Arch Linux

zeta

Member

Registered: 2019-04-04

Posts: 4

Sudden shutdown

Hello!
The problem is, when my laptop is not charging (i.e. it's working on battery), it shutdowns suddenly after reaching some battery level (70% and lower  -- I know it from KDE battery widget after booting). When the charging cable is plugged in, it never shutdowns this way. I suppose that it's not a normal shutdown as it happens instantly (as if one held power button for a couple of seconds until shutdown) and after boot there are messages concerning recovering journal.
This topic seems to describe a similar problem.
This problem exists since I installed Arch Linux in August, 2018 (I always postponed the solution to this problem for later). However, there was not such a problem in Ubuntu 16.04 that was previously installed on my laptop for a couple of years.
Please let me know if I should provide some information. I know that I should provide some logs but I do not know which ones.
I appreciate your patience and help.

d_fajardo

Member

Registered: 2017-07-28

Posts: 1,687

Re: Sudden shutdown

It could just be the battery ageing. How old is the battery? I bought a Thinkpad about 6 years ago. Obviously the battery has been used and I start having the same symptoms as you have. Bought a new battery and everything was OK but even now after about 4 years of the 'new' battery I started having this random shutdown. Your Ubuntu was 2016 roughly 3 years ago. It all depends how much power cycle you do of course.
But I could be wrong and it's worth checking for other solution. There are a lot of articles on the internet regarding sudden shutdown on battery.

ewaller

Administrator

From: Pasadena, CA

Registered: 2009-07-13

Posts: 20,652

Re: Sudden shutdown

Does it give any indication before the shutdown?  Such as Xorg exiting and messages of an impending shutdown streaming to the console?  Are the log entries?  Or is it just "lights out"?

---

Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature -- Michael Faraday
The shortest way to ruin a country is to give power to demagogues.— Dionysius of Halicarnassus
---
How to Ask Questions the Smart Way

zeta

Member

Registered: 2019-04-04

Posts: 4

Re: Sudden shutdown

It could just be the battery ageing. How old is the battery? I bought a Thinkpad about 6 years ago. Obviously the battery has been used and I start having the same symptoms as you have. Bought a new battery and everything was OK but even now after about 4 years of the 'new' battery I started having this random shutdown. Your Ubuntu was 2016 roughly 3 years ago. It all depends how much power cycle you do of course.
But I could be wrong and it's worth checking for other solution. There are a lot of articles on the internet regarding sudden shutdown on battery.

Thank you for your answer. Soon after installation of Arch Linux I faced this problem, and KDE battery widget showed that capacity of my battery is 0%. Indeed my laptop was discharging quite fast and I used my laptop with that battery for 4 years, so I bought a new battery in September, 2018. From that moment KDE battery widget usually shows capacity of 100%. However, sometimes it jumps to approx. 70%. 
I used Ubuntu from 2016 to August 2018, and I cannot remember dealing with this problem on it (I do not want to offend anyone, just stating a fact).
OK, I will do some more search on this topic.

zeta

Member

Registered: 2019-04-04

Posts: 4

Re: Sudden shutdown

Does it give any indication before the shutdown?  Such as Xorg exiting and messages of an impending shutdown streaming to the console?  Are the log entries?  Or is it just "lights out"?

Thank you for your answer. No, there are no messages, etc., it's really like "lights out", as you said.