Laptop port replacement: USB, USB-C, HDMI and the charging connector
Your laptop only charges when you hold the cable at an angle, a USB stick doesn’t show up, or the TV says “no signal” over HDMI. Replacing a port is a specialised job, and one we do in the shop every day: the motherboard comes out, the old connector is removed with the board preheated, and the new one is soldered on and checked under a microscope. Before any of that, we make sure the port really is to blame, because often it isn’t.
How to tell a port is faulty
- The charger has to be held at an angle, or the laptop charges and then stops as soon as you move it. This is typical of a DC jack with cracked solder joints.
- USB doesn’t recognise devices, or recognises them and then drops them. The mouse works, but the external drive keeps disconnecting.
- The port is loose, and the plug goes in without any resistance and falls out on its own.
- HDMI gives no picture on the TV or monitor, or the picture cuts out as soon as you move the cable.
- The port is burnt, blackened around the contacts or with melted plastic. Something overheated or shorted there, so don’t plug anything into that port again.
- The centre tongue of the USB-C port is broken, the thin plate in the middle of the port that carries the contacts. A port like that has to be replaced.
Why ports fail
Mostly from physical strain. Someone trips over the charger cable, or the laptop falls off the desk with a USB stick still plugged in. All of that force goes straight into the solder joints that hold the port to the board. The joints crack, and after a harder knock the port can tear away the copper pad it was soldered to as well.
Ports also wear out over time, until the contacts no longer press firmly against the plug. A faulty charger or a damaged cable can cause a short circuit, and when the laptop charges over USB-C, the components around the port are often damaged along with it. Dust and crumbs from the bag get packed into the bottom of the port, and moisture or spilled liquid corrodes the contacts. If anything has been spilled on your laptop, have a look at cleaning a liquid-damaged laptop as well.
How we replace a port
Diagnostics come first. We try a different charger and cable, check the drivers and the USB controller, and test HDMI with our own cable on our own monitor. For USB-C charging we use a tester that shows which voltage the laptop and the charger have agreed on. A good share of the laptops brought in “for the port” turn out to have a faulty cable, charger or driver, and then there is nothing to solder.
If it is the port, we take the laptop apart, disconnect the battery and remove the motherboard. The board is multilayer, and its inner copper layers draw heat away quickly, so the old port is hard to get off with a soldering iron alone without damaging the board. That’s why we heat the board from below with a preheater and remove the port with hot air or a soldering iron, depending on the connector. This keeps the copper pads from lifting and stops the small components around the port from overheating.
We then clean the area and check under the microscope that no pad has been torn off. If one has, we restore the connection to the trace with a thin wire. We solder on the new port and measure the lines, making sure the power line isn’t shorted to ground and the data lines have continuity. Finally, we test everything with a real charger, USB stick or monitor.
It doesn’t always take soldering. On many models the DC jack sits on a short cable, and some of the USB ports are on a small separate board connected to the motherboard by a ribbon cable. In that case we replace just that part. With USB-C charging, a short circuit can also take out the PD controller, the chip that negotiates the voltage with the charger, so we replace that too if needed. When the damage goes deeper than the port itself, the next step is motherboard repair.
On MacBooks that charge over USB-C, we always check both the port and the USB-C controllers behind it. There’s more on our MacBook service page (we are not an authorised Apple service).
Prices — in the official price list
DC jack (power connector) replacement is listed in the price list as a labour item, and the price of the part depends on the model. USB, USB-C and HDMI ports don’t have a separate item, because the job depends on where the port sits and what has been damaged around it, so we give you the price after diagnostics. Diagnostics without disassembly are free. We do nothing without your approval.
How long it takes, and the warranty
When the right port or small board is in stock, the replacement is usually done the same or the next day. We order rarer parts and let you know the timeframe after the inspection. We fit quality parts that match your model, and the work comes with a 6-month warranty. Until the laptop reaches us, use the loose port as little as you can, because every movement of the cable puts more strain on the solder joints. For other faults, there’s our laptop repair service.
Frequently asked questions
The charger only works when I hold it at an angle. Is the fault in the charger or in the laptop?
It can be either, because charger cables often break right next to the plug. Bring the laptop in together with the charger: we check the charger first and only open the laptop if the charger is working properly.
One USB port doesn’t see my USB stick, but the others work. What could it be?
Most often it’s worn or bent contacts, or cracked solder joints on that particular port. Less often, a protective component on that port’s power line has failed.
The tongue in the middle of my USB-C port has snapped. Can it be glued back?
No. The contacts are on the tongue, so the port has to be replaced. Until it’s replaced, don’t push a charger or cable into it, because the broken pieces can bridge contacts that must never touch.
HDMI gives no picture on the TV. Is the port definitely to blame?
Not necessarily. Try a different cable and a different HDMI input on the TV, and check in Windows that the second display is enabled (the Win+P shortcut). If there’s still no picture, we check the port and the circuitry that carries the signal to it.
How do I send you my laptop?
Send it by courier, well packed, with the charger and a short note saying which port isn’t working. Once it’s repaired, it comes back to you by courier.
Bring it to a shop or send it by courier
Three locations in Belgrade: Arena and Piramida (New Belgrade) and Centar near the Botanical Garden. If you can’t come in, send us the laptop by courier. We inspect it and tell you what’s wrong, and once it’s repaired, it comes back to you by courier.
Specialist repairs
This is our everyday work in our three Belgrade shops, with the right tools (microscope, soldering and preheating station) and parts for your exact model. Pick a service:
Laptops
MacBook & Apple
Drives, system & data
For businesses
Diagnostics without disassembly are free, and labour prices are in our price list. Bring your device to a shop or send it by courier — it comes back to you by courier.
We cover every Belgrade municipality
Bring your device to one of our three shops or send it by courier — it comes back by courier. Click your municipality for the neighbourhoods we cover and the problems we fix most often: