Many Sony speakers, including this SRS XB13 Extra Bass model, have an orange charging light. labeled CHARGE, that glows while charging / recharging these tiny speakers. Sometimes though, this light stays on much longer than the time you need to fully recharge the speaker. E.g. It does not turn off once charging is complete. So this concerns some XB13 owners who see this problem. Thus in this piece, we give some reasons that this might occur as well as potential fixes for this common problem.
Sony SRS XB13 Charging Light Stays On: Reasons Why
It’s normal that this orange light glows at first when you connect the charging cable to the XB13 for up to five hours, until the battery completely recharges. Then, if all is well, this light should go out whether the speaker is powered ON or OFF.
If the orange CHARGE light does not go dark after several hours, then this might have several causes.
1. The Power Adapter is Defective or Too Weak to Do the Job
The Sony SRS XB13 charging light stays on, maybe because the recharging adapter you have provides SOME but NOT ENOUGH power. Or, perhaps it did at one time. But recently, its power output has fallen due to the aging components inside. This speaker needs at least 0.5 amps of charging current at 5 volts (2.5 watts) from the supply to fully recharge in the specified time of 4.5 hours.
The fix is to get a new power adapter, preferably with a beefier, higher output model.
2. The USB Charging Cable is Too Long, Thin, or is Defective
The USB cord can limit the charging current, even if your power adapter is working correctly. This might happen with extra long, thin, or broken cables.
To solve this, use as short a cord as you can. Or, upgrade to a thicker, higher current wire. We suggest keeping cable lengths to six feet or less, and to choose a cable that is certified to carry at least 1.0 amps. When in doubt, use a new cable.
3. The Battery Needs Replacement
As lithium ion batteries age, they lose their ability to fully charge, and the characteristics of the charging current they draw changes as they enter their “silver years.”
Normally, as a battery recharges, it draws less and less current as the charging progresses. It appears that the XB13 monitors this. So when this current falls to a value that it sees as the battery being full, then the speaker shuts off the charging lamp and also the current.
But a faulty battery may not act as expected. E.g. It might continue consuming higher power, no matter how full it is. So in this case, the current draw never falls to the fully charged value. Thus, the CHARGE lamp never turns off. Instead, it stays on as the system continues pumping more charge into the worn-out battery.
To fix this, replace the battery. Now you can’t easily get to it in the Sony SRS XB13. So you must take the speaker apart. Note though, that disassembling the unit will likely destroy its waterproof seal. So the speaker will no longer resist damage should you get it too wet. Furthermore, breaking this seal may also change how the unit sounds too.
Thus, only someone who knows how to choose the right battery as well as to install it and restore the seal should replace the battery for you. A good battery should fit well inside. Furthermore, to ensure that you get the right battery, we suggest using only Sony certified replacement batteries for the XB13.
4. The Speaker Might be Defective when the Sony SRS XB13 Charging Light Stays On
Even if you have a large enough power supply and cable with a working battery, the charging current that actually reaches the battery may be too little or too much. The can happen when the speaker’s battery management system breaks.
If this happens, the battery might get no charging current at all, and thus never recharge. Again, in this case, the CHARGE light might never turn off while the charger is connected. And you would also notice that the speaker doesn’t play as long before stopping. Or it might not play at all except when you’re recharging it.
Thus the best solution here, given the low cost of the XB13, is just to buy a new speaker. The miniaturized circuits in this model are indeed very small. So unless you can replace the system board(s), just buy another whole unit to avoid the time and headache of repairs.
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Revision History
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- 2021-09-08: First posted.