m17x - R1 Ripley Won't Power On - DC In Jack?

Afternoon Everyone

I have the above machine which I rescued from certain death earlier this year. Following a clean up and a new charger its been working fine for months and is a great machine!

However, a few weeks ago it failed to power on. The Alien power on button wasn't lighting up to acknowledge that the charged was connected. I tested another charged which highlighted it wasn't related to that and made me lean more towards the machine itself.

I've stripped the machine and given it a gentle but decent clean so its free from dust and I've started to look at the DC in jack. On precious machines I've seen these soldered onto the motherboard but in this machine the DC port has a number of cables coming off of the back of it which goes down the left hand side and towards the middle at the bottom where it connects to the board.

I'm in the UK and can't find anywhere over here where I can pick up a replacement. The only place I can find one is on the US which I'm fine with but ideally I'd like to prove without a doubt that it is the DC in jack that is at fault or is flakey in some way.

When the DC in jack dies, does anyone know specifically what it is about this component that causes a fault?

The cables coming out of the back of it don't look damaged which I suspected might be the problem due to a crack on the underside of the machine just below where the DC in jack lives. The crack has been there since I bought it but due to that being the only issue with the plastic I never saw the need to replace it.

I hope its not the motherboard which has gone as I that will be a much more expensive fix. The machine hasn't been dropped or come into contact with water since its been in my possession and as I say its worked fine daily for almost six months. Does anyone have any other thoughts or ideas about any testing I could do with a multimeter?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

I don't know a solution for you but it might be just a single connection you could resolder? From what I read there is a 'detect' line in dell chargers. The laptop checks this and the wattage and then turns on the charger. If the wattage is too low then they sometimes start but the battery will show as not charging. HTH

 

I have to confess it isn't a Dell charger, I tested I with an existing charger I had and it worked fine and the CPU speed wasn't being throttled as can be the case with some unofficial chargers I've come across when the voltage hasn't been what it should be.

The charger I had wasn't in particularly good condition so I bought a new one and it worked fine. I've done some gaming on it and use it daily for work so I feel like I've lost an arm now its offline.

Just an observation but if I remove the battery and press the button next to the LEDs then all 5 LEDs are lit for about 3 seconds. If I then reconnect the battery, connect the charged and then hit the button on the battery again, 4 LEDs light up and the fifth LED flashes a couple of times and then all the LEDs go off.

Does that suggest that the battery is charging and that I'm jumping the gun with the DC jack when it could be an issue with the board behind the power button that also has the LEDs for Capslock, Numlock, Scrollock, Power, Bluetooth, Wireless, Alienware and Low Power? I have to admit that since I got it the power button was stiff and had to be pressed fairly hard to switch the machine on. Although I didn't often use the power button as if put the machine to sleep and then wake it with any key.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

Well since it has worked fine then not being the OEM charger should not be an issue. I have seen people get aterrmarket chargers only for them to not work at all. The flashing battery LED's does sound like the battery is always taking a small charge which seems to me to be normal, I assume it does not start without the battery either? I guess it could be just the button as well

Not a lot of help I'm afraid. If you don't get any R1 owners suggesting on the problem you might try a post in the R1/R2 owners lounge?

 

What normally happens when that breaks is that the computer won't recognize the Adapter at all or will say "Plugged in/not charging" Replacing that part might fix the issue. It's not that expensive so I would say go for that and if the issue continues go with the motherboard.

 

Sorry for digging up an old thread. Due to changing jobs and moving house I've not had much time on my hands to progress this any further.

So my last post, I've got my hands on a new Dell charger rather than the other I was using before. Its a PA-3E 19.5v which I had previously before it broke and I picked up a cheaper one. I'm used to working with Dell laptops and have always found these to be well built and reliable so hopefully it should be up to the job.

I've bought myself a new multimeter as it was clear the old one was becoming unreliable when I started trying to test the old charger and the DC port. I've picked up some new tips for my soldering iron along with some other soldering essentials, and hopefully now that I've laid a few other jobs to rest I should now have some free time to get to the bottom of this power issue. I could do with some guidence from anyone who has had similar issues in the past please.

I've stripped the machine down to the chassis although the motherboard is still screwed in at the moment. It's clear that I need new plastics in certain areas as corners of the housing have been glued by the previous owner and easily broke away when I was disassembling the machine.

I've connected the charger to the DC port, traced the cable to the motherboard and checked the voltage going into the plug across the various points. I've getting a fairly steady 19.6 across the points which is just over the 19.5 from the charger so I'm 'guessing' that power to the DC port and to the board is ok?

If this is the case then I'm also guessing that the next course of action is going to be one of two areas:-

1) Solder points underneath the plug to see if there is a cold solder joint - this is going to be painful as it's going to mean removing the entire board from the chassis. But, but needs must if I have to.

2) If nothing from point, I'm going to need to find some schematics of the board to find where to go next, possibly onto the board where the power button and LEDs live - P/N 08G20E1FA20 Q - Hotkey Board Rev 2.0

I must admit I don't know how to check the board in point 2 to see if it is getting any power - does anyone have any ideas? When the machine was working, the power button had to be pressed quite hard for the machine to startup. But at the moment when it's connected, none of the LEDs light up, not even the power LED. It's worth noting that the cable from this board to the motherboard isn't in great shape. It has 2 fairly significant creases in it. I don't know if they are something I can easily buy off of the shelf?

 

Just a further update, I've tested the voltage across the connector to the motherboard from the DC jack with the PSU connected, it's reads pretty much 19.6 / 19.7v all the way across the connector.

I've also done a continuity test across each of the points on either side of the thin ribbon cable and they all test fine.

I'm a bit stuck about where to go next and I'm not sure whether I'm looking at a fault with the Hotkey board, or the motherboard. Does anyone have any further pointers before I break it for spares? It would be a shame to see it go as it was a nice system when it was running, two 8800 GTs and a nice 1920x1200 display

 

You should search on ebay, maybe you find the DC in jack. I have seen them for the M17 R1 and they are ~ $10 USD so I think that its worth trying that out.

 

Thanks for your reply.

Is there something wrong with the readings I've taken?

With the PSU connected to the DC Jack, if I take a reading on the other end of the connector which plugs into the board, its showing that there is what I believe to be the right voltage. Therefore I'm sure the board is getting power. But, as far as I am aware, the only sign of life I would get from the motherboard is if the Hotkey / Power On board has the power LED lit, which it doesn't. That is what's making me think its either a motherboard fault, or simply a fault with the Hotkey board.

I just don't know how to troubleshoot it any further. I'm not sure if the Hotkey board can be troubleshooted with a multimeter. I'm sure the motherboard can but I don't know how to proceed.

 

I don't know if there something wrong with your readings, I have never done it before. I do agree that it could even be a bad mobo, but I would take it to a good technician to check it first.