XPS 15 9550 No AC Power

I am getting this message on boot:

Alert! The AC power adapter wattage and type cannot be determined. The battery may not charge. The system will adjust the performance to match the power available.

Note: This warning can be disabled in BIOS setup.​

When I hover over the power icon in windows I get this message:

Plugged in, not charging.
​

So, I ordered a new charger from Amazon and it worked fine for a few days and then went back to the same problem. A third charger arrived today but that did not help.

 

So, have you tried disabling the warning in BIOS?
I assume these are 3rd-party adapters?
Aside for the DC power, adapters are also supposed to identify themselves. Dell adapters with the same voltages and plugs exist in different wattages (DC current they may supply). The laptop needs to know what current it may draw. If this fails, it likely defaults to the lowest power, which is not enough to keep the rather hungry 9550 up.

 

Plugged in not charging is battery management, it will not charge after small power drops ir 100-95% unless you have set other power profiles using BIOS or Dell power command software. This is to prevent unnecessary charging cycles wearing the battery out prematurely. Just the fact it says plugged in means it is on mains power. so I wouldn't worry.

If the BIOS battery managment isn't the cause then it may be a non genuine charger to blame, best to get a genuine and try that!.

 

The BIOS finds out the rating of the PSU using the thin centre pin in the DC power plug. Then it can adjust the power demands to avoid overloading the PSU. If the pin is broken or a 3rd party PSU doesn't have the pin then the BIOS has to assume a low PSU rating.

A Dell 90W PSU will work fine if you aren't loading the dGPU and a 65W Dell PSU works OK but might recharge the battery more slowly depending on the CPU power usage.

John

 

The adapters have Dell written on them and look just like the original, except for the removable AC cable. Can disabling the warning or any other BIOS settings help here? The battery charge level slowly depletes while it says Plugged in, not charging. After the battery depleted like this with the first/original adapter, the laptop would not turn on.

 

Go to BIOS and check, costs nothing, and there should be a status there. There may be different issues - broken connection of the data pin in the plug or in the socket, a battery failure, a software problem of battery driver or BIOS (one recent BIOS was causing charging to stop at 60% but that's probably not your case). I've hat a similar issue with another laptop recently, tried all sorts with no success, then one day the plug disconnected and the battery drained completely, but it started charging again afterwards.
A few Dell thread:
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19963068
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19527004
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19668647
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19997252
http://www.tomsguide.com/answers/id-2673138/dell-xps-2015-plugged-charging.html

https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-fix-the-problem-plugged-in-not-charging-on-my-Dell-Inspiron-laptop

 

Thanks for the input. Disabling the warning in the BIOS did not help. Dell Command Power Manager says "The power adapter attached to your system is not recognized. Attach a supported power adapter with at least 130 watts" (for all 3 adapters)

 

Order the correct model replacement charger, the XPS 9550 is really picky about chargers (I also have one). You might have to get it from Dell. Chargers from 3rd party eBay sellers are often fake so I don't recommend that route.

 

Sounds like it may be the laptop socket?

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

 

I bought the chargers from Amazon. They were advertised as genuine and look just like the original. I guess I could buy a fourth charger directly from Dell.

A laptop socket problem seems quite likely.

 

A very easy job considering it is just a plug on the motherboard

 

By the way, a technician replaced the motherboard a few months ago. Another technician replaced the battery, touchpad, and cooling system shortly before that.

 

Isn't the plug separate from the motherboard? I recall in one of those links there was sth on fixing the plug.

 

It is very possible to have a pin pushed back on the white plug causing the fault, worth a look if you don't mind opening her up.

 

Just ordered a torx screwdriver set. We'll see what happens.

 

The screws are extremely delicate, this cannot be stretched enough. It's easily managed as long as you are careful, but pat attention and care when you will open your XPS up. Don't forget the two phillips screws under the model plate you can flip over.

Thankfully, you can download the manual from Dell's support site directly, so be sure to read the manual before you proceed.

 

These are the best screwdrivers as the holding function bites into the screw, as a plus it stops the camout you can get that strips these weak screws. http://www-uk.wera.de/product_detai...eries_kraftform_micro_2067_torx_hf&lang=en-UK

 

Thanks for the screwdriver suggestion. Just opened up the laptop. What do I look for on the power socket?

