MBP randomly switches to battery power.

[Kaitou]

Back in October I bit the bullet and finally made the switch back to Apple with a Refurb MBP. Then 2 weeks ago it suffered hard drive failure. I took it in to the Genius Bar and they replaced it. I wasn't so happy about the failure, but the customer service was great.

But now I'm noticing that the MBP is no longer charging consistently. Sometimes I've got the green/amber light and I'm running fine...sometimes it just switches itself to battery mode with no light. Nothing wrong with the pins, the cable, the plug. I tried resetting the SMC, but that hasn't helped at all.

Is there any reason replacing the hard drive would have done this? Anything else I could try to fix it? The nearest Apple Store is 2 hours away, I'm not too thrilled with the idea of having to go out there this weekend again.

 

[Detrius]

They are unrelated parts in unrelated areas of the machine. Unless they were tearing the machine apart for no good reason, I can't imagine how it could be related.

 

[haruhiko]

They are unrelated parts in unrelated areas of the machine. Unless they were tearing the machine apart for no good reason, I can't imagine how it could be related.

Except that the harddrive draws power from the power adaptor.

Do you see how are they related now?

 

[GGJstudios]

Is there any reason replacing the hard drive would have done this? Anything else I could try to fix it? The nearest Apple Store is 2 hours away, I'm not too thrilled with the idea of having to go out there this weekend again.

It sounds like there may be a loose connection somewhere. Perhaps something happened during the hard drive installation. I'd bite the bullet and make the trip to have them check it out.

 

[Kaitou]

Thanks GGJ, I've got my appointment booked. Hopefully I have enough battery left to run Time Machine before I go!

 

[snaky69]

My friend's power brick does that sometimes, stops lighting up, it still charges just fine though. Are you sure that it isn't the powerbrick?

 

[Detrius]

Except that the harddrive draws power from the power adaptor.

Do you see how are they related now?

No it doesn't. It gets it's power from the logic board. The DC-in jack is on the opposite side of the machine under the logic board. Completely unrelated REPAIRS.

The lamp on the desk also uses electricity. Maybe it's the culprit.

 

[Kaitou]

My friend's power brick does that sometimes, stops lighting up, it still charges just fine though. Are you sure that it isn't the powerbrick?

No, when it's not lit up I'm on battery power. The screen dims, shows battery as my source, and gives me my time left.

The cord doesn't have any kinks in it, the pins are fine, the ports seem fine. The cord does have one bitemark thanks to my cat, but it only dented the plastic, there's no damage to the actual wiring. Doesn't matter which direction I have it.

As far as I can tell the laptop just doesn't know it's plugged in. It didn't sound like anything that could be triggered by the HD replacement, but that's the only change point I've got.

 

[Trius]

I think I would start by trying a different charger and see if the problem persists.

 

[Kaitou]

Nyyrgh. I went to the Apple Store Saturday, and they gave me a new power adapter. I tested it at the store, and it was charging. Got it home, and we're back to it sometimes charging and sometimes not. So it may be running, but if I move it from the coffee table to my lap, it turns off. Fiddling with the cord for a minute or so might get it to turn back on.

This is the way I noticed the problem the last time, and by the end of the week it just plain wouldn't charge ever.

This is really frustrating. I won't be able to go to the apple store again for another 2 weeks at least.

 

[skidmarc]

I'm going to ask a dumb question...

Have you tried it on another outlet, another room, another location. Just asking? Mines hooked up to a spike bar behind the sofa and stopped charging one day. Somehow the plug came loose or the bar tripped.

Not trying to be a smart-ass.

 

[chown33]

Nyyrgh. I went to the Apple Store Saturday, and they gave me a new power adapter. I tested it at the store, and it was charging. Got it home, and we're back to it sometimes charging and sometimes not. So it may be running, but if I move it from the coffee table to my lap, it turns off. Fiddling with the cord for a minute or so might get it to turn back on.

Maybe something is stuck inside the power receptacle on the computer. There's a strong magnet in there, and if it has attracted a small piece of metallic debris, then that can prevent the power connector from seating properly. Get a penlight and a magnifying glass. Look inside. If you see anything stuck there, take it back to the store.