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+--- Forum: General Discussion on Pinebook Pro (https://forum.pine64.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=112)
+--- Thread: dead Pinebook - help please (/showthread.php?tid=20201)
dead Pinebook - help please - RicTor - 02-25-2026
My PBP broke due to stiff hinges. I have replaced the Palm case, released the stiff hinge and transplanted all contents.
But the PBP now will not switch on. I have checked all connections, ribbons etc. All look OK.
Can anyone help me with tests to find the problem? Email would be very useful.
RE: dead Pinebook - help please - wdt - 02-25-2026
You could have given more info.....
Do you get a red charge light?
Do you get a boot led?
Did you try something (that works) in the uSD socket?
Have you tried a "long press"? (20+s)
Did you gently press eMMC (into socket)?
I am assuming that you had a working OS on eMMC
RE: dead Pinebook - help please - RicTor - 03-12-2026
(02-25-2026, 06:44 PM)wdt Wrote: You could have given more info.....
Do you get a red charge light?
Do you get a boot led?
Did you try something (that works) in the uSD socket?
Have you tried a "long press"? (20+s)
Did you gently press eMMC (into socket)?
I am assuming that you had a working OS on eMMC
Thanks for that - but it's fixed. It seems if the battery is too low charging will not even switch on? I suspect around 3.5v? I charged the battery from a lab power supply at 4.0 v which has done the trick.
But now a problem - cannot connect to the network. I don't use Manjaro normally, I use RiscOS - both bootable from separate sd cards.
I had stiff hinge (now fixed) - broken case, so was sent ANSI keyboard to replace ISP one...
If possible can we switch to email? richard@torrens.org
RE: dead Pinebook - help please - williamcorlin - 03-26-2026
(02-25-2026, 08:49 AM)RicTor Wrote: My PBP broke due to stiff hinges. I have replaced the Palm case, released the stiff hinge and transplanted all contents.
But the PBP now will not switch on. I have checked all connections, ribbons etc. All look OK. free online games
Can anyone help me with tests to find the problem? Email would be very useful.
Hey, I had a somewhat similar issue after opening mine up. These Pinebooks can be a bit picky after reassembly.
A few things you can try:
- Battery connection first: even if it looks fine, unplug it and reconnect it firmly. Sometimes it doesn’t seat properly and the board won’t power at all.
- Try booting without battery (just with charger connected) to rule out a battery or protection circuit issue.
- Check the power button ribbon — this one is easy to misalign slightly and then nothing happens when you press it.
- Look for tiny damage near the hinge area: since your issue started with stiff hinges, it’s possible a cable or even a trace got stressed or cracked. Pay close attention to display and power-related ribbons running through that area.
- Charger/LED behavior: do you see any LED when plugging in power? If not, it could point to a power input or board-level issue.
Honestly, in many cases after hinge repairs, it ends up being a slightly loose ribbon or damaged cable rather than a dead board. Worth double-checking those again slowly.