A20 A20P randomly unexpectedly goes to standby Stand by mode

[mzarum]

My A20P is randomly going into "stand by" mode. It does this occasionally, but frequently when I touch or lift or push on seemingly unrelated pieces of the plastics / case. For example, sometimes I just lift it from one place to another on my regular desk and something causes it to go into stand by. Or pushing on a part of the case, for example the ultrabay pull tab, but its not limited to that. Just randomly pushing on a section of the plastic case and it goes sometimes goes into stand by mode. When it goes into stand by mode, I simply push the power button and my desktop icons come back.

Any idea what may be causing this?

Thanks.

Mike Z.

[sjthinkpader]

Welcome to the forum.

That lid switch on the Sub Card is probably going out. Touch it with a toothpick or pencil without depressing it and see if you can reproduce the same effect.

[mzarum]

to: sjthinkpader

Thanks for your suggestion to check the lid switch on the sub card..
Touched it, put pressure on the switch without depressing it and nothing happened at all so apparently that's not the problem. Also, when depressing that switch, the laptop goes into "hibernation" mode as it is supposed to.


On randomly going into Stand By, it's when I put pressure on different part of the case as mentioned in the original post, that it goes into stand by mode. Still can't figure it out.

[sjthinkpader]

Check the Power Manager setting. See what is set to Standby Mode.

I normally set the lid switch to Standby Mode.

[rkawakami]

Don't have my A21p handy but I belileve that your system could drop into standby mode if the Ultrabay release lever is operated. There's a tiny switch inside the Ultrabay which may be dirty or out of alignment. Flexing the system or applying pressure on various parts of the system could cause the switch to indicate that you have triggered the Ultrabay release.

edit: I confirmed that under Windows XP, when the Ultrabay release lever is operated, the OS goes into standby mode. This allows you to swap out the Ultrabay device. You can wake up the system simply by pressing the Fn key. Also, check the Ultrabay status LED. On my A21p it's located to the right of the bay near the PCMCIA slots. If the switch inside the Ultrabay is causing the problem, then the LED will go out when the system goes into standby. If you force the laptop into standby via the Fn+F4 keypress, the Ultrabay LED will still be on.

[mzarum]

To: rkawakami

Ray - Very Perceptive!

I'm investigating your suggestions further.

The Ultrabay has two pieces/components to release/remove an Ultrabay device. I don’t know if those two pieces/components have an official name so I will call them 1) The release switch which is the first part that has to be moved/slid when removing an Ultrabay device, and; 2) The release lever which is the second part which is then pulled to release an Ultrabay device from the bay. Both parts are spring loaded. Both of those parts or subparts are part of the Upper Shield Assembly PN 08K7286.

Both the release switch and the lever are in fair condition, the spring is a bit sprung, the release switch doesn't always so back to neutral position and hangs up a bit however I can manually push it back, and the lever sometimes starts to pop-out on its own. I haven't replaced the Upper Shield because the bay has been working fine. However, now I'm wondering if your comments are right on target.

Notes:
Fn+F4 goes to Stand By mode and the LED stays on.
Putting pressure on the plastics, or the Ultrabay lever->Stand By mode and the LED goes out.
Does that mean it’s the switch you mentioned?

Where is the switch? Is the switch integrated as part of the Upper Shield or another component? Once I know that I can do some additional testing. Additional troubleshooting tips / suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!

Mike

[rkawakami]

Mike,

Not exactly sure where the switch is inside the A2x systems. My guess would be that it's located on the motherboard, to the right side of the Ultrabay as you are looking directly into the bay. I'm much more familiar with the T2x systems where the switch is mounted on the I/O board and is actuated by the Ultrabay release lever. Here's a picture:

http://www.kawakami-ca.com/images/t2x_u ... switch.jpg (110KB 800 x 600)

From your activation of standby via the Fn+F4 and seeing the Ultrabay light stay on and pressing on the system and the LED going out, then yes, I'd say it is the switch. It could be that if the Ultrabay release lever on the A2x is slightly worn or out of position, then that's what is causing your problem.

It may also be the switch itself (worn button or tab, dirty contacts inside or it's not completely soldered to the board), but with your comment about the lever popping out on its own, that seems to be the likely source. In fact, recently I had burned a couple of "coasters" on a T23. I initially thought that the DVD writer was acting up, but upon further inspection, if I flexed the system near the Ultrabay, Windows XP's "Safely Remove Hardware" icon would disappear from the system tray and the Ultrabay LED would go out It seems like I have the same problem that you are having.

[sjthinkpader]

Ray is correct. This switch is mounted on the MB near the right side lower edge. Just below the TI PCMCIA controller and card cage.

If this switch is defective and you can't find a scrape MB for a spare. Just short it so it thinks the Ultrabay lever is always in.

[mzarum]

Ray and sjthinkpader:

This is to follow up on your advice and my troubleshooting findings.

It appears the A20P / my machine's going into Stand By mode was caused by the sensor switch being activated by the pull lever flopping out on its own. The pull lever was flopping out on its own because the the external release switch / button as part of the upper shield was not fully returning to its left most position on its own, and that is due to the return spring being a bit sprung.

I pushed the pull lever all the way in, then used a small stylus to move the release lever all the way to the left, and it seems to be staying in position now.

Since then I have not had the machine go into Stand By mode on its own. Seems this solved the problem!

Great troubleshooting!

Thanks for all your help!!!

Mike Z.