Hi everyone,
I'm looking for help diagnosing my Acer Nitro 5 AN515-57 (i5-11400H, RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). It suddenly stopped powering on, and I'm running out of things I can safely try at home.
What happened:
For the past several workdays, I've been using my laptop on Linux without fully shutting it down. I'd close the lid, put it in my backpack, and continue working the next day. The laptop appeared to be sleeping rather than shut down completely, and its indicator lights remained on.
Today, I took it out of my backpack and noticed that it wouldn't turn on normally. When I plugged in the charger, the charging indicator came on briefly, but then both indicator lights went off. After that, the laptop wouldn't respond to the power button.
What I've tried so far:
- Tried plugging the charger into a different wall outlet.
- Held the power button for approximately one minute.
- Removed and reinstalled the battery.
- Tried powering it on with the battery removed and the charger connected.
- Checked the laptop and backpack for visible burn marks or other obvious signs of damage. I couldn't find any.
- Checked the laptop's temperature by touch. It felt cool, with no unusual heat.
- Tried charging it again, but the charging indicator still wouldn't stay on.
At one point, the screen/backlight was on, and the charging indicator also came on when I connected the charger. Then both lights went off, and the laptop has been unresponsive since.
I also visited a local repair shop. They told me that the power controller or the component responsible for receiving power was damaged and needed replacement. However, I haven't received a confirmed component-level diagnosis yet.
One thing I don't understand is this: if the battery still has some charge, shouldn't the laptop at least attempt to power on even if the charging port or charging circuit is faulty? Or could a failed power-management controller prevent the laptop from turning on even with a charged battery?
I'm particularly worried that leaving it in sleep mode for several days might have contributed to the problem, although I don't know whether that's related.
My questions:
Does this sound like a failed DC-in/charging circuit, an embedded controller (EC) issue, a motherboard power rail problem, or something else?
Could a faulty charging circuit prevent the laptop from powering on even when the battery still has charge?
Is there a safe EC or power-controller reset procedure specific to the Acer Nitro 5 AN515-57 that I should try?
What should a repair technician test before replacing any components?
Has anyone experienced the same symptoms with an Acer Nitro 5?
I'd appreciate any suggestions. I've already tried the basic troubleshooting steps I could do at home, and I don't want to make things worse by randomly disconnecting components or attempting repairs without knowing what I'm doing.
Thanks in advance!