Help identifiy laptop cap...

[eppidrummer]

This is a dell laptop that worked before, then all the sudden getting pixelated lines on the screen and weird colors on some of the images. Starts this at boot up.
Taken the laptop apart and re seated the video card and all was normal again. Then a day later all the sudden happen again.
Found this cap that to me looks bad. The numbers on top are all that exist on the cap. (38/220/25A)
Anyone have any input on if this could be a problem?
Thanks.

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Help identifiy laptop cap...

220uF, 25 volts. But i don't think replacing it is gonna help much. I think you have a classic GPU failure due to bad BGA soldering. Reflow it.

[mockingbird]

Re: Help identifiy laptop cap...

That's a Sanyo capacitor:



From http://capacitor.web.fc2.com/

[eppidrummer]

Re: Help identifiy laptop cap...

220uF, 25 volts. But i don't think replacing it is gonna help much. I think you have a classic GPU failure due to bad BGA soldering. Reflow it.

Wow! Did a youtube search on GPU failure and thats exactly what its doing.
I Knew I would find answers here.
As I said many times before...Great place here

What is involved in reflowing? Hard to do?

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Help identifiy laptop cap...

The simplest and easiest way is to take the GPU (especially since you say it's removable), remove heatsink and everything (remove any electrolytic caps too), and bake it. Search thru my posts for the method. You get extra credit for also applying flux before baking.

If you apply new thermal paste and make sure the heatsink is screwed on tight afterwards, should last enough to become morally obsolete.

[mockingbird]

Re: Help identifiy laptop cap...

You've got to get special liquid flux and spray it underneath the chip. This will lengthen the effectiveness of the reflow.

If your videocard is G8x class, you may only get a month or two more use out of it.

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Help identifiy laptop cap...

If your videocard is G8x class, you may only get a month or two more use out of it.

Tell that to my dv9000.

[eppidrummer]

Re: Help identifiy laptop cap...

The simplest and easiest way is to take the GPU (especially since you say it's removable), remove heatsink and everything (remove any electrolytic caps too), and bake it. Search thru my posts for the method. You get extra credit for also applying flux before baking.

If you apply new thermal paste and make sure the heatsink is screwed on tight afterwards, should last enough to become morally obsolete.

Thanks for the great help, one last question: The male connector on the gpu is plastic, will this survive an oven?

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Help identifiy laptop cap...

Aw man, a geforce FX? And a 5200 at that! This again shows that the nvidia GPU fiasco is older than we knew of. Yes the connector will survive. Even the black plastic tape they put all over the motherboard does. Just make sure you follow my method 100%, it will work.

[eppidrummer]

Re: Help identifiy laptop cap...

Aw man, a geforce FX? And a 5200 at that! This again shows that the nvidia GPU fiasco is older than we knew of. Yes the connector will survive. Even the black plastic tape they put all over the motherboard does. Just make sure you follow my method 100%, it will work.

Thanks for all your help!!!

[mockingbird]

Re: Help identifiy laptop cap...

Aw man, a geforce FX? And a 5200 at that! This again shows that the nvidia GPU fiasco is older than we knew of. Yes the connector will survive. Even the black plastic tape they put all over the motherboard does. Just make sure you follow my method 100%, it will work.

No. Geforce FX are rarely known to require reflowing and they did not have the substrate problem. I have a FX5700 AGP here I used for a little, was very good. The RAM wasn't even BGA.

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Help identifiy laptop cap...

From what i see in those pics the memory is BGA and may very well be the culprit.

[mockingbird]

Re: Help identifiy laptop cap...

Agreed. More likely it is the GPU ram that needs the reflow. I tried to reflow a laptop SODIMM once. I was unsuccessful.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: Help identifiy laptop cap...

Tell that to my dv9000.

You talk to your computers?
.
Do they talk back?
.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: Help identifiy laptop cap...

My only attempt at a reflow was the CPU on a printer mobo and it failed miserably.
.

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Help identifiy laptop cap...

You talk to your computers?

If speech recognition is on.

Do they talk back?

So far, no, but you may never know.

[yyonline]

Re: Help identifiy laptop cap...

That looks like an Inspiron 5150. I just replaced a video card in one of those a few weeks ago, it was damaged from a spill, not failure.

If you can't repair the card, buying a used replacement card on eBay isn't too bad - $15-25 depending on if the card is 32 or 64mb.

[eppidrummer]

Re: Help identifiy laptop cap...

Well, I did the oven reflow with the video card and now I get no video at boot up. Yes this is a 5150. Is it worth investing in a video card or could there be more wrong.
This laptop is on its 5th (yes 5th) mb replaced by dell while under warranty.
I have had this for about maybe 8 years and has been a big piece of crap!

Was getting it going to sell in our shop as it is no longer used but is it worth putting any money into?

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Help identifiy laptop cap...

$20? Yes. More? No.

[yyonline]

Re: Help identifiy laptop cap...

As for the motherboard... The 5150 has a defect in the case that causes it to push against a component, which then breaks. The solution is pretty simple. Find the "C" cover on the bottom of the computer. Remove it. Break off the tabs on the long sides of the cover. Reinstall. It will still be held into place fine by the screw and tabs on the short side. The tabs on the long sides of the "C" cover press on a component, leading to motherboard failure.