[Boricua95]

Hey forums. I came here today in search of help!

I was normally using my Blackberry Playbook, playing a game, and then its battery depleted, as usual. BUT! It's been ome week already since it went off and it won't turn on! Im worried and need help to fix this.

Log:
1. When I last used the playbook I waited 3 hours, more or less, until I got home to plug it in to charge.
2. Once I plugged it in, after 3 seconds a RED LED would come on for 5 seconds and then shut off. The first time this happened I just left it plugged in overnight.
3. The next morning the playbook wouldn't turn on.
4. I left plugged in while I left my house. I plugged it in before I left and the same RED LED situation happened all over.
5. Once I got home, I tried to power it on once again. NOTHING HAPPENED.

I HAVE TRIED THE POWER+VOLUMEUP+VOLUMEDOWN AND NOTHING HAPPENS. My PC won't recognize it either.

There isn't an official blackberry costumer service center in my country, so sending it out to the States would be my last resource.

PLEASE HELP ME!!

[RoseBud68]

Hold down the power button till the red led turns on.

[apengue1]

Sounds like your pb battery depleted too low a level. Believe it or not, lithium ion batteries do not like to be discharged. Damage may occur. These batteries are used in all modern devices.

Stack charging might help, I believe this is how it goes if memory serves me well. Someone correct me if I'm wrong please:

Charge the PB for 2 mins at a time, with 2 mins wait in between. Do this no more than 6 times. So 2 mins on charger, 2mins off x 6. The sixth time just leave it plugged and it should charge up.

[reschp]

Are you using the charger that came with the unit (USB micro)? The charger must have a minimum of 1800ma (1.8A). The BB desktop charger is also questionable. It has the needed power just lacks reliable contacts.
I agree with the two on two off method mentioned earlier. If the red light comes on something is responding before it shuts itself down. I ran into this twice (with the BB desktop charger failure with the alarm clock running) and persistence and determination will work.
Good luck!

[EdY]

Search the forums for stack charging. This is common when you deplete your battery completely.

Basically, stack charging uses your wall charger to charge a few minutes at a time, unplugging in between with several minutes rest, and then try to power up playbook. Works like a charm.

Next time try not to let it go so low. The next OS update should force a shutdown before it gets so low, so it won't cause people issues trying to recharge.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9810 using Crackberry Tapatalk Forum app

[jafobabe]

Stack Charging:

"stack" charging, 6 cycles of charge then no charge, for 2 minutes each, charging for never more than 2 minutes. You might have to do the cycles
again if no red light appears.
Charge for 2 minutes, unplug it for 2 minutes.. do this at least 6 times, or more... keep doing it.. you might want to unplug it from the wall instead of the USB port (saves the port from possible damage).

When the red light appears and stays on longer than a few seconds, THEN
put it on the charger and let it charge..Leave it alone!!

It will take around 2hrs with the OEM Playbook Rapid charger (magnetic end) or longer with the OEM Playbook wall charger, to get up past the 20% battery level.

[kill_9]

Sounds like your pb battery depleted too low a level. Believe it or not, lithium ion batteries do not like to be discharged. Damage may occur. These batteries are used in all modern devices.

Stack charging might help, I believe this is how it goes if memory serves me well. Someone correct me if I'm wrong please:

Charge the PB for 2 mins at a time, with 2 mins wait in between. Do this no more than 6 times. So 2 mins on charger, 2mins off x 6. The sixth time just leave it plugged and it should charge up.

I deplete my battery in each BlackBerry PlayBook to the point the tablet shuts down by itself (once each month). Then I plug the tablet into the wall charger which shipped with the tablet and allow it to fully recharge before powering up the device. The battery health has improved dramatically and stabilized. A full discharge to 0% per the battery meter is not the same as a 100% charge depletion at the low-level battery mechanics/physics.

[apengue1]

I deplete my battery in each BlackBerry PlayBook to the point the tablet shuts down by itself (once each month). Then I plug the tablet into the wall charger which shipped with the tablet and allow it to fully recharge before powering up the device. The battery health has improved dramatically and stabilized. A full discharge to 0% per the battery meter is not the same as a 100% charge depletion at the low-level battery mechanics/physics.

Yeah if the meter is accurate it should be fine, doesn't mean the battery likes it though. And initial shutdown caused by depleted battery is fine (it should be) if you plug it straight away. If you try turning it on too many times or try to use it, or even leave it without charging it too long, stuff could happen. Common practice is to deplete lithium ions once every 6 months to calibrate. I personally just don't like to because if my battery doesn't feel comfy, neither do I! I would love to get to know lithium ions better, I already have a good understanding but still..

