JBL Boombox 1 Not Charging Problem

JBL Boombox back view, showing the charger cord connected to the DC input port on this speaker.

Most JBL wireless speakers, including the Boombox 1, offer portable operation via a hefty internal battery. And when that battery goes dead, you can recharge the speaker via an AC or car adapter. For recharging this speaker, this speaker comes with a 20 volt AC power adapter. Sometimes though, you may notice that the JBL Boombox 1 is not charging fully, or at all, even when you connect the adapter to power, and then to the speaker. To address this issue, we have information here to help.

How to Tell that the JBL Boombox 1 is Not Charging

You can tell that this speaker is likely not charging, among other ways, is by reading the battery status gauge on the front lower portion of the unit, beneath the JBL logo. Note that this meter starts blinking red during play, to let you know that the battery is running quite on power. And the flashing does not stop, even when you plug in the charger. It should change at this point though, to blinking white, which indicates that the speaker is getting some power from the supply. But if it continues red, then recharging is not occurring.

You can also feel the AC adapter’s side panel ten or fifteen minutes into the charge cycle. The speaker itself heats slightly as well during correctly charging operation. But if you feel no warmth, then again, your JBL Boombox 1 is not charging.

Then too, the battery meter normally shows recharging progress. I.e. as the speaker recharges, more and more of the lamps light up white. But if you don’t see more lights pop on after a couple hours while recharging, then chances are, the recharging process is failing.

Thus when you notice that the Boombox 1 is not charging, even though it should be, you’ll want to find out what’s wrong and how to resolve the situation.

JBL Boombox 1 Not Charging, Reasons and Fixes

As we mentioned above, it’s normal that the charge level gauge blinks red when the battery is about dead. But this meter should turn to a flashing white when you attach the speaker to the charger, and the charger to a suitable power outlet, and battery recharging begins.

The red light glowing on the JBL Boombox 1 battery gauge.

Normally though, this meter only displays white lights. The number of these lamps glowing tells you how full the battery is. It can appear as follows.

Front view of the speaker, showing the battery level gauge, which is reading full charge in this picture.

Or, if the Boombox 1 is OFF when charging starts, and you don’t turn it ON during charging, then once recharging wraps up, all lights in this gauge go dark. See this in the next picture.

Front of the speaker, showing the all-dark battery level gauge.

Now if the gauge does not change to white when you plug the charger into the speaker, then several things might cause this. We list these below thus.

1.The Power Outlet May Be Dead

The Problem

The speaker’s AC or car adapter may not output any power because it is not receiving any to begin with. This can happen due to a defective AC or car circuit, tripped breaker, blown fuse, faulty wiring, power failure, and the like.

The Fix

Check that your receptacle has voltage by plugging in a lamp or other device. Set circuit breakers back to ON if tripped, and if the outlet has a light switch that controls it, then be sure that that switch is also in the ON position.

2. The Adapter is Broken

The Problem

The not-charging problem can also occur because the adapter is providing SOME but not FULL charging current to completely recharge the speaker, even though its getting the correct power input. Now as the unit ages, its output energy can shrink over time. So the adapter might not deliver the correct amount presently.

When this happens, you may see the gauge turn to a flashing white, but not gradually advance toward full charge. Or it may advance, but do so more slowly than usual. Please note that this speaker needs 4 amps at 20 volts from the adapter to fully recharge in the specified time of roughly 6 hours. But charging speed may not go as fast as we expect if the charger does not deliver on these requirements.

JBL Boombox 1 charger and AC cord, top view.

The Fix

The solution is to replace the power adapter, preferably one that delivers the 20 volts at 4 amps (80 watts). We advise that you order a replacement directly from JBL for the safest yet quickest recharging.

3. The Battery in the Boombox 1 is Faulty

The Problem

As lithium ion batteries age, they lose their ability to fully charge, and the characteristics of the charging current they draw changes as they grow old. Normally, as a battery recharges, it draws less and less current as it fills. But in the case of cell aging failure, it may draw too many or too few amps, thus confusing the charging circuits into behaving like no charging is occurring. So the gauge shows that charging is not happening.

The Fix

To address this, replace the battery. But keep in mind that you can’t easily get the old one out of the Boombox. Indeed, changing the battery means that you must take the speaker apart, and this is a delicate procedure.

Also note that doing this likely breaks the water resistant seal. So the speaker may no longer be safe to use, should you expose it to water.

Breaking this seal may well change the sound quality too. So get someone to change the old battery who knows how to pick the right replacement. They should also have the skills and supplies to restore the seal to as it was, as they reassemble the speaker. A good battery should fit well inside and provide 74 watt-hours. But we suggest using only JBL certified batteries for this speaker.

4. The Unit Might be Defective when the JBL Boombox 1 Does Not Charge

The Problem

Even if you have the proper power supply, with a working speaker battery, the charging current that actually gets to the cells may be too low or too high. This can happen when the battery management circuits in the Boombox 1 break down. Note that these systems are responsible for reading the battery status. Plus, they shut down the charging current when they deem the battery full.

But when they fail, the battery might get no power at all. Thus, it never recharges. Again, in this case, the battery gauge might never stop flashing, even with the charger attached. You may also see that the speaker doesn’t last as long per charge before going dead, if it lasts at all, until you connect the charger. Or it might not play any amount of time from the battery.

The Fix

The best answer here, is simply to get a new Boombox 1. Why? Because the electronic parts in this model are quite small. So unless you can confidently replace the system board(s) yourself, or know someone who will do it for you, just buy another speaker to save a bunch of aggravation.