Spin 3 SP314 series won't power up; charge light blinks orange once - help!

I have a Spin 3 (SP314 series) that has recently stopped powering up for no apparent reason. Nothing happens -- no keyboard backlight, no screen display -- when I press the power button, whether for a moment or when I hold it down for 5-10 seconds. When I disconnect and reconnect the power supply, there is a 3 second pause and then the charging light blinks orange once and then stays off.

By way of troubleshooting, I've checked my power supply and it is delivering 19V. I've tried resetting the battery by inserting a pin into the reset hole on the bottom of the machine, holding it down for 5-10 seconds, releasing it, and reconnecting power, but I still get a single orange blink and nothing else.

Can anyone diagnose the problem and suggest a fix? I really enjoy using this machine and hope it's not gone for good.

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

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Balatekie

Hello!!

@jgarbers,

Sad to know that computer is not powering on. From the description shared, it seems to be Hardware issue. If you believe that ur unit is under warranty, I recommend you to contact Acer Technical Support in your region and look for repair options.

Hope this Helps you!

Regards,
Balatekie

billsey

First try the full procedure for the battery reset. Just pressing the button for a short time only disconnects and reconnects the battery, it doesn't do a full reset. Disconnect everything from the laptop with the laptop shut down. Press and hold the button for 15-30 seconds then release. Wait 15-30 minutes for all residual power on the motherboard to bleed off then plug the power adapter back in, but don't turn it on. Wait until you see the full battery indication and then turn it on. Let us know whether that works or not...

jgarbers

Thanks to both of your for your suggestions! @billsey unfortunately your plan didn't seem to work; I did the 30-second press on the battery reset button and let the laptop sit idle, not plugged in, for over an hour. I reconnected the power supply without touching the laptop's power button. Again, after a few seconds, the charge light blinked orange once and then went out. Tried this sequence twice; same results. I'm leaving it plugged in but I'm guessing that if the light is out it's not charging. Any other suggestions? Thanks again!

Easwar

Hi @jgarbers,

It looks like hardware issue. Contact acer tech support,

https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/service-contact

OR book the unit for repair service,

https://customerselfcare.acer.com/CS2/#/

jgarbers

Thank you for your help! It's hard to know whether it's worth trying to get the machine repaired or not... if it's just a dead battery maybe I could get a replacement and install it myself. Does anybody know what the single orange blink means? I'd have to think this is a diagnostic code, as I see threads from others involving multiple blinks and/or colors, etc.

billsey

It sounds more like the charger is the issue, but it could be the battery. Chargers sometimes provide the right voltage, but no longer the right current. Do you have any way to measure the voltage under a load, or just try a different charger? Which Spin 3 model do you have? It should be something like SP314-xxx-xxxx. I can lookup the battery part number for you once I have that.

jgarbers

I've been trying to buy a replacement battery. Tried ordering one from a supplier on Amazon that had decent reviews (for whatever that's worth) and they sent the wrong battery. I can't find any source that doesn't look sketchy... bad things happen to bad batteries, so I'm leery about buying one from a no-name source. Tried reaching out to a source recommended by Acer support -- Capital Data USA -- but their website doesn't seem to support buying online (!). Anybody got a reliable source for batteries -- in this case model AP18H8L (3ICP6/56/77) ?

MickeyDude

I ran into the same issue back in July 2021, no luck resetting the battery using the pin hole. Tried other ways mentioned in Acer's You tube channel. None worked. Once the battery completely dead, it miraculously started charging one fine morning after about 3-4 days.
Now, I am going through the same issue again starting 13-Nov-2021. Battery was dead for almost 5-6 days. And it started charging on 19-Nov-2021. Unfortunately that didn't last long. 20-Nov, I am seeing the message on the battery icon 80% (Plugged in) instead of Charging.
I never had issues with Dell (lasted for 9 years), Lenovo (lasted for 8 years). But Acer has been putting me down just within 2 years of service. And parts also very hard to get. AP18H8L battery is not available routinely on the web. Amazon says delivery would be 13-Dec to 4-Jan-22, and costing me around $100. Still unsure if it is the battery issue.

