power - Can I safely charge my laptop with a non-standard, third-party charger?

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?

Answer

It depends. If the charger is compatible then the answer is "yes", if it's not then the answer is "no".

Chargers can be different in a number of ways:

• The size and shape of the connector on the laptop.


• If they are the same size & shape then the polarity of the tip might be reversed.


• Most importantly the voltage and current they supply might be different.

If all of these are the same then you might be OK. If not (especially the last) you might end up with a dead laptop. Though as Robert points out if the charger provides higher current you can use it. With one that supplies lower current it will be the charger that blows up rather than your laptop.

With recent developments in uniform chargers for phones and tablets, it's likely that laptop chargers have become more uniform in recent years too.