Acer Aspire 3100 1352

[brethin]

I have a Acer Aspire 3100 laptop that just started giving me problems, I get no response from the keyboard even if i use a USB keyboard in any of the 3 USB
ports. I can't get into the bios because of this and I can't boot to any OS either.

Anyone have any idea where I need to look first? My guess is maybe a blown fuse on the MB for KB/USB but I have yet to open it up and look.

It posts fine with no warnings about the keyboard but is unusable because no keys on the KB respond so sits there waiting for me to click a user to log in with in XP.

[marcellodj]

If im right, there is a southbridge ati ixp400; need to be reflowed.

[brethin]

Actully it has a ATI-SB460 southbridge. I plugged a cardbuss usb card in and attached a usb keyboard and mouse and booted a unubtu cd. The keybaord and mouse on the usb cardbuss card work, video works, the sound works, the dvdrom and hard drive work. The only things not working are the laptop keyboard/touchpad and the 3 onboard usb ports. If this were a southbridge problem would it not also have killed something else?

[mattbrad2]

Not necessarily. The internal keyboard and touchpad are often wired into the USB hub anyway so it makes sense none of them aren't working. Fix the USB problem and the keyboard and touchpad will start working also. Are one of the USB port jacks broken (pins touching the internal housing) ?

[brethin]

Well after opening it up and powering it on with a small amont of preasure on the southbridge chip the keyboard would work. So I can confirm the southbridge is the issue. Now to try and find someone to reball/reflow it and not charge me more than a new motherboard.

[mattbrad2]

Originally Posted by brethin

Well after opening it up and powering it on with a small amont of preasure on the southbridge chip the keyboard would work. So I can confirm the southbridge is the issue. Now to try and find someone to reball/reflow it and not charge me more than a new motherboard.

Reballing will probably be out of the question then. We perform reflows from $95 to $120 depending on the project. In your case, I would think a new motherboard will probably be the better option. A quick glance at ebay and I see some for about $100.

[brethin]

$95 to $120 to reflow 1 chip? What method/equipment (hot air station/oven/infrared) do you use. Do you provide a warrany? I know the equipment isn't cheap but that seems like alot for just a reflow. I have seen reballing offered at that price range.

[mattbrad2]

Well, it's about 3 hours worth of work once you factor in disassemble, prep, reflow, and re-assemble. $95 for 3 hours is pretty good. Plus my liability for removing every internal part of the laptop. We take into account every screw and put it back together exactly as it came apart. We do about 1 a day. The equipment is dark IR - about a grand I suppose we spent on it. The prep work along is pretty time consuming (cleaning, kapton taping and masking off nearby components). We then provide a copper shim and new thermal compound. We provide a 90 day warranty for this type of job.

I've personally witnessed on two occasions other shops offering a reball service for "cheap" and did nothing more than an oven fix. There is a big difference in someone doing this professionally and someone winging it out of their garage.