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924
October 26th, 2010 04:00
Battery PUZZLE for really knowledgeable techies...
System: Dell XPS M1330.
My battery stopped charging after I had the (seemingly unrelated) touchpad and webcam replaced. The system is one year old. No messages have been displayed on the system to suggest an error.
Service steps in the last week:
- Motherboard replaced 3 times
- battery replaced
- 3 different AC adaptors tried (I have old ones from other machines)
- BIOS flashed
--> after all these changes, the battery started charging intermittenty. It took 24 hours to get to 100%. I drained and recharged it fully. Now, no charge is happening at all. When the AC adaptor is plugged in, the battery icon SHOWS that it is charging, and it also SAYS it is charging in the BIOS before startup. However, it does not charge (and pressing the button on the batttery itself shows that it's only at a partial charge). It seems like something else might be draining the battery and preventing the charge? Tech support says it can only be these three things: motherboard, battery, adaptor. But clearly they are wrong...any ideas from the collective wisdom of this site? I'm losing my mind.
Thanks!
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kirkd
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October 26th, 2010 07:00
Intermittent charging is usually related to a bad DC socket on the system board, a common failure mode on many Dells. Some of the solder connections break, but can remain in contact for a while depending on positioning of the plug/socket. Since the M1330 is old, Dell may be using repaired system boards for replacements where the repair was not related to the socket. However, getting three bad ones in a week seems unlikely. Has anyone checked the battery connections on the laptop? There may be a bent connector which isn't making good contact with the battery terminals. Should also check all wires leading from the battery to the system board.
wipednwired
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October 28th, 2010 03:00
KIRKD:
The battery connection seems fine - it certainly drains normally. I don't know about wires - a little concerned about pulling everything apart myself. Do you think there could be any other issue?