Nexus 7.2 dead. Any great ideas before I ship it back?

[pidgeon92]

My Nexus 7.2 no longer starts up, and doesn't appear to be charging. I noticed it wouldn't turn on a couple of nights ago, so I figured the battery was dead and I put it on the charger overnight. I took it off the charger and it wouldn't turn on. I thought perhaps the connector wasn't pushed all the way in, and I tried charging it again for a few hours. Still didn't turn on. So, I Googled. This is the crux of the information that I found:

Press & hold the Volume down button. While holding Volume down, press & hold the Power button for at least 10 seconds until you see an Android robot and the word Start on the screen.

Tried that. Tried it a lot of times. Plugged in. Not plugged in. Seconds after being plugged in. Plugged in while holding buttons down. Tried all button combinations, and held down combinations for two minutes or more. Fingers went numb.

Then I put the unit back on the charger for 16 hours. Tried it all over again. Still no response.

I connected it to my iMac via USB. No response. I checked the status of the USB connection from the System Overview on iMac, and it doesn't appear that the Nexus is drawing a charge.

The only thing I haven't done is pried the thing open to make sure the battery is connected. I don't have a tool to open the thing, and if I do open it and I accidentally damage it there goes the warranty.

I did get an RMA from ASUS, tech support was good enough to simply issue it and not make me go back through all the troubleshooting steps again. I don't have packaging right now to ship it in, so I will have a day or so to keep poking at it until I can pack it up. I still have hope of its resurrection, as I have to pay shipping on the RMA.

So, any off the beaten track ideas?

[daffy4u]

Do you have a different charging cable that you can try?

[daffy4u]

Here's a link:

http://www.droid-life.com/2012/12/27...ry-this-trick/

Supposedly the trick is to do the power + down volume button press immediately after plugging the N7 into wall power.

[HYPE]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

Here's a link:

http://www.droid-life.com/2012/12/27...ry-this-trick/

Supposedly the trick is to do the power + down volume button press immediately after plugging the N7 into wall power.

I don't think the timming as much to do. With my Nexus 5 I can do the combination at any time, so I would expect it to be the same with the Nexus 7.

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

Here's a link:

http://www.droid-life.com/2012/12/27...ry-this-trick/

Supposedly the trick is to do the power + down volume button press immediately after plugging the N7 into wall power.

Yep. Did this several times.

And I did use different charging cables. I know the cables are good, I have an original Nexus 7 that works fine, and charges on the three different cables I've tried.

[Dave_S]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

So, any off the beaten track ideas?

Actually this one is pretty well beaten. Have you looked carefully at the inside of the USB connector on the bottom of the Nexus? When mine had symptoms like yours it turned out that the contacts inside had retracted further into the case and no longer made contact with the cable for charging. I was able to get mine going by using the Qi wireless charger instead. When I took the Nexus back to the store they put the blame on me and refused to accept it back for warranty repair, and wanted to charge me for the repair. I just decided to fix it myself since I could buy the small sub-circuit board containing the USB connector for a more reasonable price. All the necessary instructions were available on IfixIt.com.

[Dopedangel]

I had a similar problem my wife was complaining that her nexus 7 was dead was not charging. Using a different wire and charging using the computer port instead of a wall charger worked at first I thought it wasn't connected as my pc didn't detect it but keeping it connected for an hour worked.

[shanghaichica]

Have you tried only holding down the power button. You may have to hold it down for a while (1 min) before it comes on. Otherwise I have no idea.

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by Dave_S

Have you looked carefully at the inside of the USB connector on the bottom of the Nexus? When mine had symptoms like yours it turned out that the contacts inside had retracted further into the case and no longer made contact with the cable for charging.

Comparing the 7.1 to the 7.2, it does not appear that this is the problem. If it were, I would send it in for the warranty repair. Were it out of warranty, I'd try fixing it myself, too.

Originally Posted by Dopedangel

I had a similar problem my wife was complaining that her nexus 7 was dead was not charging. Using a different wire and charging using the computer port instead of a wall charger worked at first I thought it wasn't connected as my pc didn't detect it but keeping it connected for an hour worked.

Tried and failed.

Originally Posted by shanghaichica

Have you tried only holding down the power button. You may have to hold it down for a while (1 min) before it comes on. Otherwise I have no idea.

I've done all the button combinations, for three minutes or more (fortunately, there are only three buttons).

I've got the shipping packaging now, and will be UPSing it to Texas tomorrow for warranty repair. I'll report back when they return something to me.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

I've got the shipping packaging now, and will be UPSing it to Texas tomorrow for warranty repair. I'll report back when they return something to me.

I hope they can fix it for you! I got myself a SquareTrade warranty just in case something ever happens to it so I am covered and don't have to deal with Manufacturer's antics.

[Teknikal]

One of the reasons I hate things with no popable battery chances are it's just a connector that's loose or something else just as simple, same thing happened to me on a T1 and I ended up having to completely switch it rather than take a chance and break the warranty.

good luck

[pidgeon92]

I'm sure there will be a good resolution, whether they repair the unit or ship me a refurb. I was very tempted to pop the back open and see if it was a battery connector that was loose, but I think I did the right thing in sending it in. The shipping wasn't as expensive as I had feared, it was just over $10 to UPS it. It should arrive there this coming Wednesday, maybe I'll get something back by the end of the year.

[pidgeon92]

I am pleased to announce the return of my Nexus. When I did an online chat with an agent there earlier this week, trying to determine the repair status, he told me that they had to replace the motherboard. They also noted that I should not let the battery completely discharge (I'm not sure I did, all I know is that it wouldn't turn on).

I thought they might include this information in the box with the return, but no. If I hadn't chatted with the agent, I wouldn't know what they did to the device.

It just arrived a few minutes ago, having been driven around the greater Chicago metro area for several days on multiple FedEx trucks, always being listed as "out for delivery," and then ultimately going back to the sort facility for an overnight slumber party. It is fully charged and appears to be working normally. Fingers crossed that it stays that way.

Maybe a rogue app drained the battery while you slept. It is never good to let a lithium battery drain all the way down. I personally try not to let mine discharge beyond 50% after reading a lot about lithium batteries.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

It just arrived a few minutes ago, having been driven around the greater Chicago metro area for several days on multiple FedEx trucks, always being listed as "out for delivery," and then ultimately going back to the sort facility for an overnight slumber party. .

Wow. That must have been nerve wracking!