Zebra TC53e / TC58e troubleshooting: power, charging, scanning

CauseAfter a battery is fitted, the device waits for the Power button. Otherwise the battery is empty or not seated, or the system has crashed. Two blinking LEDs mean the battery is too low to start.

Fix

1. Press and hold Power.
2. Take the battery out and refit it bottom edge first. Press until it snaps into place.
3. Charge it. Slow amber blinking means it is charging.
4. Still nothing: try a charged spare battery or a hard reset (Fix 8).

CauseThe cradle or cable has no power, or the device is not seated firmly. Fast amber blinking is a charging error, usually temperature, or charging for about 12 hours without finishing.

Fix

1. Check the power cable at the cradle or power supply and at the wall outlet.
2. Reseat the device firmly and leave it until charging finishes.
3. Rugged boot fitted? Remove the shim from the cradle cup. Without a boot, the shim must be in place.
4. If the interface connector was removed from the device for the USB-C cable, refit it before using a cradle.
5. Let a cold or hot device reach room temperature. Charging stops below 0 °C and above 50 °C, and Zebra's troubleshooting table advises 5–40 °C.
6. Test another battery in the same cradle. If that one charges, the first battery is faulty.

If the battery level rises but the LED stays dark, check that Settings › Display › Charging LED is on.

CauseRed means the battery has reached the end of its useful life. Fast red blinking adds a charging error.

Fix

1. Open the Battery Manager app from the app list. The wear bar turns red above 80 % wear, and the health shows Decommission when the battery should be replaced.
2. Replace the battery. Zebra lists the standard 4,680 mAh battery (BTRY-NGTC5TC7-44MA-01), a 4,680 mAh BLE version (BTRY-NGTC5TC7-44MABLE-01) and the 7,000 mAh high-capacity battery (BTRY-NGTC5TC7-66MA-01).

CauseDataWedge or your app's profile is off, the barcode type is disabled, the scan window is covered, or the battery is low: the scanner stops before the low-battery warning appears.

Fix

1. Remove any shipping film from the scan window at the top and wipe it clean. Charge the battery.
2. Test in the DWDemo app. If it scans there, the hardware works and your app's profile is the problem.
3. Open DataWedge, tap the menu, then Settings, and check that DataWedge enabled is ticked.
4. Open the profile linked to your app, or Profile0 if your app has none, and check that the profile, Barcode input and Keystroke output are enabled.
5. Check that your barcode type is ticked under Configure scanner settings › Decoders.
6. Change the distance. Zebra lists the SE4720 reading a 100 % UPC-A barcode from about 4 to 63 cm. Tilt the device slightly to avoid reflections.

The full profile setup is in the DataWedge setup guide.

CauseScreen settings, unused radios, syncing and apps that keep the device awake.

Fix

1. Set a short screen timeout under Settings › Display › Screen timeout. The default is 1 minute; 15 or 30 seconds saves more.
2. Lower the brightness, switch off radios you don't use and turn off automatic sync for email, calendar and contacts.
3. Open Settings › Battery to see which apps use the most power, and stop the ones you don't need.
4. Check battery wear in Battery Manager (Fix 3).

The device turns off at 4 %. For long shifts, use the 7,000 mAh battery or a charged spare.

CauseWi-Fi off, airplane mode on, out of range or wrong saved settings. TC58e: poor coverage, SIM, APN or data plan.

Fix

1. Swipe down from the status bar and check that airplane mode is off and Wi-Fi is on.
2. Move closer to an access point.
3. Forget and re-add the network: open Settings › Network & internet › Internet › Saved networks, tap the network, tap FORGET, then connect again.
4. If your IT team has limited the band, check Network preferences › Additional Settings › Wi-Fi frequency band on the Internet screen. The default is Auto.
5. TC58e: move to better coverage, refit the SIM and ask the operator to confirm the data plan and the APN (Settings › Network & internet › Mobile network › Access Point Names). Roaming is off by default.

CauseThe touch panel is set to Finger Only, the default. The modes differ between the models.

Fix

1. Open Settings › Display › Touch panel mode.
2. TC53e: choose Glove and Finger (Screen Protector OFF). Zebra lists lightweight nylon, latex, nitrile and nitrile-coated knit gloves.
3. TC58e: choose the Glove and Finger or Stylus and Finger mode, with Screen Protector ON if a protector is fitted. The TC58e also supports leather, cotton and lined freezer gloves.
4. Wipe water off the screen. There is no separate wet mode; Zebra's spec sheet says the panel rejects water droplets.

CauseAn app or the system has stopped responding.

Fix

1. Restart: press and hold Power until the menu appears, then touch Restart.
2. If the screen does not respond, do a hard reset: press Power, the left Scan button and Volume Up together for at least four seconds and release them when the screen turns off. The device restarts.
3. If it keeps freezing, install the latest LifeGuard update.