Unsolved

1 Rookie

 • 

6 Posts

24

March 14th, 2025 19:43

Area-51m R1, suddenly died, not charging, no power

I was at the library using my laptop the other day when my foot accidentally bumped the the power cord providing power to the outlets on the desk (it's not as janky a setup as I might lead you to believe, only a few inches of the industrial quality cord is exposed before the flat plug terminates in the outlet...I've got long legs and big feet). The moment I bumped the cord, my laptop died and has since failed to power or or indicate that it's charging.

Pressing the power button does nothing. When I plug in the power adapters the charging indicator on the laptop remains off. The diagnostic LEDs glow the usual solid green whether plugged into the laptop or not. The USB ports are not providing any power. Other steps I've taken:

  • Tried each power adapter separately and together, and ensured to test each power port individually.

  • Closely inspected the power ports for damage (using a bright flashlight) with no remarkable findings.
  • Tried a different power outlet.

  • Tested a separate 240W Dell power adapter

  • Drained Flea power.

  • Opened the laptop to check for loose cables/wires or signs of damage with no remarkable findings.

  • Re-seated the power button ribbon.

  • Tried booting with both AC adapters plugged in the and the battery disconnected.

I am a bit lost as to how I should proceed. Has anyone experienced this issue on the R1 and, more importantly, were you able to resolve it? Any other trouble shooting tips for me? Thanks!

1 Rookie

 • 

6 Posts

March 14th, 2025 19:49

In addition to my original post (I can't find an edit button...apologies), I had a similar issue a couple of years ago that was solved by replacing the motherboard. Considering this is the second time this has happened, I was hoping to get a little bit closer to diagnosing the actual cause of the issue in the hopes of both preventing it from happening again in the future and to avoid replacing the entire motherboard by narrowing the issue down to a more specific "area" or part. I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty working on the motherboard, I don't have much to lose by damaging it further.

10 Elder

 • 

27.2K Posts

March 14th, 2025 21:35

Even if you can find whatever component is damaged, finding and installing a replacement won't be easy -- you'll likely need a non-working board of the same model for the part, and you still need a hot air rework station and a microscope to do the job.  The boards run between $250 and $400 -- you won't be able to have faulty components replaced by a pro for less than that.

You're in for a replacement mainboard.

1 Rookie

 • 

55 Posts

March 15th, 2025 23:41

Not for anything but how long have you had it maybe time for a upgrade ? 

No Events found!

Top