Resoldering the GPU? [was Re: [ltp] vertical lines error on the lcd
screen]
Bill Andrus
linux-thinkpad@linux-thinkpad.org
Tue, 3 Apr 2007 14:02:18 -0400
<br><tt><font size=2>linux-thinkpad-admin@linux-thinkpad.org wrote on 04/03/2007
11:03:32 AM:<br>
<br>
> On 4/3/07, James Knott <james.knott@rogers.com> wrote:<br>
> > Oisin Feeley wrote:<br>
> > > On 4/3/07, Bill Andrus <languru@us.ibm.com> wrote:<br>
> > >> > (vertical lines, console mode text garbled...)<br>
> > >><br>
> > >> Your System Board has failed. The ATI display
chips are on a PCB<br>
> > >> carrier<br>
> > >> that is soldered into the main PCB, and (usually due
to flexing or<br>
> > >> pressure<br>
> > >> around the spacebar and trackpoint buttons) the internal
soldering has<br>
> > >> broken. Problem in its earliest stages will be
temperature and pressure<br>
> > >> sensitive, later it will become more pronounced with
system<br>
> > >> freeze-ups and<br>
> > >> reboots.<br>
> > ><br>
> > > I've heard people talk about sending the board to have the
solder<br>
> > > "re-fluxed" to correct this problem. Do
you have any idea if this is<br>
> > > really possible?<br>
> > ><br>
> ><br>
> > "Re-fluxing" wouldn't do much, as flux is only used
during soldering.<br>
> > Howver, problems can often be resolved by resoldering intermittent<br>
> > connections.<br>
> <br>
> Sorry, I mean "re-flowing".<br>
> <br>
> So, what about reflowing the solder then? Has anyone had success
with<br>
> doing that themselves or with sending it for repair somewhere (and
if<br>
> so what sort of price would it be?).<br>
> <br>
> In this link the poster talks about having a screen corruption issue<br>
> similar to the OP which he fixed by resoldering the video chip himself<br>
> http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Problem_with_garbled_screen<br>
> <br>
> In this link the poster describes the problem which I have (similar
to<br>
> the OP's with the screen displaying gradually creeping downward<br>
> horizontal lines, but the system becoming entirely unresponsive. This<br>
> is a T40 with an ATI Radeon Mobility M7 graphics chip.<br>
> <br>
> http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Problem_with_video_related_system_lockup_II<br>
> <br>
> I've disassembled extensively and have concluded that the problem
is<br>
> probably due something like this (can't see any obvious cracks on
the<br>
> board but lightly flexing it in that area does cause lock ups. I
can<br>
> use the machine for days on end without any symptoms if I just use
a<br>
> USB keyboard/mouse, but I'd like to have a portable laptop again ;)<br>
> <br>
> As you can tell, I don't know anything about soldering (I used to
make<br>
> crude electronics projects when I was a child, but that was a long<br>
> time ago and I've forgotten any skill I had), so I'd rather not do
it<br>
> myself. The laptop is no longer under warranty, so I'd need
to pay<br>
> whatever it takes and it's only a T40. So, is it cost-effective
to<br>
> have a "board shop" (if I can find one in Canada) do this,
or should I<br>
> just go crazy and try it myself?<br>
> <br>
> Oisin<br>
</font></tt>
<br><tt><font size=2>eBay has complete base and system board assemblies
for around US$200, IBM has great </font></tt>
<br><tt><font size=2>videos of how to remove the keyboard and palmrest,
and an excellent Hardware </font></tt>
<br><tt><font size=2>Maintenance Manual (HMM in IBM-speak) for the T40
series. New system boards run</font></tt>
<br><tt><font size=2>US$500 and up, and beware of the eBay outfits advertising
to take your US$100 and </font></tt>
<br><tt><font size=2>give you back a repair quote -- no good reports of
that service working for this</font></tt>
<br><tt><font size=2>type of problem.</font></tt>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Bill Andrus</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif"><br>
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. -
Arthur C. Clarke<br>
</font>