ACER Switch 12 (SA5-271) will not turn on, solutions?

KirstiK · January 2021

Tried to turn it on this morning and nothing. The blue light on the power button IS ON, but computer is not responding to button presses. Tried power, power + volume up, for 10 seconds, for 30 seconds, nothing. Blue light stays on, no response from computer.

I read in another thread that you can wait until the battery dies but that takes forever. I have tried plugging things into the USB port to try and drain charge faster, but it will not charge. Will charge for approx 3 seconds after plugging in then charging will stop.

Anyone experienced this and have a solution?

Commodore_1995# · January 2021

have you tried to reset the battery?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfhgnxUJoZo&list=FLVBqwtBw09_Z9tXo1Injakw&index=6

KirstiK · January 2021

Egydiocoelho,

It is not a laptop, it is more of a tablet. Its my understanding from browsing others questions (and a scan of my device) that the Switch 12 does not have a battery/hard reset button.

Thank you for your comment though!

Commodore_1995# · January 2021

Have you checked the keyboard and battery connector?

https://youtu.be/4y14aSj_VWI

billsey · January 2021

If you haven't taken your Switch Alpha 12 apart then the keyboard connector is likely still seated. If you have taken it apart then there's a real good chance that cable is damaged, since it's so fragile. You should be able to force a power down by a long press of the power button, disconnect the charger first and you'll be able to see the power off because the blue light will go away. Once it's powered down for sure, plug the charger back in and try turning it on.

KirstiK · January 2021

OPs Update:

I left it unplugged for two whole days until the blue light finally went out - battery completely dead. Plugged it in - and orange (low battery) light on - yay! Pressed power button for 3 seconds - turned blue light - it was turning on - yay! Put tablet down and nothing happened - *sigh. No whirring of motor/disk sound, no screen, nothing. Light stays blue. Unplugged it and light stayed on. Tried 30 second hold, 30 sec pwr + sound down, 30 sec pwr + sound up, nothing.

Tried to follow the YouTube video to take apart the screen from the back, and I could not for the life of me get the screen and the back apart - scratched the ever-loving heck out of the top of the tablet. Brought it into the local computer repair shop this AM so hopefully they will call soon and will have fixed it. I bought it in 2017 so I am way over warranty time.

billsey · January 2021

Let us know what they find. And I scratched mine the first time I took it apart also...

At least it's not the new Switch 7, which requires two big suction cups to pull the case apart...

borkokrz · February 2021

Do you have any solution to that? I've similar issue with SA5-271 N16P3 that I can't turn on. One day the Windows froze - no reponse to mouse, keyboard, even clock didn't changed in the taskbar. I've long pressed power button to shut it down and now I'm unable to turn in on. When I press power key blue light stays on for about 20 seconds then it goes off. The display is off and won't turn on. I've also tried all that power/volume up buttons methods without a success. I've managed to open case and disconnect battery connector for whole night. Nothing changed. Any other ideas?

Commodore_1995# · February 2021

@borkokrz have you checked the dc-in connector?

https://youtu.be/4y14aSj_VWI

borkokrz · October 2021

@egydiocoelho I've already checked this. Seems fine to me. When I plugin the charger, the LED turns orange so it is charging battery.
@KirstiK Did you manage to fix your Alpha?

Does anyone have any resolution to described problem?

Commodore_1995# · October 2021

Are there any power interruption buttons, similar to this one, anywhere on the motherboard? Look on the back of the motherboard as well:
AN 515-52-52BW dando tela azul e desligando sozinho como proceder Acer Community

AN 515-52-52BW dando tela azul e desligando sozinho como proceder Acer Community

Commodore_1995# · October 2021

Try disconnecting the lithion battery, disconnecting the ssd and make sure the computer starts up.

borkokrz · October 2021

It does not starting. After connecting external power LED goes blue. I can switch it off/on with power button. There isn't any other reaction, screen in particular. I've also tried with bootable Linux disto USB connected - also without any success.

billsey · October 2021

Try turning it on, so the blue light it lit, then just let it sit for a day or two. If the issue is an overcharged battery that will slowly drain it back down to where it's usable.

borkokrz · October 2021

@billsey I can't do that. As I stated previously on battery power the LED goes blue only for few seconds. Then it turns off.

Commodore_1995# · October 2021

Try draining battery power with a usb device. For example:
Lmpada Usb Led Luz Branca Base Colorida 5w Luminria Mercado Livre

borkokrz · October 2021

I don't see anything. Even RAM is soldered onto PCB (I was hoping to switch RAM). Do you think any power distribution button would help? I've already tried to disconnect battery and leave PCB without power for few weeks. Everything should reset.

There is nothing visible on the other side. Just like in this offer https://m.pl.aliexpress.com/item/33023828230.html. As you can see the price of PCB is quite expensive.

borkokrz · December 2022

Small update. I've managed to buy second unit with broken glass and switch motherboards between them. Now I've one correctly running unit. Something bad must have happened to my original one, cause even the HDD seems to be also damaged. I've tried to leave it with new motherboard and access my data. Windows is starting but it isn't running stable. The event viewer is full of badblock errors.