iFixit - Answers With Device "Dell Latitude E6540"

Dell Latitude E6540: How to install the bluetooth on a dell latitude e6540

Thu, 07 Sep 2023 16:30:18 -0700

how to install the bluetooth on a dell latitude e6540

⟐ Answered September 07, 2023 at 16:30 MST

Dell Latitude E6540: Won't charge or turn on.

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 08:59:52 -0700

laptop charger led light goes off when plugged in to laptop and stays off until unplug from all. Laptop won't turn on at all on battery or ac. Tore it down to the motherboard and found an are with shorted capacitor. Trying to eliminate possibilities and found an ic chip that is grounded on three pins and these pins are also group to the capacitors. Below is a picture. Also found manufacturer but thats it. Need help find information on chip and where those pins go. Thank you for your time and support.

⟐ Answer accepted October 14, 2024 at 8:59 MST

Dell Latitude E6540: What causes the GPU blackout issue on these laptops?

Mon, 23 Dec 2019 18:11:37 -0700

I recently semi retired this due to the age of the system when the hard drive failed. However, it has a longstading GPU problem I was okay with living with as long as the laptop worked in regards to the AMD GPU. When I was using the laptop with a second display (GPU always kicks in on these with multiple displays), the screen has a tendency to black out without warning and my only recovery option is a hard shutdown. I gave up on the laptop because of this issue, especially since it is a 7 year old platform (2013 model). In addition to GPU problems, the other reason is the Haswell CPUs are hit pretty hard by the CPU exploits in this system due to the subpar cooling combined with the performance penalty - in which I only patched Spectre V1 and left the others be because I already took a noticeable penalty with Spectre V1 - yes, even with the Win10 high speed patch. I stopped trying to keep up with it after the A24 BIOS and called it good because I’m well aware of the risks.

Is there any known way to reliably fix the GPU issue or is my advice on the device page (board swap or scrap) apply with how mine has failed?

I never messed with the board, but I repasted it years ago to try and help the issue and it didn’t do much outside of deferring the worst parts of the problem. The catch with mine is it has the 4810MQ CPU (47W TDP), so I had to deal with more heat then the people with M series processors. The AMD 8790M is ~35W (AMD isn’t open about the actual TDP), so the problem appears to have been made worse by the cooler since it is 80W of heat through one fan and vent. If I had the i7 4610M it would have been 35W for the CPU, but the situation would still have been pretty bad at 70W.

⟐ Commented December 23, 2019 at 18:11 MST

Dell Latitude E6540: Battery is not working

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 22:01:14 -0700

I have been going through struggles with this. In order to use my laptop, it has to be connected to the charger at all time. Battery 1 says "This battery is not available for use" and Battery 2 says "65% and not charging". It has been like that for weeks. The battery light by the keyboard is constantly flashing an orange light. What should I do?

⟐ Answered November 17, 2020 at 22:01 MST

Dell Latitude E6540: The num lock is not working

Sun, 22 Jan 2023 16:43:42 -0700

is it possible to get the num lock working

⟐ Answer accepted January 22, 2023 at 16:43 MST

Dell Latitude E6540: replacement keyboard not working

Sat, 06 Jul 2019 17:27:34 -0700

Hi there,

I have recently replaced my keyboard with a non-original keyboard and it works only a few minutes and stops. After every BIOS update it works again and stops after a few minutes.

Any idea how i can get this non-original keyboard to work?

Regards,

Siviwe

⟐ Answer edited July 06, 2019 at 17:27 MST

Dell Latitude E6540: Gray screen problem in Dell Latitude E6540 when I watch an video

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 04:47:04 -0700

Gray screen problem in Dell Latitude E6540

The computer functions normally

But when I want to watch a movie or a video either on my hard disk or on the internet ... the gray screen appears

{Note: if i minimize the video box for example in “vlc” the problem does not show .. but its appear on plein ecran mode when the video fills the computer screen}

The problem rarely appears immediately after the dell logo when the computer is turned on

To get rid of the problem I have to close the screen and open it… and so on every appearance

Here are some steps i've taken to try to diagnose the problem:

1 I connected an external monitor once with the HDMI cable and once with the VGA cable when the video started after a short time .. The problem appeared in the computer screen only and the external screen is good .. the video shows normal

2 i entered the safe mode and the problem still exists

3 I try to format the computer with Windows 7/10 and the problem still exists

4 I updated the drivers of the Intel and AMD graphics card and the problem still exists even without drivers

This is a video and illustrations

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH_GAil-...

I apologize for the language errors

⟐ Answer accepted July 01, 2019 at 4:47 MST

Dell Latitude E6540: Is it possible to repair the USB port by the HDMI port (2nd incident)

Mon, 25 Jun 2018 05:47:44 -0700

So my Latitude E6540 has an issue with the USB port on the HDMI side. What happens is if I plug anything into it and touch the connection the wrong way, the device will disconnect and will not work again until it is plugged in again. I've had this happen befire under warranty, so it's not a new defect with this series of machines. The last time it happened Dell replaced the motherboard.

I have confirmed it happens with my printer over USB (HP M401n) and Xbone Wireless receiver. When this happened the first time I tested it with two different devices and determined it was caused by a bad motherboard. I am using the same procedure as I did the first time.

This is the second time it has happened, and now I'm out of warranty. I forgave it the first time thinking it was a DOA board, but 2 failing the same way is a little suspicious and may point to a hardware design flaw.

Is there a way I can fix this permanently or is the defect unrepairable? Seeing as this is the second board with this issue, I believe Dell had a bad run of parts or the boards have a serious design flaw. Obviously I'm hoping it's just a bad part lot but I also can accept it's not a defect that can be corrected to the point it won't come back.

I can already see a new board is just as much as a whole computer, as you can also see here:

A complete i7 E6540 can be purchased on eBay for $300-400. This would be in better shape too, most likely.
To get the motherboard from a good vendor that will back it, it would cost me $200 for the bare board from PartsPeople.

While I'd LIKE to repair the system with a new motherboard, it doesn't make economic sense. The motherboard is nearly as much as a entire used laptop with the same CPU (4810MQ/IGP+8790M). While a motherboard is hard to justify, I'm hoping the motherboard I currently have can be repaired at the board level.

Are they any known issues with these motherboards? If so, does it impair a long term repair?

⟐ Commented June 25, 2018 at 5:47 MST