Chapter 8

Laptop Not Powering On Issues & Resolutions; Part 3: Motherboard Issues

The laptop motherboard can have many different issuesBlown Voltage Regulator–

VR chips are also called MOSFETs. They will be one of the most common board failurecomponents you will come across. They will typically fail near the DC Jack or the DC Jack inputplug port (both upper and under sides of that area…)

Above are a few types of V-Regulator ICsSome reasons they can fail include:

Power surge or Power Dip, Liquid contact, board flex, contact with any metal object while poweris running through laptop, pressure to the palm-rest or referred failure due to another componentfailing such as a capacitor or series of caps.You can sometimes visually see when they have a fault or have blown. They will reveal a crack orcan have a circle shaped burn mark on the surface if the IC itself.

A blown VR can cause severe damage to the motherboard by blowing out surroundingcomponents or burning the motherboard and ruining the traces on the upper levels of the board.

Blown Capacitor

If the laptop is powering on by itself the instant you plug in the AC Adapter or insert the battery,chances are there is a mis-seated plug, cable or wire set attached to the laptop or motherboard. Toremedy this, you should disassemble the laptop, then, reassemble to hopefully correct the fault.

IDENTIFYING COMPONENTS ON A LAPTOP MOTHERBOARD

MOTHERBOARD FLEX ISSUE