Reflowing a broken laptop

ChroniC

ChroniC

ChroniC

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Joined
18 Oct 2002
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Ok, Long story short (tl:dr) From investigation I think the GPU is borked and I'm going to use a mini blow torch to fix it. :D

Ok basically I have a Acer Aspire 5520 (it's the misses mothers) It's old and out of warranty. It recently for now apparent reason other than it felt like it, decided to not boot, no screen, (the fans flow for two secs, then nothing) the main power light blinks on and off slowly, along with the hdd etc.
After a lot of google investigation, and resitting the hdd, and mem, I have come to the same conclusion as everyone else, that it's a common problem with the nvidia 7000m solder joints.
A lot of videos on the internet show two methods, buying a heating station (basically a temp control heat gun) and heating the gpu to melt the solder, or sitting it in the oven at 200c for 7 minutes. Both with equal amounts of sucess.

However I think I am going to go with a method I saw work with an old dell with a similar problem. Heat it up with a Chefs mini blow torch. Same principle, just easier (no removing the whole board etc) but a who lot more *****. :D

Sooo, anyway kinda know what I am going to do, I just wondered if anyone had tried something similar, or had a similar problem. Maybe anyone got a better solution or just want to tell me I'm a bit simple for setting fire to a laptop, before I end up in hospital. :D

Thanks.
 
Yeah, done it a few times on an 8400GS on a Dell M1330 motherboard. I found the best method to be a flat copper shim to the gpu die (just covering the shiny part) and using a gas torch to slowly heat the shim and surrounding area.

It will fail again, and the reason I won't touch an Nvidia laptop with a barge pole, but what have you to lose? Heating slowly and allowing to cool to room temperature is key IMO. Don't forget, the reverse of the board can get very hot too!
 
d_brennen said:
Yeah, done it a few times on an 8400GS on a Dell M1330 motherboard. I found the best method to be a flat copper shim to the gpu die (just covering the shiny part) and using a gas torch to slowly heat the shim and surrounding area.

It will fail again, and the reason I won't touch an Nvidia laptop with a barge pole, but what have you to lose? Heating slowly and allowing to cool to room temperature is key IMO. Don't forget, the reverse of the board can get very hot too!
Click to expand...

Ahh glad someone else has done it. I did notice someone putting a copper coin on the chip, think that will work as well. I know it's likely to fail again in maybe a few months maybe a few weeks. I have told her this. I kinda wanner do it for the brownie points and fun. :D

My plan is to get a £20 chefs torch, take the back off, and remove the heatsink. Then place tinfoil over the mobo with only a hole over the gpu, then put a 1p over the die and gently and slowly blow torch it from about 10cm, gradually getting closer and closer for about 5 minutes. Then take the 1p of and give it a few blast with the torch and then let it cool down for 30mins, and if it doesn't work rinse and repeat with a closer blast.
 
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I have done this many times, just I don't use a blowtorch I use a heatgun, like what you can use to remove wallpaper from walls. The times I've done it, using one takes like 30-45 seconds of heat about 4-5cm from the GPU and doing some circling around to ensure it all gets warmed up.

Also, I bought some liquid flux and syringed it under the gpu, flux just helps solder make good joints again.

I would wonder if you could get a heatgun for £20 instead of a chef torch, I don't think a chef torch sounds super safe to do it with in case you melt sections :P

But yeah, it will break again down the line sadly.
 
we used to attempt to do this with professional laser re-flowing equipment at work. It works but its just so unreliable and can/normally does fail again, the success rate was so low we gave up on it.

We also used a 3rd party company to re-con the boards/parts who basically baked the boards in an oven, yes we gave up on that too.

Its pretty much like the rrod on the xbox and ylod on the ps3 and its better much down to the cheap solder used during production.

I have seen just the gpu chips available on feabay now but not tried them myself to see if its better success rate.
 
Silenced said:
I have done this many times, just I don't use a blowtorch I use a heatgun, like what you can use to remove wallpaper from walls. The times I've done it, using one takes like 30-45 seconds of heat about 4-5cm from the GPU and doing some circling around to ensure it all gets warmed up.

Also, I bought some liquid flux and syringed it under the gpu, flux just helps solder make good joints again.

I would wonder if you could get a heatgun for £20 instead of a chef torch, I don't think a chef torch sounds super safe to do it with in case you melt sections :P

But yeah, it will break again down the line sadly.
Click to expand...

I might go get my dads diy heat gun, but tbh I was just trying to save myself the hassle of dismantling the whole laptop. The benefit being the flame is pretty narrow and not a lot of heat is going to get anywhere else. I suppose if I just cover the whole thing with tin foil the heat wont get a chance to melt anything and I could use a gun. They just blow everywhere and are so much less accurate. Hmmmm.
 
Ok so I forgot to video this but I did it, and amazingly it was successful.

I bought a 9quid chefs blow torch from Robert Dias. Basically as I didn't want the hassle of completely dismantling the laptop. I took of the back plate and found that the heatsink came of fairly easily once a few screws were taken out.

I folded a sheet of tinfoil about 3 times and molded into shape then cutout a square around the gpu. On first attempt I put a 5p on the gpu die, and gave the surrounding area a 10second blast with the torch, then a 10second blast on the 5p.

I reassembled and to my amazement it work. However after about a minute it shut down and then intermittently shutdown. I assume it hadn't taken well so I took it apart again and this time without the 5p hit it with a much closer blast, whilst trying not to burn it, so lot and lots of circles/movement.

This time it has stayed on and I have just watched a whole film on it to test it. Seems ok for now, so result. I shall await the phone call in a day/week/month when the stresses cause it to break again.
 
I did it on the oven on my Dell 9400 with a 7900GS. Dismantled laptop to get at it. Worked perfectly. But the smell in the kitchen was horrendous. The heat gun out side the house I'd try the next time.

Likewise I'd never get a laptop with a Nvida again. They shafted everyone with that.
 
Idd good job. Heard about the solder melting in game consoles a lot but never hear of it in a laptop, im not suprised though after accidentally covering the vent on mine once while gaming it burnt my leg.
 
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