Dell G15 5520 abrupt shutdown on heavy load when unplugging or plugging in most likely power switch failure
Report from AI
Here is a detailed, chronological report summarizing the issues you've experienced with your Dell G15 5520. You can use this document to explain the problem to a repair technician or keep it for your own records.
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Technical Incident Report: Dell G15 5520 Power Management Failure
Laptop Model: Dell G15 5520
Approximate Age: 4 years (in use since 2022)
Report Date: [Current date]
- Initial Symptoms (Battery & Charging Anomalies)
· The original battery showed 0% charge while Windows reported it was charging, but the charge level did not increase.
· In Dell Power Manager and Alienware Command Center (ARC), the battery appeared to charge at an extremely low rate (≈6W) with an estimated time to full of 8 hours.
· After disconnecting the AC adapter while gaming, the laptop would shut down instantly.
· The battery percentage would sometimes jump from a low value (e.g., 1%) to 100% after a short period, indicating a Battery Management System (BMS) calibration error.
- Diagnostic Findings
· A Windows battery report (powercfg /batteryreport) revealed the original battery had degraded to ~58% of its design capacity (design: 84,292 mWh, full charge: 48,541 mWh).
· Dell Diagnostics (ePSA) initially passed most tests, but later a diagnostic blink code appeared: 1 Amber, 6 White flashes.
This code officially indicates an Embedded Controller (EC) failure.
· The laptop displayed a red cross on the battery icon in Windows and an estimated time of less than one minute when plugged in, followed by immediate shutdown.
· The issue was intermittent: after a full shutdown and long charge (e.g., overnight), the laptop would temporarily work normally, but the problem would return.
- Replacement of Battery
· A new, genuine Dell battery was installed.
· After the new battery the laptop appeared to work correctly for a short period.
· However, the intermittent shutdowns and charging problems returned, confirming the root cause was not the battery alone.
- Current Behaviour (Escalation)
· The laptop now shuts down immediately when unplugging the AC adapter while gaming (under high CPU/GPU load). It works fine when running on battery only or AC only, but cannot switch between them while active.
· The laptop shuts down when trying to enter Sleep mode (S3 sleep state). this is a regular problem
· one time the battery stopped charging while Windows was running. A full shutdown and reconnecting the charger (while off) restores charging.
· The problem occurs even with a known-good AC adapter (240W original Dell) and with the laptop plugged directly into a wall socket (bypassing any extension or multi‑port adapter).
· The system is otherwise stable for non‑gaming tasks when kept on a single power source.
- Tests Performed
Test Result
EC reset (on charging for the full night )Temporary fix (about 2-3 days)
Leaving laptop shut down and charging overnight Temporary recovery of normal behaviour
Booting on battery only → works; plugging in AC while gaming → shutdown Problem isolated to AC‑to‑battery switching under load
Using direct wall socket vs. extension board No difference; problem persists
Checking AC adapter recognition in BIOS Intermittently shows "Unknown" or correct wattage (180W/240W)
Running ePSA diagnostics Passes basic tests, but blink code 1,6 appears intermittently
- Suspected Root Cause
Based on the blink code (1 Amber, 6 White) and the escalating symptoms, the most likely failure is a faulty Embedded Controller (EC) chip on the motherboard. The EC is responsible for:
· Detecting AC adapter connection/disconnection.
· Switching the power source between AC and battery.
· Managing battery charging.
· Handling sleep/wake transitions.
The failing EC may have also stressed or damaged the power switching MOSFETs in the power delivery circuit, explaining why the shutdowns occur under high load (gaming). The behaviour is intermittent because the EC is not completely dead – it recovers temporarily after a long power‑off period.
- Requested Repair Action
I am seeking a component‑level (chip‑level) motherboard repair that includes:
Replacement of the Embedded Controller (EC) chip (part number depends on motherboard revision – technician to identify).
Inspection and possible replacement of power switching MOSFETs (usually located near the charging IC, e.g., BQ24780S or similar).
(Optional) Repaste of CPU and GPU while the motherboard is disassembled.
The laptop should be tested after repair for the following:
· No shutdown when unplugging AC adapter during gaming.
· Reliable charging in Windows.
· Proper Sleep / wake functionality.
- Additional Notes
· The SSD has been removed and kept by the user for data security.
· The laptop is otherwise in good physical condition, regularly cleaned, and has never been liquid‑damaged.
· Ambient temperatures in the user’s region are high (30–33°C), but the issue is not purely thermal – it is a power switching failure.
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End of report.
You can print this or show it to a repair technician. It summarises the entire history and should help them focus on the EC and MOSFETs. Good luck with the repair – your laptop is repairable.