X31 Intermittent instant shutdown on good battery, AC is OK.

[davidsheffield]

Hi everyone - Ive just discovered this forum!

A three year old X31 - up until now its been fine but over the weekend the system suddenly shut down with no warning. The shutdown was instantaneous - like you pulled the battery out! Heres what Ive done/found so far... Any ideas what might have gone wrong?

1) RAM reseated, just in case.

2) IBM diags show no problem, ran the full set.

3) Intermittent instant shutdown only happens when on batteries. If on the docking station or on the mains AC adaptor lead then its fine, no problems.

4) Ive got 2 spare batteries, all of which are in excellent condition, changing the batteries doesnt remove the problem.

5) Sudden shutdown will happen at random relatively quickly even when cold, suggesting it might not be a overheating problem. (The fact that there is no problem on AC suggests that its not a heat/fan problem.)

My guess is that something (solder joint? chip?) has gone wrong in the battery to motherboard supply line... Anyone had this before? Any ideas very much appreciated!

Best wishes,

David

[godling]

definitely sounds like you've got a problem with the power from the battery to the mobo. Try opening the unit and seeing if you can spot anything loose / broken.

[davidsheffield]

definitely sounds like you've got a problem with the power from the battery to the mobo. Try opening the unit and seeing if you can spot anything loose / broken.

Yes, good idea.... Had a brief look inside without complete dismantling - havent been able to spot anything immediately obviously wrong. Couple more observations...

1) If it does a random shutdown, it wont restart until the battery has been removed/replaced.

2) If I stick the media slice (ultrabase) on and run it with a battery in the slice and NOT in the laptop, I have the same problem of instant shutdowns at random.

The slice supplies the battery power in thru the base, so different power route. Makes me think that the problem is in the voltage converters etc from the battery circuit.

Anyone know where to look for this circuitry on the motherboard?

Cheers

[davidsheffield]

A bit more info... Ive left the laptop running the DOS type IBM diagnostics that come with the system... No shutdowns whilst in DOS and on batteries only.

Could this be a Windoze issue?? XP Pro.

[drgrayjr]

Hi everyone - Ive just discovered this forum!

A three year old X31 - up until now its been fine but over the weekend the system suddenly shut down with no warning. The shutdown was instantaneous - like you pulled the battery out! Heres what Ive done/found so far... Any ideas what might have gone wrong?

1) RAM reseated, just in case.

2) IBM diags show no problem, ran the full set.

3) Intermittent instant shutdown only happens when on batteries. If on the docking station or on the mains AC adaptor lead then its fine, no problems.

4) Ive got 2 spare batteries, all of which are in excellent condition, changing the batteries doesnt remove the problem.

5) Sudden shutdown will happen at random relatively quickly even when cold, suggesting it might not be a overheating problem. (The fact that there is no problem on AC suggests that its not a heat/fan problem.)

My guess is that something (solder joint? chip?) has gone wrong in the battery to motherboard supply line... Anyone had this before? Any ideas very much appreciated!

Best wishes,

David

My x31 is doing the exact same thing....did you ever find out what the problem was.
thanks
Don Gray

[Puppy]

Have you tried to watch detailed battery information provided by ThinkPad Configuration tool ? Like a sudden voltage dropout etc. I'd also update Power Management driver. What are the threashold "shutdown" battery level values in Power Options dialog ?

[nickperry]

I've just bought an X31 for my Dad off Ebay. It seems to have the same symptoms as the OP's X31.

This one I've got:

1. Runs fine on A/C provided it is initially turned on without the battery inserted.
2. If I insert the battery after power-on, the machine continues to run fine. Baterry Maximiser util in windows sees the battery and reports it's only had 27 cycles and is in good condition. It's at 99% charge.
3. If I then remove A/C from the machine it will run fine on battery for 20 seconds or so with the battery indicator glowing solid green. It then powers off suddenly and won't come back on.
4. If I then plug the A/C with the battery inserted and after failing the machine won't power on and the A/C adapter (tried two) makes a frightening crackling sound until I get scared and turn it off at the wall.

I'm guessing this machine needs a new system board and I need to return it for my money back. This would be a shame as otherwise the machine is perfect and I really like it. Is there any known fix for this issue yet apart from replacing the system board?

Thank You.

[sjthinkpader]

...(solder joint? chip?) has gone wrong in the battery to motherboard supply line... ...

I would also guess it is a solder joint problem. With the KB lifted but connect and machine running, lightly tap the MB with a screwdriver handle starting from the battery connector and see if you can spot it.

I've just bought an X31 for my Dad off Ebay. It seems to have the same symptoms as the OP's X31.

This one I've got:

1. Runs fine on A/C provided it is initially turned on without the battery inserted.
2. If I insert the battery after power-on, the machine continues to run fine. Baterry Maximiser util in windows sees the battery and reports it's only had 27 cycles and is in good condition. It's at 99% charge.
3. If I then remove A/C from the machine it will run fine on battery for 20 seconds or so with the battery indicator glowing solid green. It then powers off suddenly and won't come back on.
4. If I then plug the A/C with the battery inserted and after failing the machine won't power on and the A/C adapter (tried two) makes a frightening crackling sound until I get scared and turn it off at the wall.

I'm guessing this machine needs a new system board and I need to return it for my money back. This would be a shame as otherwise the machine is perfect and I really like it. Is there any known fix for this issue yet apart from replacing the system board?

Thank You.

I would guess this one is the battery. I have a new battery that indicated it is 100% but dies by pulling the AC plug. Other battery runs fine.

[charles.atcher]

Sounds like a typical X31 X32 bad motherboard. I have a few like this already. Nothing visibly wrong with the mobos. Only cure is to replace the motherboard with another that is going to die the same death eventually. I've done it a dozen times.

I've got the circuit diagrams, and when I get back into town, I plan on going over all my old boards and chasing down the exact component that is dieing or dead.

[godling]

[quote="charles.atcher"
I've got the circuit diagrams, and when I get back into town, I plan on going over all my old boards and chasing down the exact component that is dieing or dead.[/quote]

I'll be very interested in what you find. I've had intermittent / random shutdowns in the past. Haven't experienced one lately, since I rebuilt the OS. But that doesn't mean it won't happen. Also, now that I think about it, I swapped out the plastics in the base, which meant I had to do a complete breakdown and reassembly, so maybe something was shorting and I fixed that.

Anyway, good luck Charles, and please do report back if you get a chance to hunt it down.

-Jon