So today I journeyed to the realms of laptop DIY. Would I do it again? I sure would, especially when no computer shop would look at it and the ones who did. Told me it was a motherboard replacement straight off the bat. I for one knew the problem lay with either the DC Jack OR the battery adapter/charger. I was stupidly talked into buying a universal adapter after my first original got totally thrashed and literally broke because of the kink that happened. Pissed off because the charger seemed pretty inferior for Toshiba's reputation, which had me thinking I doubt I'm the only one this problem happened to. So without a laptop I asked in vain at all electronic stores I knew, until The Good Guys sold me the universal rubbish. At a cost of $119.00 you could say I was ripped off totally. So I was back in action again and then one day nothing, no charge. I literally had to watch what was left in the battery die until there was nothing left and once again I was laptop less again. Fruitless efforts again when NOONE would look at it and so I done my research on how to fix DC Jacks and I had hope restored once again. I read the best guide on disassembly of a Toshiba A350 here. Even for the amateur like me who has no idea what goes on inside a laptop. So 4 months on without a laptop and even attempting to find a universal battery charger had me frustrated and annoyed at how shit it would be without Internet. Lucky I have a iPhone and then a relative gave us an old Mac he had his possession. When I say old, I mean old. With the ethernet hooked in to it I could at least explore my options. It took me minutes to find a compatible DC Jack on eBay for $16.90, free shipping. By Tuesday I had my part and now I was ready. I had picked up a laptop tool set for $10.00 and an anti static wrist band for the same price. I read so much about static damage and got literally paranoid about it, only to find I didn't need it to do what I was doing. Here's a list of things I found handy during my fix.
1 laptop tool set
1 pair tweezers (eyebrow ones are better quality, unless you have a pretty good set)
Masking tape (to hold down the jack if need be)
Tissues (for general cleaning on dusty parts you take out)
Cotton Buds (to clean the fan which has loads of lint, dust etc)
1 clay sculpture pointed rod (to push out broken jack pins which may occur when removing the damaged one)
Patience
Reading over the instructions fully before moving on (I almost forgot various screws which were imperative to taking the keyboard frame off)
Take your time when releasing clips and cables as the wrong push can easily break a cable holding clip (like I did) or pull wires from it's encasement (like I did) I was lucky that I still had one good side of my holding clip under the video card, so I was still able to secure it. As for the cable I pushed it back into it's casing and taped it.
I did have to let out more cable for the jack as I needed to follow the old cable holders (for good reason and a total disassembly again later) I had to cut the plastic clip holding the excess cable as the bulk prevented my CD/DVD case from going back in because of it. So make sure the case can go back in smoothly before you start the assembly part.
To remove the old jack I bent up the plastic fingers at the pin end which gies to the motherboard. I thought it was soldered there, but after my partner taking this to various computer shops and an electronics shop. Only one was honest enough to say, you don't need to solder it, just remove the pins. So I was away, until I couldn't get the pins out. One released fine with tweezer help, two came out when I used the nail clippers to grip the pin ends and pull. Then came the last one which kicked my butt for ages, as it wouldn't budge at all. Hence why I suggest the pointed clay modeling rod which is the perfect size and strength to pushing it out easily.
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