Toshiba Satellite C660-2KW Charging issue

[alexsmith2709]

Hi guys,
I was wondering if anyone could help shed any light on my little problem.
A customer wanted to buy a new battery for a Toshiba Satellite C660-2KW so i provided one, although i ask to see the laptop before providing batteries to properly diagnose the issue, this customer insisted they just buy a battery, so i provided it.
This battery didnt help so they brought the laptop and charger in to my shop for testing. The charger tested ok, the old battery was at 0% and not charging and the new battery came with some charge but was not charging either and the DC jack tested ok with a multimeter (getting the 19V through it).
After removing some dust from around the DC jack and rest of the laptop i got it all working. I sent it back to the customer but the next day they brought it back with the same issue.
This time, the once fully working charger was no longer working so i replaced this. This worked for a few days and the laptop is now back in my shop not charging again.
The issue is slightly different in that the charger now provides enough power to not deplete the battery, but it doesn't charge it and windows shows "plugged in, not charging". I still have the old and new battery. The old battery now has a windows warning to replace the battery.

The DC jack still tests fine with a multimeter, power even reaches different parts of the motherboard, including providing the 10.8V to the battery as required.
When you first plug in the charger the battery appears to charge (the charge light comes on) for a second or two before going off.

Is it worth changing the DC jack at this stage or could there be a charging circuit issue i havent/cant trace?

I have also reinstalled the battery driver which can sometimes work with the "plugged in, not charging" message.

Thanks

 

[Kitten Kong]

I say if the Jack is on a harness then go for the swap.

it's easy to do, and if it doesn't prove to be the Jack, you have it in stock for further down the line.

 

[alexsmith2709]

It appears to be a jack on a harness and then soldered to the motherboard, not come across this way of doing it before, usually its on a harness or soldered directly to the motherboard. Doesnt appear to be a very easy dc jack to get hold of either so unless there is any other testing ive missed i might be recommending a new laptop or just keeping it plugged in without a battery.

 

[Diggs]

Is this the original OEM charger? Have you tried a replacement charger? This sounds like the Dell dance of "Not my charger so not gonna charge that battery" but still powers the laptop.

 

[alexsmith2709]

Yes, well sort of. I only use OEM or ODM (Liteon, chicony, delta) chargers to avoid most issues. It is using a replacement charger now as the original one (or at least the one he was using when the issue first started occuring) has been disposed of. This one is delta electronics branded.

 

[Mick]

Is this the original OEM charger? Have you tried a replacement charger? This sounds like the Dell dance of "Not my charger so not gonna charge that battery" but still powers the laptop.

Yes - I know Dell were sods for doing this with all manner of peripherals a while back, but I haven't come across it with Toshiba. (which doesn't mean it doesn't happen, of course.)

 

[MichaelBits]

Check what the power scheme is set to.
It's not on the Eco (i think it's called) setting is it? Dell has a version of this setting as well.

This type of power setting cycles the battery to keep it good, so doesn't always charge the battery when you expect it to.

 

[wavey]

Was the replacement battery genuine or one of those £10 Ebay specials?
It could be a fault in the charging circuit, with the laptop turned off and the charger plugged in you should get 3.3v to the battery connection.

 

[alexsmith2709]

Thanks for all the replies.
The power mode is balanced so neither eco mode or high performance mode.
The battery is a 2-power one, which while is a compatible are usually quite reliable. Now further testing is leading me to believe this battery isnt working as it should. I usually stick to OEM if i can but none of my suppliers seem to have the OEM battery available so i bought this one.

With the old battery in it charges fine, its just the battery doesnt hold much charge so should be replaced. With the new battery it powers the laptop so it doesnt discharge, but it doesnt charge it either. Using Nirsoft BatteryInfoView shows the charge/discharge rate as 0milliwatts.

I will get the "faulty" battery replaced and hope that there are no more issues!