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March 10th, 2025 09:50
Battery LED Board On XPS 14 L421X
XPS 14 L421X
What exactly does the 'Battery-LED Board' (description from the Dell Service Manual) do? The ribbon cable on it broke when I was removing the bottom of the case (or 'base cover', as the service manual calls it) to replace the battery and so I went ahead and uninstalled it (it was a 1-screw operation). The implication is that it has something to do with the Battery and the Power Monitor LED / Light on the front, but the computer boots just fine and the monitor light functions normally as well (White or Amber, depending on the battery state) so I can see no connection to this particular part. But I did notice that the bottom (underside) of the case has what appears to be a tiny button in the corner, right where the Battery-LED board is located (on the opposite side / inside of the case) which is completely undocumented. This would appear to actually be some kind of a 'reset button' but since the ribbon cable broke, I'm unable to test it and confirm or deny that. But before I shell-out $26 bucks for a replacement, I'd like to know what it actually does. If it is indeed just a reset button (or 'kill switch') then it's hardly worth the money, although I have just invested $50 bucks for a new battery. Does anybody know what it actually does, or where it might be documented? I've downloaded every manual available for this so-called 'Ultrabook' on the Dell website and none of 'em mention this mysterious (and almost invisible) little button on the bottom of the computer. Oh, and in case anybody was wondering, I'm using Windows 11 Professional (thanks to the RUFUS flash drive utility) and it runs like a top; Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc all work just fine. TIA for any insight you might have...
Travis_Lloyd
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March 19th, 2025 10:04
@DELL-Jesse L The part in question has already been installed and is fully operational. All it does is indicate the strength of the battery charge without having to boot-up the computer. I would still be interested to find out just exactly where this has been documented, though. I've poured over every official Dell manual & set-up poster associated with this (now very old) computer and nowhere can I even find a single reference to this 'feature'. Even the description of the part gives no clue as to what its actual function is. Very strange not to have something like this documented in any of the associated technical publications about the device. As an aside, why the 'ownership' of a computer would need to be known when answering a technical question is beyond me. Who cares, anyway? Just address the question, please. The ownership is irrelevant...
DELL-Jesse L
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March 19th, 2025 08:50
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