Technical

port alfred laptop board repair

DEAD LAPTOP

LIQUID DAMAGE

CHARGING PORT

HINGE REPAIR

PRICING PLANS

what we offer

Dead laptops refer to those that fail to power on when the power button is pressed. This condition can often be attributed to a short circuit occurring on one of the power rails. When a short circuit occurs, it disrupts the normal flow of electrical current, preventing the laptop from receiving the necessary power to initiate the booting process. Consequently, the laptop remains unresponsive and fails to turn on.

When diagnosing a dead laptop, one of the key areas to investigate is the power delivery system, including the various power rails. Identifying and addressing any shorts or irregularities in the power rails is crucial for restoring functionality to the laptop. By resolving these issues and ensuring the uninterrupted flow of power, the laptop can be revived and powered on successfully.

In our analysis, we are not only examining a specific set of power rails but all of them, including Vcore, which is comparable to the power configuration found in Mac laptops that turn on when the lid is opened. We are particularly interested in the power sequence that occurs after the power button is pressed. It is crucial to understand the sequence of events from the moment the power button is pressed until the system successfully completes the Power-On Self Test (POST) and the display turns on.

Furthermore, we observe the behaviour of the caps lock indicator as an indication of the POST completion. It is only after the POST has successfully finished that the caps lock indicator is activated, and subsequently, the display is powered on. By carefully examining these factors, we can gain insights into the overall power functionality and diagnose any potential issues with the laptop.

Liquid damage repairs are usually time consuming as there is often little or no electronic logic related to the random damage of components.

We stock many charging port dc jacks imported from China. Often the jack needs to be micro soldered on the board after being disassembled. We also check the power rail, ec chip, bq power management chip and pd controller as sometimes the problem is board related rather than port related. Also the battery may need to be unlocked or protection circuitry bypassed with a tiny alternative circuit if unlocking is problematic. This is important as some modern* laptops require the battery to be healthy in order to power on.

* hybrid power in modern laptops …. for example, during high load, the battery would not charge but actually decrease in charge. That is why we cant diagnose the laptop if we don’t know 100% that the battery is good.

We fix most laptops related to dislodged or broken hinges. The hinge is also slightly loosened to prevent a reoccurrence of the issue.

Cracked screens are replaced. If the display is present, but without backlight, the issue can be fixed without replacing the screen. Some replacement screens are locally available. Other are couriered in from Johannesburg or Cape town.

In some cases, the laptop board needs to be repaired and working before data can be recovered as in onboard storage on flash chips.

One flat fixed fee is charged for laptop board repairs to cover risk, etc. in business model. Laptop board repairs are R1650 while MacBook and gaming laptops are billed at R2200. This included replacement chips and sundries. However, it excludes the screen cost, keyboard cost, charger or battery replacement cost if required.

If the laptop can’t be viably repaired (processor or graphics chip shorted or dead) or if faulty component required is not readily available:
A no-fix fee of R650 is the minimum fee applicable which covers inspection and diagnosis (bench fee) or leave the non-working device for workshop spares.

Service request

Provide a comprehensive and detailed inquiry