Packard Bell SJ51 blank screen

[vargad88]

My Easynote SJ51 notebook is about 2 years old, I worked well till yesterday. Suddenly it just turn off and I can't turn it on anymore.
Now when I turn it on I hear the fan, but no beep. Then power led is lid, but it never turn on the screen, it is just black. Normally it should turn off the fan after afew seconds, but now it didn't. A tried to press buttons but it didn't do anything, the screen is just stay turned off. It doesn't boot the operation system, actually it does nothing. I can turn it off by pressing the power button for 6 seconds.
My USB mouse receiver charges the battery from USB. It is strange that the notebook didn't charge the battery. I think that the battery is OK and the power supply is also OK, it is 20V as it should be. The hard drive works perfectly in another computer.
I'm sure that the CPU does not overheat, it was just 55 C degree usually.
I have already tried:
1) Turn off, unplug the power and remove the battery
2) Start without battery
3) Press the power button for 10 seconds without the battery and power
4) Try another memory
5) Remove hard drive
6) Remove wireless card
I have found the Packard Bell's complete service manual for SJ series (ftp/ftp.packardbell.com/pub/itemnr/), so I can safely disassemble the notebook.
If I have to replace the motherboard, where can I buy a new one? I can't find it in google, ebay etc.
I partly disassembled it but I can't see any obvious problem. Has/had anybody similar problem? Can anybody help me, hunt down the problem?
Thank you for your help.

 

[r_manic]

I suggest you disassemble your rig to check if the power button is properly connected and actually functional.

 

[vargad88]

The power button works well, as you can read in my post.

 

[lbo]

I'm facing the very same issue here...
About to send it to Packard Bell (still on garantie).

 

[vargad88]

After vthe repair please tell me what was the problem. It may help me... My hard drive works perfectly so probably your also works, and didn't lose any data. If you want you can easily save and delete all your data, without losing grantie. The hard drive has SATA interface so you can plug in it to any PC or probably MAC.
I also read other people complain about very similar problem, but they don't write anything after that. Somebody wrote that probably the CPU burnt, but I doubt it.
I have exams now so, I'm quite busy in some weeks I will disassembly my laptop, maybe I can find something useful. Unfortunately my Packard Bell is more than 2 years old, so it doesn't have garantie.

 

[vargad88]

Has anybody similar problem with Packard Bell notebooks? I have read on a forum that many people complained about similar problems on the Packard Bell forums, but the forum is closed (forum links on the main Packard Bell page point here: http/maintenance.packardbell.com). I can't found the forum in the Internet archive but it seems they only saved the main page, nothing more. They write "maintenance" and "Please come back later" but it is a lie, it is down for more than a year. I have found the Packard Bell troubleshoot page but after some questions I get runtime error, it is quite strange on a webpage...

 

[doktormo]

I stumbled upon your post as I had exactly the same problem with a friends notebook (R0902).

I also went through the whole "remove component-check-add component" procedure. In the end, I thought I could nail it down to motherboard or CPU. With nothing else to do I removed the heatsink and took the CPU off the socket. After putting it back in and turning the notebook on, I had a boot screen. One second later, the notebook powered down. I tried a couple of times, going through the whole procedure of swapping memory etc. again. Nothing... Googling this new problem, I found someone who mentioned problems with the AC adapter. So I unplugged the notebook and voilà... it boots into the OS without problems. As soon as I plug in the charger one of two things happen. If I'm lucky the notebook turns itself off. If not, it freezes and the screen will stay black the next time I turn the notebook back on. Reseating the CPU will do the trick every time.

I guess it's either the motherboard or the AC adapter. Since it's an old notebook we are not going to spend any money on testing whether it really is the charger. For now, the notebook will be used in battery-mode only and will only be plugged in while turned off for charging the battery.

Updating the bios didn't help either, by the way.

So my advice is: try taking out the CPU and put it back in and see what happens.

 

[jafoster]

I came across this purely by accident. Having had the same problem myself, I sent it away to be mended. It came back on the Tuesday but by the Friday the problem occured again so I rang the menders and they explained that "fixing" it involves putting the motherboard in an oven (not an ordinary one, a very expensive purpose built one). In short this heats the solder up to a controlled temperature which resolders the old joints. After knowing a bit more about the process I have done some more research and it seems that this may well be a short fix solution as others have said it only lasted a few months afterwards as well. The problem is ultimately with your graphics chip soldered joints and seems a common problem. My guess is that the short fix solution may not be the best but I will wait to see what the mender says as its already cost me £114.

jafoster@ntlworld.com

 

[jafoster]

Further to my previous post.
Got laptop back from repairers. Its now totally dead, not even a light or fan as it was before. Contacted repairers and they said it was a graphics chip failure. As it failed the first repair, it needs to be reballed. They said there was only a 50/50 chance of the repair succeeding.
It didnt work. So now I have a dead laptop. I have had most of the money refunded but lost £24 (postage and VAT).
The repairers advert says they will offer to fit a new motherboard if it is unrepairable but when I asked about this they denied this to be the case. In case anyone has the same problem the repairers were Allied Computers in London. Use them at your own risk.

 

[Guest]

Hi Guys,

I had the same problem. Removed the CPU once, put it back on place and system booted (with screen output)....

Thx Doktormo for your advices. Reseating the CPU did the trick.

Regards
Dennis

 

[Guest]

Hi Guys,

I had the same problem. Removed the CPU once, put it back on place and system booted (with screen output)....

Thx Doktormo for your advices. Reseating the CPU did the trick.

Regards
Dennis

Hi Dennis

This diddend work with my laptop sorry for my englisch

Henri

 

[Guest]

wayne
manchester

hi everyone,
just to put people in the picture, regarding the packard bell easynote sj51, ( black screen)

the problem with them, is the graphics, on the motherboard, i have the same problem, it has been repaired once, and yet again the same problem has occured, the first time it happened, is just after 3 yrs, and it was not used that often, just for ebay, shopping, facebook,

I WOULD ADVICE ANYONE TO AVOID BUYING THE PACKARD BELL LAPTOPS, HAS THEY ARE KNOWN FOR MAJOR PROBLEMS,.

and it will end up costing you a fortune to get repaired, and even then, they are never gauranteed to work for very long afterwards.

so all the people who say its the heat sink, IT IS NOT.
the problem is the graphics chip on the motherboard,
hope this helps anybody, looking to find the problem for the BLACK SCREEN.

regards
wayne manchester
laptop repairer.