DELL Latitude E6540 battery and AC adapter issue!

Question

Hello. This is my used E6540 Latitude laptop. Why does this screen show up every time I turn on the laptop?

filbert · Accepted Answer

Four main possible causes:

you are not using a genuine Dell AC adapter, or
the Dell AC adapter is defective, or
the charging jack/port is defective, or
the charging circuit on the motherboard is defective.

First, it's worth trying a reset:

Disconnect all peripherals: printers; USB devices; media cards; USB hubs and extenders; etc.
Disconnect the AC adapter.
Disconnect the battery.
Press and hold the power button for 30 seconds to discharge any residual electricity.
Reconnect the AC adapter
Reboot the laptop.

If the same thing occurs, then it's a process of elimination to figure out where the problem lies, or at least where it doesn't lie. For example, if your AC adapter is recognized and works on another Dell laptop, then the problem is likely your charging jack or charging circuit.

Check if the light is lit at the plug end of the AC adaptor. And see if that light remains lit when you plug it into the laptop's jack.

Hold F2 while booting, to enter BIOS. See if the AC adaptor is recognized.

Try another genuine Dell AC adapter of at least the same wattage/amperage. If that second Dell AC adapter works, then the fault is likely with your AC adapter.

If it doesn't work, then the fault is likely with the jack or the circuit. The jack is a relatively inexpensive item that is not difficult to replace for someone experienced in working on laptops.

If a good AC adapter and a new jack won't work, then the fault is likely with the charging circuit on the motherboard, which would normally require replacement of the motherboard.

Run Dell Diagnostics:
Press and hold F12 while booting to enter the One Time Boot Menu, select Diagnostics and press Enter. The Dell Diagnostics will test major hardware components.

AmgedIsmailMohammed · Answer

Well. Does that pose a problem? Yes, the lid light at the end of AC adapter remains lit when I connect the jack to the laptop port.

AmgedIsmailMohammed · Answer

I have my other DELL Inspiron 15z 5523 AC adapter, but that Inspiron one also a few weeks ago started to show the same screen on start up one day. So that suggests the other AC adapter for Inspiron 15z may also be defective?

filbert · Answer

@AmgedIsmailMohammed wrote:

Well. Does that pose a problem?

If the adapter is not recognized by the system, there are two results:

the battery may not charge
the system may operate at a reduced performance level

Otherwise, if the system will power up and run, you may continue to use it.

@AmgedIsmailMohammed wrote:

Yes, the lid light at the end of AC adapter remains lit when I connect the jack to the laptop port.

That's a good start. If you can borrow a second AC adapter to test as I suggested, or test your AC adapter on another Dell system, then you would have more information to know if the adapter is good. If it is not a genuine Dell adapter, then that would be the problem. Otherwise, follow the steps I laid out to isolate the likely source of the problem.

AmgedIsmailMohammed · Answer

I did these steps:

Disconnect all peripherals: printers; USB devices; media cards; USB hubs and extenders; etc.
Disconnect the AC adapter.
Disconnect the battery.
Press and hold the power button for 30 seconds to discharge any residual electricity.
Reconnect the AC adapter
Reboot the laptop.

The screen didn't show up today. I will try and see if it didn't show more in the coming days.

But what do you mean by residual electricity? I did feel electric shock when I put my hands by the left side of the laptop near the fan vents. Is that the residual electricity?

ejn63 · Answer

If two systems do not register the same adapter, the adapter is faulty -- replace it with a new, OEM Dell adapter.

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DELL Latitude E6540 battery and AC adapter issue!

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