Laptop Battery Driver/Firmware Problems

cParzyck · 2013-09-20 03:08:07

I apologize if this is the wrong spot to post this, but I'm not sure how to start diagnosing my problem.

I have had an arch install on an ASUS laptop for several years and had very few problems. However after a fairly recent system upgrade the battery would no longer charge (regardless if I booted into Arch or Ubuntu or if the computer was shut down). I thought it was a hardware problem and lived with it. I recently bought a new ASUS laptop with windows on it. I partitioned the disk and installed Arch on it and immediately afterwords this laptop developed the same problem. The battery will not charge regardless of what OS I boot into, or if the computer is off. I have done a bit of googling and come up with very little. I am not really sure how to go about diagnosing the problem (what files/logs to check) and would appreciate any recommendations.

Regards,
--Chris

bjornoslav · 2013-09-20 07:06:01

Tell us what model are the old and the new laptop. Post their outputs of lscpu, lspci and uname -a.

cParzyck · 2013-09-20 16:38:43

The older model is an ASUS U-81A:

uname:

Linux ARCH_PARZYCK 3.11.1-1-ARCH #1 SMP PREEMPT Sat Sep 14 20:31:35 CEST 2013 i686 GNU/Linux

lspci:

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Memory Controller Hub (rev 07)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 07)
00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 07)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) HD Audio Controller (rev 03)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 1 (rev 03)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 2 (rev 03)
00:1c.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 3 (rev 03)
00:1c.5 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 6 (rev 03)
00:1d.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 03)
00:1d.1 USB controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 03)
00:1d.2 USB controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #3 (rev 03)
00:1d.3 USB controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #6 (rev 03)
00:1d.7 USB controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #1 (rev 03)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev 93)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation ICH9M LPC Interface Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.2 SATA controller: Intel Corporation 82801IBM/IEM (ICH9M/ICH9M-E) 4 port SATA Controller [AHCI mode] (rev 03)
02:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation WiFi Link 5100
05:00.0 Ethernet controller: Qualcomm Atheros AR8131 Gigabit Ethernet (rev c0)

lscpu:

Architecture:          i686
CPU op-mode(s):        32-bit, 64-bit
Byte Order:            Little Endian
CPU(s):                2
On-line CPU(s) list:   0,1
Thread(s) per core:    1
Core(s) per socket:    2
Socket(s):             1
Vendor ID:             GenuineIntel
CPU family:            6
Model:                 23
Model name:            Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU     T6500  @ 2.10GHz
Stepping:              10
CPU MHz:               2100.000
BogoMIPS:              4201.29
L1d cache:             32K
L1i cache:             32K
L2 cache:              2048K

I don't have the newer model with me, I'll post details/output this evening.

Thanks,
--Chris

bjornoslav · 2013-09-21 08:37:25

Interestingly, you have the same problem on the both laptops which may imply that you have power problems at your house, possibly both of the chargers have failed to work. Do their power lights (LED) light up green when they are connected to the power outlet? Can you use an instrument to measure the voltage output on the chargers' connectors that go towards the laptops? If the voltage is 0 V, then maybe the power plugs in the house have no power, or the chargers have malfunctioned, or their cables towards the laptops are maybe damaged, or the connectors on them and on the laptops are maybe broken. Check everything in this order.

cParzyck · 2013-09-21 15:27:10

Thank you for your reply.

As it turns out, I moved before I got the newer computer and the problem developed on the second one in a different location. Both computers run when they are plugged in to a wall outlet (either with or without the battery removed), so I can rule out a cable problem. The only thing they cannot do is charge the battery--although the power management application in Gnome does recognize the battery and says it is charging, the percentage never goes up. The LED on the charger is on whenever it is plugged in, but, unfortunately I do not have access to a voltmeter right now so I cannot rule out the possibility that the charger is operating at a lower voltage then it should be (although it is clearly putting out some voltage because it can run the computer). I am fairly confident it is not a hardware problem since the newer computer (ASUS Q400A, specifications to follow) is brand new worked for a week with no problems. It developed this problem immedietly after installing Arch.

Regards,
--Chris

bjornoslav · 2013-09-21 17:48:17

Check out the specifications of the charger and the laptops. For example, my HP laptop will refuse to charge the battery but stull run if the charger's wattage is below 90 watts (its brick is 120 W!), so see the Amperage, Voltage and Power on both the laptops and the chargers, they must match or be compatible between each other.

cParzyck · 2013-09-22 00:05:49

The chargers both indicate that they provide the correct voltage/current, but I do not have a way to verify if they are not outputting what they should be. I'm going to look into updating the BOIS and see if that has any effect.

