1

My rabbit chewed on my Magsafe 2 power adapter. I can see the silvery wire where the rabbit peeled off the isolation yet it still works.

Can I just duct tape it and continue using it or is there any danger of damage to my laptop?

Edit: Rabbit was objurgated otherwise he is fine.

Improve this question

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2

With the looming possibility that any advice you get from here could cause damage to your machine, I'll prefix my answer with a disclaimer that you should probably confirm with an official source or advice from Apple directly.

So long as the visible damage is limited to the insulation, you should be fine with electrical tape (as opposed to duct tape). The silver wire you see (likely braided) is used to prevent interference and is used as a ground.

Improve this answer
5
  • I would add that if the insulation is crushed, the cable will overheat and it is designed to melt / safely short itself out rather than igniting, but I would take it to a reputable repair shop for a second opinion. The main danger is to fire. The personal hazard is low since it's a low voltage DC current that exists between the magsafe connector and the square plastic transformer. I have used cables with nicks and cuts - and used electrical tape rather than duct tape which can conduct electricity on occasion when I felt the risk was allowable.
    – bmike ♦
    Nov 29, 2012 at 22:56
  • And not to cause too much alarm, but you can probably watch the cable for hot spots before you tape it up and feel that things are acceptable - just realize that with nicks, it will be more likely to fail due to bending and additional crushing / abrasion.
    – bmike ♦
    Nov 29, 2012 at 23:02
  • 3
    Just to add to this, rather than just taping it up, get a drinking straw, cut a small section that is long enough to cover the damage, slice it lengthways, wrap it around the damage then tape it - this will stop it bending on the weak point after the repair.
    – stuffe
    Nov 29, 2012 at 23:21
  • 1
    Also, is the rabbit OK!?!
    – stuffe
    Nov 29, 2012 at 23:22
  • And just to add to stuffe's very good suggestion: if you don't have a straw handy, you can tape other stiffening elements like toothpicks or springs (from ballpoint pens) to or around the weak point as well.
    – FvD
    Oct 17, 2013 at 8:13

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .