Motherboard Repair
I had stopped repairing PC motherboard since i left my former computer distributor company back in 1994. Those days the famous motherboard board were the 486sx, 486dx and the Pentium. I was provided with every model of the motherboard schematic diagrams, Chipset (all range of IC’s), SMD desoldering tools, troubleshooting notes and even the POST diagnostic card. Repairing PC motherboards on those days were quite easy but i doubt nowadays it will be easy unless you are working in the motherboard manufacturers or you have the sources for all kind information related to motherboard.
Occasionally i do have motherboard sent for repair by my friend who deal with selling computer systems. Most of the time was the electrolytic capacitors bulged and quite simple to fix it. Nowadays PC motherboard is quite cheap and less people want to repair it and prefer to buy a new board unless if the motherboard is in the higher range (branded). As mentioned, if you can’t source for the parts it would be very difficult to repair the board. Those days the boards were only using normal SMD IC’s (spider IC’s) but most of the motherboard now are using the BGA IC’s which is very difficult to extract unless you have the special equipment to do the job.
It will be very time consuming to do this precision job unless the profit that you gonna make could cover your cost otherwise it would not be economical to repair the motherboard. If any of the readers in my blog repair motherboard i would like to listen to what you have to say about motherboard repairing business-thanks
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Kevan roy
August 26, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Can u teach me some basics on motherboard repairing?
admin
August 26, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Hi Kevan,
It is difficult to teach online as it involved lots of practical work. I suggest that you visit this website for some related information at http://www.elstonsystems.com/prod/pc_post_diagnostic_card.html
Jestine
R.kalimuthu
October 10, 2008 at 3:04 pm
dear sir,
i'm also computer service engineer .now i'm running small chip level service center.it is very difficult to repair mother board. spare is not get very easy.i'm also feeling it's not growing field.pl help me any other idel .thank u.
admin
October 10, 2008 at 11:36 pm
Hi kalimuthu,
If the field is no longer profitable then i suggest that you start to look for other field to cover your source of income.
Jestine
rahul
October 15, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Dear sir,
I'm a IT guy (fresher). i like the hardware Filed much then the software filed and even wanted to learn the motherboard repair .but,seem that field is not good .would u advice a hardware field which has a good growth.
thankyou
admin
October 16, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Hi Rahul,
At current moment the trend is in repairing LCD Monitor/TV and plasma TV.
Jestine
arun yadav
November 4, 2008 at 12:59 pm
dear sir
motherboard repairing book sand me
admin
November 5, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Sorry Arun I don't have motherboard repairing book.
Jestine
Ajit Patil
December 10, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Dear Jestine
This is vey useful information thanks for this . Now i am work as a deaktop engineer in CMS Ltd .but i want a extra income also from reparing field. can you please suggest hardware or mobile field, or as you said LCD Moniter/TV and Plasma TV.
Thanks
Ajit Patil
9987332584
admin
December 11, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Hi Ajit,
It depends on your repair skill. May i know what is your experience in the electronic repair field?
Jestine
Eldie
December 16, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Dear Sir,
If ever i opted to pursue LCD/plasma tv repair, do i have nearby repair center that is accredeted member from your group?
Eldie of Cavite Philippines
admin
December 16, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Hi Eldie,
For your information, the lcd plasma and lcd tv repair websites does not belong to me thus i have no idea about the center. Both websites belong to Mr Kent and you can email him at fastrepairguide(at)gmail.com. The Banners that you saw was that i'm helping him to promote the products in my website.
Jestine
Mladen Mugosa
December 25, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Hi Mr. Yong and here 🙂
i find this article buy googling, i have interest in repairing motherboards also like in reapiring LCD/Plasma monitors and TV, power supplies and other electronic equipment
Is there any company that provide empty BIOS IC's as one of the most interesting repair is change/flash of corrupted BIOS.
admin
December 27, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Hi Mladen,
Nice to know about your interest. And as for the flashing the Bios, i do not know of any company that provide this kind of service.
Jestine
Mladen Mugosa
December 29, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Thanks Mr. Yong,
i found this website for bios ic's, maybe it can be helpful
http://www.biosman.com/
Mladen Mugosa
December 29, 2008 at 9:58 pm
and this one
http://bios-repair.co.uk/
admin
December 29, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Thanks bro!
Jestine
BiosflashUK
January 25, 2009 at 12:49 am
Full supply and repair of bios chips for 99% of motherboards supported, fast efficient service.
Regards Doc
jerry
January 27, 2009 at 7:16 pm
i m looking for info/material on repairing of motherboards
admin
January 27, 2009 at 9:36 pm
Hi Jerry,
Try http://www.monitor-repair.com but my frined who bought it told me that it was very basic. I guess you check out from the owner first before you get the ebook.
Jestine
NITHINSAHEED
January 28, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Plse Tell me gigabyte motherboard restart problem
admin
February 1, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Hi Nith,
Could you elaborate more of your gigabyte motherboard problem.
Jestine
cris hatamosa
February 26, 2009 at 2:44 pm
repairing mother board is somewhat helpful to, i have an computer games bussiness,
it sometimes i have to repair the borad myself rathen than buying w/ new one, its too expensive...so, i decided to repair it...thats why i need any help i could get to get the job done...pls... need some tips on repairing mother boards... thanks, have a nice day.
nji sama
February 26, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Pleace sent me a mail on how to up grade a motherboard .Thanks
admin
February 26, 2009 at 9:15 pm
HI NJI,
This is a big subject and you need to got to google and type in the keyword and it has lots of information there.
jestine
admin
February 26, 2009 at 9:18 pm
Hi Cris,
Apart changing the buldged capacitors, cleaning the mainboard due to rust etc, loose connection and dry joints there is not much can be done on the mainboard unless you really have the parts (ICs) for replacement.
Jestine
iyoha
February 28, 2009 at 7:45 pm
hello,
I its nice to ve little ideal on a motherboard repair...so has to be able know when a computer ve problem from the components of a motherboard before taking it out to a technician for repair...i gain a lot form ur diagram and description of a motherboard...but i really need a help form u if i can get a lecture from u on computer repair and maintenance?
I would be grateful if am granted the privilege of what i ask from u...
yours faithfully
iyoha
admin
February 28, 2009 at 11:57 pm
Hi Iyoha,
I wish too but i'm not in the lecture of repairing of motherboard. I'm only in lecturing basic electronics and Monitor repair.
Jestine
nnaji robinson e
June 8, 2009 at 4:52 am
I have been longing to join the group of
people you have helped, payment currency and method
hinderd me. Here in nigeria one cannot just enter a bank
make payment with a foriegn currency. if you accept nigerian
money direct me where to pay.
admin
June 8, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Hi NNAJI,
I wish to help but since there is no way that i can accept the payment from you (Nigerian government forbid their citizen to send money out from their country)i can't proceed with any transaction-sorry. Unless you can get a friend that have paypal account to send me the payment
Jestine
bharat
June 18, 2009 at 9:28 pm
i m computer hardware engg. not chip level i do troubleshooting , but can u help me to diagnostic the m/b problem. wht thing create prblm in m.b when it is dead. which ic or which part goes.
admin
June 19, 2009 at 11:25 pm
Hi Bharat,
If the motherboard is dead it can be any components that cause it like an open fuse, shorted capacitor, Bad IC and etc. Get this diagnostic card to narrow down the problem:
http://www.elstonsystems.com/prod/pc_post_diagnostic_card.html
Even if you know that the ic is the problem but we can't get the ic in electronic shop as all these are customized ICs
Jestine
Tshifularo Mudalo
June 26, 2009 at 12:38 am
you guys are doing good work am a big fan....... il just keep in touch 4 some updates.
Trion
July 7, 2009 at 3:55 am
Motherboard repairs are worthwhile in India. Here one can get lots of scrap boards in large cities like Delhi, Bombay (Mumbai), Bangalore, etc. Also if one persists in finding data on websites like www.alldatasheet.com we can find equivalents to many transistors and mosfets used on motherboards. You can also find out what an Ics function is there. There are other data sheet websites too.
One needs to be good in basic electronics- both analog and digital and microprocessor/controller basics, reading schematics, repairs of SMPS, tracing circuits and signals. And one needs a lot of common sense and good observation skills.
Besides fuses, broken connections, bad capacitors, bad BIOS, other problems include: faulty MOSFETS, PWM ICs, bad VRM ICs, bad clock ICs, shorted diodes and transistors, bad resistor networks, bad capacitor networks. In india its worthwhile to repair motherboards as compared to junking your old PC and buying a new one as motherboards get outdated every 6 months or so. Nowadays finding a board for a process that's a little over 2 years or sometimes even a year old can be a great challenge as manufacturers like INTEL and AMD and others are only bothered about selling new technology at high prices. In such cases it makes sense to repair a board.
Board repairs have an average success rate of 60-75%. Not all boards are worth repairing though. One has to use common sense and experience in determining this.
Any board repaired reduces the load on land fills and helps preserve mother earth besides saving money.
In many large Indian cities there are several motherboard repair specialists. Not all may be good, but through referrals one can know who are the best ones. laptop boards are certainly worth repairing as they generally cost half or more the laptop's cost. Finding a good repair specialist makes sense.
Google "VRM repair" for some hints on repairing motherboards.
