[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] MikeChannon:
Charging Problems - Red Light of Death (RLOD)

Battery Charging Problems, in particular the RLOD so called because the phone refuses to charge and the red LED shows, indicating that the battery is NOT charging.

Background

Problems with charging are not HTC or Windows Mobile specific. Similar if not identical problems are reported across many models and platforms. The issues centre around the state of charge of the battery and the interpretive circuitry in the device and charger. Typically a device will show a Red light rather than an Amber charging light. (NB: RED LED always shows when battery is absent or fails to charge). see also http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=1076879&postcount=28

Getting the battery to start charging once this light is shown is not always straightforward and is as unpredictable and temperamental as priming a water pump (those that have done this will know what is meant). In other words, and to put it crudely, you need to kick start the system. Unfortunately those that have managed to do this have usually tried lots of things before it starts working again. This makes it hard to be absolutely certain about the solution other than perhaps the last 4 or 5 actions taken.

Those that have managed to recommence charging have not reported that the problem recurs on a frequent basis. (possible exception of in-car charging issue). This issue requires patience and time, (time maybe critical, it is possible the issue would resolve itself perhaps as charges dissipate within battery and circuitry involved). However the following points seem probable solutions and were thought to work by some who resolved the problem.

Failure to Charge (Red LED Lit when charger connected)

Causes of this problem are unclear, but in practical terms events leading up to this issue have included:

1

Leaving the phone on charge overnight (possibly but not necessarily with certain programmes or connections running) It seems a fault occurs in the charging system, which causes the battery charge to drain rather than increase. Resulting battery charge is very low. (Another Blog will be added concerning an Active Sync issue which can cause the battery to drain over-night through repeated connection attempts)

2

Through heavy use or not re-charging often enough so that the battery is permitted to reach a sub 10% charge (not precisely known but likely to be very low)

Possible Solutions:

A

1.) Remove battery

2.) Connect the phone to the charger or USB

3.) Insert the battery while connected to charger

4.) Red light should turn Amber

5.) Soft Reset

If this does not work immediately it is suggested that the battery be removed from the phone for around 1 hour and the above steps repeated.

OR

B

It has been found with some phones charging can be re-started by:

1 ) Remove battery

2 ) Connect charger (Optional. I would try this potential solution without the charger connected the first time I try this. If it fails to work then I would repeat the steps with the charger connected)

3 ) Holding the battery, line it up wiith the phone's battery contacts.

4 ) Move the battery rapidly on and off the contacts

6 ) Repeat the above until the Amber charging light comes on. So after perhaps connecting/disconnecting 20 times, insert the battery properly and give it a few seconds to see if the LED turns Amber.

7.) Soft Reset

NB: I have seen two reports where those attempting this report a fairly loud "pop" sound following which the phone began to charge. However in one case the person reported that they then had subsequent problems of signal reception on the phone and thought the popping sound may have been related to this.

OR

C

If your problems remain after trying this a few times you could always try the following to manually charge the battery a little (enough to let the phone charger circuit detect the battery is present when you put it back in)

1) Remove the battery from the phone!

2) Take 3 fresh AAA batteries in series (total 3 x 1.5V = 4.5V)

3) Connected the (+) wire to (+) on the battery

4) Connected the (-) wire to (-) on the battery

5) Hold this in place for 60 seconds.(possibly longer you are trying to charge it enough for charging circuitry to recognise there is a battery installed.

6) Put the battery in your phone

7) Switch on phone and start charging (via USB)

Hopefully you will get the Amber charging light.It may be worth repeating this a few times if not successful on the first try.

The electrical contacts are all important, poor contacts will render this a worthless exercise.

I leave it to you to decide how you connect the wires. If you have no other means you could enlist the help of someone to hold the batteries and wires together while you connect to the phone battery! Warning - Do not connect a mains based transformer to the battery with an incorrect charge rate (mAh) and voltage (V). Any attempt to force charge using mains transformers could be extremely hazardous (explosive). Only a qualified/competent person should attempt to charge the battery in this way. Similarly, even if you are using batteries to do this task, do not leave them connected for more than a few minutes and stop immediately if either set of batteries become warm.If the problem persists:The final resort - a new battery.

Mike

╤