Swift 3 SF314-511-54SC not charging or turning on.Checked the charger and it work with other unit

meowsquared · December 2023

My Acer Swift 3 which I purchased about a year does not turn on at all, and when I try to charge it there are no lights to indicate that it is charging.

I had let the battery run out the night before and decided to wait until the next day to charge it, so it has not been in use for almost 12 hours.

So far I have tried holding the power button and checking that the charger works with other devices (it does).

Hopefully there is a fix for this.

[Edited the thread to add issue detail]

Puraw · December 2023

Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54SC not charging or turning on

meowsquared

Dec 29, 2023

My Acer Swift 3 which I purchased about a year does not turn on at all, and when I try to charge it there are no lights to indicate that it is charging.
I had let the battery run out the night before and decided to wait until the next day to charge it, so it has not been in use for almost 12 hours.
So far I have tried holding the power button and checking that the charger works with other devices (it does).
Hopefully there is a fix for this.

I recommend you try the Power Drain procedure and CMOS reset, but you have to open the back of the laptop to do that (9 screws);
https://laptopmedia.com/highlights/inside-acer-swift-3-sf314-511-disassembly-and-upgrade-options/
After you removed the back, disconnect the battery cable from the motherboard. Locate the CMOS module (with 2 twisted wires Red and Black under the battery, at the left side, see video above) and remove the coin battery. Shorten the +/- contacts inside the CMOS capsule for 2 seconds with a bended paperclip and put the coin battery back with the + sign facing up, close the CMOS capsule. Next, press the Power Button on the keyboard for 10-15 seconds after that reconnect the battery cable to the motherboard. Close the laptop, plug-in the adapter and try to boot.

meowsquared · December 2023

Puraw

Dec 29, 2023

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/697708/acer-swift-3-sf314-511-54sc-not-charging-or-turning-on
I recommend you try the Power Drain procedure and CMOS reset, but you have to open the back of the laptop to do that (9 screws);
https://laptopmedia.com/highlights/inside-acer-swift-3-sf314-511-disassembly-and-upgrade-options/
After you removed the back, disconnect the battery cable from the motherboard. Locate the CMOS module (with 2 twisted wires Red and Black under the battery, at the left side, see video above) and remove the coin battery. Shorten the +/- contacts inside the CMOS capsule for 2 seconds with a bended paperclip and put the coin battery back with the + sign facing up, close the CMOS capsule. Next, press the Power Button on the keyboard for 10-15 seconds after that reconnect the battery cable to the motherboard. Close the laptop, plug-in the adapter and try to boot.

Thanks for the response! What do you mean by shortening the contacts?

Puraw · December 2023

meowsquared

Dec 29, 2023

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1250217#Comment_1250217
Thanks for the response! What do you mean by shortening the contacts?

Inside the CMOS capsule you connect the + (round side contacts) with the - (flat contact at the bottom center) with a piece of electrical or metal wire (an opened paperclip will do), this will shorten (drain) out any statics on the MOBO and also reset BIOS.

meowsquared · December 2023

Puraw

Dec 29, 2023

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1250218#Comment_1250218
Inside the CMOS capsule you connect the + (round side contacts) with the - (flat contact at the bottom center) with a piece of electrical or metal wire (an opened paperclip will do), this will shorten (drain) out any statics on the MOBO and also reset BIOS.

Thanks! I also can't seem to get the lid off, do you have any advice for that?

meowsquared · December 2023

deafelrey

Dec 29, 2023

Thanks for the response!

meowsquared

Dec 29, 2023

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1250217#Comment_1250217
Thanks for the response! What do you mean by shortening the contacts?

I can't seem to figure out how to short the contacts, do I need to take the plastic off the CMOS capsule?

meowsquared · December 2023

Puraw

Dec 29, 2023

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/697708/acer-swift-3-sf314-511-54sc-not-charging-or-turning-on
I recommend you try the Power Drain procedure and CMOS reset, but you have to open the back of the laptop to do that (9 screws);
https://laptopmedia.com/highlights/inside-acer-swift-3-sf314-511-disassembly-and-upgrade-options/
After you removed the back, disconnect the battery cable from the motherboard. Locate the CMOS module (with 2 twisted wires Red and Black under the battery, at the left side, see video above) and remove the coin battery. Shorten the +/- contacts inside the CMOS capsule for 2 seconds with a bended paperclip and put the coin battery back with the + sign facing up, close the CMOS capsule. Next, press the Power Button on the keyboard for 10-15 seconds after that reconnect the battery cable to the motherboard. Close the laptop, plug-in the adapter and try to boot.

Hi! I've tried everything here and it still doesn't work. :(

billsey · December 2023

Do you have a USB-C charger you can try? Your SF314-511 supports either charging using the stock adapter with the small barrel plug or using a USB-C 65W charger. If there is a problem with the barrel socket you might be able to get around it with the USB-C. Your DC-In socket is soldered to the motherboard, so it's not easy to fix if it has been damaged.

meowsquared · December 2023

billsey

Dec 30, 2023

Do you have a USB-C charger you can try? Your SF314-511 supports either charging using the stock adapter with the small barrel plug or using a USB-C 65W charger. If there is a problem with the barrel socket you might be able to get around it with the USB-C. Your DC-In socket is soldered to the motherboard, so it's not easy to fix if it has been damaged.

My regular charger hasn't been working for a while and my USB-C charger does work, just not on this device.

billsey · January 2024

Is the USB-C charger a 65W or larger, or is it one of the phone chargers that only give 10-20W?

meowsquared · January 2024

billsey

Jan 1, 2024

Is the USB-C charger a 65W or larger, or is it one of the phone chargers that only give 10-20W?

I think my charger is 39W? I've been using my switch charger while looking for a replacement, and it did use to be able to charge this device before this incident.

billsey · January 2024

The charging spec for the USB-C port is 5-20V, which typically means 5V, 9V, 12V, 15V and 20V. Since the highest amperage is 3A, that means you get 15W, 27W, 36W, 45W and 65W with the different voltages. If yours is 36W then it should charge the laptop when the laptop is off, but likely won't quite keep up when it's on. If the charger is functional in other way you should see the battery charge light come on when you plug the charger in, even if it's not up to full charging. Since both the DC-In jack and the USB-C port on that side of the laptop are soldered directly to the motherboard it can't be a cabling issue internally or a problem with a loose connection. That tend to point at the motherboard being the issue. Any chance you are still in warranty?