laptop power problem

[octoolguy]

I have been collecting old Toshiba laptops and trying to repair them for donation to elderly folks where I live. At this point, I am only working with Satellite A55-S306 models. I have been lucky enough so far to be able to fix them. I just acquired one off ebay that has me stumped. It won't power up to BIOS. I installed a known good battery and power adaptor. All I get is blinking yellow lite on the power indicator. It blinks in a series of 3-3-2 over and over. I have tried resetting the battery by powering it off, removing the battery and holding the power button down for up to a minute. Still nothing. There is no fan and I can't get the CD to open. I removed and reinstalled the ram modules also. I'm hoping it is something simple and not a motherboard problem. The blinking yellow lite in a series leads me to think it is telling me something just like the beeps on POST in desktops. Can anybody give me any help here? Thanks to all who took the time to read this.

Ray

 

[Matt1970]

I used to buy and resell the Toshiba A75 as they were pretty eay to take apart and solder in a new AC jack. They needed the higher amp rating AC adaptors or they would not run and charge the battery at the same time. Have you tried running it with just the AC adaptor? Does it seem to charge the battery?

 

[octoolguy]

I used to buy and resell the Toshiba A75 as they were pretty eay to take apart and solder in a new AC jack. They needed the higher amp rating AC adaptors or they would not run and charge the battery at the same time. Have you tried running it with just the AC adaptor? Does it seem to charge the battery?

Hi, thanks for your reply. Yes, I have tried all combinations and I am using stuff that I know is in good operating order. The funny thing is the pattern of blinks of the yellow LED. Three-three-two. Then repeat. I know it is telling me something but I'm not sure what. I don't think it is a bad connector and I read somewhere about re-seating the ram modules. I tried that too. I didn't try changing out the ram. That may be something I could try. Just occurred to me. If you come up with anything, please let me know.

Ray

 

[Steltek]

I dimly recall that the blink pattern is actually a series of 8 flashes that is a binary number representation in least significant bit order corresponding to the error condition. I think (and I'm going off a dim memory here, as I haven't worked on a Toshiba in a good long while, so I may be wrong here) that a short blink lasts 0.5 seconds, and a long blink lasts 1 second. You have to write out the entire blink sequence (which will repeat itself every 8 flashes separated by a 2 second "off" period), then convert it to a binary number, then convert the binary to a hexadecimal representation. Once you have the hex error code, you should be able to google for error code on your A55 model to figure out what it is.

An example of what to do:
1) Say the blink code is short-long-short-short-long-short-short. Write down "SLSSLSS" as it blinks. Double-check the code to make sure you got it right.
2) Replace each S with a 0, and L with a 1 in the blink sequence - i.e. SLSSLSS becomes 0100100
3) The computer is generating the blink code in least significant bit format. To properly convert the blink code to the actual binary error code, separate it out in to two digit blocks 01 00 10 00. Rewrite, reversing the order of the numbers from right to left: i.e. 01 00 10 00 becomes 00 01 00 10 - (i.e. 8th number reading from left to right becomes first number of binary code, 7th number from left to right becomes 2nd number of binary code, etc, down to first number reading from left to right being last number of binary code) -->this resulting number is the true binary representation of the error code the blink code represents.
4) Use a binary to hexadecimal converter: 00 01 00 10 binary is 12h (in hexadecimal).
5) You'd then do a google search for your model number and error 12h and hope something comes back. Toshiba has removed the service manuals from their website (they consider the blink codes to be proprietary dealer information and no longer release them to the public), but the info is still mostly out there (though there may be some variation between models, most of the codes tend to be consistent between models).

Use the same process with your blink code, and with luck it may point you to the actual problem.

Hope this helps.

 

[octoolguy]

Hi Steltek, thanks for your help. I did as you suggested and come up with a 24H or 24. Not sure if I have to add the "H". I did a google search and so far can't find anything without joining or paying something. If you have a suggestion please post it. Thanks again.

Ray

After further research I found this:

24h
Current sensing IC is not normal.

Do you think it's a power supply problem?

 

[Steltek]

Hi Steltek, thanks for your help. I did as you suggested and come up with a 24H or 24. Not sure if I have to add the "H". I did a google search and so far can't find anything without joining or paying something. If you have a suggestion please post it. Thanks again.

Ray

After further research I found this:

24h
Current sensing IC is not normal.

Do you think it's a power supply problem?

You use the "h" to indicate that it is a hexadecimal (i.e. base 16) number.

