Most Sony wireless speakers, including the XB41, offer portable operation via their lithium ion batteries. And when said battery dies, you can recharge the speaker with an AC or car adapter. Sometimes though, the Sony SRS XB41 is not charging fully, or at all, even though you make the proper connections. To solve that therefore, we’re here to help.
Sony SRS XB41 Not Charging: How to Tell This
Read the CHARGE Lamp
You can tell that the speaker is not charging by reading the orange battery status lamp on the back. Find it inside the port compartment. Now this light is normally dark. But it starts flashing orange during play, when the battery runs low.
But there’s a problem if this flashing keeps up, even when you attach the charger. Why? Because the lamp should change at this point though, to solid orange, when you apply charging power. When the light stops flashing, this means that the speaker is getting some energy from the adapter. But if the orange blinking continues, then correct recharging is likely not happening.
Moreover, this light shows battery charging status while recharging. So as long as charging continues, this lamp also keeps glowing solid orange. Then this light goes out when charging ends. But if it remains ON after six hours, then chances are, charging is not going well.
Feel the Heat
You can also feel the power supply’s side panel ten or fifteen minutes after connecting it to the 41. At that time, it should feel warm. But if you detect no warmth, then again, the Sony SRS XB41 is likely not charging.
Thus when the speaker is not recharging, determine what’s wrong and how to fix it. So in this post, we offer reasons why the Sony SRS XB41 speaker may not charge. Then we give possible solutions for each.
Sony SRS XB41 Not Charging, Reasons and Fixes
As we stated above, it’s normal that the CHARGE lamp pulses orange when the battery inside is almost dead. But again, the light should switch to a solid orange glow when you connect the charger.
Note that when the speaker is running, the Power light also blinks when the unit needs charging.
Or, once recharging finishes, the CHARGE light goes dark.
Now the light may not change to a steady orange when you plug the charger into the speaker. If not, then several things might cause this. We list these below thus.
1.The Power Outlet May Be Dead
The Problem
The adapter may not output any energy if it is not getting any to begin with. This can happen due to a defective circuit or tripped breaker. A blown fuse, faulty wiring, or general power failure can cause this as well.
The Fix
Check that your outlet has power by plugging in a lamp or other device. Then, reset circuit breakers if tripped. And if the outlet has a light switch that controls it, then flip that switch to ON. Or simply, try a different outlet.
2. The AC Adapter is Defective or Too Small
The Problem
The not charging problem can also happen if the adapter is providing SOME but not FULL amperage.
Now as adapters age, their output energy can fall over time. So this power supply might not deliver the correct amount if it is very old. So you may see the speaker’s status lamp turn solid orange, but never go dark.
Note that this speaker needs 1.5 amps at 5 volts (7.5 watts). This ensures fully charging in the specified time of 5 hours. Yet this will likely go slower if the charger does not meet these requirements.
The Fix
The solution is to replace the adapter, with preferably one that Sony supplies for this speaker. But to charge with USB, then the adapter should be able to deliver 5 volts at 2 amps (10 watts). Indeed many optional USB power supplies meet these requirements.
3. The Battery in the XB41 is Defective
The Problem
As lithium ion batteries age, they lose their ability to fully recharge. And the characteristics of the current they draw changes as well. Normally, as a battery recharges, it draws less current as it fills. But in the case of cells aging out, it may draw too many or too few amps. This can confuse the speaker’s charging circuits. So they might behave as though no charging is occurring. Therefore the CHARGE lamp shows that charging is not happening correctly. It does this by either never stopping its solid orange glow. Or it never turns ON when you connect the charger.
The Fix
To repair this, replace the battery. But realize that you can’t easily get the old one out of the 41. Indeed, changing the battery means that you must take the speaker apart, and this, rest assured, is an intricate project.
Also note that doing this likely breaks the moisture seal. So the SRS XB41 will no longer be safe to use, should you expose it to water afterwards.
Also, breaking this seal may alter the sound quality too. So get someone to replace the battery who knows how to pick the right replacement battery. 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 7.4 volts at 5.2 amp-hours, or 38.48 watt-hours. But we suggest using only Sony certified batteries for this speaker.
4. The Speaker Might be Defective when the Sony SRS XB41 Is Not Charging
The Problem
Even if you have the proper power supply, the current reaching the battery may be too high or low. This can happen when the battery management circuits inside go amiss. Note that these systems read the battery status. Then they switch off the charging current when they detect a full battery.
But when they go bonkers, the battery might see no power at all though the power supply itself is okay. Thus, the speaker never charges. Again, in this case, the Power lamp might never stop blinking, even with the charger connected. The speaker may also not play as long before going dead. Or it might not play at all, even with the charger present.
The Fix
The best answer here, is simply to get a new SRS XB41 speaker. Why? Because the electronics in this unit are quite small. So unless you can replace the circuit board(s) yourself, your best bet is to just buy another speaker.