Laptop Motherboard Repair - DIY How to.

halox

Enthusiast
Laptops get a lot of abuse. The motherboard gets bend very slightly every time you pick it up with one hand, open the lid, close the lid, etc. This over time creates very small fractures in the solder on the board. Eventually it fails. You could call the manufacturer or you could with some basic DIY knowledge do it yourself. Laptop manufacturers see after service repair as another way to make money. Try this yourself and it could save you time, money and a lot of time on the phone. As it is suitable for most laptops and covers 90% of the motherboard failures on laptops I thought I'd make a vid on how to do it. So I did below with a DELL I received with a motherboard fault.

Just the motherboard repair: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu265ucL7IU

Click on this one for the full strip down, repair, rebuild and test: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKOUFV9Cask
 

keynes

Multiverse Poster
Very interesting
How do you know is 8 minutes? trial and error? :)
I am looking for a video on how to repaste thermal paste on the gpu on a vortex chassis.
 

halox

Enthusiast
Yeah, too short a time and the solder does not have sufficient time to flow. Too long a time and the solder may get too hot and drip. Although this is unlikely and component damage is unlikely at that temperature so 8 minutes is perfect.

Is the vortex chassis difficult to strip? I am guessing its a laptop? Why does the GPU need the paste reapplied?
 

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
Well....

I've heard of poke and hope fault finding, I've even used it myself, but I've never heard of bake and hope. Granted you may melt some, or even all, of the solder, but how do you know where it's going to flow, or what other motherboard components will be destroyed by that heat? You could even damage components that were removed before baking when you reinstall them to a damaged/destroyed motherboard.

I'm sorry, I've no doubt you'll claim all sorts of successes but I would not recommend this technique to anyone. If you're reduced to baking the motherboard you already need a new laptop.

:no:
 

halox

Enthusiast
Well....

I've heard of poke and hope fault finding, I've even used it myself, but I've never heard of bake and hope. Granted you may melt some, or even all, of the solder, but how do you know where it's going to flow, or what other motherboard components will be destroyed by that heat? You could even damage components that were removed before baking when you reinstall them to a damaged/destroyed motherboard.

I'm sorry, I've no doubt you'll claim all sorts of successes but I would not recommend this technique to anyone. If you're reduced to baking the motherboard you already need a new laptop.

:no:

Skepticism was inevitable. If you know how these boards are made you will know the flux is applied to the desired areas where the solder is to flow. The PCB then passes over a bath of molten solder (much hotter than 200C). The solder takes to the areas of flux. Me heating it up will not make the solder flow anywhere is should not. All of the solder is melted. Yes, you could remove things you remove before baking. Not sure why, perhaps dropping something would damage it.

Think what you like, watch the whole video and see for yourself. I have another motherboard from a HP NC6000 which has inherent solder issues. This is an easy way to fix it.

I have just read you used to be in IT. I would have thought you would have known some of the above facts.
 
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halox

Enthusiast
Watch the full video before commenting. Also read up on solder re-flowing before commenting. Its a common practice in the IT community. I have just brought you all a video on how to do it easily. :D
 
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adator

Enthusiast
I have to agree with ubuysa I don't know much about computers but but do know a fair bit about flux and solder being a plumber, and unless your re fluxing the components then I cant see there being any flux on the board it would of all gone the 1st time it was heated and they should of cleaned it off the board also flux runs where ever it can so therefore the solder would just follow the flux you cant keep it in one place, surely you would be better off just using a soldering iron and doing it properly.
 

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
Skepticism was inevitable. If you know how these boards are made you will know the flux is applied to the desired areas where the solder is to flow. The PCB then passes over a bath of molten solder (much hotter than 200C). The solder takes to the areas of flux. Me heating it up will not make the solder flow anywhere is should not. All of the solder is melted. Yes, you could remove things you remove before baking. Not sure why, perhaps dropping something would damage it.

Think what you like, watch the whole video and see for yourself. I have another motherboard from a HP NC6000 which has inherent solder issues. This is an easy way to fix it.

I have just read you used to be in IT. I would have thought you would have known some of the above facts.

Actually I did watch the video, all the way through too. Did you identify the problem before you baked the board or did you bake it as a sort of shotgun solution to a problem you couldn't identify? I've seen many boards in my time with broken or lifted circuit strips that no amount of flow-soldering will fix. I commend your ingenuity and your use of a home oven but anyone resorting to this technique is clutching at the proverbial straw.

It's interesting, but that's all. I would not recommend this technique to anyone, except as a curiosity.
 

