Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Tips on Dell Latitude D630 system board?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Tips on Dell Latitude D630 system board?

    Just finished replacing a CCFL in a D610 and am now ready to tackle something trickier. Thanks for all the tips on fixing the screen!

    Have a Dell Latitude D630 that was water damaged. I've pulled off all the components and they've all tested OK, so I've got a good screen, keyboard, RAM etc. I'm surprised they are working.

    Anyway, the laptop won't power up, and the only fuses I can find are for the USB ports. The only thing interesting is that I can feel a bit of warmth in the battery/charging section which is at the opposite end of the power input. I don't see any obvious evidence of water damage inside, except some of the printing on the PCB seems a little distorted and covered in a thin layer of white stuff near one major chipset IC. The printing looks more like a manufacturing problem, the PCB definitely isn't blistered from something fried. The white stuff I'm not sure whether it's flux or whatnot that wasn't cleaned off, or perhaps residue from whatever was spilled, but I would have expect to see more of that and in more places.


    I don't suppose anyone has a schematic for this motherboard?

    thanks!

    #2
    Re: Tips on Dell Latitude D630 system board?

    shorted mobo. the backup was on (to preserve time/date settings) when it got wet... explains heat. the water would be a heat sink so no fry marks...

    (plays taps)
    sigpic

    (Insert witty quote here)

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Tips on Dell Latitude D630 system board?

      What?

      How in the HELL can you possibly say that with such certainty and security? There are a plethora of things that could be wrong with this laptop, and several reasons for the white-ish spot on the PCB. A water spill is only ONE of the many things that could have happened.

      jpm I have no idea what is wrong with your laptop. But I sure as hell am not going to pull something out of my ass and spew it out with all the confidence in the world.

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Tips on Dell Latitude D630 system board?

        Assuming it got wet when it was running, liquids can really, really mess up a laptop board. It's one thing that some repairshops will refuse to even try to fix.

        Look very closely for some eight-pin IC MOSFETs in SOIC packages, probably with 'IR' in the part number. They might show signs of overheating or might even be cracked underneath. Smell them. I've seen them blown right off a motherboard by water shorts. You can also get a handful of similarly blown transistors, zeners, diodes, etc.
        A bigger chip like a power converter controller could have fried, and they are extremely difficult to diagnose if not physically damaged. If a bigger chip like that has been fried, the board is junk.
        If it hasn't been that long since it got wet you should bake the board for a while in a slightly warm oven, or leave it near a warm air register in your house for a couple hours. This would have been a good idea before you tried to run it.
        If it was something other than water and left a residue you should think of washing it, and then doing the drying process. Whatever it was might have left a conductive film.

        If it got wet when it was NOT running, it's less a disaster, but you still have your hands full.

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Tips on Dell Latitude D630 system board?

          laptop= backup battery= live circuit= short.

          and no, i don't pull stuff out my ass
          sigpic

          (Insert witty quote here)

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Tips on Dell Latitude D630 system board?

            Funny cause you just did. What makes you so sure a liquid was spilled onto the laptop?

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Tips on Dell Latitude D630 system board?

              he said so. see first post. he said it was water damaged.
              sigpic

              (Insert witty quote here)

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Tips on Dell Latitude D630 system board?

                Oh. Shit.

                My bad dude. I reread his original post several times and somehow the water damage part went right over my head. My apologies man.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: Tips on Dell Latitude D630 system board?

                  Had a D530 with same white residue. Possibly coffee with cream? Scraped between ic legs with small pin and cleaned with alcohol.Booted up afterwards.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Tips on Dell Latitude D630 system board?

                    it happens. i've screwed up too, trust me.
                    sigpic

                    (Insert witty quote here)

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: Tips on Dell Latitude D630 system board?

                      Originally posted by ratdude747
                      shorted mobo. the backup was on (to preserve time/date settings) when it got wet... explains heat. the water would be a heat sink so no fry marks...

                      (plays taps)
                      Probably right. But just to be clear, the board was thoroughly dried out (it's been months since whatever happened to it). Any heat now is when it's plugged in (no batteries etc), so it made me think that some power was still being routed to the battery charging section, and maybe something simpler blew.

                      Comment

                      Working...
                      X