X220 power issues. This is an odd one...

[DC69]

Hello everyone.

I have a X220 with some weird power issues and was hoping someone here might be able to shed some light on the matter...

This laptop had power problems in the past, due to a faulty charger which shorted the battery. As a result it wouldn't boot, displaying the "critical low battery" error. At the time the issue was solved with a new charger, new battery and BIOS restore. Now it is acting up again.

When I try to boot it from the battery, unplugged from the charger, the lights flicker and immediately die without booting.
When I try to boot it from the battery, plugged to the charger, the same thing happens.
And the same happens when I try to boot it when connected to the Ultrabase.
But when I remove the battery and try to boot it plugged to the charger and without the battery on board it displays the "critical low battery" error and shuts down.

Now comes the really weird part. I also have a slice battery, that large extender you attach to the bottom like an Ultrabase, and when it is connected to the slice battery it boots up and operates normally. When I open the Power Manager the main battery displays an error with the message "battery 1 not detected" and the secondary battery is in good health.

I have already tried the usual choreography of removing the battery, holding down the power button to reset it and booting from the charger but the results are always like I stated above. Any idea on what might be causing this and how I can solve it?

Thank you for taking the time to read my post.

[axur-delmeria]

The symptoms sound similar to an X220 on my shelf (critical low power, charger that blew up, dead battery), but I don't have a slice battery so it doesn't power up anymore. This sounds like a severe power circuitry issue, but I don't have the skills to narrow it down further.

[DC69]

Thanks for the input. I agree with you, it does sound like a power circuit issue. What puzzles me is how it boots with the slice battery and not with the Ultrabase, since both use the connector at the bottom of the laptop...

I guess I will have to send it out to be diagnosed since I also lack the skills to do it myself.