Kalisnoir

Super Star
After reading the first few comments, but not watching the video I'm guessing you're heating the whole laptop up to essentially re-solder it all inside. This was done with the 360 by wrapping it up in towels and turning it on as a way of fixing the red light problem. You should note that although this fixed the console temporarily it was by no means a sufficient long term solution and it would eventually fail again permanently.
 

halox

Enthusiast
To answer some questions and points. The laptop was showing signs of a bad joint. Laptops are notorious for this. The board can be bent slightly. Solder on the other hand over time cannot. The bending comes from the flexing of the board.

No the laptop did not go in to the over. This would destroy the laptop screen at 200C.

Our resident plummer should also know solder will not flow freely where there is no flux if the temperature is not hot enough. Also after the solder bath the boards go through a chemical bath to remove all the excess flux. So when the board is heated to 200C (not warm in solder terms) the cracks in the solder remerge, flow together.

A soldering iron is too bulky and clumsy for the intricacy of the board.

For any doubters, the next time you have a knackered mother board and cant fix it, try it. You will be amazed.

Here are some successful stories from just the DELL forums, look elsewhere, HP, Sony you will find similar stories there. Rather than be skeptical, be open minded.


(2 on this page) http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19436289.aspx?pi239031352=16#20180939

(3 on this page) http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19436289.aspx?pi239031352=20#20180939

More here: http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19436289.aspx?pi239031352=23#20180939

To reiterate, re-flowing solder is very common. its just difficult on PCB's due to the size. This solves that.
 

vanthus

Member Resting in Peace
I find this all very interesting halox,I may give it a try with a couple of old laptops I've had lying around for ages and was ready to bin them.+ rep for showing me something I'd never heard of before. :)
By the way,is that Armadale West Lothian you live?
If so,I'm not a stones throw away.
 

halox

Enthusiast
I find this all very interesting halox,I may give it a try with a couple of old laptops I've had lying around for ages and was ready to bin them.+ rep for showing me something I'd never heard of before. :)
By the way,is that Armadale West Lothian you live?
If so,I'm not a stones throw away.

An open mind, love it. Yeah, Armadale West Lothian. Originally from Bathgate.

I have about 4 x HP NC6000's that before I discovered this I put to the back of the shed as the fault is common on them as solder crack on the voltage regulator chip. I tried soldering it with a microscope and a thin hot wire. I fixed one by re-flowing the solder and will do the rest at some point.
 

Boozad

Prolific Poster
I've heard of baking graphics cards as a last resort when no other fix seems to work, but never a laptop. I don't care what you do with laptops though as I don't like them, I do however understand soldering...

J-STD Certificate.jpg
 

Boozad

Prolific Poster
Now you have heard of it.

Of course. I used to repair my old Marshall 265 Valvestate when it had dry joints but that was by hand. While baking can work I'd doubt the longevity of the repair, dry joints are temperamental at best if not repaired to a good standard. It may hold out for a while and could see some people through who can't go out and splash out on a new motherboard/GPU/whatever but it's not something I'd personally resort to. Then again I only use desktops so it's something I could repair myself.

In short; yes baking can work, but it's something I really can't be arsed with.
 

halox

Enthusiast
Of course. I used to repair my old Marshall 265 Valvestate when it had dry joints but that was by hand. While baking can work I'd doubt the longevity of the repair, dry joints are temperamental at best if not repaired to a good standard. It may hold out for a while and could see some people through who can't go out and splash out on a new motherboard/GPU/whatever but it's not something I'd personally resort to. Then again I only use desktops so it's something I could repair myself.

In short; yes baking can work, but it's something I really can't be arsed with.

It is not dry joints. It is solder fractures. A dry joint is where the flow of solder failed to wet the metal. A bake in an oven would not fix dry joints, but does fix solder fractures by heating the solder up sufficiently to re-flow together.

With the price of motherboards expensive and having to take them out anyway to replace them, I see no reason why you would not want to bake it for 8 minutes. After all it could save you a few hundred pounds.
 

Boozad

Prolific Poster
Apologies for refering to solder fractures as dry joints, too much Leffe and Shiraz before posting. I wouldn't do it as I'd prefer to buy a new board, I always like to replace broken stuff.
 

halox

Enthusiast
The proof is in the pudding. Here are some more laptop motherboards I had lying around. I had 4 and re-flowed 3 in the oven last night.

Here they are:



This was the first one I hooked up today.



Here it is right now:

 
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