Acer Predator Helios "Weak Charging State" when connected to Dock

jb_SDG
jb_SDG Member Posts: 2 New User
edited December 2023 in Predator Laptops

Good evening,

I really hope to resolve this FINAL issue I am having with my newly purchased Acer Predator Helios. If not, I may be able to live with it. But if I'm honest part of me is ready to turn this thing in and try again.

Short story, I have a notification for "Weak Charging State" when utilizing a dock. I've tried two docking stations (j5 Create and Dell WD19TB). I know it has something to do with the dock. I suspect my laptop is trying to power itself through the dock instead of the primary charger provided. I have reasons why I suspect that…

I was previously having other issues when using the dock. Flickering/lagging monitors when streaming videos, loss of "output devices". I had three Geek Squad techs troubleshoot these issues to no avail. All saying I had to go into the store. The nearest store is 2 hours away, I was ****. I work on this computer nearly every day (for my job). I put a ticket in with Dell most recently to verify all drivers are current - they are. I then reached out to Acer for help. They were no help (I'm tempted to bash their customer service, I won't). I determined to continue troubleshooting. I figured out my webcam was causing the loss of "output devices". I found a blog that helped me resolve that issue on reddit (google "Whenever I plug in my webcam, It disables all audio inputs"). To resolve it, I had to disable the webcam in the device manager under "Sound, video and game controllers".

The resolution to that issue has me wondering if my computer is pulling power from the dock, either secondarily or primarily, and is the reason for the message. This may also be causing my flickering/lagging screens.

Is there a way to "disable" sources of power (the lightening ports)? Or, to determine/assign the primary power source? Really hoping the answer here is, "yes".

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

Answers

  • StevenGen
    StevenGen ACE Posts: 12,160 Trailblazer
    https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/696002/acer-predator-helios-weak-charging-state-when-connected-to-dock

    The new Predator Helios laptops (it would help if you stated which exact model PH1x-xx laptop you have?) as especially the top of the range like the PH18-71 / PHN16-71 / PH16-71 to the Triton PT14-51 that requires a 230W (1.7x5.5x11) Brick 19.5V/11.8A adaptors, as and especially the laptops that have a 330W (1.7x5.5x11) Brick 19.5V/16.92A type oem charger is very hard to charge through a dock, as the power through a dock and USB-C charging is not adequate enough. Use the Acer provided oem Predator Helios charger only, as that is the best charger to use, as a replacement and compatible 330W USB-C charger like the oem is around $350 and these docks have no chance of charging a high-end gaming laptop like the new Acer Predator Helios, so be aware of that.

  • jb_SDG
    jb_SDG Member Posts: 2 New User
    edited December 2023

    @StevenGen , thank you for your response. Apologies for not including specifics. My laptop model is the PHN16-71.

    To be clear, I am using the "Brick" charger that came with the laptop. That is why I'm confused about the "Weak Charging State" message. I can only assume my laptop is trying to draw power from the Dock as the lightning port could be utilized as a power source.

    I keep my laptop plugged into the Brick 95% of the time. My battery does not fall below 100%. But, I do experience some glitchy stuff with my monitors that I believe could be attributed to power issues (lag/ screens power on/off when having multiple softwares open then starting to stream a video or audio). I'm also curious if this will damage my laptop battery.

  • drd333
    drd333 Member Posts: 1 New User

    I'm currently having the same issue. Any updates on this?

  • TimmyLee
    TimmyLee Member Posts: 124 Die Hard WiFi Icon
    edited March 1

    I have the same issue, I think. When I'm home I use the 300 or 330 watt (whichever it is) which is unbelievably heavy and charges the laptop WAY too fast. But after reading several reviews and tech discussions about this laptop, I was told it was perfectly fine to charge this laptop via USB-C with a 100 WATT charger. It works great and charges the laptop up really fast (faster than my last Acer Predator using the a/c/ power adapter) but I always get the warning icon and the notification that it's weak charging. Had I known you can't charge this using a 100 WATT USB C ( I also have a 140 WATT plug on that block) but was told to use the 100 watt input. I've only been using it about a month at home and this is my first week out on a photo shoot and it seems to be functioning fine just using the USB C Chrger.

  • Caoe
    Caoe Member Posts: 10

    Tinkerer

    Hi Guys, any news from this? I'm having the same issue but with the monitor connected to the USB-C port….

    I have a Helios Neo 16 (PHN16-71) RTX4060; I recently started using a Gigabyte G27Q monitor with USB-C output (displayport, Gsync 165hz - higher than the 144hz HDMI port without Gsync); The problem is that even with the original 330w charger connected to the notebook, it complains of a “weak charging state” and sometimes (randomly) does not allow it to switch to performance mode because it understands that it is not connected to the socket; I've noticed on forums that several people are having the same problem, but I haven't found a solution!

    If I remove the monitor from the thunderbolt plug the warning disappears. I tried uninstalling the “AC Microsoft” driver in device manager successfully, but only temporarily. It is a software issue. I don't want to go back to HDMI and lose gsync and the higher 165hz... How can I make sure the notebook doesn't use the Thunderbolt power when the monitor is connected?

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