Aspire R13 charging problem

My 2015 Aspire R13 started to have this charging problem since 2019, I suspect it's from software update. First it wouldn't charge at all. I tried the solutions I found online. Removed battery from Device Manager and rebooted the machine. The problem went away. However, it started to beep and the screen flickered once the charging cable is connected. I managed to silent the beeping sound, but still I couldn't stop the screen flickering. I found that the status kept changing from charging to not charging. When its status is charging, screen is brighter. Then it would change to not charging, and screen would become darker. A more serious problem is that battery was charged super slow or not charging at all. Even with the external power connected, the battery drained under 10% and started to beep after a few hours of use. I turned it off and let it charge for a whole night, only 23% charged.

The BIOS of the machine is up to date, as well as Windows 10. Now I have to disconnect the battery physically to use it as "Non-mobile" device. I saw quite a few questions of Acer laptop charging problems in this forum, but what is the final solution?

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JackE

Reconnect the battery and charger. Then go to the elevated command prompt. Enter 'powercfg /batteryreport'. Then return to the desktop. Open file explorer. Then search for' battery-report.html' in the c:\windows\system32\ sub-folder. Double-click to open it in the browser. Post screenshot of the first part of the report if possible that compares design full charge capacity with its remaining full charge capacity. Jack E/NJ

Dinglinba

Here is the screen shot of the batter report:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/w5/evosbe7v6ozk.png

Dinglinba

Power mode kept changing from "(on battery) Better battery" to "(plug in) Best performance" when plug in.

JackE

>>>Now I have to disconnect the battery physically to use it>>>

Does the laptop seem to run OK plugged in with battery disconnected?

If yes, open Device Manager. Click the batteries folder. Right click and uninstall ALL drivers that you find in the batteries folder. Exit Device Manager without re-installing anything. Then shut Windows down normally. Then reconnect the battery. Plug the charger back in but don't try to turn the machine on until the battery charge light turns from steady orange to steady blue.

If the charge cycling problem persists, replace the battery as its own internal charge controller has likely failed.

Jack E/NJ

Dinglinba

The laptop works fine if I disconnect the battery and just use plug in power. That's how I managed to use the laptop for months.

The first time the battery stopped charging, I already did this trick. Removing all battery drivers from Device Manager and shut down the machine. It partially solved the problem since the battery could be charged now. However, it still bothers me because of this power mode switching problem. Although it's a 5-year old machine, it's very lightly used. Cannot believe the battery could fail in such a short period of time. Since we suspected it was the charger problem, we even bought another set of plug in power cable.

JackE

Replace the battery as its controller has likely failed. Less than $30 with free shipping. https://www.amazon.com/AC14B8K-Battery-Compatible-Acer-4ICP5/dp/B07W3B4K73 Jack E/NJ

Dinglinba

Jack, thanks for your advice and help!

Dinglinba

The new battery arrived today. Unfortunately, I still have the same issue after replacing the battery. Once the battery is connected and power cable is plugged in, the power mode keeps switching between on battery and plug-in, and screen brightness keeps changing while the mode switches. Any other thoughts?

JackE

Is the screen-flickering affected when you physically manipulate the charger plug in the jack? Jack E/NJ

Dinglinba

No, I tried to tighten the charger plug, doesn't help. I have two chargers, the same problem.

JackE

>>> My 2015 Aspire R13 started to have this charging problem since 2019, I suspect it's from software update.>>>

Well, arguably the best way to rule in or rule out a hardware v. software issue is to back up your personal stuff and do a full erase everything ALT+F10 cold boot factory reset. Jack E/NJ