Many JBL speakers, including the Go 3, sport a status light that shines red while charging / recharging these speakers. Sometimes though, this light stays on. E.g. It does not turn off once charging completes. Further, this concerns many JBL Go 3 owners, as they wonder if there’s something wrong with their speaker and wish to resolve the issue. So in this post, we offer reasons that this occurs and possible fixes for this common problem.
Why JBL Go 3 Red Light Stays On: Reasons and Fixes
It’s normal that this red light glows while the charging cable is connected to the Go 3 for up to a few hours, until the battery fully charges. Then, when all is well, this light should turn white if the speaker is powered ON, as shown next.
Or, the light should turn off when recharging is finished, and the speaker is powered OFF, as shown next.
If the red lamp does not change to white or go dark, this might have several causes.
1.The Power Outlet May Not Have Power
The Problem
The AC or car adapter for the JBL Go 3 may not deliver any power because it is not receiving any to begin with. This can happen due to a defective AC or car circuit, tripped circuit breaker, blown fuse, faulty wiring, power failure, and the like.
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 in the ON position.
2. Power Supply is Too Weak or Broken
The JBL Go 3 red light stays on, maybe because the power adapter you’re using provides SOME but not ENOUGH current. Or, it did at one time work well. But recently, its output power has decreased due to aging internal parts. The speaker needs at least 1.0 amps of charging current at 5 volts (5 watts) from the supply to fully recharge in the specified time of 2.5 hours.
The fix is to replace the power adapter, preferably with a beefier, higher output model. For best results, use an adapter with a USB-C output port.
3. The USB-C Charging Cord is Too Long, Thin, or is Defective
The cable can reduce the charging current, even if your power supply is working well. This might occurwith extra long, thin, or defective cables.
To solve this issue, use as short a cord as is practical. Or, switch to a thicker, higher current cable. We suggest keeping cord lengths to six feet or less, and to choose a lead that is certified to carry at least 1.0 amps. When in doubt, use a new cord.
4. The Battery Needs Replaced
As lithium ion batteries age, they lose their ability to fully charge, and the characteristics of the charging current they draw changes as well. Normally, as a battery charges, it draws less and less current as the recharging progresses. We believe that the speaker monitors this, and when the charge current falls to a value that it sees as the battery being full, then it shuts off the red light and also the charging current. But a faulty battery may not behave this way, and continue consuming higher power, even when it reaches full charge. So in this case, the current never falls to the fully charged value, and so the red lamp never turns off. Instead, it stays on as the system continues pumping more charge into the broken battery.
To fix this, replace the battery. Now you can’t easily get to it in the JBL Go 3. So you disassemble the speaker. Note that taking apart the unit will likely break the waterproof seal, which means that the unit will no longer resist damage should you dunk it.
Further, destroying this seal may also change how the unit sounds. So battery replacement should be done by someone who knows how to choose the right replacement battery. They must also be able to restore the seal as they reassemble the speaker. A good battery should fit inside and provide 3.7 volts and at least 730 mAh (2.775 watt-hours). But we suggest using only JBL certified replacement batteries for the Go 3.
5. The Speaker Might be Defective when the JBL Go 3 Red Light Stays On
Even if you have a strong enough power supply and cable with a working battery, the charging current that actually reaches the battery may be too low or too high. The can happen when the battery management system inside degrades. Now these circuits watch the battery, regulate the amount of charge, and shut off the charging current when they see that the speaker is fully recharged.
But when these systems fail, the battery might get no charging current at all, and thus never recharge. Again, in this case, the red light might never turn off while the charger is connected. You would also notice that the speaker doesn’t play as long before going dead. Or it might not play at all except when you’re recharging it.
The best answer here, given the low cost of the JBL Go 3, is to just buy a new speaker. The micro circuits in this model are too small for human hands to work with. So unless you can replace the system board(s), just buy another speaker to avoid the time and headache of repairs.
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References for JBL Go 3 Red Light Stays On
Revision History
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- 2021-07-11: First posted.