iPad's wont turn on

[ben_mayo]

Hi all,

 

Don't know whether this is the right place for iPad related stuff, if it isn't feel free to move it to the correct place.

 

The problem I am having is that (I'm new to the school I work at) and when I arrived at the start of this year there was an iPad in the ICT tray with no explanation on it. I charged it for a day as I thought a dead battery was at fault and I know how bad they are to get a charge from completely dead, this did nothing. Not even hard resetting it does anything it is completely unresponsive (it will charge and get warm but a PC won't detect its there)

 

NOW I thought this was just a one off case but yesterday another colleague said her iPad just went off on her at 60-70% charged (could be less they tend to lie or forget) and now this iPad is showing all the same symptoms and being completely unresponsive

 

I've tried all the regular fixes I've heard on, either tapping it on the back (as I know this fixes the same issue on iPhones due to some sensor.

 

I just thought I'd ask on here before I give up and get it replaced/repaired at a cost.

[hallb15]

Its more than likely that the battery is dead if its an older iPad. If you feel up to swapping it yourself, you can follow the guides here:

https://www.ifixit.com/Wiki/iPad_Troubleshooting

[ben_mayo]

Thanks for the quick reply.

 

The advice was for an older iPad but the ones we have here are iPad 4th generation and iPad mini (think its the Mini 2) the problem is only happening with the mini's and seems weird that the battery would suddenly just fail especially not being anywhere near dead.

 

I'd try and fix it myself but I think the newer ones aren't held in the same as the tutorial (think they are held in my adhesives instead, plus being a company item it is better to get it fixed by someone who has done it before.

 

Thanks though, I thought I'd just check here before I started sending it to get repaired.

[hallb15]

Yes, if newer iPads then its not likely to be the battery.

[bclarke]

It may not be the same issue, but I had reports of this from some users and also from the lab tech who looks after the science class sets.

 

I found with the class set ones as they are stored in a charging box they are put in power button down so you can plug the charging lead in. This put pressure on the power button and made the iPad stay on all the time it was charging. I realised it was only managing to get to 60-70% overnight if that. It seems that it is putting just enough in to almost trickle charge it as the screen is constantly on.

 

With an iPad that doesn't power on, I found that some people were using the iPhone charger or similar which kicks just enough power out to charge really slowly, but again, you can use it at the same time but won't charge at all. It seems if you let it completely discharge it can become problematic to switch on and appears completely dead. Could be a software thing I guess.

 

In this case, make sure you have the proper iPad charger, the big one, leave it plugged in to the iPad for a long time, keep pressing the home button and power button together periodically like a hard reset and press the home button and power button separately. It seems to bring it back to life eventually once enough power gets in there and all seems well.

 

Not sure if that will help.

[ben_mayo]

I don't really know what you mean by the "big one". We have class ipads which are stored in 3 charging units which work fine but it is the teachers ipad minis which have cases and I doubt are kept anywhere to put pressure on the button.

 

As far as I'm aware all the teachers use AC wall chargers (wall plugs with a usb to lightning connector plugged in) apparently this was the ones given to them.

 

I have a spare ipad mini that is broke, i'll try and charge that tomorrow all day (roughly about 8 hours until I leave and see if that does anything for it. If it does I have a fix for the other one, i'll also periodically try hard resetting it after a couple hours if charges.

 

Thanks for the advice. If non of this works, I'll just send it to be repaired but its better to try and fix it for free

[bclarke]

There are two Apple chargers available, one for the iPhone and one for the iPad. I don't recall the output of each but the iPad one looks bigger and kicks out more power. I found that teachers were using their iPhone chargers to charge the iPad as they thought it didn't make a difference instead of the iPad one I issued them with. They swore black was blue though that they were using the iPad one until I got them to show me.

[ben_mayo]

To be honest, I have no idea they all use the same types which could well be iPhone chargers but as they were set up way before I arrived, I have no idea if they are or not (and where the iPad ones are if they are using iPhone ones).

 

I'll stick the dead one on charge tomorrow and charge it over the weekend, even if it trickles should be long enough to somehow power it on.

[NviGate_Systems]

Batteries (specifically Lithium/Lithium Polymer) have a protection circuit which kicks in when the battery has been drained below capacity. In rare cases this can result in a battery that is hard locked and will need to be replaced. (Only the manufacturer can reset the battery) This works as a protection as Lithium batteries have a very specific working range and they don't like going beyond that.

 

Some tips:

 

Always ensure you are using Genuine Apple chargers and cables. Tests have confirmed that many third party chargers (other than those that are Apple Certified) can damage devices slowly simply because the power circuits are poorly designed and expose your device to risk. (There is a awesome You Tube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/bigclivedotcom where Clive shows what's really in these devices especially the cheap knock offs.)

 

If you notice the cable starting to fray/Split (30 Pin) or kink/Bubble (Lightning) replace these as soon as possible.

 

Always use the correct charger that shipped with the unit. iPad Mini's use the same size charger as iPhones but be sure to check the rating. iPads use larger 10W chargers.

 

Don't let the device charge overnight unattended. This will stress the battery and cause the unit to continually re-charge the top 95-99% of the battery. (Note recent firmware updates may have changed this behaviour, I have not checked) Some newer units may have firmware that prevents this, but this is a common mistake in charging units. Most newer devices now issue an audible alert to unplug once the battery is full to keep battery healthier. Apple even has a KB regarding Mac Books that stay at 95% - 99% battery level while plugged in, this is a protection to prevent over charging and extend battery life.

[speckytecky]

Good posting Ben_Mayo that's drawn some enlightening answers. Subtle hint; you have kindly given thanks in your replies which I'm sure those who responded appreciated. That said could you please also consider using the thanks button or adding a rep star and comment where the answers have been particularly helpful. I've certainly found several very useful and with a fleet of 16 GB iPad 2s expect to be putting the advice to good use sometime soon My current biggest bugbear with iPads is the constant flow of staff seeking replacement cables and charging units because they havev'lost' the security marked ones they were issued with. Gits!

[sarahstacey]

I managed to resurrect a 'dead' ipad by following these instructions: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201263

Hope that helps

[ben_mayo]

I've seen this document before, but the problem is that it wont hard reset at all, it doesn't show any signs of life apart from getting warm when charging.

 

I'm making a last ditch effort today to try and resurrect the iPads anyway I can. If I can't do it today then they'll be sent off for repair or replaced (up to the finance department on that)