Problems with charging

[freixas]

I have two USB-C ports on my HP Spectre x360 Convertible Laptop PC 14-ea0023dx.  One thing I didn't expect was for the USB ports to go bad. For the last several months, I've had to fiddle with the connection between the charger and the  PC; I've put it in one way and then the other. Sometimes I have to wiggle it a bit to get it to work. So far, I've managed to make it charge, but it always requires a bit of fiddling.

I bought a replacement charger and still had problems. As I write this, I have the PC charging through a USB-C hub. Power goes to the hub and then from the hub to the PC. The computer makes a sound when a USB device is attached, even if it's just the hub. The connection and disconnection sounds might go off within a few seconds of each other. That implies that the connection is not good.

A new problem emerged as I tried this. I unplugged the USB-C hub and the charging light remained on. Normally, it will go off after a few seconds, but it didn't. It seems like the whole charging thing is flaky. The problem is with both USB-C ports. Until I ran into this problem, I only used the corner port for charging, so the side port should be relatively unused; the problem may be at a common point for both ports.

I'm not sure there is any solution but to send the PC to HP for servicing, but I thought I'd ask.

[erico]

Only servicing would help that issue.

Is the notebook still in warranty?

[freixas]

Yes, it's under warranty and I have HP Care Pack. I've never had a connector on a PC wear out before, much less two of them (and one received little use!).I've had the laptop for just under two years.

At least part of the problem is in the power supply's connector. I'm now routing power through a USB-C hub with a fairly new USB-connector.

The power supply's connector, despite its age, works fine when plugged into the USB-C hub. With two ports and two connector orientations, there are four way to power the laptop from the USB-C hub. The USB-C hub's connector works better with the computer, but it works better in one direction and in one port than the other. 

Yes, I probably need to service the laptop and replace the power supply.