Can board with blown cap really be repaired.

Collapse
X
 
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • everlearnin
    New Member
    • Mar 2012
    • 2
    • Namibia

    #1

    Can board with blown cap really be repaired.

    Normaly I don't say this but I am new to hardware repair. (I'm actually a programmer)

    I have an MSI 945gcm7 that failed to post this morning. After plugging everything out and back in it still failed to post. I then descovered a cap with a crack in the top. (I assume this means it is blown.)

    I then talked to our local computer shop IT guy. He says that it is most likely that "something else" (not sure what he was talking about) is also fried and thus replacing the bad cap won't work. Personaly I just think he want's to sell me a new motherboard, but is he on to something? Can you really repair the motherboard by replacing the bad caps?

    P.S. this is not the first time this motherboard has failed to most. The previous time I just replaced the CMOS battery then it worked again.
    Last edited by everlearnin; 03-28-2012, 07:57 AM. Reason: where did I learn to spell
  • selldoor
    Slow Learner
    • Dec 2010
    • 7870

    #2
    Re: Can board with blown cap really be repaired.

    "Can you really repair the motherboard by replacing the bad caps?"

    Not always, but there are probably thousands of people who have.
    If you couldn't this site wouldnt exist.
    Please upload pictures using attachment function when ask for help on the repair
    http://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=39740

    Comment

    • mariushm
      Badcaps Legend
      • May 2011
      • 3799

      #3
      Re: Can board with blown cap really be repaired.

      If you can, make pictures of the board, as clear as possible.

      Or the very least (considering your location), point what capacitors are broken or swollen on this picture of your motherboard:

      http://i689.photobucket.com/albums/v...3082010172.jpg

      http://www.modreactor.com/images/sto...ATX/03/002.JPG

      I'm fairly sure one of these is MSI 945gcm7... if your board looks different let us know or search on Google for a picture of a motherboard that looks like your board)


      Depending on where the capacitor is located, we may guess how complex the problems the capacitors caused may be.

      Comment

      • everlearnin
        New Member
        • Mar 2012
        • 2
        • Namibia

        #4
        Re: Can board with blown cap really be repaired.

        In the first image at the top just below the IO ports is a row of black caps. From the right the first and third are blown. They are both same type.

        Comment

        • mariushm
          Badcaps Legend
          • May 2011
          • 3799

          #5
          Re: Can board with blown cap really be repaired.

          All four in that area should have the same properties, same uF value, same voltage rating, my guess is 16v.

          Through that white connector on the left of the processor comes 12v from the power supply. The four large capacitors store energy and act like reservoirs (or "buffers") for the row of small square chips on the board - each large capacitor is used by 2 or 3 of those small square chips.

          Those chips take the 12v and convert it down to 1-1.5v required by the processor and this goes through the blue capacitors which are probably rated for 4-6.3v.... those store some of this converted energy as well, for the moments where the processor suddenly needs a lot of power to do something.

          If two of those large capacitors are failing, chances are the other two were probably abused just the same, so you should replace all four at the same time. Why they died... it could be that the power supply started to deliver "dirty" 12v to the computer and the capacitors did their best smoothing the 12v but in the end they just couldn't handle it anymore. But it could also be that one or several of those square chips died and that caused the capacitors to work outside the way they were designed.

          There's a high chance these capacitors are the only problem and your board will probably work after replacing the capacitors and just to be sure, using another power supply you know works. If you're unlucky, maybe some of the square chips that convert the 12v to a lower voltage are broken and those are harder to find and replace.

          If you're interested in replacing those 4 capacitors write down everything that's written on them so we can suggest brands and series compatible - you can't replace them with any capacitors. Though it could be kind of hard to find good components where you live.

          If you really can't find or order stuff online, I may be able to help you out but I have to check the postage fees to Africa and all that first.
          Last edited by mariushm; 03-28-2012, 11:45 AM.

          Comment

          • Th3_uN1Qu3
            Believe in
            • Jul 2010
            • 6031
            • Romania

            #6
            Re: Can board with blown cap really be repaired.

            If those caps are the 16v ones next to the ATX 12v connector, then the likely culprit is the power supply - you almost definitely have more bad caps in the PSU. Pop the cover open on the PSU and take a look inside. Also supply us with some pics of both board and PSU.
            Originally posted by PeteS in CA
            Remember that by the time consequences of a short-sighted decision are experienced, the idiot who made the bad decision may have already been promoted or moved on to a better job at another company.
            A working TV? How boring!

            Comment

            • Scenic
              o.O
              • Sep 2007
              • 2642
              • Germany

              #7
              Re: Can board with blown cap really be repaired.

              ha.. funny. I just had a MSI 945GCM5 V2 (MS-7267 Ver 4.2) in here a couple weeks back. It didn't post (as in show anything on the screen), but with a POST code test card I was able to see there's still some life left (it tried to boot but locked up).

