Flashing battery LED, not charging

Question

Hello,

I have a 16 month old Dell Inspiron N5110 with a 48Wh 6-cell battery. The battery worked fine until yesterday, lasting up to 2 and a half hours.

Now my laptop won't even turn on without the AC adapter, and the battery LED is constantly flashing 4 times orange, once white, repeat. If I boot up the computer with both the battery and the AC adapter, it says "plugged in, not charging". And if I then unplug the AC adapter it instantly shuts down.

I've never had any overheating problems whatsoever, and like I said, the battery apparently had perfect health until yesterday. I've also checked the AC adapter , which is working fine.

I'm afraid of spending around $120 on a new battery and find out that wasn't the problem at all.

If anyone can help me figure out this issue it'll be much appreciated.

DELL-Nikhil D1 · Accepted Answer

Hi amandalima,

The problem could be with the following parts which need to be replaced:

Motherboard
DC-In module (If available and not part of Motherboard kit).

As the system is out of warranty please contact dell out of warranty team for purchasing the parts.

Dell out of warranty contact # 800-288-4410

Kindly reply for any further help!

DELL-Nikhil D1 · Answer

Hi amandalima,

I can understand electronic devices can create confusion and frustration when they do not work the way they are designed for.

Here are few things that we can try to fix this technical issue before coming to a conclusion.

Please check the AC-Adapter type in BIOS, to enter the BIOS screen, Switch on the computer, tap F2 at dell logo to enter BIOS screen. If the AC-Adapter type is” Unknown “or “None”, BIOS update can fix the problem. To update the BIOS:

1. Visit the following website: http://dell.to/T2hKYc

2. Enter the Service tag of the computer in the box provided and click “Submit”.

3. In the next page, click drop down arrow to select the Operating System which is installed in the computer.

4. Under category BIOS, click “Get driver” and save the file on desktop.

5. Ensure to connect the AC Adapter to the computer, run the BIOS file.

6. Follow the on-screen instructions to update the BIOS.

7. Restart the computer when prompted.

If the issue still persists it could be a problem with the power port on the computer. If the computer has active warranty, I would be glad to arrange a service on the computer.

Please provide system’s Service Tag and contact details, so I may access your system records and check for further course of action. You could also click my user name and click "Start Conversation" to send a private message.

Check warranty status: http://dell.to/zEE2Cm

Please reply for further help.

amandalima · Answer

Thanks for the reply DELL-Nikhil D,

I've checked AC adapter type in BIOS earlier today and it says 65W, so there's no problem there.

As for the warranty, it expired about 4 months ago.

<ADMIN NOTE: Service tag removed per privacy policy>.

DELL-Nikhil D1 · Answer

Hi amandalima,

I suggest you to follow the below mentioned steps to identify the problem:

Disconnect all peripherals, remove the battery from the system and check if system is working fine with AC Adapter only.
Remove AC adapter, Battery, press and hold the power button for 30 seconds to drain flea power. Connect the Battery and AC adapter and check if it is charging. If no, follow the next step.
Check Battery Health Meter for error. Please follow the mentioned steps to navigate to Battery Health Meter: Click Start ->Control panel -> Power options -> Battery meter (on the left side of the pane).Check the battery health and reply.
Run PC Checkup on Battery.Click Start->All Programs->Dell Support Center. Click PC Checkup under Dell support Center.
Select Custom Scan, and then run a custom scan on Battery, post the results.
Try charging the battery with the notebook turned off.
If the issue persists, run ePSA Diagnostics (Pre-boot system assessment) test,

Switch on the computer, tap F12 at dell logo to enter “One-time boot menu”.
Use the up/down arrow keys to highlight “Diagnostics” and press enter.
Select Custom Test and select Battery. If the test fails, please capture the error and include it in the reply.

Awaiting your response!

amandalima · Answer

DELL-Nikhil D,

Here are the results of the steps you suggested:

System works fine with AC Adapter only.
Drained flea power, battery still not charging (led constantly flashing 4xorange, 1xwhite).
Battery Health Meter says: "Your battery is performing normally."
PC Checkup on battery result: passed (as shown on the image below)

I tried charging the battery with the notebook turned off, still doesn't charge (led constantly flashing 4xorange, 1xwhite).
I ran the ePSA Diagnostics test on the battery, no errors were found.

amandalima · Answer

DELL-Nikhil D,

I bought my laptop in the USA but I live in Brazil. And if the problem is the motherboard the price is way too high to replace it in my opinion (at least here in Brazil), plus the fact that the nearest Dell support from me is about 4 hours away. I guess I'll just have to use it like this until I get a new laptop.

Anyway, thank you for your help!

ahd8888 · Answer

Hi Nikhil D

I understand this post is about 4 months old. I have been googling about this battery flashing orange and white light problem and it seems quite a lot of people having the same problem. I was just wondering if Dell has come up with a solid solution of fixing this problem, or an alternative way to charge a battery. It is quite frustrate to use a laptop connect to ac adapter all the time. Please help!!!

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Flashing battery LED, not charging

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