Nintendo Switch won't turn on: battery, charging current and PMIC (MAX77620) checks
A Switch that looks dead is often just frozen or completely flat, but a failed battery, a damaged charging path or a problem around the MAX77620 power-management IC are also common. Start with Nintendo's reset and charge steps, read the USB current to decide where to look, then test the battery and
Written by the CircuitScope research team in our own words, from the sources listed at the end, and checked by our moderators.
A Switch that looks dead is often just frozen or completely flat, but a failed battery, a damaged charging path or a problem around the MAX77620 power-management IC are also common. Start with Nintendo's reset and charge steps, read the USB current to decide where to look, then test the battery and the PMIC area.
Difficulty: Hard · Time: about 1.5 hours
Also applies to: Nintendo Switch (OLED Model), Nintendo Switch Lite
Symptoms
- Nothing happens when POWER is pressed, even after charging
- Console draws current on a USB meter but the screen stays black
- Console only runs while plugged in
- Backlight comes on (and the unlock sound may play) but there is no picture
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