I would never buy Acer again in my life.

@jgarbers
Did you ultimately find a way to get the AP18H8L battery from Capital Data USA? Did it work after replacing the battery?

MickeyDude

I had a chat with a support person from AnswersBy. Apparently it is free chat support for Acer customers. Here is the chat summary.

8:53 AM

Hertin Raj:

Hello, Thanks for contacting AnswersBy, How can I help you?

8:54 AM

Customer:

Hey I have an Acer laptop, purchased just 2 years back.

8:54 AM

Customer:

Its not powering on.

8:54 AM

Hertin Raj:

ok, do you see any power light on the side when you try to turn it on

8:55 AM

Customer:

When I turn on the charger, all I see is an orange light comes on and immediately turns off after a second.

8:56 AM

Customer:

I tried to put a pin in the battery reset pin hole, held it for 30 seconds, and then tried. Its the same issue.

8:56 AM

Hertin Raj:

ok, so it might be a charging port issue, some pin might be loose inside the port or something might have broken inside the charging port

8:57 AM

Hertin Raj:

so, please tke it to any local repair shop or if you want to send the laptop to Acer for repair, please call the Acer repair team on 18666952237

8:58 AM

Customer:

do you have the part number for the charger port?

8:58 AM

Customer:

or any link where I can get it?

8:59 AM

Hertin Raj:

the part no. for Acer is 18009102237, but they are open only on weekdays

8:59 AM

Hertin Raj:

after 9:30 EST

8:59 AM

Customer:

ok, is it the Acer repair team?

8:59 AM

Customer:

or some other online store

9:00 AM

Hertin Raj:

Acer repair is 18666952237 and for parts, the phone no. is 18009102237

9:00 AM

Customer:

ok

9:01 AM

Customer:

I will try to contact them. Thanks.

9:01 AM

Hertin Raj:

i' not sure, but you can check stores like Best Buy, Staples or Walmart

jgarbers

@MickeyDude My Spin is still down. I emailed Central Data and got no response; after a week I called and left a message and still haven't gotten a response. Hard to tell if they're still in business. I ordered one for around $100 from another Amazon supplier and am expecting it some time in December. I'll post here with the results.

Thanks for posting that transcript, and please do let us know if the charging port was the problem for you. My Spin had just been sitting on my desk untouched for weeks, so unless something just up and broke inside the machine, I doubt that's my problem... if I'd bumped the plug or something I'd be more likely to think that was my issue.

I have to say this was a really unexpected experience. I would never have thought getting a legit replacement battery for a recent laptop from a mainstream manufacturer would have been this difficult. Wonder if HP and others have the same problem?

Cat73446

@jgarbers I have has this happen to 2!!!!! acer spins now. If you take out the plug, and hold the battery disconnect for a few seconds, then plug it in while ur still holding down the battery, then hit the power, it will start charging.

BasmaO

Same happened with me today in 2022 after less than 6 months from the purchase! I am going nuts here because I have a deadline and my laptop is broken down with no prior indictation of malfunction! I hope you found a solution for your problem and it seems that I have to wait anyway

anawilliam850

Thank all! i have the same problem, but i can fix it

BasmaO

Can you tell me a way to fix it ? Thx in advance

billsey

A blinking charge light is supposed to indicate a battery problem. Sometimes the problem isn't really there, it's just that the battery has gotten confused and it's internal data needs to be reset. That's when the battery reset button can help. You do have to follow the full procedure though. Make sure you are shutdown and everything, including the charger, is disconnected. Press and hold the reset button for at least 15 seconds, then release and wait for several minutes to allow any residual to bleed off. Reconnect only the charge and wait for the light to change to indicate a full battery. Then, and only then, go ahead and turn it back on. Once Windows has loaded force a recalibration by disconnecting the charger and using the laptop until it turns off automatically due to low battery. Reconnect the charger and wait again for the full charge indication, then turn it back on. The recalibration can be done several times and Windows will get better at displaying a correct value for length of time on the charge each time. If when you try the initial reset it still flashes orange than the battery has failed and needs to be replaced.

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