Thanks Jafobabe for providing more insight for stack charging.

[FF22]

When my 32gig was not lasting very long on standby, when I called Rim, they required me to fully charge it, use it till it shut off and repeat 3 times. I was a bit nervous but did it. Each time I was fully depleted (whatever that might mean) till it shut off itself. Then I recharged. 3 times. Never had problems recharging it.

[apengue1]

I think I'm due for one full depletion and recharge.. I'll get around to it someday.

[Chrysalis1156]

I think I'm due for one full depletion and recharge.. I'll get around to it someday.

I'm with you. Someday sounds good.

[apengue1]

Haha yeah for real. Its hard to find the time to deplete a battery, and have it be good timing. Its rarely good timing. I plan to though.. someday!

[VishRS]

The answer is there is absolutely no way getting out of this mess once those 5green-yellow lights cease to come.

My PB was rotting in cupboard, 10days. Tried stack charging, charing for 8hours, charging for 2DAYS etc.
The ultimate remedy is you contact RIM and send it to em by whatever way possible (though now my PB is with friend in service center).
Don't waste your money if someone advices you to try a rapid charger.
Let RIM manage their mistakes.

[apengue1]

Yeah don't buy a rapid charger just for this reason. If stack charging fails, call RIM and hopefully they will repair, exchange it for you under warranty. If you've had your PB for less than 90 days, you can also open up a ticket with them for direct assistance over email or the phone

Sent from my BlackBerry 9700 using CrackBerry Forums App/Tapatalk

[todbanner]

If you're getting the red led when you hit the power button but no boot then you've corrupted the Os like I did last week.

Simply plug it into your pc, open desktop manager and let it take care of it for you.

If not, as the other posts have said, send it back and get it replaced.

Good luck. PlayBook FTW!

[jayss T]

There are a few solutions and some are mentioned above. SO try the things I am mentioning below.... Let me know if it works .

Problem Scenario: 1. Blackberry wont boot or turn on, on pressing the power button, the red light stays for a few seconds and does not turn on 2. Sometimes you will see the red light followed by a green/ yellow light that blinks 5 times and does not turn on.

Reason: The main reason why both of the above things happen is because the battery is completely drained out, you could call it " Flat out". The problem with playbook is that the playbook wont charge if the playbook is Flat out drained. whereas other tablets or cellphones does....Playbook has to fix that issue. Meanwhile we do have a solution to go around that problem and that requires some patience. Some of the solutions mentioned in the previous comments indicate to charge it via computer.... "It doesn`t work" not if the battery is drained out flat.... so dont even bother trying it if u see the above mentioned problem.

Solution: try this step by step and this are 3 different solutions so one of this would definitely work. 1. Press the Power button and you will see the Playbook Logo ( chances for this are low ) 2. Press the power button and the volume together, if there is 1 % charge left there is a chance that it would boot on, when you see the logo, immediately charge the playbook ( chances are medium ) 3. This solution requires patience. plug the charger into the socket and plug the USB into the playbook, the red light stays for 8-10 secs. Remove the USb from the playbook wait for 2 to 5 sec and replug the usb back to the charger and wait till that red light comes and goes again. repeat this step atleast 20-30 times. you might be asking why? the only power that the playbook gets is when that red light is on when plugging the usb into the playbook, once that light goes the playbook is not charging.. so what you are doing here is forcing the playbook to get charged for 8 sec every time u plug it to the playbook....this way the playbook gets that power needed to boot. Once the Playbook has that power to boot. The red light stays and changes to green but this time it blinks slowly and keeps blinking. you would also see the playbook logo return.... this green light keeps blinking until there is enough charge for the playbook to stand on its own and then changes to a solid red until it gets fully charged. Hope this helps, I had to explain to you guy what the cause was and how it is overcome..... so let me know

[gibss]

Wow....I did like 12 times like u said, now my playbook is charging. I will never let my battery totally drain out. 3 days a ago my kid was playing game untill is out of battery and he didnt charge. Last night i try to charge and it wouldnt. Now is charging thank you for your help. Coz I tried everything ...

[ontariopunk]

Bought my girlfriend a playbook a few months ago, and this is happening now. The PB won't turn on. All I get is a red light, followed by a green/yellow blinking light. It's currently at home on the charger, but will try the plug/unplug method when I get home. I'll let ya know if this is the case. Thanks!

