Nexus 7 will only charge when switched off

[Indigoquilter]

I bought a Nexus 7 in January from PC World in the UK. A month ago I replaced the data cable, as the position I'd put it into while charging (bent just near the tablet, due to the tablet sitting on a stand) had made the wires start to poke through at the bend. I bought this cable, and it seemed to be fine. Last night my tablet kept on turning itself off, and I eventually realised that even though it was plugged in, and the little battery symbol on the screen was marked as charging, it wasn't charging. The really thing is that once it was off, the bigger white-on-black charging symbol that you get when the tablet is off appeared on the screen, and it started charging again. This happened a few times. I left it to charge while off last night, and this morning it's fully charged again. What on earth is going on here?

Next question, how do I back it up, since it's high time I did that anyway?

It's not rooted, I'm not doing anything peculiar with it, and I don't have a high level of knowledge with computery stuff, so please bear that in mind when replying. Thanks.

 

[jerrykur]

Pop the back panel off and check the battery connection. If you're unfamiliar with this procedure do a quick search on YouTube.

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk 2

 

[Indigoquilter]

Would that invalidate the warranty?

 

[ohmslaw]

I agree with jerrykur about checking the battery connections. Also I wonder if this cable is large enough (wire gauge) to supply enough charging current. Some of the poor reviews for that cable mentioned slow charging. If you bought the long one, charging could be even worse.

 

[Indigoquilter]

Why would that suddenly cause it to stop charging only when it's switched on, after working fine for a month? The charging speed is perhaps a little slower than the old cable, but it still has been working fine so far.

 

[ohmslaw]

Perhaps due to a bad connection or cable the Nexus is not getting enough current to run the device and charge at the same time. When you turn it off more power is available for charging. I suppose it could also be the plug in power supply being faulty.

 

[jpash549]

Suggest getting Battery Graph, Gauge Battery and Battery Doctor from the Play World all with free versions. Battery Graph will allow you to get a graph of charging versus time. Gauge Battery will give you a good view of current status and help determine where the power is being used. Battery Doctor is useful while charging and has settings to help you control battery usage by shutting down power users running in the background.

With either the charger and short cable supplied to me with the N7 or my Blackberry Playbook charger I can only charge the N7 at about 0.9 amps but both will charge the PB at 1.8 amps. If I am running the N7 while trying to charge I will usually lose battery charge. I have not tried popping the back of the case and checking the battery connection because I feel that the charging rate is more likely due to some limitation in the battery control software or firmware. The 0.9 amp charging rate is tolerable to me and I don't want risk messing with the inside of the tablet.

from a BB Playbook or HP Touchpad or N7

 

[Indigoquilter]

Yes, I'm worried about messing with the inside too. That explanation is making some sense, although I'm still puzzled as to why it's suddenly started happening now. It's not as if I'm changed my usage in any significant way. Unless Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks is somehow more resource-intensive than all the other audiobooks I listen to?

Is it possible that my new cable is degrading in quality, or could it be something inside the tablet? I'll try the recommended apps tomorrow, and thanks for the suggestion.

 

[jerrykur]

Why would that suddenly cause it to stop charging only when it's switched on, after working fine for a month? The charging speed is perhaps a little slower than the old cable, but it still has been working fine so far.

Because the battery is smaller than the pocket that it fits in. So as you carry the tablet the battery can works loose from its connector as it slides around. This is a very common issue. They put double stick tape on the battery to hold it in place, but a movement can jar it loose.

 

[danipasc]

I'm certain that this is a power cable gauge issue, due to the fact that aftermarket power supply are under-calculated. Check with an original adapter or diy a hefty power cable that could deliver 2 Amp at 5 V.