weird problem with my CF-18 Toughbook Not powering on with Ac adapter plugged in!

Hello, I am in the U.S. army & I have to go back to Afghanistan next week but am having problem with my CF-18 Toughbook, I searched all over the internet but could find anything like my issue.

Here it is.

1- Toughbook looks new & was working fine yesterday only has 600 hours on it.
2- When I plug in Ac adapter & push the power on button, laptop DOES NOT power on.
3- When I plug in the BATTERY & AC ADAPTER & Push power button, LAPTOP Powers on Battery is DEAD, shows that its charging it but after a min, starts to blink red.
4- Once the laptop is ON & I remove the battery while the ac adapter is still PLUGGED IN, laptop SHUTS OFF! .


So am not sure what the problem is because it shows that the laptop is CHARGING or trying to charge the dead battery, but how come the laptop is NOT powering on without the battery?

Please guys, I really need your help on this one quickly. Thank you & god bless you all.

Mike

 

Are you using a Panasonic brand charger? If not, make sure it is 16v (not 19v).

Someone had a similar problem a while back, believe it might have been a blown fuse on the motherboard. Also check to make sure the battery connector pins are not bent or shorted together inside the battery compartment.

 

Also, on the battery connector, check the solder joints for cracks where the pins are soldered to the connector. You need to remove the bottom of the laptop to access the connector. If you remove the bottom, be sure to "smush" the heat sink pads together to get a good connection to the heat sink.

 

I don't think we have a battery problem, or a blown fuse problem, given the fact that it does work and power on with the A/C adapter and Battery in the unit. The problem he seems to be having is that the laptop apparently needs BOTH the battery and the A/C adapter TO power on, despite the fact that the batter is DEAD and flashes red. Unfortunately, I have not heard of this problem at all. I have never had a toughbook that REQUIRED the battery to be in to turn on. It clearly is NOT using the battery since it is dead, but the whole laptop turns off when the dead battery is removed?? I am stumped. I do think Springfield might be closest though with making sure the A/C adapter is the right voltage, and I guess it IS possible that the fuse to the A/C port could be blown and the power is being reverted through the battery and back to the board therby completing the circuit to turn the main board on. Worth looking in to. Also, check with Teo, Mnem, or Rob on this because they deal alot with the fuses and boards and my know if the above is correct. Good luck, and be safe Army Strong!!

 

I had this problem with CF-19.
It's battery connector (it's cable, inside of CF-19) factory defect. So you need to use soldering to fix it. It was not difficult in my case, but my "soldering expert" at first tried to convince me it was a battery or an AC adapter
So, I agree with db04p71, but there are no heatsinks between the bottom cover and the laptop. It's just plastic.

 

OK, never had the bottom off a CF-18. Thought it was like the 29 and 30.