[carlee1995]

Well I did it to myself, and discharged the battery completely and tried to recharge and nothing happened. I pushed and held down the start button and got the red light for a few seconds, and then the yellow/green light for a few seconds and then nothing.
I tried the unplug and plug in and hold button, but know I dont even get a red light. I get nothing, so now what do I do??? should I call RIM??? the number I got off the net was 519-888-7465 and if this is right will try in the morning to see if there is anyone to help me.
If someone in cyber space can give some advise I am listening. Please and Thanks

[curvezzz]

Mh sister had that problem the other day. She stack charged it which fixed it. She plugged it up 2 minutes unplugged it 2 minutes repeated it 6 times and was then able to boot. I read that if the PlayBook is totally dead that it will only take a charge the first min so the stack charging gives it just enough juice to boot and then charging resumes as usual.

[FF22]

Try any and all of the methods:

I was told about "stack" charging, 6 cycles of charge no charge, for 2 minutes each, charging for never more than 2 minutes.


Plug the PB in with the factory charging cable (red light comes on for a several seconds, then goes off). Wait about 10 more seconds. Unplug PB for about 30 seconds.

Repeat n times.

n == 6 for me. Finally my PB light switched to green, then began to oscillate, signalling charging. After a few more minutes my PB came back to life.

You might want to UNplug/Replug at the wall/socket end to avoid using or damaging the weaker usb port on the pb itself.


Just talked to tech support, because i'm impatient sometimes. Here is the initial process they gave me to try.

Plug in the charger for 2 mins, unplug for 10 sec -> Repeat 6 to 8 times

Then while unplugged perform the Hard reset (POWER, VOL + and - at the same time) . **When the red light comes on PLUG IN THE CHARGER**

The playbook is supposed to then start charging/boot.
...........................

Some have now found a shorter sequence works:

Oh man I fixed it. I stack charged it! But not for 2 minutes.

Every time my PB red signal goes off I removed the connection from the wall charger and placed it back within a second. I repeated it for almost 25-30 times and all in the sudden a big charger button showed up on the screen and a green light on the charging LED. I left th e power connection for 2 more hrs and started using it.
................
And another posting that might help....

There are a few solutions and some are mentioned above. SO try the things I am mentioning below.... Let me know if it works .

Problem Scenario: 1. Blackberry wont boot or turn on, on pressing the power button, the red light stays for a few seconds and does not turn on 2. Sometimes you will see the red light followed by a green/ yellow light that blinks 5 times and does not turn on.

Reason: The main reason why both of the above things happen is because the battery is completely drained out, you could call it " Flat out". The problem with playbook is that the playbook wont charge if the playbook is Flat out drained. whereas other tablets or cellphones does....Playbook has to fix that issue. Meanwhile we do have a solution to go around that problem and that requires some patience. Some of the solutions mentioned in the previous comments indicate to charge it via computer.... "It doesn`t work" not if the battery is drained out flat.... so dont even bother trying it if u see the above mentioned problem.

Solution: try this step by step and this are 3 different solutions so one of this would definitely work. 1. Press the Power button and you will see the Playbook Logo ( chances for this are low ) 2. Press the power button and the volume together, if there is 1 % charge left there is a chance that it would boot on, when you see the logo, immediately charge the playbook ( chances are medium ) 3. This solution requires patience. plug the charger into the socket and plug the USB into the playbook, the red light stays for 8-10 secs. Remove the USb from the playbook wait for 2 to 5 sec and replug the usb back to the charger and wait till that red light comes and goes again. repeat this step atleast 20-30 times. you might be asking why? the only power that the playbook gets is when that red light is on when plugging the usb into the playbook, once that light goes the playbook is not charging.. so what you are doing here is forcing the playbook to get charged for 8 sec every time u plug it to the playbook....this way the playbook gets that power needed to boot. Once the Playbook has that power to boot. The red light stays and changes to green but this time it blinks slowly and keeps blinking. you would also see the playbook logo return.... this green light keeps blinking until there is enough charge for the playbook to stand on its own and then changes to a solid red until it gets fully charged.

Knowledge Base Article

KB27705-BlackBerry PlayBook Power - Battery charge and discharge characteristics

[carlee1995]

Well tried your solution of plug in for 2 mins. unplug for 10secs and did this for 8 times, and then held down the on/off button as well as the volume +- buttons together for 30 secs and nothing...so now what would you suggest I try..??? Help

[Gooseberry Falls]

I'd say check to see if your charger is OK (they have been known to fail and might be the root cause of your problem; you should use the one for the PB and not one for another device). Then look at the USB fitting to make sure it is not damaged. If you can get ahold of a rapid charger that will use the magnetic port not the USB. Then you would probably have to call RIM.

