly. I have not in fact experienced such a situation, but will heed his warning as a precaution.