Dell Inspiron 2650 won't charge

[370forlife]

I guess this is a somewhat common issue. The battery on this Inspiron 2650 I got for free won't charge. Windows says it's charging, but it constantly stays at 0% until eventually it just starts running on AC power, with the battery still at 0%. The charging light flashes indicating it's charging, but if I wait until it says it's on AC power, take out the battery and test it by pushing the buttons on the side, none of them light up.

I've read online and a couple other people have had this problem, and changing the battery did nothing.

Does anybody happen to have a Inspiron 2650 that they can measure the voltages on the pins that connect to the battery? This is what I got:

GND

Plastic piece

4.72V

4.72V

5.00V

0V

3.42V

0V

[ratdude747]

Re: Dell Inspiron 2650 won't charge

did you try to run it off the battery?

you should...

[370forlife]

Re: Dell Inspiron 2650 won't charge

As soon as the charger plug is removed, it dies (as if no battery was installed)

[Scenic]

Re: Dell Inspiron 2650 won't charge

deep-discharged cells (?)

[370forlife]

Re: Dell Inspiron 2650 won't charge

Tried it. Tried leaving it on the charger for a week straight. Nothing. It just says it's charging for about 30 minutes, then goes to "running on AC power"

Have tried the freezer trick too.

[chevelle_nut]

Re: Dell Inspiron 2650 won't charge

I have a 2650, battery lasts about 10 minutes. Are you looking for the voltages at the pins without the battery ??? I usually tap into the connections with wirewrap wire to make pigtail taps. It will tell you what the laptop is providing to the battery pack when it sees a load. I will check this one out with both the battery in and out.

[delaware74b]

Re: Dell Inspiron 2650 won't charge

Most Dell batteries shut down when the battery has a bad cell. I have an Inspiron 1200 and Latitude CPi with the same problem. Just not worth the $$ for a battery pack.

[chevelle_nut]

Re: Dell Inspiron 2650 won't charge

370 I have the numbers, problem is I cannot find my roll of kynar. So all I have is the ones with no battery, connected to power supply.

pin 1 Gnd
pin 2 plastic
pin 3 4.72
pin 4 4.72
pin 5 4.94
pin 6 0
pin 7 3.43
pin 8 0


looks pretty much the same as yours.. but I suspect the values change when the mb senses a battery present.

I am continuing the search for that roll of wire... I will post back with those values asap.

[Kooloasis]

Re: Dell Inspiron 2650 won't charge

Hi chevelle_nut, I am having the same problem with my Dell 2650, not charging the battery, I bought a new Dell Genuine Battery and the same condition. I am thinking it might be more than just the battery but i dont have another Dell 2650 laptop to test this battery. I see where you are trying to check the voltage while the battery is plugged in, have you ever tried charging the battery without using the laptop?
I am trying to apply voltage to the battery to see if it will hold a charge (without using the laptop) just to make sure the battery is ok. but i am not sure which pins to apply voltage to so as not to make the problem worst, do you have any suggestion? I am trying not to have to pull the battery apart.

[yyonline]

Re: Dell Inspiron 2650 won't charge

You should see something in the neighborhood of 13-16V when charging the battery. It varies depending on the voltage of the battery, which is different from model to model. On Dells, the charge light should be solid when charging the battery, not flashing. After it fills to ~80% or so, it charges at a slower rate and the charge indicator will flash.

You either have a bad battery, or an issue on the charging circuit. Try a different battery, although I'd expect to see a higher voltage on one of the battery pins even if the battery is bad. The exception to this is if the computer can't detect the battery. However, you mentioned a charge light coming on, which makes me think that the computer can see the battery. Make sure you are using a genuine Dell power adapter. Sometimes the computer can detect an aftermarket adapter and shut off battery charging. You shouldn't be using an aftermarket anyway for safety reasons, but that's a topic that's been covered elsewhere. Check for shorted MOSFETs on the charging circuit - I've found that to be a fairly common cause for the battery not charging on laptops.

[Kooloasis]

Re: Dell Inspiron 2650 won't charge

Does any know how to apply voltage to the battery to charge it externally (without using the laptop)? Which pins would I apply the voltage to? This is the battery from the Dell Inspiron 2650 laptop. I just need to see if the battery is capable of holding the charge.

This MOSFET you mention ... can you be more specific (possible schematic) as it relates to the Dell Inspiron 2650

[TBoneit]

Re: Dell Inspiron 2650 won't charge

I'm presuming you are using a genuine Dell adaptor?

I've seen Dells where they don't charge with a non dell adapter and start charging with the Real Dell adapter. It was easy to spot BIOS showed unknown AC adapter. I've also seen it happen when the adapter partially fails.

Good Luck

[Kooloasis]

Re: Dell Inspiron 2650 won't charge

Yes it is a geniune Dell adapter, it was tested on another Dell laptop and it works ok. Unfortunately the battery from the other Dell was totally different

[bw1]

Re: Dell Inspiron 2650 won't charge

I've heard of problems with the charging circuit on several series of Dell laptops, and have experienced the same issues you're talking about. My usual recommendation is to re-purpose the laptop for "desktop use", as I've spent way too much time in the past chasing batteries, power adapters, power jack, etc. and ending up hitting a brick wall, and the laptops in question haven't been that great anyway.

I'm curious to see what you find out here, though.