re-flow raedon video chip due to heat stress not flexing

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jimnto · #1 Post by **jimnto** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 10:51 pm

I am typing on a kyboard hooked to my bare motherboard and my lcd leaning against a kleenex box - bear with me.

My display becomes extremely garbled after time, not due to flexing (that I can tell). I think it is heat build up and not that my bare motherboard is running on a towel on my coffee table, it hasn't failed yet. I am flexing the board and notheing.

Do I reflow or do I find a better heat sink? My wife will kill me if I don;t re-assemble and give her the coffee table back.

I have an r-40 and as I said, after 30 min to an hour, the display gets fuzzy, then fuzzier, then sometimes it looks like it kind of burns to a freeze or other times it gets so fuzzy then freezes up. Reboot and XXP says it is a serios TI problem.

Help

Jax184 · #2 Post by **Jax184** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 11:12 pm

Don't forget that the heat will cause thermal expansion, which could be causing a bad connection to come apart. Though it's usually the other way around...

jimnto · #3 Post by **jimnto** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 11:49 pm

Jax184 wrote:Don't forget that the heat will cause thermal expansion, which could be causing a bad connection to come apart. Though it's usually the other way around...

So - does it seem I am a prime candidate for a solder re-flow?

visionviper · #4 Post by **visionviper** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 1:10 am

I don't think the problem is with broken solder connections on the GPU. I think the GPU is failing. If the screen becomes garbled but does not freeze reflowing the solder will not fix the problem.

rbena · #5 Post by **rbena** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 1:55 am

jimnto wrote:I am typing on a kyboard hooked to my bare motherboard and my lcd leaning against a kleenex box

I sense by your opening sentence you are facing an issue with your laptop

I would suggest running TP fancontrol to identify any excessive temperatures that coincide with the video deteriorating.

If high temps are occurring in your R40, try cleaning the cooling fan with compressed air and see if this results in temperatures dropping - and the video improving. Hold the fan blade while blowing air so as to not damage the fan.

If video problems stiil exist, do a quick check on the LCD by connecting your R40 to an external monitor, and see if the laptop still exhibits video problems.

If the problems still exist, you could be heading for a motherboard replacement. Please keep us updated.

#6 Post by **rkawakami** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 2:01 am

Garbled video can also be indicative of a problem with the video memory either being defective (i.e., bad RAM) or a bad connection to the video graphics controller. Re-flowing the solder will not help the first case but could help the second. Depending upon the severity of the defect, it may or may not cause the entire system to freeze. The two A31p system I have exhibit random blocks of color and/or lines across the screen but still operates "normally" otherwise. I suspect a bad solder connection somewhere but have not yet taken any steps to re-flow the motherboards as I am still looking into a way to protect the areas surrounding the graphics chip from the application of heat.

jimnto · #7 Post by **jimnto** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 7:19 am

I am typing on my desktop now :) so any bad spelling is my issue.
Any way

If the screen becomes garbled but does not freeze reflowing the solder will not fix the problem.

because the problem seems to become worse, minute by minute, until it does eventually freeze, maybe I should re-assemble and try the tp fan temperature utility someone suggested.

If video problems stiil exist, do a quick check on the LCD by connecting your R40 to an external monitor, and see if the laptop still exhibits video problems.

If the problems still exist, you could be heading for a motherboard replacement. Please keep us updated.

rbena - are you saying that the external monitor is not controlled by the Raedon? It seems like you suggest if the external monitor shows the same characterisitics of failing, this indicates the motherboard?
I will let you know tonight when I get home from work. Thanks for the input so far.

JN

rbena · #8 Post by **rbena** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 8:41 pm

jimnto wrote:rbena - are you saying that the external monitor is not controlled by the Raedon?

No, I'm saying the external monitor is controlled by the Radeon, which is located on the motherboard. If an external monitor still exhibits problems, this may well indicate a problem with your Radeon GPU chip, and replacing this chip via a new motherboard could be required.

First see if you can narrow down the problem by the tests mentioned above, and then please post your results.

jimnto · #9 Post by **jimnto** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 11:58 am

Now I need to find out where those extra screws go and I am looking for a used hard drive guide rail assembly that I melted when re-flowing. I should have taken the Hard drive assembly off the motherboard.

Oh well.

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... 45953.html

Part number 19 in the link to IBM's web site

Let me know if you have one for sale in Toronto Canada!!

Thansk
Jim N

jimnto · #10 Post by **jimnto** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 8:16 pm

I bought a broken r40 and got my part but what the hell, it had a 15" LCD so I moved all my stuff (motherboard etc) from my 14" r40 over to it.

YEAH!
Thanks all
Jim N

re-flow raedon video chip due to heat stress not flexing

re-flow raedon video chip due to heat stress not flexing

Re: re-flow raedon video chip due to heat stress not flexing

Yes - I am going to re-assemble and check for heat issues

Re: Yes - I am going to re-assemble and check for heat issue

YAY! I think I have reflowed successfully

bought used r40 and migrated

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