 

You don't unless you know how to measure resistance while applying pressure, easy way it to put a new one in! the pin is near impossible to diagnose and the charger is the smart type and I am lost with those, I just swap the part

 

Dell sent me a new power socket (which I replaced) and a new AC adapter. This has not helped, unfortunately. I wonder if the motherboard needs to be replaced again.

 

Have you reset the mobo to factory defaults before you do that?
Probably still the same fault the board had in the original owners 9550 due to Dell's 3rd party parts harvesting centre (aka the repair shop) not testing it.

 

I have not reset the mobo. You mean reset the BIOS settings to default? (Tap F2 on boot and click "Restore Settings")

 

Yeah it's something like that.

 

That has not helped. Maybe Dell sent me a defective power port.

 

I would be demanding a new laptop around now m8.

 

I had the same thought. Maybe my laptop was a lemon from the start.

Here's everything that's been replaced:

Battery
touchpad assembly
fans
heatsink
motherboard
power button
dc power port
ac adapter

Now the question is how to convince them to give me a replacement laptop.

 

GoNz0 would be the best to ask about that, he's gotten several new ones. I had an issue with mine and I had to complain for multiple days until they finally sent me a replacement.

 

What convinced them to send a replacement?

 

Sadly for me it was a case of the squeaky wheel gets the grease. I had to call in multiple times and talk to people in the "advanced resolution group."

Thinking back on it, I should have just threatened to do a chargeback on my card since they kept screwing me around instead of wasting hours on the phone.

 

I paid on credit card so I always had a backup plan, and boy did I throw that one in early each time.

My list from memory.

1, The techs do a bad job, have little understanding of the problem and you have seen enough of those for one lifetime.
2, I am not prepared to mess about having more and more parts replaced as it has gone beyond reasonable efforts to put it right.
3, I am not prepared to send it in as I need a laptop for work
4, Rather than have a refund I would like a replacement built new, no refurbished. It is an ongoing issue (I think 3 strikes and tey can offer a replacement without much fuss or trigger a refund)
5, Credit card chargeback threat, even if you didn't pay on credit card the techs, line managers and so on do not know how you paid. Me triggering the refund process found this out. It is another department that doesn't get involved for refunds and yet another who has the details.
6, persistence.

I had at least 7 exchanges including the 9550 from about number 3 or 4 as the 9530 was no longer in production. End of the day my 9550 was collected today 2 days short of the initial 3 year warranty, the warranty was extended by 6 months after more kicking and screaming as I didn't deem it to start until I had laptop number 3 as that one worked.

 

Great writeup! Kaby Lake 9560 is out now, if that could be the replacement, that would be super.

 

I doubt it as they still sell the 9550 but good luck trying!

 

Just a thought...Make sure you have the latest bios. One of the reasons is that Windows 10 Enterprise broke the charging capability until Dell issued a BIOS update which immediately fixed the issue.

 

I have the latest BIOS. The case was escalated twice. I got a call from DELL and I said that I am interested in either getting a replacement or doing a credit card chargeback. The rep said that I can do the chargeback, but he does not know anything about that since he's tech support. Replacement is not an option, he said. I guess I should go ahead with the chargeback.

 

Start the ball rolling. Also ask to speak to a manager to get put through to the right department to deal with you as tech are no use.

 

I'm sorry about this CuriousN. You seem to be stuck in customer no support. My suggestion was to make sure to cover all bases. Although my 9550 has been almost flawless with one exception, I regret your experience. Good luck.

BTW, my one exception is the video driver which everytime it updates, my 2nd monitor no longer gets detected. Then I have to rollback drivers picking an old standby video driver to get the display back.

Oops, 2 exceptions. Wifi gets dropped every once in a while. Its not bad enough to replace the wifi card but its annoying enough to think about replacing it with the latest Intel card, the 18260.

 

So Dell talked me into mailing the laptop to the depot, where they replaced the motherboard and DC port again. After I received the laptop back, it still has problems charging. Now they are suggesting sending a technician (there have been two technician visits before) to my house to repair it again. I really want to convince them to just send me a replacement.

 

Simply say no they have had ample opportunity to repair it, you will not waste any more time and you want a replacement as it has been ripped apart 3 times now. If they say no say fine you are going to start a chargeback and they should back down, when they do ask for a credit for your wasted time while you are at it.

 

In response to me doing a chargeback, they just say that they are tech support and that is not something they know anything about. They also told me that my case was escalated to the product team.

 

Needs to be resolutions to get anywhere, I think the product team is based in unicorn land.