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Inspiron N5010 Battery Issue
Hoping to get some help on a problem that just arose the other day. I teach and take my laptop (purchased 8/2010) with me to my office and classroom for my classes. I run my laptop off of the battery when at school. It has been lastly about 4hrs on battery with no noticeable decrease in battery life over the past year. When I get home I typically plug it into my AC power supply and leave it plugged in until the next day when I go to campus and teach. So the other day I turned off my laptop at home and went to campus. When I attempted to turn on my laptop, I got no response. No lights, beeps, nothing. I figured I must have forgotten to plug it in and charge the battery. I get home later that day and plug in my AC power supply. It boots up fine and the Battery Status Icon in the toolbar indicates that it has a full charge. So I unplug the AC power supply and it immediately dies. No power. I have run Dells Diagnostic, CPU ID HW Monitor, checked Windows status of the battery and looked for lights/LEDs on the battery (there are none). Everything indicates that the battery is good (CPU ID HW Monitor showed 7% wear on the battery and a full charge). I have removed the battery numerous times over the past days looking for any sign of contact issues. I have seen none. I don't know what the problem might be. I don't know if it is significant, but the laptop, in the laptop bag/carrier, did slide off my truck's bench seat onto the floor of the truck a two days before this issue reared its head. Any suggestions or advice is most appreciated.
tgsmith
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January 24th, 2012 19:00
Thumpernickle,
Sounds like the DC power connector on the motherboard is broken internally. Over time, plugging and unplugging the DC power plug can degrade the connector. It can also be damaged when the DC power plug is plugged in and something strikes the connector while moving the laptop around on a desktop or your lap. This would explain why the system immediately powers off when the DC power plug is disconnected. Most laptop repair centers can replace the DC power connector. Many have flat fees for this service.
Tony
Thumpernickle
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January 24th, 2012 23:00
Tony,
Thank you for your response. I don't know anything about the specifics of how these power supplies work so my question comes from ignorance. Could you explain why the DC connector would cause it to shut off when the AC power cord is removed? I am sure I am missing something, but it seems to me that a loose DC connector would prevent the AC power cord from making contact and have little to do with power from the battery.
I will call around my local area seeking a repair center to price a repair.
Once again thank you for your response.
Scott
tgsmith
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January 25th, 2012 04:00
Scott,
I am referring to the DC socket on the laptop's motherboard. When the AC adapter's DC power plug is plugged into the motherboard's DC socket, DC power charges the battery and supplies power to the motherboard. When the power plug is removed, contacts within the socket route DC power from the battery to the motherboard. See this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-AC-DC-Power-Motherboard-Jack-Socket-Connector-DELL-INSPIRON-N5010-15R-/110764467966?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19ca13a6fe
Note that this is a simple explanation. The battery pack has a built-in microcircuit that keeps it from overcharging and "knows" when the AC adapter is plugged in and when it is not. Occasionally, this microcircuit goes bad, but that can be easily eliminated as the cause for your problem by using a different battery.
These sockets are relatively inexpensive. However, in most cases removal and replacement requires that the laptop be completely disassembled to install a new socket. Be prepared for the labor charge that most shops apply for this type of repair.
Hope this info helps clarify things.
Tony