Surface Pro 4 charging cable adaptor extremely hot

Question

I am getting increasingly concerned about the temperature that my adaptor is gaining when charging my Surface Pro 4.

It is a normal cable that came with my laptop when I bought it just over a year ago. It plugs into my socket without any foreign adaptors or anything, and has no damage that I can see.

It charges my computer perfectly but gets worryingly hot; I cannot hold it in my hand for more than a minute without getting hurt- perhaps hot enough to start a small fire if it continues to escalate.

I understand that it is common for adaptors to get hot, but I feel this temperature is abnormal.

I have noticed a similar rise in temperature with my father's charging cable too (a slightly newer one for the same Surface)- do I replace the cables?

They have been playing up for a while and I am not sure whether it is the computers that are faulty or the cables.

Advice would be much appreciated,

Thankyou for your time.

Answer 1

Are you referring to the charging "brick"? That "sounds" like it may be too hot. Is your father's also that hot?

If you are in the US, you should go to the closest physical retail Microsoft Store https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/locations... and have them check this out in person.

This is the replacement for both yours and your fathers - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/d/microso... - it certainly does not hurt to have a spare adapter as well, but it might be worth getting one of these and testing.

I use this adapter and it is never "too hot to hold".

Where are you located? If you are in the US and not near a Microsoft Store the Best Buy stores have them at some locations https://www.bestbuy.com/site/microsoft-wall-cha...

Let me know..

Hope this helps. If it resolved your issue, please DO mark as Answer.

Answer 2

Thankyou for your fast reply,

I live in the UK, and yes I am referring to the AC/DC, transformer "brick" on the cable, apologies for the confusion.

My father's is not usually quite as hot as my own- perhaps not as dangerous either- but is still surprisingly hot compared to other chargers we have owned in the past; I can probably hold it for more than a minute but it is uncomfortable.

I will definitely take a look into replacing it,

Thanks again.

Answer 3

You should be able to get a new one from the online Microsoft Store in the UK https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/store/d/microso... - and probably shops like Currys and John Lewis (?).

Hope this helps. Please DO mark as Answer if it was of assistance.

Answer 4

Just out of interesrt, how hot should the charging brick get when it is charging the laptop? Is too hot to hold excessive?

Answer 5

In my opinion, too hot to hold is not normal. I have two Surface's plugged in here that are in hibernate at the moment and I haven't used them since yesterday and the charging bricks are "cold". Normally when I am using them and they are charging, the bricks are very warm, but not so hot as that i feel I can't hold them.