HEL80 Wont charge or run on outlet power

Hey guys I just got my HEL80 from Xoticpc.com and what do you know it wont charge or run from outlet power. It ran for about 20min on batterys when I got it and I got 90% through installing XP Pro then it shut down and wont do anything but blink the front middle light amber 3 times when I press the power button. I plug it in and no lights come on at all. I just got this thing arrgghh!
I called tech support at Xoticpc.com they said to clear cmos and I did, then then they said they would call me back but never did. Now everyone at Xotic is gone plus they're in NE USA anyway so by the time I get off work they're allready gone.
Anyone experience this problem before? It worked nicely while installing XP Pro but now its a $1350 paper weight and tech support isnt helping much.

 

Sounds like you might need a new AC adapter. I'd call tomorrow and they will probably send a new one out.

 

Yeah I was suprised to see my ac adapter say Liteon PV-1900 on it, not compal. Though the volts/amps and stuff are the same as whats printed on the underside of the laptop and it seems to fit into the laptop hole. Still though this is just unacceptable. I thought I was paying for superior craftsmanship with Xoticpc and now they dont even know what ac adapter goes with my laptop? Bleh...I'm thinking about just asking for a refund because thats just lame. I'd expect that from dell but now I'm thinking the e1705 would have been better maybe.

 

Also the ac adapter has a green light on it so I'm guessing its ok, dunno though. I took a meter to it and it read 19.46 which is within spec so I dunno.

 

I'm sorry to hear about the trouble you've been having with your new notebook. I know how frustrating it can be when a new system doesn't work right out of the box. Ironically--I had this happen to me with a Dell e1705 about 7-8 months ago (constant crashes). So it's more of a case-by-case thing rather than something you can chalk up to the manufacturer's fault.

I don't think Compal manufactures a lot of their parts though. My AC adapter is a Delta electronics.

 

Ahh ok I was thinking I got a adapter for an external burner or something hehe.
Mostly what I want to do is gaming, WoW and Oblivion. Does the HEL80 perform well as far as gaming or should I go for the e1705 with the 7900gs for $300 more? Also xoticpc says they did a 48 hour burn in test so the ac adapter had to have been hurt in shipping or something I'd think right? Because it was working when it left xoticpc.

 

Well the go 7900 GS is definitely quite a bit more powerful. You will give up some portability with the e1705's size though. I used to have one and as soon as I took it out of the box I immediately crossed out some of its intended uses in my head because I knew it would be a task to carry around.

As for the 48-hour burn-in--that might not have included the AC adapter. They may have just use their own and burned in the system's components for 48-hours. Definitely give them a call and see what they have to say about this. Perhaps an email would be best considering your time difference. You could even PM Justin@XoticPC--he'll get back to you quickly I'm sure.

 

Thanks Chris I hadnt thought of PMing him. Hopefully I can get this sorted out soon. The dell is looking more more appealing though. The weight doesnt really matter to me and its $1539 with tax and shipping so if I save up another couple weeks I could afford that. I guess it depends on how fast xoticpc can fix this before I ask for a full refund. Do you think I should just save up a bit and ask for a refund and get the e1705 dell with a 7900gs? I dunno if they'll even give me a refund though anyway.

 

If you want my personal opinion, I'll be happy to give it to you.

Having used both systems--I can say this. The matte screen on the HEL80 is far better than the best WUXGA Ultrasharp that Dell offers on the e1705. It scales better and handles images better. But in games--playing a 1920x1200 is really nice on a 17" screen. For internet and other office applications--the HEL80 wins hands down.

The HEL80 also offers a superior build quality. That was one of the first things I noticed when I got my hands on it. It is much more solidly built than the e1705. It has a much more "quality" feel to it.

That said--I was apprehensive about going to a smaller screen with a weaker GPU. To be honest, I still have enough power to play games when I want (and I rarely overclock) and I much prefer the 15.4" size. I may even go smaller on my next system.

And the HEL80 was about $800-900 cheaper than the e1705 at the time with the same specs (minus the screen and GPU difference).

I don't mean to bash on the e1705 or Dell, but the current offering is quite a bit off from the older Inspirons they used to make (the 3500 was really solid).

Hope that helps some.

 

Yeah I figured you'd be the guy to ask having used them both. See I figured the HEL80 would be better constructed as well and with xoticpc I figured I'd be getting better build quality and stuff but I get it and the ac adapter doesnt even work, that doesn't make me feel too good about the craftsmanship I'm getting.

As far as the screen I've heard the HEL80's is awesome, but for me as long as theirs no weird ghosting and I don't get tracers when turning fast in games I'm happy.

I dunno at this point I'm just pissed off at everything heh. My desktop's power supply exploded and took everything with it so I figured I'd just buy a laptop so I could game where ever and code laying on my bed and stuff but at this point I'm just pissed and wanna play some World of Warcraft and now it's gunna be another 2-3 weeks before anything happens I think.

 

I think you may have just gotten unlucky with a faulty component--be it the AC adapter or otherwise. Perhaps they will be willing to cross-ship a new one to you.

Definitely get in touch with Justin. He's very helpful.

 

Kamek, I am sorry to hear of this problem. I show the representative working with you was waiting on you to try the troubleshooting steps we sent you via email Friday afternoon. The AC Adapter provided with your notebook is the power supply that is for your HEL80. I just emailed you some additional things to review to fix this problem.

We will take care of this problem for you whether it be overnighting a new ac adapter or if something more comes to light with the troubleshooting steps we emailed you. The AC Adapter and system passed all tests prior to shipment to you.

I can assure you that you will receive prompt service and resolution to this matter.

 

If the AC adapter doesn't work, there's a good change the MB is shot, maybe damaged during shipping.

 

Another possibility, however slim, might be that the AC power plug could have faulty solder points on the motherboard. I remember that issue with my old HP ZD7010CA, most of the Toshiba A100 line, as well as many others. I'm hoping I'll never have to deal with that again.

A continuity test on the plug could yield some results, but the only real way to find out if that is the real problem is to disassemble the laptop and visually inspect the solder joints.

It's a very rare issue that could occur on any electronic device, and generally only happens in batches or runs of a product. Hence, my old HP and the A100s.

If that's an unloaded test, then the AC adapter could still be faulty. As soon as the laptop starts drawing serious power, *blink* it goes... I hate electronics sometimes.

 

After speaking with the Kamek on the phone last night we found the problem to be a power cable that runs from the ac input on back to a input in between the CPU / Fan that had come loose. In the picture below you will see what the cable looks like unplugged.

 

Yay for simple fixes! Good work with the diagnostics XoticPC

 

Thanks for the heads up

 

Good work Justin and Kamek. It is always interesting and reassuring to read these threads that begin with what looks like a really serious problem, and end with a reasonably simple fix involving solid customer service.

 

Great troubleshooting, Justin! I'm glad to hear it was a simple fix. Thanks for posting that picture so others can learn from it.

I hope that means that you enjoy the system a little more, Kamek. From what I remember, it really is a good match for your needs.

 

Thanks everyone for the kind words We have checked up with Kamek a few times and it sounds like everything is going much better.

 

That's always good news .