Let the Battery run out, now laptop won't turn on (Swift 3 SF314-51-38JY)

IanGreen

I have an Acer Swift 3 (SF314) that has been running great for 5 years.

I inadvertently left the laptop ON and unplugged, this caused the battery to completely drain.

It had happened to me before and I solved it as indicated in the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfhgnxUJoZo

1. Disconnect the laptop from power
2. Poke the battery reset hole (for 5 seconds)
3. Wait 5 minutes
4. Turn on the laptop by pressing the power button

But this time that trick didn't work.

Also try the steps indicated in a comment on the video:

1. Unplug from AC ( if plugged in )
2. Press and hold power button for 15 secs.
3. Use a pin (sim ejector tool would do), poke the battery reset (hole) button at the back for 5 secs
4. Wait for a minute or 2.
5. If the laptop worn turn on, plugged in the AC cord and press the power button.

It didn't work either.

Before this failure, the battery worked very WELL, because it gave me UP TO 7 HOURS OF WORK.

NOTICE: If I plug in the power adapter, a very small noise is heard near the connector, which repeats every second.

I refuse to think that my battery has died (it was working super well)

There must be some way to recharge the battery.

ACER, please help!

[Edited the thread to add model name to the title]

Simonics

I always thought it was better to completely drain your battery.

You mention noise near the adapter connector. Maybe the adapter connecter plug socket is a bit loose, and is not charging the battery.

Or the power adapter itself is broken. Can you start the laptop with your power adapter plugged in?

Hope these thoughts help.

IanGreen

Hi there

- Adapter works well on other same laptop.

- I can't start laptop with power adapter plugged in, doesn't turn on, no led it's on.

Simonics

It sounds like the adapter socket in the laptop is loose. This would need a repair. Assuming no warranty, cheapest option is to find someone local, but competent - Go on nextdoor.co.uk and ask for recommendations for local repairers.

Your battery may be fine. if it is removable, you can test it on the other laptop too.

Hope this helps.

billsey

There have been a lot of different SF314 models over the years. Some have replaceable DC-In jacks, some do not. Your full model number is usually on the same sticker as your serial number, it should look something like SF314-xxx-xxxx. We can look it up once we know which you have.

IanGreen

Hi

ACER Swift 3 has an integrated battery (Part Number AC14B8K) you have to open it with a screwdriver to uninstall it.

I just installed a battery (which I bought on Amazon) and the laptop worked perfectly.

Power adapter works fine.

Adapter socket, works fine.

Motherboard, works fine.

What the hell happened to my old battery?

Why was it damaged, if it was working perfectly?

Is there a way to recharge it?

Simonics

Really great you got it to work.

I have to say I am totally surprised the laptop wouldn't work with the adapter with the dead battery. Maybe it's a safety mechanism, to stop further damage to laptop. Or the adapter socket is loose intermittently, which damaged the first battery. Other than that I am completely baffled.

The dead battery is a bit of a mystery. You could ask guidance from a local repair shop, or at Currys at the Know How counter.

IanGreen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1227320#Comment_1227320

Hi Billsey

Model number is SF314-51-38JY

MFG Date: 2016/10/17

billsey

OK, yours does have a DC_In cable, it looks like they bought identical cables from two vendors:

It connects to the motherboard in the corner next to the hinge, and is held in place by the hinge itself:

One issue that crops up with most modern laptops is that part of the whole "thin and light" things means the cases have shallower mounts for the hinge screws then they used to. The screws can start to pull loose over time, which allows the hinge to loosen on it's mount. If that's the case here, the power jack would also get loose. The fix Acer would do if under warranty would be to replace the case half. A more affordable fix is to use a strong epoxy to fill in the hinge screw mounts to tighten things back up. I've used the metal version of JB Weld for that task before.

Simonics

That's really interesting. What a sensible way to do a DC jack. Brilliant.

A glue I find useful that holds screws in and can be unscrewed if necessary is a glue gun pack, and glue sticks pack from Poundland. Glue can be picked out or picked off surfaces, and removed easily if mistakes, when it cools. I've used it on lots of items, including on screws holding my bath taps on, as the heavy old style heads keep dropping off! Also fixed electrical items with it too.

billsey

The issue with that type of glue is that it's flexible, which doesn't work well for structural components. What you are talking about works great to hold a screw in to keep it from backing out, but doesn't work well as the 'nut' for the screw.

Simonics

Yes, I see what you're saying - it needs rigidity to hold the case in place.

billsey

Yeah, experience talking here… I had a friend with the same issue on their HP laptop and they used a 5 minute epoxy to fix it. It exhibited the same symptoms again within a week, do to the flexibility of the cured epoxy. We carefully scraped it all out again and redid it with the hard stuff and it's still working several months later. She should have come to me at first. :)

Simonics

Experience always best teacher! What was the brand of hard glue you used?

billsey

I used JB Weld Steel Reinforced.

Simonics

Thanks - that is useful to know.