Dell Inspiron 7520 - won't turn on, charger turns off when it's plugged into laptop

[alfredbulbasaur]

Hi,

My laptop, a Dell Inspiron 7520 which I bought in April 2013, won't turn on all of a sudden. I was using it fine yesterday, went out today and when I got home and tried to use it it wouldn't switch on. The charger itself initially seems ok, green light comes on when it's plugged into the mains but when I plug it into my laptop it instantly turns off.

I'm guessing the problem is either with the charger or the laptop itself. I've tried a different plug going between the mains and the charger transformer, didn't help. Unfortunately I don't have another laptop with the same charger (my work laptop's charger is close but doesn't fit sadly) so can't test with that. I've tried taking the battery out and with the battery in, makes no difference.

I'm out of warranty with Dell, and although I've seen a replacement charger for £17 on Amazon I don't really want to spend that if it's not going to fix anything!

Any ideas?

 

[Mankar Kameran]

The first thing you should try is taking the battery out and holding the power button down for 20 seconds. Then plug the battery back in and try turning it on.

 

[alfredbulbasaur]

The first thing you should try is taking the battery out and holding the power button down for 20 seconds. Then plug the battery back in and try turning it on.

just tried that, nothing happened

 

[jarotech]

Hi, with just the battery connected, the laptop will not start.

 

[alfredbulbasaur]

Hi, with just the battery connected, the laptop will not start.

Hi - yep that's correct. I'm guessing the battery is flat so I can't run off the battery, and as either the charger or something related to the power supply is busted I can't run off the mains - hence my problem!

 

[jarotech]

The best way to troubleshoot the problem is to verify the voltage from the adapter at the connector inside the laptop. If you can't, to determine if the adapter or the motherboard who is defective, is to buy another adapter. You will know with the new adapter if the old adapter or the motherboard is the problem.

 

[alfredbulbasaur]

The best way to troubleshoot the problem is to verify the voltage from the adapter at the connector inside the laptop. If you can't, to determine if the adapter or the motherboard who is defective, is to buy another adapter. You will know with the new adapter if the old adapter or the motherboard is the problem.

makes sense - how would I do that?

 

[jarotech]

Do you have a multimeter to verify the voltage?

 

[alfredbulbasaur]

no I don't - in theory I could get one but if I'm going to buy one I'd probably be better off getting a new adapter, like you suggest!

 

[jarotech]

Yes, it will be to your advantage to buy a new adapter to see if your old adapter is good. If you have a multimeter, you will need to open the laptop to do the reading.

 

[alfredbulbasaur]

I've now got a new adapter and that hasn't solved the problem - the adapter light turns on when I plug it into the mains, turns off as soon as I plug it into my laptop, and turns back on as soon as I unplug it from my laptop.

Guess that means it's the laptop that's at fault here! Any idea what the issue could be, other than a dead motherboard?

 

[jarotech]

You have a component on the motherboard who shorts the power to ground, something has to be replaced.

 

[alfredbulbasaur]

is this going to be the sort of thing I can replace myself (bear in mind I am not an expert by any means) or do I need to get someone to do it for me? Am I best off contacting Dell and seeing if they can fix it rather than messing about myself?

 

[jarotech]

I don't think you can repair the motherboard yourself, unless you are good at soldering integrated circuits. Dell will just change the motherboard, you can ask an evaluation for the repair. Or you can buy a used motherboard, but you have to disassemble the laptop to change the motherboard.

 

[alfredbulbasaur]

OK thanks, I'll give Dell a go and see how much they'll ask for to fix it. Doesn't feel like it'll be cheap though

Thanks for your help!