Right front view of Sony SRS XB32 speaker.

Sony XB32 Not Charging

Most Sony Bluetooth speakers, including the XB32, offer completely portable operation via their lithium ion batteries built in. And when said battery depletes, you can recharge the unit with an AC or car adapter. Sometimes though, you may notice that the Sony XB32 is not charging fully, or at all, even when you connect the adapter to power, and then to the speaker.  To solve that, we’re here to help.

Sony XB32 Not Charging: How to Tell This

Read the Charge Status Lamp

Among the ways you can tell that the XB 32 is not charging, is by reading the orange battery status lamp on the back of the speaker, inside the port compartment.  Now this light is normally dark, but starts flashing orange during play, when the battery is running low. The status lamp on the top of the XB32 also starts blinking when battery is low.

But there’s an issue 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 blinking, then the speaker is getting some power from the adapter. But if the orange flashing continues, then correct recharging is likely not happening.

Moreover, the CHARGE light shows battery charging status while recharging.  I.e. As long as charging progresses, this lamp also continues glowing solid orange.  And this light goes out when charging ends.  But if that lamp keeps glowing after several hours of recharging, then chances are, charging is not working to full degree.

Feel the Heat

You can also feel the power supply’s side panel ten or fifteen minutes after connecting it to the 32.  At that time, it should feel warm. But if you detect no warmth, then again, the Sony XB32 is likely not charging.

Thus when you notice that the speaker is not recharging, even though it should be, you’ll want to determine what’s wrong and how to fix this problem.  So in this post, we offer reasons why the Sony XB32 may not charge when connected to power.  Then we give possible fixes for this seen-often problem.





 Sony XB32 Not Charging, Reasons and Fixes

As we stated above, it’s normal that the CHARGE lamp pulses orange when the battery inside is about dead.  But again, the light should switch to a solid orange glow when you connect the speaker to the charger, and the charger to a power outlet, and battery recharging begins.

Picture of the -CHARGE- lamp glowing orange on the Sony XB32.
The Sony XB32 -CHARGE- light glowing orange.

Note that when the speaker is running, the Power button also blinks when the unit needs charging.

Picture of the Sony XB32 -Power- button.
Sony XB32 -Power- button.

Or, once recharging finishes, that light goes dark. See this in the next picture.

Picture of the dark CHARGE lamp on the Sony XB32.
The Sony XB32 with a dark -CHARGE- light.

If the light does not change to a continuous orange glow when you plug the charger into the speaker, then several situations may cause this. We list these below thus.

1.The Power Outlet May Not Have Voltage

The Problem

The AC or car adapter you have for your SRS XB32 may not output any energy because it is not receiving any to begin with. This can happen due to a defective circuit, tripped breaker, blown fuse, faulty wiring, power failure, and similar gotchas.

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 be certain that that switch is in the ON position.  Or, simply try a different outlet.

2. The AC Adapter is Broken or Too Small

The Problem

The Sony XB32 not charging can also happen because the adapter is outputting SOME but not FULL amperage to quickly charge the speaker, even though its getting the correct power input from the outlet.

Note that as these adapters age, their output energy can fall over the years. So this power supply might not deliver the correct amount if it is too old.   So you may see the speaker’s CHARGE lamp glow solid orange, but never go dark.

Please note that this speaker needs 1.5 amps at 5 volts (7.5 watts) from the adapter to fully recharge in the specified time of 5 hours.  Yet charging will likely not go as fast as we hope if the charger does not deliver on these requirements.

The Fix

The solution is to replace the adapter, preferably one that has a USB-A port and delivers the maximum 5 volts at 2 amps (10 watts) for consistently fastest charging. Many commonly available USB power supplies meet these specs.





3. The Battery in the XB32 Speaker is Defective

The Problem

As lithium ion batteries age, they lose their ability to accept a full charge, and the characteristics of the charging current they draw, changes as they get older.  Normally, as a battery recharges, it draws less and less current from the charger as it fills. But in the case of aging cells, it may draw too many or too few amps, thus confusing the speaker’s charging circuits into behaving like no charging is going on.  So the CHARGE lamp shows that charging is not happening correctly. It does this by either never stopping its solid orange glow, or never turning on when you connect the charger in the first place.

The Fix

To repair this, replace the battery. But realize that you can’t easily get the old one out of the 32. Indeed, changing the battery means that you must take the speaker apart, and this, be advised, is intricate work.

Also note that doing this likely breaks the moisture seal.  So the SRS XB32 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. 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 2.7 amp-hours, or 20 watt-hours. But we suggest using only Sony certified batteries for this speaker.

4. The Speaker Might be Defective when the Sony XB32 Is Not Charging

The Problem

Even if you have the proper power supply, with a working battery in the speaker, the charge current that actually gets to the battery may be too far outside of nominal.  This can happen when the battery management circuits inside the XB 22 acquire problems.  Note that these systems read the battery status, and switch off the charging current when they deem the battery full.

But when they break, 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. You may also see that the speaker doesn’t play as long before going dead, if at all, until you connect the charger. Or it might not play at all, even with the charger connected.

The Fix

The best answer here, is simply to get a new SRS XB32.  Why?  Because the parts in this unit are quite small.  So unless you can replace the circuit board(s) yourself, or know someone who will do it, just buy another speaker to save a bunch of mental tension.

Related Posts to Sony XB32 Not Charging

    1. Sony XB01 Not Charging
    2. Sony SRS XB30 Not Charging
    3. Sony XB20 Not Charging
    4. Sony XB22 Not Charging
    5. Sony XB33 Not Charging

Other Sony XB32 Posts

    1. How to Pair Sony XB32
    2. Sony XB32 Power Button Not Working
    3. How to Pair Sony XB32 to iPhone
    4. Sony XB32 Charger Type
    5. Sony XB32 Specifications

References

    1. Official Sony XB32 Support Page
    2. Where to Buy the Sony XB32

Revision History

    • 2023-03-25: First published.