POWER TROUBLESHOOTING ON TC-100
This article describes how to troubleshoot power issues on the TC-100.
Refer to the following article first since the TC-100 might be have outdated firmware: TC-100 - Battery not recognized/detected
Initial Calibration of Charge Indicator
The charge indicator of a battery (removable or internal) needs to be initially calibrated. The battery must be fully charged and may also then need to be fully discharged to calibrate properly. Until calibrated, the unit may appear to not charge to full, and/or may continue to run even when it indicates being empty. Repeat this process if needed.
Flexible Card Retainer
Verify that the flexible card retainer is fully seated and is not preventing the main removable battery from fully seating, as shown in the following images:
External Power Source
The TC-100 (or dock) requires a 30W or higher power supply with a 12V output to power the tablet and charge the batteries at the same time.
You can also try testing with a spare charger or from another unit.
Electronically Disconnected Batteries
A TC-100 unit may not immediately turn on if the battery pack(s) have been electronically disconnected, such as after holding the hardware Power button for over 17 seconds (often referred to as a "Hard Reset").
To recover a unit that is in the electronically disconnected state, make sure the main removable battery pack is inserted properly in the unit, attach a proper 12V 30W or higher power source, then briefly press the hardware Power button.
Over-Discharged Batteries
Basically, if a TC-100 doesn’t turn on, batteries are not appearing to charge, or the unit is not seeing the battery pack(s), then they may be over-discharged. If this happens:
- Plug in the unit.
- Fully power off the unit by pressing the power key for a few seconds and selecting to Power Off or Shut Down (not Restart). Optionally, the unit can be put in Hibernate (not Sleep).
Caution: Make sure the battery is within a recommended temperature range (about 68°F or 20°C). Batteries will not charge (or might charge slowly) at temperatures below 32°F (0°C) or above 122°F (50°C).
- Leave the unit plugged in overnight.
Note: Initially, the system will only slowly trickle charge the severely depleted battery pack(s). Eventually the red light will begin to flash slowly, indicating that the battery has recovered and is beginning to charge normally again.
When the battery reaches at least 40 percent charge capacity, then the unit may finally again respond normally to pressing the Power keypad button. Its recommended to allow the unit to continue to charge until full.
To avoid this issue in the future while using the unit daily, leave the unit plugged in overnight and on weekends as recommended. If not using the unit daily, charge battery to at least 30% and remove from device after shutting down.
Door Magnet
Make sure the door magnet is not missing or weak otherwise battery will not be detected.
Loose Charging Port
The charging port may be loose or damaged. Test this by charging the battery using a dock, another TC-100 unit, or an external battery charger.
Replace Battery
The main removable battery may have unbalanced cells or some other condition that prevents it from fully charging, or in some cases from even being detected. Try swapping in a spare battery or borrow from another unit.