The cost for fixing in Amsterdam is over 100 Euros, which is about 1/2 the laptops' value. This mean that either technology construction (laptop) is very cheap, or that European labor is very expensive. Or maybe both.
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I assembled everything I need: tools, laptop and disassembly guide. Also had a improvised anti-stat wire to keep me grounded.
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The disassembly guide I found was excellent - I knew exactly which and what order to undo every screw. For anyone else thinking of disassembly, you want these kind of guides if possible.
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I followed the guide and got the unit apart quite easily.
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Its really just a motherboard with an upper and lower cover wrapping it. The tricks are in getting the right order of removal, and knowing which wires to unplug
I put the screws in jars with labels to help ensure they found their correct homes. The guide also detailed this :)
I eventually had the lappy in enough pieces to locate and remove the connector. Here is the connector in place.
This connector was on a small board that was separate to the motherboard. I unplugged it and got out the power board.
I couldn't find a replacement part for the connector, and so was planning to solder some wires directly to the board.
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Upon inspection, I found that it was a multilayer board, and I only had a cheap solder iron. This meant I probably couldn't unsolder the socket. What to do? I had to change my low tech solution:
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I broke the connector and removed it, while leaving 2 pins to solder to. My technique is non-destructive and hasn't affected the actual board so I can place a new part if/when I find one.
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I used a rubber grommet to hold the wires in place. This is very tight, and is the first (and only) defence against yanks of the cable.
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Here is the soldering. Not very pretty but it will work.
Here is the final solution. It is not pretty, and I am a little worried that it might break one day. I'm thinking about v2 plans, any suggestions welcome.
I added a standard connector to the other end of the cable, and had to hack the power adapter cable end off too, so its not quite non-destructive...
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But I can now charge and use it (and get my datas!), which is whats most important. And it only cost $10 Euro to fix.
3 comments:
10 euro? How much for the soldering iron etc. :P
nice mod :)
Haha, you are crazy, but good. Not my cup of thee, good job.
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