BlackBerry® PlayBook™

[TomD6314]

I learned too late that I should not have let the PlayBook battery go completely dead.  I have used the original 1.8A charger, different cables, holding the power button down 30 seconds, etc.  I recently upgraded to the most current O/S and it was working fine.

The last thing I tried was:

   Held down the power button for 30 seconds.

   Charged for 19 hours

   Pressed the power button and nothing happened

   Held down the power button for 30 seconds.  No light came on, nothing happened.

"stack" charging

   Plugged in the 1.8A charger.  After a few seconds the red light came on for about 15 seconds then went off.

   Waited about 15 seconds.
   Unplugged the charger after 2 minutes.

   Plugged in the 1.8A charger.  After a few seconds the red light came on for about 15 seconds then went off.

   Waited about 15 seconds.
   Unplugged the charger after 2 minutes.

   Plugged in the 1.8A charger.  After a few seconds the red light came on for a fraction of a second then went off.

   Waited about 15 seconds.
   Unplugged the charger after 2 minutes.

   Plugged in the 1.8A charger.  After a few seconds the red light came on for a fraction of a second then went off.

   Waited about 15 seconds.
   Unplugged the charger after 2 minutes.

   Waited about 15 seconds.

   Plugged in the 1.8A charger.  No lights came on.

   Repeated the above process and no lights ever came.

   Connected to my laptop and the PlayBook was never recognized.

   Held down the power button for 30 seconds.  Still nothing.

   Tried holding down the + - and power button.  Still nothing.

   Moved the usb connection around in the socket.  Still nothing.

   Tried a 2.1 A charger from my iPad.  Still nothing.

Is there anything else technical support would have me try if I called?  The unit is about 6 months old.  Will I be charged if I call support?  Is the unit defective?  Thanks!

     ...Tom

[Lost_at_Sea]

If there is no light activity, hold down the Power Button only for no more than 20 seconds and release. Make sure the charger is plugged into an energized wall outlet. If the PB is inside a case, remove it because some cases interfere with the operation of the buttons.

[TomD6314]

I made sure the charger was working by testing it with other devices.  The PlayBook is not in a case.  I tried pressing the power button for 2, 5 and then 15 seconds.  Nothing happened each time.  Do you have any other suggestions?  Thanks!

     ...Tom

[Lost_at_Sea]

Follow these directions
If your battery is dead or near dead, you have a problem. If you follow these instructions you may be able to make a recovery but it will take some time. The charger is controlled by software. The software will not run because the battery voltage is too low. When the battery is too low and you turn on the PB, It will only run for about 4 minutes and then shut down again. During this 4 minutes, the charger will begin charging but since the battery voltage is still too low, the unit will shut down again and the charger will shut off. To get the voltage up sufficiently for the PB To continue, you have to have the charger plugged in and every 5 minutes or so, you have to hold the power button on until the red light flashes then release it.It will once again recharge for 4 minutes. You may have to repeat these steps at least 10 times. Once the voltage gets up a bit, the charger should stay on but it will takes 6 hours to fully recharge the battery. When your charger is charging, it will feel warm to the touch so check it often to see if it is in fact charging.

[BBvMac]

We are having the same problem with one of our PBs.  The battery was run down to nothing by one of our kids and the PB won't accept a charge or turn on since.  Just tried the stack charge and had the same experience - after 13 repeats of 2 minutes charge and a few seconds no charge, we got just a flash of the red light.  PB is not warm, will not turn on.  Also tried the power +/- button hold for 20 secs and got nothing.  When we connec to the computer, it is not recognized, does not charge - nothing.  We've had the PB for almost 5 months.  No issues until now.  The other one works fine so far.  Knock on wood.  

Any other suggestions?

Thanks

[Lost_at_Sea]

Leave it for 4 minutes. That is the time it takes to shut itself down. By pushing the buttons after two minutes, you are likely cutting the charging time in half. So try the procedure I listed above and use a timer or clock.

[BBvMac]

I am sorry, I don't understand the procedure.   I cannot turn the pb on at all.  So when you refer to "leaving it for 4 minutes" do you mean leave it plugged into the charger for 4 minutes?

I followed the stack charging procedure and did not try to power it on until finishing 13 cycles of 2 minutes charging, 15 seconds no charge.  We did this with a stopwatch.

If you can clarify what you mean, I would love to try it - I will try anything.  Thanks

[BBvMac]

One other thing....the power button has no effect on the red light.  The red light will only come on when the charger is first plugged in.  The red light came n for 20 seconds at the beginning of the stack charge cycle, but by the 10th time, it would only come on for a split second and then go out.  Exactly like the first post described, only after a few more charge cycles.

[TomD6314]

I tried this and held the button down for 2 minutes and watched very closely and never saw the red light flash.  I continued the process anyway 12 times.  Each time pressing the button 10-15 seconds but never saw a red light.  The PlayBook does not feel warm.  I don't have high hopes but I'll leave it charging overnight.

It seems really dead.  Is there anything else to try?  Thanks for your help!

     ...Tom

[Lost_at_Sea]

1. The charger is connected throughout the entire procedure.
2. Push down the Red Button for 5 seconds and release.
3. Leave it alone for 5 minutes.
4. Repeat Step 2 again.
5. Leave it alone for 5 minutes.
6. Repeat Step 2 again.
Continue this procedure for about 1 hour. Then Leave the charger connected for an additional 6 hours. Hopefully the battery will recharge fully. I can't make this any simpler.