Q5W turns off when ac is plugged in

maro · 09-13-2011, 12:41

Hi there,
my three year old q5 begins troubling me. Last week the player crashes when playing audio. i couldn´t turn it off so i pushed the Reset-Button.
After that it was dead, it didn´t start (no led indicator). Also when it was plugged in to ac, still no red led, no reaction at all.
i thought my player is dead

But a few days later i tried my luck...suddenly it turned on showing me "low battery" so i tried to charge it, led indicator turned red and after 6 hours it turned green. Player worked normally again, battery was fully charged, but only worked for 2 hours playing music.

Now my problem:
The player doesn´t work when ac is plugged in. When i want to start the player, the display and the led indicator turns off immediately.
The Player is not off, i hear the hd spinning. To turn it off i must hit the reset button. On battery-mode the player works but playtime is really short compared to charge-time!

What is the problem?
If it is the battery or the charger i will replace it, but i am not willing to pay for the stuff if it is another (hardware)-problem.

Is anybody out there who can help me?

maro · 09-15-2011, 17:32

Yesterday i opened the player to check if it is the connection problem with processor plate, which Triplekill posted in his Q5 FAQ, but that isn´t the problem. i also disconnected the battery and plugged it into ac, led indicator switches between red and green (sign that there is no battery i think) and tried to turn it on, but still the same s**t:
led and display turns off while the player is still on.

Either my ac-adaptor is garbage or i have a serious hardware-problem.
Where can i get an replacement ac charger?
I live in Germany and nobody is selling the right one. amazon.com has the original one for only 6 bucks, but they won´t deliver it internationally.

TripleKill · 10-14-2011, 23:16

Is it possible for you to measure adapter's output voltage?
You can also try checking if adapter's wires are intact (maybe one of them is wiped out).
If that's the case, then you can just replace the connector: cut wires above the wipe-out place and solder them to new connector observing polarity (!).
Next thing you can do is to examine Q5W's insides. There is a charge controller on the main board (on screen side), and you can check if it heats too high, or if there are some broken components on the board. Here's photo of the main board: http://cowon.at.ua/_ph/2/511226335.jpg, charge controller is marked "AABF" near the bottom.
By the way I should notice that getting that board out is tricky. You should dismount wi-fi antenna to do that. Also the board is fixed by some ledges of the case, I used screwdriver to leverage it.

maro · 05-31-2012, 01:02

It´s a long time ago that thread was active, but first of all i want to thank Triplekill!!
You were right it was the charge controller IC. After the Player layed a couple of months in my desk, i finally sent it to Cowon-Service in Germany. They replaced the broken IC and gave me a new AC-Adaptor.
Now the Player works great again. Maybe i will change the battery to a new a2/a3 battery with 4200mAh. Anyone knows how lifetime would be with the smaller capacity?

09-13-2011, 12:41	#1
maro Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 8	Q5W turns off when ac is plugged in Hi there, my three year old q5 begins troubling me. Last week the player crashes when playing audio. i couldn´t turn it off so i pushed the Reset-Button. After that it was dead, it didn´t start (no led indicator). Also when it was plugged in to ac, still no red led, no reaction at all. i thought my player is dead But a few days later i tried my luck...suddenly it turned on showing me "low battery" so i tried to charge it, led indicator turned red and after 6 hours it turned green. Player worked normally again, battery was fully charged, but only worked for 2 hours playing music. Now my problem: The player doesn´t work when ac is plugged in. When i want to start the player, the display and the led indicator turns off immediately. The Player is not off, i hear the hd spinning. To turn it off i must hit the reset button. On battery-mode the player works but playtime is really short compared to charge-time! What is the problem? If it is the battery or the charger i will replace it, but i am not willing to pay for the stuff if it is another (hardware)-problem. Is anybody out there who can help me?

10-14-2011, 23:16	#3
TripleKill Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Russia Posts: 18	Is it possible for you to measure adapter's output voltage? You can also try checking if adapter's wires are intact (maybe one of them is wiped out). If that's the case, then you can just replace the connector: cut wires above the wipe-out place and solder them to new connector observing polarity (!). Next thing you can do is to examine Q5W's insides. There is a charge controller on the main board (on screen side), and you can check if it heats too high, or if there are some broken components on the board. Here's photo of the main board: http://cowon.at.ua/_ph/2/511226335.jpg, charge controller is marked "AABF" near the bottom. By the way I should notice that getting that board out is tricky. You should dismount wi-fi antenna to do that. Also the board is fixed by some ledges of the case, I used screwdriver to leverage it. Last edited by TripleKill; 10-15-2011 at 06:21..

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09-15-2011, 17:32	#2
maro Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 8	Yesterday i opened the player to check if it is the connection problem with processor plate, which Triplekill posted in his Q5 FAQ, but that isn´t the problem. i also disconnected the battery and plugged it into ac, led indicator switches between red and green (sign that there is no battery i think) and tried to turn it on, but still the same s**t: led and display turns off while the player is still on. Either my ac-adaptor is garbage or i have a serious hardware-problem. Where can i get an replacement ac charger? I live in Germany and nobody is selling the right one. amazon.com has the original one for only 6 bucks, but they won´t deliver it internationally.

05-31-2012, 01:02	#4
maro Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 8	It´s a long time ago that thread was active, but first of all i want to thank Triplekill!! You were right it was the charge controller IC. After the Player layed a couple of months in my desk, i finally sent it to Cowon-Service in Germany. They replaced the broken IC and gave me a new AC-Adaptor. Now the Player works great again. Maybe i will change the battery to a new a2/a3 battery with 4200mAh. Anyone knows how lifetime would be with the smaller capacity?