[gtstephenson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FreeEnterprise

Mine had the same problem, It would boot but only one light would come on and the fan would speed up and then the system would shut down...

Pressure on the fan assembly would cause it to boot up ok, for a few minutes then it would lock up.

So, I stripped the computer all the way down (the Maxim 1987 chip is UNDERNEATH the motherboard, in the corner where the heatsink screws to the board.

Also, my hinge on that side was really tight... So I used some tri-flow on it and moved it around for a while (did both hinges at the same time) they are still stiff, but better than they were.

Finally I found the chip, (my youngest daughter helped me find it.) I then got my trusty soldering iron... Tip was WAY too big... Borrowed a friends... His was too big too...

Went to the garage for my "old" iron. It had a smaller tip, and was adjustable down to 15 watts. (better for board repair, less heat is good). I then filed down the tip with my dremel tool until it was very sharp. Then touched each prong with the iron, (you can see the solder move almost instantly when you touch it) Make sure you let it cool between as you don't want to fry the chip. I also took off the metal bracket around the main chip as it was so close to the Maxim 1987 chip that my iron couldn't get in there without removing that...

Before I started I looked and looked, and couldn't see any not connected... But, figured since I was in there might as well try it... Laptop was dead anyway...

After soldering I put it all back together. (tip, the little ribbon holders are easy to remove with a small flathead on each side, the clip stays on the thin cable just pulls out when the brackets move up about 1/16th...)

After it was all together, I fired it up, and it worked perfect. I have started and restarted about 20 times, since yesterday when I did it. It seems to be working fine!

Thanks for the tips guys. I took a picture of the chip on the board if anyone wants to see it. (its at home, but I can upload later if anyones interested)...

I did an upgrade on one of these nc6000 machines for a friend. New hard drive and more memory. Shortly after the upgrade his machine started having this power symptom. I went thru this thread and found the suggested fix w/ the Maxim chip being the culprit. I took the laptop to work and took it all apart. I looked carefully at the motherboard with particular interest in the Maxim chip. (Using a microscope). While I did not see a specific fractured solder joint I speculate that is the fault. This component is a 'J' lead component where the solder is only in contact with the pad at the bottom of the J (and that solder is mostly under the body of the component). This particular location was discolored as well (usually from excess heat). I decided to resolder the leads (there is plenty of pad space on the board for solder) and let the solder wick up the side of the J lead. I'm using a specialized solder iron with a very very tiny tip that will allow soldering fine pitch components. I did a careful inspection after the solder work and cleaned the flux away with alcohol. Re-assembled the machine and tested it overnight.

My friend has been using his machine for two months now with no issues.

My conclusion is that the J lead component having very little solder at the base of the J cannot reliably do the job in a high thermally stressful environment. But making a good (low impedance) solder joint will promote reliable operation.

Solder work on this board is not for the home hobbiest but it really can be easily resolved with the right equipment and skill.

Hope this helps some of you with your problem.

Tom Stephenson