How Can I Troubleshoot an Averatec 2300 with No Video Output?

[Nerdreaper404]

a friend gave me an averatec 2300 series laptop that was busted. it charges the battery and when i press the power button the power light comes on and the CD drive can be opened and spins up with a disc in it but nothing else turns on no fan, no built in screen, no attached monitor,or other lights. i am trying to practice my electronic troubleshooting/repairing ability so it doesn't mater if i fry this thing to a crisp. i know that the problem lies on the main board because i have eliminated the screen/inverter and the fan does work if i pull it out and use a 9v battery to power it. so my main question is how can i troubleshoot this to a specific chip or component on the main board? if i had to guess i would say that (because this thing has a nvidia north and south bridge)the north bridge should handle the graphics so that is where my problem lies.thax in advance for any help.

(also if i do find it is a major IC like one of the bridges I'm going to try and replace it, time to try my hand at reflow soldering)

 

[Nerdreaper404]

any ideas at all?

 

[berkeman]

a friend gave me an averatec 2300 series laptop that was busted. it charges the battery and when i press the power button the power light comes on and the CD drive can be opened and spins up with a disc in it but nothing else turns on no fan, no built in screen, no attached monitor,or other lights. i am trying to practice my electronic troubleshooting/repairing ability so it doesn't mater if i fry this thing to a crisp. i know that the problem lies on the main board because i have eliminated the screen/inverter and the fan does work if i pull it out and use a 9v battery to power it. so my main question is how can i troubleshoot this to a specific chip or component on the main board? if i had to guess i would say that (because this thing has a nvidia north and south bridge)the north bridge should handle the graphics so that is where my problem lies.thax in advance for any help.

(also if i do find it is a major IC like one of the bridges I'm going to try and replace it, time to try my hand at reflow soldering)

Troubleshooting is very hard without schematics and a Service Manual, IMO. This may be more like your smartboard 580 debug in the end...

I learned a lot by fixing TVs as a hobby when I was a new EE, but I was able to buy SAM's Photofacts for the TVs that I worked on. It seems like you would need the equivalent of a SAM's Photofacts for this laptop, to have a good chance of fixing it. Also, it's often hard to be able to get/buy replacement ASICS for products like a laptop -- unless you're an authorized Service Center, you may not be able to get replacement ICs.

I think it's great that you are taking things apart and trying to fix them -- you definitely can learn a lot of practical things by doing that. It just may be better to focus on things that you can get a schematic of, and that use relatively common parts.

Good luck!

 

[Nerdreaper404]

Thanx for replying (I was beginning to wonder if I had broken a forum rule or something)

As for the SmartBoard cable I caved and bought a new one. Upon comparison the only difference I could find was a .1 volt boost in my cable so IDK

In my search I have stumbled across reworking forums (links below) that seem to be specificity geared toward this type of repair. Again thank you for all your help

I realize the complexities in fixing this kind of problem; but my friends and family have given me the nickname FrankInstein (yes that's an i not an e) because I have been able to bring any dead electronics/mechanics back from the dead. Usually their challenges are just getting new parts to replace bad ones or finding a way to use a handful of parts to do something. This is the first intensive challenge I've been given and I don't plan on loosing my title over it ¦)

 

[vk6kro]

If one of the main chips on the motherboard has failed, then you have almost no chance of fixing it.

However, you can certainly check a few things.

First check if there is any voltage coming from the power supply. Don't unplug the supply from the motherboard, but get contact with the pins of the connector with wires poked down at the top of the plug.

Measure the voltages on one of the chips on the board. If they vary, that is a good sign. If the pins are all 5 volts, that is a clue.

Look for on-board regulators. They should have a higher voltage input and a lower voltage output. If they have nothing, then you know there may be a power supply problem.

Look for on-board batteries. These may be silver disks or blue cylinders. I saw a printer that had been pulled apart for bits. On the main board was a Lithium battery that was flat. Probably the printer would have worked if this battery was changed.

Look for on-board crystal oscillator modules. Use a frequency counter or oscilloscope to see if these are operating.

PC power supplies get a "power good" signal from the motherboard. If they don't get this, they can seem very dead.
If your laptop uses standard leads (as in a PC) maybe you can substitute a PC power supply temporarily to see if this produces better results.

Put a monitor on the video output (if available) on the back of the laptop. Maybe the display is just faulty.

 

[perry_04]

If you still looking to repair your Averatec 2300 with no video you need to reflow the video chip and it should be good to go. Let me know if your still looking to learn this. I just did one for a friends Averatec 2300.