Acer Travelmate 2700 Charger / Battery Issue ( ? )

[clayguthrie29]

Hi guys, i'm new here. Got a strange issue i need some help with. And thanks in advance.

I'm working on an Acer Travelmate 2700. I purchased a new power adapter for it and i'm still having issues charging / using. Below are the facts i've gathered via troubleshooting. Just tell me what you think.


- Laptop WILL charge when turned off, however, when turned on it runs off battery power.

- Once charged, system will run off battery for maybe a half hour.

- Laptop WILL NOT power on with battery removed and running off charger.

- When i plug the charger in while on BIOS screen, it will beep once.

- The vendor replaced the power adapter and the issue still exists.

- The green light IS lit on the transformer section of the charger.

So far my first thought was that the battery was draining faster than the charger could charge it...thus not having enough power to charge and power the laptop.

My second thought was maybe the charge port, but i can get the system to charge without effort when turned off. No matter what i do when turned on, it will only run off of battery....and it only last a half hour tops.

Maybe one of you smarties can help me! I'm out of ideas. Thanks in advance.

 

[clayguthrie29]

Here is a few things i thought might be good notes to add...

- While i can jiggle the power cord in the charge port on the laptop a little, the charge light will stay on when i do this. Doesn't even flash. Just stays solid.

- Also, i can completely rotate this charger tip in the charge port 360 degrees and the light will not go off.

- I also can unplug it mid-charge and plug it back in and it will automatically begin charging again.

In my mind, this makes me rule out a connection problem...however i'm not listening to my mind

 

[angry_geek]

You may have a problem with the power regulator or the power brick or even the battery. You could also have some issues with the ACPI drivers and subsystem in windows. You may try reinstalling those drivers.

But before it gets more involved, can you please introduce yourself and explain your experience and tech level? We have a problem sometimes with end users looking for support, and we are a community of professional techs.

Introduction Forum

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[clayguthrie29]

Absolutely,

My name is Clay Guthrie and i consider myself decently advanced in computer work. I run a computer shop in my hometown in Missouri. I've worked 2 and a half years in a corporate it department and I'm two years through my four year education in Systems Security.

Now for the issue at hand. I've hooked up the charger and let it run for a good bit to charge the laptop. It charges fine for about 10 minutes, after that the charge light begins blinking again.

What you think now?

 

[NYJimbo]

Could be the power manager chip on the mobo. Might need to be looked at by a tech who can test the circuits or may end up replacing the mobo.

 

[angry_geek]

I'm with jimbo. Either the power regulator or the battery. Need to test some circuits. And welcome aboard.

 

[clayguthrie29]

At this point, with the information I've given you, it could be the battery still? I'd like to remind you that it will not power on when i take the battery out.

 

[angry_geek]

At this point, with the information I've given you, it could be the battery still? I'd like to remind you that it will not power on when i take the battery out.

I overlooked that part. I would say then you have a bad power regulator. I've never messed with replacing one before; I've always just replaced the mobo. That's a pretty old machine. Are you sure it's worth messing with? Weird about the battery, but, at that age, it's pretty well guaranteed that the battery is toast as well.

 

[clayguthrie29]

Kind of what i'm thinking as well. I'll have to review with the customer tomorrow and see what they want to do. If it were me, i wouldn't worry about investing any more into it...but you never know with some people.

Strangely enough though....i left it plugged in, and even this morning after running all night it was still flashing amber....however, when i made it home from some service calls this afternoon, the green light is on! Took it a whole 24 hours to charge.... Kinda makes me think that the regulator might be getting hot? Maybe stopping to cool off and starting again? Does that sound probable?

 

[NYJimbo]

Kind of what i'm thinking as well. I'll have to review with the customer tomorrow and see what they want to do. If it were me, i wouldn't worry about investing any more into it...but you never know with some people.

Strangely enough though....i left it plugged in, and even this morning after running all night it was still flashing amber....however, when i made it home from some service calls this afternoon, the green light is on! Took it a whole 24 hours to charge.... Kinda makes me think that the regulator might be getting hot? Maybe stopping to cool off and starting again? Does that sound probable?

Is this problem still occuring :

Laptop WILL NOT power on with battery removed and running off charger.

 

[clayguthrie29]

Sure is. Pretty much the regulator eh?