Need help on z50 - rom or power broken ?

Hi,

Got a z50. And got an ac adapter too.

The adapter was charging but it is not (was charging for 10 min). The z50 is also not turning on.

The green light is on, but only when inserting the ac plug for a short period of time (and I can not arrive to make it sustainable).

I was wondering if that was the ROM that is dead, or if the AC adapter is not working, or if it was the power of the z50.

I tested the curent on the adapter and so far it seems fine (same for the connectors for the battery on the z50).

Any idea? If that is the rom, I know this will be the end of the day ? right ?

If that is the ac, i could just try to grab a dry cell and put some rechargeable AA battery and use it like that ?

Any input or idea will be welcome.

Sebastien

PS: i did not put the backup battery yet (need to clean a little inside), but will it turn on the ibm ? if so i could see right away if the rom is working or not ?

My guess is that the main battery is dead. The absence of the backup battery shouldn't prevent it from turning on if the main battery were good. I'm not familiar with the z50's battery pack, so I can't say what type of cells it takes.

thanks.

So you think this is why it can not even charge ? (ie the green light is not even on).

I forgot to say that w/o the battery and directly attached to the AC, i have teh same issue (doesn't turn the pad on, green light appears only for 1/2 of a second!).

This is why i wonder if it is the charger or the rom, or power.

Will the pad turn on with only the backup battery ?

S.

I don't know specifically about the z50, but many H/PCs won't power on even under AC power without the main battery in place.

Hi,

-Mine does not boot with backup batteries only
-Boots without any battery with the charger connected.
-Did you check the switch at the back is not in the open position?
-Try any other charger in the region of 16-20 volts output.

Good luck

Like oski says,you need to lock the battery compartment switch otherwise it will not boot.

If you want, I have a spare ROM chip for the z50, I'd be happy to sell you it. hpcBay thread: http://www.hpcfactor.com/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=2691

Thanks Guys.

Yep, I locked the battery compartment.

I think it may due to the charger: i have a green light for half of a second, but no matter how i tweak the cord, it doe not stays on ....

May also be the rom, and in that case, I will make you a proposition next week C:Amie I am waiting for another ac adapter!

Sebastien

Edited by sbabolat 2008-10-12 11:59 AM

I used to have a z50 with the same problem, where the charge light blinks but doesn't stay on when you plug it in. You might have to jiggle the adapter plug for annoying amounts of time; sometimes it took me twenty seconds or more before the charge light stayed a steady color and actually began charging. Once that happened, DO NOT TOUCH IT in case the connection gets broken; let it charge up fully before using it. It's probably a loose or broken solder connection somewhere on the mainboard, but I didn't feel like taking the risk to try and fix it.

misleading info - most hpc's do power on on AC without main batteries. only the intermec and maybe 1-2 more hpc's don't.