🔋 Speaker wont boot
🔋

Speaker won't boot (SOWA 2)

This article applies when a SOWA 2 speaker won't boot or won't begin charging. The battery pack can enter a protected state after a deep discharge or a long period without use, and a normal charge plug-in is no longer enough to wake it.

TLDR;

  • Charge the speaker for 24 hours. This solves most of the cases. Leave charging until completely full if it wakes.
  • If charging does not work, jumpstart the core (see Step 2 below)
  • If jump starting does not work, replace the battery (see Step 3 below)

Why this happens

The lithium battery has a BMS (battery management system) that disconnects the cells from the output when voltage drops below a low-voltage threshold. In earlier firmwares, the speaker would allow the battery to drain too much, overstepping this threshold. If a product has been on the shelf for a long time, especially dating back to 2025, this may have happened.

The state of charge (SoC) is preserved across a replug. You don't lose the battery's level information, you just clear the protection.


Solution

Step 1 - Charge

  1. Plug the device in and charge it fo atleast 24 hours. The speaker may be charging even though it is not showing a charging status in the UI.

    1. When the speaker eventually comes online, leave it charging until it it's charging-animation stops (this can take many hours, as the battery is doing a full charge cycle and calibration). 
    2. then unplug the charger for a brief moment, and plug it back in. Sometimes this will make the last top off of the battery.
  2. If the speaker has not booted within 24 hours, move to next step.

Step 2 - Jumpstart procedure

  1. Open the speaker and access the battery pack. (see this video for instructions on this). It is recommended to leave the IO board and the 
  2. Unplug the battery connector.
  3. Plug in a USB-C charger, while the battery is disconnected. Verify that the device boots (UI LEDs should come aliver).
  4. Plug the battery in, while the USB-C charger is connected. Power off the device. Then power it back on.
  5. Let the device charge until it is full. For a deeply discharged battery, this can take a long time – up to 24 hrs.
  6. If the jumpstart does not work, move to next step

Step 3 - Replace battery

If the speaker still doesn't power on after the procedure above, the battery is no longer recoverable and needs to be swapped. We will send a new battery as a warranty repair -  confirm with the customer's contact and we'll arrange shipment.


Prevention

  • keep speakers firmware updated
  • make sure the speaker has gone through a full charge cycle atleast once, before putting it on the shelf. 

How to access the battery