Chromebook c720 will not turn on unless plugged in.

honeil1031

I started having this issue yesterday. Chromebook will not power on unless plugged in. The chromebook shows 100% battery charge. I tried charging it overnight and the same thing is still happening. Anyone else have this issue/know how to fix it?

 

billsey

What happens if you disconnect the charger after it's turned on?

honeil1031

It shuts down immediately and will on turn back on after I plug it in. The chromebook is only 6 months old and I haven't had any prior issues.

 

billsey

That sure sounds like a hardware problem involving the battery or battery connection. Contact Acer support for your area and go the warranty repair route.

xamigax

I'm having exactly the same problem with mine since yesterday's evening.

The battery still was around 80% at that moment.

 

Mine was offered to me for last christmas (it has a label on the box saying 23/12/14 13:14. I guess the label was added by Darty, where my brother bought it).

 

I also noticed that date/hour isn't saved if I disconnect the power supply.

It fires up only with power supply plugged in (must say that it charges the battery), and shuts down immediately as I remove the cable.

 

This is quite simply unbearable.

 

The precise reference is C720-[edited for privacy] (I entered its serial number as I created my AcerID account).

billsey

Looks like the same thing with yours, except you are out of warranty. One of the issue inherent in the batteries for almost all modern laptops and tablets is that is the battery ever gets fully discharged (not easy to do, you have to leave them alone for a significant period of time) they cannot be recharged. Best bet is to always leave them on the charger if you are going to leave them idle...

 

Since you are out of warranty, I'd look at either replacing the battery yourself or finding a technician that can replace it for you. I haven't done any research into finding spare parts, but I imagine they are available.

xamigax

Sorry?

I hope you misread my post.

 

First point:

How dare you say twice that this C720 is "out of warranty" ?

It was bought on 23rd December 2014.

It isn't even a month old, warranty wise !

 

Second one:

Why suggesting to replace the battery ?

Since I own this C720 it handled charge/discharge normally (must have done 15 cycles at most).

Plus when I eventually found out that it would restart when plugged to its powerbrick, both led (turned on) and desktop indicator where telling me that it was charging from the point it was before failure.

Can't see any reason why it has to be a battery failure.

Like I said, it was around 80% charged before the "stop of the dead" happened.

 

What do you mean by "Best bet is to always leave them on the charger if you are going to leave them idle..." ?

 

Anyway, what is the point of an ultra-portable computer that you can only used IF AND ONLY IF plugged to a wall ?!?

billsey

Sorry, I misread the date and thought yours was just past the year... If it works while plugged in and shuts off when unplugged, the battery is not working. Either the battery has been fully discharged, the battery is diconnected internally, or the battery has failed in some other manner. Any of those scenarios says it needs to be repaired. Since you are under warranty your best bet is to contect Acer and get the repair process started. It might be a bit faster to take it back to the store for a swap.

 

AMEffy

Hello,

 

I HAVE A SOLUTION!

 

I work in a place that has hundreds of users on various models of Acer Chromebooks. Recently I have been having machines come in with this issue. I have not been able to solve this for weeks and this is the only place I have found with people having the same issue. Today I had a breakthrough! I have finally solved the issue that we were having and hopefully it can help others too! I noticed accidentally while fiddling with a machine with the case off that there is a small button on the Motherboard that is normally pressed when the back of the case is installed, that if this is pressed, my machines would funtion normally. Upon inspection the cases were not pressing the button fully and this caused the issue. So to resolve this issue, I simply put a small bit of electrical tape over the button and reassembled the computer and it now funtions properly. I have tested this on 3 computers now and all work after this fix. I hope this can help anyone struggling with this issue like I was!

McGodmode

I work in an environment with a few hundred of these pups and this easily makes my "top 3" list of repair tickets. This is absolutely not a hardware failure issue. You can fix it in about 2 minutes without even popping out the warranty screw.

 

This issue is caused by general wear and tear. There is a magnet behind your screen bezel which interacts with a sensor on the mainboard. This does things like tell the laptop to kill its display when the lid is shut. Directly underneath this sensor is a manual switch which basically serves the same purpose. The switch rides up against the back panel of the chassis and prevents it from powering up while the board is exposed (while the back panel is not present).

 

1.) Flip the C720 over and orient it so the S/N, FCC info, etc. is rightside up.

 

2.) Unscrew the 4 screws that run along the back of the laptop near the hinges.

 

3.) With both hands, place your palms on the chassis and with your fingers, pull up the back-right corner of the panel so it disconnects from the chassis. 

 

4.) Snap the panel back down.

5.) Apply a HEALTHY amount of pressure to the panel while screwing in the two screws on the righthand side.

 

Continue to step 6 if this does not solve your problem.

 

6.) Here, we are tightening the back panel in hopes that it will re-allign these mechanisms. As stated in an older post: If adjusting and tightening the back panel does not help you; then I would recommend layering electrical tape up on the back panel in the area that corresponds with the manual cutoff switch until you feel comfortable that the cutoff switch is being triggered.

 

 

 

HarrietUmlaut

Thanks so much, McGodmode! Following steps 1 - 5 totally worked for me! Bless you.

sethtech

You are an absolute lifesaver! Thank you so much! (and to the person who originally suggested using tape to get the switch to press) You've saved me a fair sum of money and time troubleshooting or buying a new battery or machine and I'm so grateful you've taken the time to explain the fix for people like me, if you were here right now I'd be taking you out for a drink to say thanks

The fix is quick and easy for anyone with a basic understanding of tech and a little common sense if you follow the guide above, only took me 5 minutes, a screwdriver and a small bit of electrical tape and got my chromebook back up and running, so grateful!

 

Thanks!

Hazza

Tried the above that worked for these guys but still no power when unplugged regardless how much charge there is when plugged in!
Any ideas for what next or is this a battery replacement?

SooperConfused

I'm having the identical problem with my Acer c730, however the motherboard is completely different from the c720 and the manual over-ride switch does not appear to be there (at least not that I can see). Is there a fix that has been worked out for the c730?