EliteBook 630 G11 Charger

[ItTechABA]

Hello there,

I have an EliteBook 630 G11 laptop. ad have been facing some issues with the charger.

I work in an office and have a 45W charger at my desk with a dc to USB-C convertor.

For the past week it stopped working. I have been Swapping the convertor and the 45W charger to a new one and still no luck. The only thing that's working is swapping the charger to a 65W with a convertor. 

Is there any reason for that? The manual says a 45W can be used. 

The problem happens even with nothing being done on the computer. And I have tried to update my laptop to the latest firmware.  

Thank you so much for your help.

[Raqeeb26]

Hi @ItTechABA ,

Welcome to The HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

While the manual is correct that your HP EliteBook 630 G11 can use a 45W adapter, the problem lies in the entire DC-to-USB-C conversion chain and how the laptop negotiates power delivery.

Here is the likely reason the 45W setup fails and the 65W setup works:

1. The Converter is the Weak Link (or the 45W Charger is Borderline)

The primary cause is almost certainly the DC-to-USB-C Converter itself, especially in combination with the older 45W charger.

• USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) Protocol: Modern HP laptops like your G11 use the USB-PD protocol to communicate with the charger. The laptop tells the charger the exact voltage and current it needs.

• The Converter's Quality: A DC-to-USB-C converter is an adapter, and often a non-HP accessory. It must be a high-quality, fully compliant USB-PD adapter to properly negotiate the voltage (usually 15V or 20V and the current for a stable 45W connection.

  • Failure Point: Cheap or poorly designed converters may not accurately or consistently present the 45W charger  profile to the laptop, causing the laptop's security or power management firmware to reject the connection entirely.

• Minimum Power Threshold: Even if the manual states 45W  is supported, the laptop's internal power management system (firmware/BIOS) may have a hidden minimum threshold for reliable charging that is slightly above 45W charger , especially when using a third-party conversion method. The 45W charger easily clears this threshold.

2. 45W  is the Minimum for Charging (not running at full power)

The 45W  specification is the absolute minimum requirement.

• When you are doing nothing on the PC, its power draw might be around 10W to 20W. A 45W  charger is enough to power the laptop and charge the battery slowly.

• When you use the 45W charger with the converter, the combination may only be delivering 42W or 45W charger due to conversion loss. Your laptop's firmware may interpret this as an insufficient/unsafe power source and simply refuse to charge or draw power from it.

• The 65W charger provides a significant buffer. Even with conversion loss, it is still delivering far more than the minimum 45W required, so the laptop accepts the power connection without issue.

To troubleshoot this, you can try below steps :

1. Perform a Hardware Reset (Hard Reset): This often clears up USB-C port communication issues or "stuck" power states.

   • Shut down the laptop completely.

   • Disconnect all cables (charger, adapter, accessories).

   • Press and hold the Power Button for 15-20 seconds.

   • Reconnect the 45W charger/converter and power on.
     You can go through HP article how to hard reset notebook
     https://support.hp.com/lv-en/document/ish_1997208-1551050-16 

2. Check for an Official HP Converter: If you are using a generic DC-to-USB-C converter, check if HP offers an official one. HP-certified converters are much more likely to communicate correctly with the EliteBook's power management system.

3. Check the 45W charger  Specs: Ensure the original 45W charger  output voltage is compatible with the USB-C Power Delivery standard (likely 19.5V DC on the barrel plug) to minimize power loss or negotiation failure.

4. Update bios firmware: The most likely  BIOS update could resolve your 45W problem as 45W is the minimum rating, the firmware might be designed to expect a slightly higher, stable input. Newer firmware could lower this effective threshold or improve power regulation, allowing the 45W setup (even with minor losses) to be accepted.
   Latest bios firmware for 01.07.00 Rev.A 
   https://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp163001-163500/sp163151.exe
   

Hope this helps resolve your issue

Please , do let me know if you need any other assistance, will be happy to assist you 🙂