motherboard - Can using a under powered laptop charger make my notebook shut down under heavy load?
2014-07
wallen
I have a XMG P501 gaming laptop based on Clevo P150HM models at the moment connected to an under powered laptop charger. It is shutting down when under heavy load (3dmark, some games in particular) even if neither the CPU nor the GPU temperatures are in critical ranges. I tried removing the battery, it does not make a difference. It works just fine when idling or playing low demanding games; it's able to charge the battery.
The original power supply got fried by plugging it to an electric outlet when travelling on a bus and since I could not find the original model at any local shop, (it's a FSP-Group FSP180-ABAN1 180W 19V/9.47A power supply) for the time being I have to work with the highest powered charger I was able to find around here and that is a 19V/7.5A power supply (I've already ordered an original replacement but it will be delivered in about two week).
My question is: can the temporary under powered universal charger I've bought be the culprit of those shutdowns? Or is internal circuitry/motherboard damage an option since it all happened because of a power surge?
rolfl
Yes. That's the short answer.
It could be that. Many laptops identify when the power is attached, and the charging circuits for the battery will engage, and isolate the battery power from supplying the laptop, while at the same time powering the laptop from the main supply. When you run on the charger, you are running both the laptop, and simultaneously charging the battery. The power draw may be substantial. Additionally, the power supply will probably engage it's own overload circuitry, and shut down, which may be enough to glitch your system.
There are a lot of 'maybe' and 'could' in that.
It may also be a simple case of overheating your CPU, or graphics chip, causing a thermal overload/shutdown.
If you chose to use a power source that is not specified to support your system, you will get unspecified results... that's the bottom line.
200_success
It could be shutting down due to lack of power, but I'm skeptical. Assuming that the battery is in good health, I would expect that the battery alone should be able to power the laptop, and in a sense, act as an uninterruptible power supply.
How reproducible is the problem? If possible, I would try to trigger the failure while running on the batter alone, and the A/C power disconnected. If it still shuts down, then obviously the underpowered power adapter is not to blame.
Ben
My HP dv6000 laptop will not run on battery power. It will only run while plugged into the wall. I have already replaced the battery, but it still will not operate on battery power.
The problem began slowly. The original battery's life got shorter and shorter, until eventually it would only last ~45 seconds before going into hibernation. Finally, the battery would not work at all, so I threw it out and just used it without a battery. I bought a replacement recently.... but the problem persists.
When I connect the new battery to the system, the "charging" light turns on for about 30 seconds, then goes dark.
I'm assuming there's something wrong with the internal charging circuitry? If this is the case, how would I go about fixing this, short of buying a new motherboard?
If anyone could give me some assistance in confirming/rejecting my diagnosis I'd be very appreciative! :)
Nifle
I'm afraid you're out of luck.
Unless you are very skilled at electronics and laptop assembly/disassembly there is not much else to do than have it sent in for repairs. And that is almost never worth the cost.