XPS M1730 battery not charging

Hey guys.

I have a two years old XPS M1730. A couple of months ago, the battery stopped charging even when plugged in. The battery light flashes red the whole time.

I have been told this may be a charger issue - do you guys agree? I'm out of warranty, so could do with the cheapest options first

Thanks,
Ian

 

From my experience, if you've got a flashing red light, the battery itself is probably gone; or the battery controller thinks it's gone and won't let you charge it. If you've got strange things going on like "unknown adapter", then it may be something wrong with the mainboard or adapter.

EDIT: I should add that, of course, your mileage may vary.

 

I've had this happen twice and both times it was the charger.

 

Thanks guys. Pralix: how much does a replacement charger cost do you know?

 

If it's the big 230W adapter (which I imagine it is), it'll cost you upwards of $100 from Dell. It'll cost significantly less if you get it from eBay, but you should make sure you get a genuine part.

 

Thanks guys.

http://search.dell.co.uk/1/4/230w-ac-adapter

I'm in the UK so I presume I want the UK/IE version. I'm going to go ahead and get it I think.

 

Omroth,
I would've arranged to sell you my genuine spare brick for quite a bit less, had I not sent it back to Dell with my busted M1730. I had half a mind to hang on to that brick just to be spiteful.

Anyway, you should consider the Dell deals, because they aren't all that more expensive than what you'll find on ebay at the moment. Most of the M1730 bricks on ebay have been selling for around the same price.

 

Hi guys,

I also have a similar problem except I'm not getting the red light - it's just stuck on 3%, not charging. The machine will shutdown when not plugged in.

This is accompanied by the dreaded unknown adapter error message I get at start up (I always press F1) and the associated noticeable reduction in system performance.

This is the third time the adapter error has cropped up, I'm still under warranty and am on my second brick. They could well send me a third one, but the problem in my opinion is the connection at the back which they won't replace as that is 'wear and tear', they also won't replace the battery as it's over a year old.

How could I fix a connection problem? Do I really need another brick? Another battery (not under warranty)?

Thanks for listening and hope you can help, it sucks running this great machine at well below par.

 

If in fact it is the motherboard connector, then I'm not sure I understand the 'wear and tear' argument. If it's still under warranty, then its a warranty repair issue. Call them back if you want them to replace the MB in addition to sending out another brick.

 

I've got the not charging thing happening as well and when I jiggle the connection on the laptop it sometimes starts recharging so its probably the motherboard connector. Does anyone know if that is easy to fix or do you have replace the whole motherboard?

Battery is new.

Thing is I want to buy a new adapter just in case it is the adapter but I can't for the life of me find any for sale in Australia. Dell Australia doesn't sell them, DELL Uk wont sell me one and ebay rarely has 230w adapters for sale.

 

@Dooby & Omroth:

I know some of the aftermarket part websites sell just the connector. Requires soldering. My guess is if this needed to be done and the system was still under warranty, Dell would just opt to replace the MB.

Here is a link the connector:

http://www.laptopjacks.com/view_part/Dell-Inspiron-XPS-M1730-Laptop-DC-Power-Jack-DL111500.html
Note: I have not personally used this supplier so I have no idea on their Customer Service level - listed as part reference only

See the note on that page:

 

It's exactly the jiggly problem I have also dooby- and pretty soon no amount of jiggling will will fix it.

Twice I've asked about the wear and tear issue batboy but they're pretty sure that's not covered - very convenient as it is a very common problem, and an expensive one for them to fix for just a small connector.

I'll ask again though.

 

Hopefully this will work:


Incidently a faulty power connector (100% failure in detection now) can't possibly be classed as wear and tear, it is critical to the functioning of the computer, I cannot work the system to any degree of satisfaction without it. Wear and tear would be a scratch on the monitor, a broken key, scuffed paint, a faulty LED light.

It isn't acceptable to class the connector malfunction as wear and tear and I will pursue a proper resolution of this issue, viz a replaced connector or motherboard.

 

Ultimately, as with any Dell Support issue - if you are unsatisfied with the response from Tech Support, you do have the option of using Dell's Unresolved Issues link from their main page. Your issue is sent to an Escalation Dept which will follow up with you to discuss the situation.

In the US:
https://support.dell.com/support/to...t/dellcare/outstanding_issues?c=us&l=en&s=gen

In the UK:
http://support.euro.dell.com/suppor...ellcare/en/outstanding_issues?c=uk&l=en&s=gen

 

Thanks Batboy. Will check it out. My warranty has expired so I have to figure it out myself. My M1730 runs beautifully when the power supply is working. When it doesn't recognise the adapter then games are basically unplayable.