Also: Requested output from the newer computer (an ASUS Q400A).

uname:

Linux parzyck_asus_arch64 3.11.1-1-ARCH #1 SMP PREEMPT Sat Sep 14 19:30:21 CEST 2013 x86_64 GNU/Linux

lspci:

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 3rd Gen Core processor DRAM Controller (rev 09)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 3rd Gen Core processor Graphics Controller (rev 09)
00:14.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family USB xHCI Host Controller (rev 04)
00:16.0 Communication controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family MEI Controller #1 (rev 04)
00:1a.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family USB Enhanced Host Controller #2 (rev 04)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family High Definition Audio Controller (rev 04)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port 1 (rev c4)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port 2 (rev c4)
00:1c.3 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port 4 (rev c4)
00:1d.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family USB Enhanced Host Controller #1 (rev 04)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation HM76 Express Chipset LPC Controller (rev 04)
00:1f.2 SATA controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series Chipset Family 6-port SATA Controller [AHCI mode] (rev 04)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family SMBus Controller (rev 04)
02:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation Centrino Wireless-N 2230 (rev c4)
03:00.0 Ethernet controller: Qualcomm Atheros AR8151 v2.0 Gigabit Ethernet (rev c0)

lscpu:

Architecture:          x86_64
CPU op-mode(s):        32-bit, 64-bit
Byte Order:            Little Endian
CPU(s):                8
On-line CPU(s) list:   0-7
Thread(s) per core:    2
Core(s) per socket:    4
Socket(s):             1
NUMA node(s):          1
Vendor ID:             GenuineIntel
CPU family:            6
Model:                 58
Model name:            Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3632QM CPU @ 2.20GHz
Stepping:              9
CPU MHz:               1958.000
BogoMIPS:              4391.66
Virtualization:        VT-x
L1d cache:             32K
L1i cache:             32K
L2 cache:              256K
L3 cache:              6144K
NUMA node0 CPU(s):     0-7

bjornoslav · 2013-09-22 09:35:26

Does this problem appear if you use another distro (live, for example) like Ubuntu, Knoppix? Or does it appear if you use Windows?
It may be a bug in ACPI. Read carefully on the Asus support web site before you update anything. It seems to be a common problem for some Asus notebooks.

superomel · 2022-03-08 12:29:57

Did someone solve this problem?
I have same problem on Thinkpad E15 Gen2. On Ubuntu it's works fine even in LiveCD mode. But when installed archlinux and check battery it's show "pending-charge" with AC plugged in.

> upower -d
Device: /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/line_power_AC
  native-path:          AC
  power supply:         yes
  updated:              Tue 08 Mar 2022 02:57:55 PM +03 (1377 seconds ago)
  has history:          no
  has statistics:       no
  line-power
    warning-level:       none
    online:              yes
    icon-name:          'ac-adapter-symbolic'

Device: /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT0
  native-path:          BAT0
  vendor:               Sunwoda
  model:                5B10X025
  serial:               9906
  power supply:         yes
  updated:              Tue 08 Mar 2022 03:20:09 PM +03 (43 seconds ago)
  has history:          yes
  has statistics:       yes
  battery
    present:             yes
    rechargeable:        yes
    state:               pending-charge
    warning-level:       none
    energy:              40.74 Wh
    energy-empty:        0 Wh
    energy-full:         42.11 Wh
    energy-full-design:  45.01 Wh
    energy-rate:         0 W
    voltage:             12.221 V
    charge-cycles:       85
    percentage:          96%
    capacity:            93.557%
    technology:          lithium-polymer
    icon-name:          'battery-full-charging-symbolic'

Device: /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/line_power_ucsi_source_psy_USBC000o001
  native-path:          ucsi-source-psy-USBC000:001
  power supply:         yes
  updated:              Tue 08 Mar 2022 02:58:08 PM +03 (1364 seconds ago)
  has history:          no
  has statistics:       no
  line-power
    warning-level:       none
    online:              yes
    icon-name:          'ac-adapter-symbolic'

Device: /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/DisplayDevice
  power supply:         yes
  updated:              Tue 08 Mar 2022 02:57:55 PM +03 (1377 seconds ago)
  has history:          no
  has statistics:       no
  battery
    present:             yes
    state:               pending-charge
    warning-level:       none
    energy:              40.74 Wh
    energy-full:         42.11 Wh
    energy-rate:         0 W
    charge-cycles:       N/A
    percentage:          96%
    icon-name:          'battery-full-charging-symbolic'

Daemon:
  daemon-version:  0.99.16
  on-battery:      no
  lid-is-closed:   no
  lid-is-present:  yes
  critical-action: HybridSleep

2ManyDogs · 2022-03-08 13:32:09

superomel, this thread is very old, and the OP has not been here since 2014. Please do not necrobump.

Instead, please open a new topic for your issue and link back to this one if you think it still applies.

Closing.

Arch Linux

#1 2013-09-20 03:08:07

Laptop Battery Driver/Firmware Problems

#2 2013-09-20 07:06:01

Re: Laptop Battery Driver/Firmware Problems

#3 2013-09-20 16:38:43

Re: Laptop Battery Driver/Firmware Problems

#4 2013-09-21 08:37:25

Re: Laptop Battery Driver/Firmware Problems

#5 2013-09-21 15:27:10

Re: Laptop Battery Driver/Firmware Problems

#6 2013-09-21 17:48:17

Re: Laptop Battery Driver/Firmware Problems

#7 2013-09-22 00:05:49

Re: Laptop Battery Driver/Firmware Problems

#8 2013-09-22 09:35:26

Re: Laptop Battery Driver/Firmware Problems

#9 2022-03-08 12:29:57

Re: Laptop Battery Driver/Firmware Problems

#10 2022-03-08 13:32:09

Re: Laptop Battery Driver/Firmware Problems

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