Is there any particular reason, any valid reason, why laptop power supply cords, etc. tend to come in two sections?

You just read my mind lady! It’s so irritating when the cord to the box and electrical outlet wriggles loose and I’m checking the cord at the portal site. ARGH, FARKING ARGH! Or when I wrapping up for the evening then it becomes disconnected just as I’ve made a nice little bundle. Bastards.

@Neizvestnaya Yes! I asked this question 3 hours ago and the question has either gone unnoticed or there really is no valid reason that anyone can find for why the cords come in two sections. I suspect the latter, that there is no valid reason at all for this set up. And god forbid they should lose one section or the other. Then it’s unuseable. It’s like losing a single earring. What’s left of the pair is just there to mock you and remind you that the two are now one and won’t do you any good. Bastards is right.

This is like a mosquito bite, I can’t stop thinking about it. Maybe possibly I can see one end of the box thingie having a detachable cord so if it is ruined then it can be replaced but then I start wondering why the the other end with the port isn’t also detachable and replaceable.

This has bothered me for a long time but I bought a new laptop today, an upgrade but the same old power cord(s). And because none of the smarty pants ;) on Fluther have been able to provide me with a good answer, I suspect there is no good answer. You’re right, if it were about a component system that would make it is easy to replace a cord if it were damaged then the other components would be separate and replaceable. And apart from the connectors and the transformer box thing and the plugs it’s just make of standard electrical “cording.” whatever it’s called. But @Neizvestnaya, with god as my witness, I am going to get to the bottom of this thing and when I do, you will be the first person I contact.

Good Question! Probably so they can charge more :)

Yes and the reason is simple. Cost, convenience and government regulations. The part that plugs into the wall is 115 volts and the part that plugs into the computer is 16.4V. the 115V side needs more insulation to safely protect the user from the higher voltage, so by making them different, cost is saved on the 16.4V side – and more importantly the 16.4V cord is smaller, lighter and more flexible. Something consumers desire very much. And in a mass production society, economies of scale drive products to commonality. All the power supplies are nearly identical and having modular pieces makes it so manufacturers can mix and match component parts saves money. So each laptop maker can choose the length of cord they want to provide independent of the power supply itself. Very convenient. I could go on and on but you get the idea.

@ru5150 So you are saying it costs less not more? Way to show me!

@ru5150 Thank you. That’s all I wanted to know: whether or not there was a valid reason to make the cords in two separate sections other than to aggravate people.

Because the power is actually converted in the little box that both cords plug into. That’s why it’s called an adapter.

@redpowerlady Yes I am saying it costs less. ;-) Though I admit it is a little counter intuitive.

@ru5150 Well thank you for proving me wrong :)

Thank you @ru5150!
There was a movie that had a paperboy who would harass a subscriber relentlessly by calling out, “I want my $2.00!”. Anyhoo, I was about to become that kid by harassing the goobers in the WalMart electronics dept. until I got an answer to this. They thank you @ru5150, they can know go back to ignoring me and instead helping out the frazzled Scottsdale crank whore/housewives looking for where the jumbo bags of candy are.

Yes thank you @ru5150 One more to cross off from the list of Things That Baffle Me. It does make a lot of sense when you see the big picture. And @Neizvestnaya Thank goodness for @ru5150 for saving both our sanities.

The movie is “Better Off Dead”. A super cult classic.

Honestly Neizv and LilyCoyote I cannot tell if that is sarcasm or not?

PS how do you insert the @ links ?

@ru5150- kudos for the movie reference, I’m netflixing it now! As for the red underlined jelly names, type out an @ symbol and you’ll see a drop down list of jelly names (ones who’ve already participated in the thread) appear to the bottom left of the screen, click on the one you want to reference. I can’t speak for lilycoyote but I lurve sarcasm :)

@ru5150 No sarcasm at all. I am genuinely grateful for your answer to my question.