I have a Toshiba Satellite laptop. My charger has stopped working.
I have access to a Lenovo charger. Can I use this charger on my laptop?
Solution:
It depends. If the charger is compatible then the answer is "yes", if it’s not then the answer is "no".
Chargers must match in a number of ways:
The size and shape of the connector must be the same.
If they are the same size & shape then the polarity of the tip must match. This will be on the spec plate on the PSU/chargers themselves. Don’t use if polarity is reversed.
The output voltage must be the same. Half a volt difference is probably well within tolerance, but anything greater, find another PSU.
If the voltages match, then you must also endure the Amperage it can supply is the same, or greater.
Amps are ‘pulled’ by the device, not ‘pushed’ by the charger, so if it can supply more amps than the device needs, there is absolutely no issue.
If it can only supply less than the device needs, then you may suffer anything from very slow charging, to actually discharging even while the charger is connected, to in extremis, the device crashing or freezing because it just cannot get sufficient power.
With recent developments in uniform chargers for phones and tablets, it’s likely that laptop chargers have become more uniform in recent years too.