If I'm remembering how to do the conversion right (I know I'm right about the flash codes and LSB binary order, but the conversion is still a little iffy for me), it sounds like a problem within the laptop's power circuit. You have a known good battery and charger, so I think if it was me I'd probably open the case to blow it out and check out the battery jack first of all to make sure it is still solidly attached and not in the process of separating from the circuit board.

Does it do the same thing if you remove the battery and try to start the laptop without the battery installed? Also, have you tried fully charging the battery in another laptop and then trying to boot the problem laptop using only the charged battery?

 

[octoolguy]

You use the "h" to indicate that it is a hexadecimal (i.e. base 16) number.

If I'm remembering how to do the conversion right (I know I'm right about the flash codes and LSB binary order, but the conversion is still a little iffy for me), it sounds like a problem within the laptop's power circuit. You have a known good battery and charger, so I think if it was me I'd probably open the case to blow it out and check out the battery jack first of all to make sure it is still solidly attached and not in the process of separating from the circuit board.

Does it do the same thing if you remove the battery and try to start the laptop without the battery installed? Also, have you tried fully charging the battery in another laptop and then trying to boot the problem laptop using only the charged battery?

I have tried all the battery suggestions that you mentioned and nothing seems to make a difference. I am going to do some internal investigating today if I have time. I was hoping not to have to disassemble the case but it looks like I will have to. In order to get to the bottom of the motherboard area it will be a major teardown. I do have some good info and pictures to follow thanks to another website that I found so at least I won't have to go in blind. Thanks for all your help and I will keep you posted on how it goes. I'm hoping it's not a terminal motherboard problem as that is why I bought this one. I already have one that has a motherboard problem but everything else on it is good so I was hoping I could use this one and swap all the stuff over to it. The other one has a "black screen" problem that I have traced down to it must be the motherboard because everything else checks out. So, that is where I'm at on this project. At some point I'm going to have a box full of parts to put up on ebay.

Ray

 

[octoolguy]

Well, it's Sunday afternoon and I just finished tearing the laptop apart and putting it back to gether. I could find nothing that looked disconnected or out of place or burned or ????? So, I put it back together and still nothing but a darned blinking yellow light. I have swapped batteries and power adaptors and tried it with and without battery or power adaptor. Nothing. I don't have the knowledge to go any farther with it. So, if you have any other suggestions other than a 12 gauge shotgun please throw them at me. Thanks for all your help to this point.

Ray

 

[John Connor]

It's more than likely a bad IC. Looks like you may need that shotgun.

 

[octoolguy]

It's more than likely a bad IC. Looks like you may need that shotgun.

When you say bad IC are you saying the motherboard is bad or is there something that can be fixed?

R

 

[John Connor]

I'm not too sure. It most likely is in the power supply IC since that is what your Hex code said.

 

[octoolguy]

I'm not too sure. I most likely is in the power supply IC since that is what your Hex code said.

Thanks, I'm just not sure of what the IC is. I checked the power plug-in and unplugged and re-plugged the connector at the mother board. All the connections appeared ok. I'm just afraid that is a bad power supply unit on the motherboard. Probably not repairable.

Ray

 

[John Connor]

Well the error code did say IC which stands for Integrated Circuit. So it's most likely something you can't fix. Unless it's just one chip that can be desoldered and resolder a new one.

 

[octoolguy]

Well the error code did say IC which stands for Integrated Circuit. So it's most likely something you can't fix. Unless it's just one chip that can be desoldered and resolder a new one.

I'm afraid that I and my 450 watt soldering iron would not be up to the job. I'll just have to scrap this one and see if I can find another. I have quite a few but most of them work. I've never run into one with this problem. Oh well...................................By the way, how's the weather in Loveland? We used to live up in Woodland Park. Left there in 91. I really liked the area.
Ray

 

[John Connor]

It was about 80 today hardly any clouds. Had rain a few days ago. Suppose to get up in the 90's latter this week. Thank god for a pool. LOL!

 

[octoolguy]

It's been cloudy and sort of rainy for a couple of days here in So. Cal. Out in the desert they are having flash flooding. I'm about a mile in from the ocean. Just a few showers here. It's been in the low 70's.

R

 

[John Connor]

I don't won't to get off topic, but I used to live in Riverside CA. I hear they are evacuating Idyllwild. We used to go up there a lot to get spring water.

 

[octoolguy]

I don't won't to get off topic, but I used to live in Riverside CA. I hear they are evacuating Idyllwild. We used to go up there a lot to get spring water.

Yes, there was a heck of a fire up there last week and now it's flooding and lot's of runoff. Ok, back to computers. Thanks,

Ray