- Apr 2, 2013
- 5
- 0
- 10,510
Hello all. Long time visitor, first time poster. Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere. I did find similar threads (i.e. http
/www.tomshardware.com/forum/57027-35-power-jack-multimeter-test ) but they were either closed already or they didn't answer my question specifically...enough). Sorry, too, for such a long question.
Okay, so I'm working on a clients DELL Vostro 1520 laptop. The unit doesn't power on, doesn't charge, doesn't do anything really. Just sits there pretending to be a laptop. I tried all the usual...with/without power connected, with/without battery inserted, re-seated the RAM, removed the hard drive, etc., etc. Nothing. No charging lights, no sign of life at all. I even happened to have a charged battery from another (working) machine of the same model # and still got nothing. So I take it apart to test the power jack. It is (surprisingly) not loose at all so I wasn't surprised when it reads good power, before and after the jack. Some pictures below (and yes, I'm holding the probes 1-handed...I'm that good haha
):
https/lh5.googleusercontent.com/--lLtCvAk0tQ/UVsc0V9_VLI/AAAAAAAAACo/SQDWjYLGH9U/s685/bottom.jpg
https/lh5.googleusercontent.com/-GudGAkNKuaM/UVsc0yOBDDI/AAAAAAAAACw/jER4Poc9uFU/s685/top.jpg
Next I checked for power at the battery terminals and (of course) get nothing...all ZEROS. So obviously power is getting lost/shorted somewhere between the 2 points, right? I now tell the customer it's time for a new motherboard but he says "NO WAY!". Can't say I blame him really...he's already bought a brand new DELL battery AND power adapter (at the advice of DELL tech support, of course) trying to fix this on his own, and now he's almost 2 hours deep in a $20/hour job that's also gonna require a $100-$120 replacement motherboard. Just to get his 3-year-old, $200 (maybe) laptop working again. I agree, its just not worth it economically at this point.
Anyways my question is this: How would I go about testing the power circuit of a motherboard to isolate exactly the location where power is lost/shorted so that I could repair, replace, or bypass that location, component, etc.? I've already googled the hell out of DELL Vostro motherboard schematics and LA-4596P (mobo model #) power circuit diagram and several other iterations and combinations of basically the same thing but no luck. All I could find is a diagram of the whole motherboard plus a lot of people talking about how messed up it is that DELL went to so much trouble to make 3rd party chargers/batteries NOT work (and, in some cases, break) in their newer laptops. At this point it's more of a hobby/challenge for me...I like trying to get more life out of something most people would replace. Plus, nothing would make me happier than cheating DELL out of a few hundred dollars of their "planned obsolescence" money. =)
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.
/www.tomshardware.com/forum/57027-35-power-jack-multimeter-test ) but they were either closed already or they didn't answer my question specifically...enough). Sorry, too, for such a long question. Okay, so I'm working on a clients DELL Vostro 1520 laptop. The unit doesn't power on, doesn't charge, doesn't do anything really. Just sits there pretending to be a laptop. I tried all the usual...with/without power connected, with/without battery inserted, re-seated the RAM, removed the hard drive, etc., etc. Nothing. No charging lights, no sign of life at all. I even happened to have a charged battery from another (working) machine of the same model # and still got nothing. So I take it apart to test the power jack. It is (surprisingly) not loose at all so I wasn't surprised when it reads good power, before and after the jack. Some pictures below (and yes, I'm holding the probes 1-handed...I'm that good haha
):https
/lh5.googleusercontent.com/--lLtCvAk0tQ/UVsc0V9_VLI/AAAAAAAAACo/SQDWjYLGH9U/s685/bottom.jpghttps
/lh5.googleusercontent.com/-GudGAkNKuaM/UVsc0yOBDDI/AAAAAAAAACw/jER4Poc9uFU/s685/top.jpgNext I checked for power at the battery terminals and (of course) get nothing...all ZEROS. So obviously power is getting lost/shorted somewhere between the 2 points, right? I now tell the customer it's time for a new motherboard but he says "NO WAY!". Can't say I blame him really...he's already bought a brand new DELL battery AND power adapter (at the advice of DELL tech support, of course) trying to fix this on his own, and now he's almost 2 hours deep in a $20/hour job that's also gonna require a $100-$120 replacement motherboard. Just to get his 3-year-old, $200 (maybe) laptop working again. I agree, its just not worth it economically at this point.
Anyways my question is this: How would I go about testing the power circuit of a motherboard to isolate exactly the location where power is lost/shorted so that I could repair, replace, or bypass that location, component, etc.? I've already googled the hell out of DELL Vostro motherboard schematics and LA-4596P (mobo model #) power circuit diagram and several other iterations and combinations of basically the same thing but no luck. All I could find is a diagram of the whole motherboard plus a lot of people talking about how messed up it is that DELL went to so much trouble to make 3rd party chargers/batteries NOT work (and, in some cases, break) in their newer laptops. At this point it's more of a hobby/challenge for me...I like trying to get more life out of something most people would replace. Plus, nothing would make me happier than cheating DELL out of a few hundred dollars of their "planned obsolescence" money. =)
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.
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