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Inspiron 1545 battery not charging...
Hi, Like quite a few other here, I have a battery problem on my 1545.... battery health is reported as fine, (but no charge) but with the power lead connected, the battery is not charging..
It has been suggested to update the BIOS, but says you can only do this with a battery charge of a least 10%..
Is that assuming that thats the only power you have? So is it ok to update the BIOS with the power lead connected..
Not that I am convinced that this will fix the problem as elswhere people suggest that it may be the jack point has come away from the motherboard and may require soldering !!!!
Any advice would be appreciated....
ejn63
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March 20th, 2011 12:00
A BIOS update will not fix the problem.
Check the BIOS setup - does the system properly detect the AC adapter or is it listed as "unknown"? If it's detected, it's most likely a bad battery. If the adapter is listed as "unknown", try a new Dell adapter first. If that doesn't fix the problem, replace the power jack. This model doesn't require soldering to the mainboard (or replacing the mainboard) -- the jack is on a small daughterboard:
http://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=item&id=6444
Replacing that will fix the problem with the power jack.
jtipper
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March 21st, 2011 14:00
Thanks for the quick reply..
I have just updated to windows 7 Ultimate.. After about two days of updates, I have tried to look at the problem again.
This morning when I turned on the Laptop, the battery had a 55% charge, but when I connnected the power lead this time a message came up saying that the power adapter was not recognised, please connect a new Dell adapter , even though the present one is the correct adapter that came with the PC.
So I have ordered a new power adapter..
The only slight concern I have is that the actual jack plug does appear to be a little loose, so I don't know if this would have any impact at all.
John.
GitRDone
7 Posts
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April 9th, 2011 17:00
John,
There is a very strong possibility that the issue you are experiencing is caused by a failed charger board. We see this as a common point of failure on the 1525 (that displays the same exact symptoms you describe) at the shop i work at.
Be careful of the really cheap Chinese knockoffs, they usually fail pretty darn quick and waste time and money. We buy the 1545 charger boards here: Inspiron 1545 Charger Board
The charger board is fairly easy to replace, and requires no soldering at all. So if you are handy with a screwdriver, and can follow the instructions in the service manual, you should have no problem replacing the board.
ronmetrx
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December 22nd, 2011 15:00
I went to my computer repair shop and told them no charge from the adapter and to try the 90 watt. He said that was not the problem. Guess what THAT IS THE PROBLEM! Then he wanted to sell me an adapter for $30, bought it online for $18!
karsys
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June 12th, 2012 21:00
I had my battery replaced within a year under warranty (<1yr) and no sooner than 6 months later I get several varieties of msgs, all reported here and elsewhere:
1) plugged in, not charging
2) invalid charger
3) paraphrasing... time to replace charger
In my opinion, the issue with the 1545 has nothing to do with the charger. It has to do with the charger connector design. My charger connection is:
a) rediculously loose
b) the charger connection on the laptop is flawed. If you look closely, It has a single center pin surrounded by 4 prongs. 2 vertical, 2 horizontal. They are flexible. The prongs make contact to inside of the charger plug. With the loose connection, slightly bending in any direction cause the prongs to bend in slightly. Take a look when its says plugged in-not charging.... you'll see at least 1 not making a good contact.
So, what to do. Given the 500 price tag, and the million other Dells that have different designs, they have no intention of dealing with it. These are the things I've done for over a year to keep me alive without cost.
A) With existing charger... take a pen tip and spread the 4 prongs outwards from the center to create a better contact with the original charger. This works for awhile until it starts to bend because of the looseness
B) To help with the looseness.... Get a simple plastic straw. I cut about 1/4 in off. I placed it over the outside of the charger coming from the wall. Leave enough free not to interfere with the prongs. 1/2 is too long. That helped. Eventually it wears and the prongs bend again.\
C) try another charger. I had another newer dell (5110N). This solution worked for months. It was more snug.
D) I havn't done this yet.... replace the battery charger board
Nothing is perfect. I think if you buy a new charger prematurely, its a waste. Unfortunately this is slowly becoming the 500 dollar paperweight.
Best of luck
cdduvall
1 Message
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October 27th, 2012 13:00
:emotion-43: possibility of a dry cell which would require replacing the battery
JayJay7
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January 3rd, 2013 18:00
A few months ago my Dell Inspiron 1545 started giving the error code 3600.0749 Invalid AC adapter detected, and would not charge my battery, although it would still work off the mains power. I borrowed an AC adapter from a friend who has the same model Dell, and the message was the same. I bought a new laptop, not Dell after this fiasco. A few days ago my friend's laptop AC adapter died. I tried my AC adapter on her laptop, and found that her's now had exactly the same error message as mine. It so happens that others in my family have Dell laptops, so I tried their AC adapters, which were 90W instead of 65W, and had a smooth plug instead of octagonal, and guess what, that worked! I have ordered 2 90w AC adapters. So is it the larger power output of 90W instead of 65W, or is it to do with the plug? I suppose it makes more sense to be the plug, after reading Karsys message above. These laptops are out of warranty, but you do expect better design and handling of this issue plaguing so many Dells.