The forum on www.badcaps.net has hints on board repairs. In india one can get a few books on baord repairs. The can help somewhat. For repairs one has to understand how each section works. If one learns the basics of repairing intel motherboards starting from 486, pentium I, II, III, IV, one can repair any intel chipset board. This applies also to VIA and other chipset boards.
One word of advice, not always can you find the right parts. Try equivalents if available. Its best to learn on dead boards or those with no display.
For board restarting problems, if SMPS is tested to be ok and board restarts with a known good SMPS its most likely a bad cap on the board. Jestine shows how to identify these. Also bad electrolytic caps can be generally seen when bulged. Some caps sometimes leak from the bottom and don't bulge above. Restarting can also be caused by processor overheating, bad BIOS, shorted devices like a faulty hard disk, bad RAM, etc.
I have seen good board repairers in India, Thailand and other asian countries. There are some good ones in Europe and South American countries like Brazil. Surely there are good one in many countries i haven't mentioned.
One word of advice: There's very limited information on motherboard repairs on the internet. I have tried for may years and found little out there. But it helped. The rest came from trial and error, sharing with other techncians, etc.
Good luck!
admin
July 7, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Hi Trion,
That was a superb write up. It was just fantastic. Thanks for sharing!
Jestine
htetwaiphyo
July 9, 2009 at 2:00 am
thanks ?
Jordan Psalmist
July 9, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Sir,
Please am IT student, especially hardware, if am not in your country how can i learn in your firm. hope to hear
admin
July 9, 2009 at 8:08 pm
HI Jordan,
You can buy my ebooks and learn since you are not from my country.It comes with my personal support.
Jestine
Dennis Keza
July 10, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Dear sir,
I'm a Systems Support student in Kenya. I would like you to introduce me to R.Kalimuthu so that I can ask/apply for an internship position from him. Strange as it may seem,it is still a profitable endevour in some parts of the world e.g,Kenya.
Plase,do assist me....!?!
admin
July 10, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Hi Dennis,
Kalimuthu did not leave down his email address thus i could not locate him-sorry.
Jestine
Nagendra
July 18, 2009 at 2:51 pm
i want to download ebook repair of motherboard
admin
July 19, 2009 at 6:56 pm
Hi Nagendra,
Sorry i do not have motherboard repair ebook.
Jestine
Dejene
July 22, 2009 at 9:05 pm
hi!ca you send me the book of maintenance?
by by!
admin
July 23, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Hi Dejene,
Sorry i do not have book on Maintenance. I only sell ebooks in electronic repair.
Jestine
Aniruddh Salgaonker
July 27, 2009 at 12:42 am
Hi
I am a Computer Software Engineer i want to get into Electronic Repairs but i do not have any electronic knowledge. I am very much interested in repairs of motherboard, Monitors, Smps etc. currently our company gives the material to third party for repairs and there are huge delays i want to learn and do the same for our company Can u please guide how to go around this and what books i need to purchase
regards
Aniruddh
AMIT PATEL
July 27, 2009 at 3:31 pm
high jestine ,glad to hear from you, you & me have the same story but..........the only difference is the difference in section of eletronics...........i mean i hv not done anything in computers. I am an electronic engineer passed in 1990. have doen skd/ckd/semickd of vedeo recorders ,colour tvs,hi-fi systems & other electronic india till 1994 with component level repairs. then shifted to maintenance of proffessional video recording units upto 1999. from 2000 onwards shifted to office automation products like fax ,phones , wireless & copiers equipments repairs at component level repairs..........having my own workshop. but as you mentioned i have enjoyed a very high profir margins oin repairs in early days of electronics........if u compare it with todays...its nothing ...............i am quite intrested in knowing whats going on with you...i mean what exactly u are into ..........which may help me one or the other way..keep in touch............also let me know which country u are belonging to.
thanks
AMIT PATEL
admin
July 27, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Hi Aniruddh,
I suggest that you get this ebook http://www.TestingElectronicComponents.com
Once you are good in testing electronic components in fact you can start to repair electronic equipment. Please visit this link too for more information:
http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/
Jestine
admin
July 28, 2009 at 10:31 pm
HI Amit,
Thanks for the post. I'm from Malaysia and now i'm more into conducting repair courses for corporate. We are still doing the repair work.
Jestine
johnson
July 30, 2009 at 4:39 am
my PC is not displaying, but fan is running. please can you assist me with some information on a problem like that; and likely the possible solution
admin
July 30, 2009 at 8:55 pm
HI Johnson,
Sometimes it could be the motherboard and the power supply fault. the fan turn does not mean the power supply is good. If it has a missing power good signal there will be no display. Th best is to swap with another working power supply to confirm the problem.
Jestine