The Charge 5 speaker has a red light that glows or blinks when its battery is almost dead. Now we find this lamp in the battery level bar on the front of the speaker. But sometimes though, this light stays red or flashes for longer than normal periods. E.g. It starts blinking during play and does not stop, even when you connect a charger. This may indicate that the speaker is not charging properly. So in this post, we offer reasons that this might occur. Then we give some fixes to get the battery charging the right way again.
Why JBL Charge 4 Red Light Stays On
It’s normal that the battery gauge displays a blinking red light near the bottom of the battery status bar. This routinely happens when the battery is quite low. But this red light should go out when you connect the charger.
Normally though, this gauge bar only shows white. The amount of this bar that glows tells you how full the battery is. It can appear as follows.
Or, once recharging completes, the entire battery level bar goes dark if the speaker is OFF at that time.
Now the red part might not change to white when you connect the charger. If not, then several things might cause this. And we list these below thus.
1.The Power Outlet May Not Be Live
The Problem
The power adapter for the JBL Charge 5 may not deliver any “juice” at all. Why? Because it is not receiving any to begin with. This can happen due to a defective AC or car circuit or tripped circuit breaker. A blown fuse, faulty wiring, or general power failure, might cause this too.
The Fix
Check that your outlet has power by testing it by plugging in a lamp or other device. Reset circuit breakers if tripped. And if the outlet has a light switch that controls it, then be sure that that switch is ON.
2. Power Supply is Not Working Well
The Problem
The red light stays on or continues blinking perhaps, because the adapter you’re using provides SOME but not ENOUGH current. Its output current can fall over time. So it might not deliver the correct amount presently. But note that this speaker needs 3 amps at 5 volts (15 watts). Otherwise it will not fully recharge in the 4 hours spec time.
The Fix
The solution is to replace the adapter, preferably with a higher output model. We recommend chargers from Key Power, Belkin, and Anker. These can deliver at least 15 watts of USB-C power.
3. The USB-C Charging Cable is Too Long, Too Thin, or is Defective
The Problem
The USB-C cord can limit the charging current too much, even if your power supply is working well. This might happen with very long or thin cables.
The Fix
To solve this, use as short a cord as practical. Or, upgrade to a thicker, higher current handling cable. Keep cable lengths to six feet or less, and use one certified to carry at least 3 amps. We further suggest using a USB-C to USB-C cable, instead of a USB-C to USB-A one. These older standard cables limit the charge current to well under 3.0 amps. Finally you’ll need a charger with a USB-C port for the USB-C cable to fit.
4. The Battery in the Charge 5 is Bad
The Problem
As lithium ion batteries age, they lose their ability to fully recharge. And the characteristics of the current they draw can lessen over time. Normally, as a battery recharges, it draws less charging current. But when the battery fails, the cells may draw too little charging amperage. This can thus confuse the charging circuits. So they may react as though no charging is occurring. So, the red lamp stays ON for extra long periods.
The Fix
To fix this, replace the battery. But keep in mind that you can’t easily get to it in the JBL Charge 5. Indeed, changing the battery means that you must take apart the speaker.
But note that doing this likely breaks the moisture seal. Thus this seal will not longer protect the speaker, should you get water on it.
Furthermore, breaking this seal may also change the sound quality too. So get someone to replace the battery battery who knows how to pick the right replacement. They should also be able to restore the seal to as it was, as they reassemble the speaker. A good battery should fit well inside and provide 3.6 volts and at least 7,500 mAh (27 watt-hours). But we suggest using only JBL certified battery assemblies for this speaker.
5. The Speaker Could be Defective when the JBL Charge 5 Red Light Stays On
The Problem
Now you have enough power supply. Yet the charging current that actually reaches the battery may be too low or high. This can happen when the battery management circuits inside the Charge 5 fail. Note that these systems read the battery status. Then they shut off the charging current when the battery becomes full.
But when they fail, the battery might get no power at all. Thus, it never recharges. Again, in this case, the red light might never turn off even with the charger connected. You may also see that the speaker doesn’t play as long before going dead. Or it might not play at all, except when you’re charging it.
The Fix
The best solution here, given the relatively low cost of this speaker, is simply to buy a new one. Why? Because the circuits in this model are quite small. So unless you can swap out the system board(s) yourself, your best bet is to just buy another speaker.