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I used to have a L shaped MagSafe charger for my 2010 MBA. Now I have my 2015 MBP I now need to use the T shaped MagSafe2 charger. The only issue is because the angle the wire is on the connecter (and not going in the port as much) this makes it very easy for it to fall out of my computer when I move it (it gets very annoying!).

Is it possible somehow to make the charger stronger without modifying it too much?

iProgram
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3 Answers3

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You can turn it into an approximation of an L or even a U by the simple expedient of tying a knot in it.

This is my standard way of dealing with any awkward cable.
It's not perfect, but boy, it's cheap ;-)

L-knot

enter image description here

U-knot

enter image description here

From comments - the U-knot is achieved by simply wrapping one end through a second time, if it's not clear from the picture.

BTW - keep the knot very loose, so you don't damage anything.

From further comments -
Of course, no knot is going to help if the cable gets yanked, in any direction; this idea is really just to set the cable off in the direction of the PSU, if that's not to the left of the machine.
Just reducing its tendency to want to be straighter in the 'wrong' direction, nothing more, & reducing pull angularly, rearwards, which is what the older L-plug would do naturally, thereby reducing the lever length of the T-cable in that one direction.

Tetsujin
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    Got there in the end! It works. Thanks for the tip. Plus since the port is the opposite side of where the charger is, this helps to prevent the bend as well, leading to a longer life! – iProgram Jun 24 '15 at 12:59
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    Practicality on a budget - what more could one want ;-) Glad you got it worked out. – Tetsujin Jun 24 '15 at 13:43
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    I disagree a know will help much other than for a brief shock absorber. Am I not seeing some aspect of this that's beneficial? Comments welcome to my answer to this post. +1 anyhow - knots are awesome and will be useful for other things if they don't help some people with their magsafe woes. – bmike Jun 29 '15 at 22:41
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There is a product that also can help with this.

http://www.snuglet.com

It works by using a tiny machined piece of metal inside of the port on the computer to strengthen the connection of the magsafe 2 connector.

danmanstx
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    Do have to say that is a good idea. The only thing is, it does look a bit expensive for what it is. – iProgram Jun 24 '15 at 16:21
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    @iProgram yeah, i got them when it was on kickstarter for two for $10 and thought it was high then. $17 is ridiculous. – danmanstx Jun 24 '15 at 16:52
  • I don't think $20 is a high price for that precision piece of metal. It's quite elegant and I hope they make back the $$ they poured into design and tooling to make the first part. If you can't control the angle at which your MagSafe cord gets pulled or if a disconnect will ruin your project, the cost of that seems to be minor IMO. – bmike Jun 29 '15 at 22:27
  • I have those, I wasn't really thrilled with them. They helped with up/down but no other angles. – 300D7309EF17 Jun 30 '15 at 18:02
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There are three axes to consider when measuring the force needed to separate a MagSafe 2.

There are two great articles that cover the basics:

enter image description here

The MagSafe 2 is quite strong if you have a direct yank or pull as discussed in the USB-C discussion above. The snuglet or a knot you tie won't help much at all for the direct yank. However, I've not heard of people feeling that one direction was too easy to disconnect.

The MagSafe is very underpowered if you push or pull it in the N (normal force) direction in the above diagram from Mac World. This is also the “put the Mac on a pillow” force that many people don’t want to have disconnect the charger. The snugglet fixes this problem exceptionally. It physically shims the magsafe adapter into the unibody frame for a snug fit. A cable knot won’t help you there either since the force needed to disconnect is so little, the knot can’t absorb or redirect a pull in this direction (and if you are pushing on the magnet end, no cable knot can help.

The last axis you can consider is if you pull the cord along the table plane (assuming your Mac is open on a kitchen table) and pull the cord towards the chair where you would sit. The force needed to disconnect the adapter is less than the force needed for a yank/pull but more than is needed in the vertical (normal force) direction. The snuglet helps here a little since a little is all that’s needed. A knot can help here both by acting as a shock absorber and to help possibly redirect some of that pull to the yank direction.

bmike
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    I agree that no knot is going to help the N/pillow issue; it's really just to set the cable off in the direction of the PSU, if that's not to the left of the machine. Just reducing its tendency to want to be straighter in the 'wrong' direction, nothing more & reducing pull angularly, rearwards [not marked in the picture] which is what the older L-plug would do naturally, reduce the lever length of the the cable in that one direction. – Tetsujin Jun 30 '15 at 06:14
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    @Tetsujin Got it - I was reading more into your words than you meant. Thanks for the clarification! – bmike Jun 30 '15 at 13:37
  • Thanks bmike. I might just drop my comment back into my earlier answer, to clarify things. – Tetsujin Jun 30 '15 at 13:42
  • +1 for that information. This explains why the knot works for the then. Its absorbing the pulling force. Thanks for the scientific explanation! – iProgram Jun 30 '15 at 15:37