              The GCM5 looks pretty very similar to the GCM7 pics above.
              http://pclab.pl/zdjecia/artykuly/khe...cm5-fv2_4b.jpg

              Mine was full of crapcaps. Mainly OST and G-Luxon. Had a few Panasonic/Matsushita thrown in the mix though.

              After recapping it (all 6.3V 1000uF and 16V 470uF) it worked rock stable again.
              The CPU VRM caps were Panasonic to begin with, so I didn't have to mess with those. On the 945GCM7 pics above, it looks like they used those turquoise OSTs instead, which are known to fail.

              In fact.. while googling for board photos, I came across a whole lot of boards with failed caps.. seems like you're not the only one

              http://electron55.ru/images/stories/...CN4225-800.jpg
              http://hardverapro.hu/dl/upc/2011-03...3_pc060022.jpg
              http://z5858.myweb.hinet.net/fixwork/945gcm7/02.JPG
              http://z5858.myweb.hinet.net/fixwork/945gcm7/05.JPG

              The last one is really nasty..

              Looks like those brown caps right behind the parallel port are "TK" caps, a.k.a. OST in disguise -> crap.

              Comment

              • NormanSaxon86
                Senior Member
                • Mar 2012
                • 64
                • USA

                #8
                Re: Can board with blown cap really be repaired.

                Hey Yes it can be re-caped check out the link It is a good step by step for cheap on how to re-cap.

                http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...oard,1606.html

                Comment

                Related Topics

                Collapse

                • Tynan Dill
                  Vizio e601i-A3 - Has Sound and Display, But No Backlight - Bad Power Supply Board or Bad LED Bulbs ?
                  by Tynan Dill
                  I was given this TV from my great uncle. He said it just wouldn't turn on one day out of nowhere, replaced the TV, and gave it to me to possibly fix and use for myself.

                  Upon bringing it home and plugging it up, it showed a standby light.

                  I powered it on and without a flashlight, the display showed the "V" but the lighting is very dim, but visible.

                  The screen seems to blackout and stay black, but with a flashlight I can see the display.

                  With my Playstation 4 connected via HDMI, and running a game I can hear sound.

                  Assuming...
                  11-22-2024, 01:46 PM
                • cmlewis89
                  LG 47LB5DF blown power supply board
                  by cmlewis89
                  Hi folks,

                  I'm new to this forum. So my trusty 17-year-old LG 47" LCD recently died. As I was booting it up, I heard a hum followed by a loud bang, sounds of pieces flying around, and loss of power to the unit. Inspecting the PSU, I saw two obvious problems: a blown thermistor (bang + flung pieces) and a visibly bulging main cap. Inspecting as many components as I could with my Fluke MM, I diagnosed that the following components on the "hot side" of the board were also bad: one of the 2 main MOSFETs, main 8A fuse, small cap (25V 47uF) connected to main caps, and a blown...
                  09-03-2024, 07:50 PM
                • howardc64
                  TCL 55S425 few horizontal lines, potential failure on both side of panel/buffer board
                  by howardc64
                  All left and right refers to looking from rear of TV (or looking from front with TV upside down)
                  • TV came with vertical bars and no image. Found faulty TVS on left buffer board. Also replaced T-Con (may have damaged the original while hot air removing components, board has slight warp) and have full image but few horizontal lines on the screen. Some of the lines appears to be 2 pixel tall while others are 1 pixel tall.
                  • Disconnecting left and right buffer board potentially reveals problems on both sides with different signals (unless this T-Con require jumper like Samsung FB_TRDY1&3) Fault
                  ...
                  Yesterday, 05:17 PM
                • m1ch43lzm
                  HP Pavilion 15-eh Board DAG7HAMB8F0 - CPU throttling to 0.4GHz (PROCHOT_EXT) and black screen
                  by m1ch43lzm
                  Hi, this is my personal laptop, which the original board (lets call it Board A) blew up PU8700 (TPS51486), making a hole on the board, i had left the laptop at my desk one day with the battery fully charged and didn't touch it for a week, but when i tried to turn it on it didn't
                  Thought the battery was dead, so i plugged in the charger then tried to power on, the power LED blinked once, charged LED still orange, unplugged the charger, plugged in again and I noticed the "magic smoke" smell, so i unplugged the charger, removed the back cover and saw the blown IC (the "magic...
                  05-12-2025, 08:37 PM
                • howardc64
                  A1312 (27” iMac 2009-2011) A1407 (Thunderbolt Display) A1316 (Cinema Display) Display Black Screen Repair
                  by howardc64
                  Problem

                  This is an LG edge LED lit LCD Display. The LEDs are on the bottom edge of the display. There are 2 bars (left and right) Each bar has many LEDs and a 6 pin connector. Each pin drive several LEDs thus is the highest current flow / heat junction. The weak lead free solder gradually fails with thermal expansion/contraction cycling and increases resistance. PSU will compensate up to a point, then when the current is too high, PSU just shut down the backlight causing a dark display. I have even seen one which the connector just fell off as solder points became completely detached....
                  08-04-2024, 10:36 PM
                • Loading...
                • No more items.
                Working...