Most JBL Bluetooth speakers, including the Xtreme 3, offer truly wireless operation via an internal battery. And when that battery dies, you can recharge them via an AC or car adapter. To enable recharging this speaker, the Xtreme 3 comes with a 20 volt AC power adapter. Sometimes though, you may notice that the JBL Xtreme 3 is not charging fully. For this problem, we’re here to help.
How to Tell that the JBL Xtreme 3 is Not Charging
You can tell that the speaker is not charging by reading the battery gauge on the front. Now this meter starts blinking red near its bottom during play. This lets you know that the battery is running very low. Furthermore, this pulsing does not stop, even when you connect the charger. But the gauge should change at this point to blinking white. When this occurs, it means that the speaker is getting some power from the adapter. But if it continues red, then recharging is not happening.
You can also feel the adapter’s side panel ten or fifteen minutes into the charge cycle. It should be slightly warm to the touch. Note too that the speaker itself warms slightly as well during correctly charging operation. But if you sense no warmth, then again, the JBL Xtreme 3 is not charging.
Furthermore, the battery gauge normally shows battery recharging progress. I.e. as the unit recharges, more and more of the lamps light up white. If you don’t see more lights coming on after two hours, then charging is likely not working.
Thus when you notice that the speaker is not recharging, find out what’s wrong and how to fix the situation. So in this post, we offer reasons why the speaker may not charge. Then we give possible fixes.
JBL Xtreme 3 Not Charging: Reasons and Fixes
As we stated earlier, it’s normal that the battery status gauge pulses red when the battery inside is about dead. But this meter should switch to a flashing white light when you connect charger.
Normally though, this meter only displays white light. The amount of the meter bar glowing tells you how full the battery is. It can look as follows.
Or, if the speaker is OFF when charging completes, then all lights in this gauge go dark.
Now the gauge may not change to white when you connect the charger. If not, then several things might cause this. We list these below thus.
1.The Power Outlet May Not Be ON
The Problem
The AC adapter for the JBL Xtreme 3 may not output any power at all. Why not? Because perhaps it is not getting any to begin with. This can happen due to a defective AC or car circuit or a tripped breaker. A blown fuse, faulty wiring, or power failure, might also be to blame.
The Fix
Check that your receptacle has power by plugging in a lamp or other device. Reset circuit breakers. And if the outlet has a light switch that controls it, then be sure that that switch is ON.
2. The AC Adapter is Defective
The Problem
The JBL Xtreme 3 not charging can also happen because the adapter provides SOME but not FULL charging current. Now as the unit ages, its output energy can fall over time. So this power supply might not deliver the correct amount. Thus you may see the gauge turn to a blinking white light. But it does not gradually move toward full charge. Or, it may advance, but more slowly than normal. Note that this speaker needs 3 amps at 20 volts to fully recharge in the spec time of 4 hours. However charging will likely not work as we expect if the charger does not deliver this.
The Fix
Replace the adapter. Get one that has a USB-C plug and delivers the maximum 20 volts at 3 amps (60 watts). We advise that you order this directly from JBL to maintain fastest yet safest charging.
3. The Battery in the Xtreme 3 is Faulty
The Problem
As lithium ion batteries age, they lose their ability to fully charge. Plus, the characteristics of the charging current they draw changes with increasing age. Normally these batteries draw less current as they fills. But when cells fail, it may draw too many or too few amps. So this can confuse the charging circuits. Therefore they might act as though no charging is occurring. Thus the gauge reflects that by remaining red.
The Fix
To address this, replace the battery. But keep in mind that you can’t easily get the old one out of the JBL Xtreme 3. Indeed, changing the battery means that you must take the speaker apart, and this is delicate work.
Also note that doing this likely breaks the water resistant seal. So the speaker will no longer be safe to use, should you expose it to water.
Breaking this seal may alter the sound quality as well. So get someone to replace the 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 the speaker and provide 7.26 volts and at least 5,000 mAh (36.3 watt-hours). But we suggest using only JBL certified batteries for this speaker.
4. The Speaker Might be Defective when the JBL Xtreme 3 Does Not Charge
The Problem
Now you may indeed have the proper power supply. Yet the current that actually reaches the battery may be too low or too high. This can happen when the battery management circuits become defective. Note that these systems read the battery status, and shut off the current when they see a full battery.
But when they break, the battery might see no power at all. Thus, it never charges. Again, in this case, the battery gauge might never stop flashing, even with the charger connected. You may also see that the speaker doesn’t play as long before dying. Or it might not play at all.
The Fix
The best answer here, is simply to get a new JBL Xtreme 3. Why? Because the electronics in this unit are quite small. So unless you replace the system board(s) yourself, just buy another speaker to save a bunch of aggravation.