[Habubla]

Man... I have tried everything, even stack charging... well not a lot, but can stack charging for 30 mins help? PLEASE HELP ME!!! I'm worried that my PlayBook won't start up and I think my warranty has expired... I also got the PlayBook for my birthday. So I don't want to
return it, It won't be nice...

[FF22]

Some folks have found it can take quite a while.

Some more methods and variations:

Okay, try any and all of the various methods, including just holding the power button in for 30-40 seconds. Also go into a dark closet and make sure the screen is really black/off and not a lit up gray.

I was told about "stack" charging, 6 cycles of charge no charge, for 2 minutes each, charging for never more than 2 minutes.


Plug the PB in with the factory charging cable (red light comes on for a several seconds, then goes off). Wait about 10 more seconds. Unplug PB for about 30 seconds.

Repeat n times.

n == 6 for me. Finally my PB light switched to green, then began to oscillate, signalling charging. After a few more minutes my PB came back to life.

You might want to UNplug/Replug at the wall/socket end to avoid using or damaging the weaker usb port on the pb itself.


Just talked to tech support, because i'm impatient sometimes. Here is the initial process they gave me to try.

Plug in the charger for 2 mins, unplug for 10 sec -> Repeat 6 to 8 times

Then while unplugged perform the Hard reset (POWER, VOL + and - at the same time) . **When the red light comes on PLUG IN THE CHARGER**

The playbook is supposed to then start charging/boot.
...........................
Along the same lines as just above, someone posted:

FOUND A QUICK FIX HOPE IT HELPS

WOW, i tried EVERY SINGLE Step out there and the one step that worked ... was HOLDING down the power key for 20 seconds, after 20 Seconds do not let go of the power button and plug in the wall charger, and then let go... should get a steady red light for about 10 seconds, then the battery icon with lightning bolt should appear.. the it will charge with just a flashing green..... lol wasted 4 hrs for nothing hope this works for everyone else

.................
Some have now found a shorter sequence works:

Oh man I fixed it. I stack charged it! But not for 2 minutes.

Every time my PB red signal goes off I removed the connection from the wall charger and placed it back within a second. I repeated it for almost 25-30 times and all in the sudden a big charger button showed up on the screen and a green light on the charging LED. I left th e power connection for 2 more hrs and started using it.
................
And another posting that might help....

There are a few solutions and some are mentioned above. SO try the things I am mentioning below.... Let me know if it works .

Problem Scenario: 1. Blackberry wont boot or turn on, on pressing the power button, the red light stays for a few seconds and does not turn on 2. Sometimes you will see the red light followed by a green/ yellow light that blinks 5 times and does not turn on.

Reason: The main reason why both of the above things happen is because the battery is completely drained out, you could call it " Flat out". The problem with playbook is that the playbook wont charge if the playbook is Flat out drained. whereas other tablets or cellphones does....Playbook has to fix that issue. Meanwhile we do have a solution to go around that problem and that requires some patience. Some of the solutions mentioned in the previous comments indicate to charge it via computer.... "It doesn`t work" not if the battery is drained out flat.... so dont even bother trying it if u see the above mentioned problem.

Solution: try this step by step and this are 3 different solutions so one of this would definitely work. 1. Press the Power button and you will see the Playbook Logo ( chances for this are low ) 2. Press the power button and the volume together, if there is 1 % charge left there is a chance that it would boot on, when you see the logo, immediately charge the playbook ( chances are medium ) 3. This solution requires patience. plug the charger into the socket and plug the USB into the playbook, the red light stays for 8-10 secs. Remove the USb from the playbook wait for 2 to 5 sec and replug the usb back to the charger and wait till that red light comes and goes again. repeat this step atleast 20-30 times. you might be asking why? the only power that the playbook gets is when that red light is on when plugging the usb into the playbook, once that light goes the playbook is not charging.. so what you are doing here is forcing the playbook to get charged for 8 sec every time u plug it to the playbook....this way the playbook gets that power needed to boot. Once the Playbook has that power to boot. The red light stays and changes to green but this time it blinks slowly and keeps blinking. you would also see the playbook logo return.... this green light keeps blinking until there is enough charge for the playbook to stand on its own and then changes to a solid red until it gets fully charged.

Knowledge Base Article

KB27705-BlackBerry PlayBook Power - Battery charge and discharge characteristics