Lately, I’ve been noticing the smell of hot plastic, whenever I’m on my laptop. Just now, I tracked it down to the power brick. It’s the Apple one that came with my laptop when I purchased it in North america. Now, I’m using it in Europe. I thought these things could deal with international electricity differences without problem? Should I get a step down converter? Could it be something about the particular power outlet that it’s been plugged in to? What in it could break to cause this change, but still allow it to deliver power? Could it just be the unusual way in which the cable was coiled around it? If I do nothing, will it catch fire, resulting in massive data loss and the death of my sousaphone? Is it possessed by demons? Can this kind of problem arise from being stuffed into a messenger bag and bouncing around on the front of a small bicycle bounding over cobblestones?
This situation is suboptimal, but at least I found it before it burned a hole in a sofa cushion.
Update
computer store dude says to keep using the adaptor until it dies a natural death. I think I’ll keep it more on the floor and less on the sofa, and not leave it plugged in when I’m not around to look at it.
my laptop powerbrick was getting warm quite a lot. i changed its usual nest (on top of the comforter) to a more air-surrounded one, and now it doesn’t get nearly as warm.
ymmv, but it’s worth a try.
I recommend getting a new brick, based on personal experience. Mine was getting hot a lot, and then one day it sparked and fizzled. This might be a ‘natural death’ but if it had been on my couch, it would have started a fire.