My step dad has a Gateway MX6650 laptop...he's had it for a while.
A while back when my mom and step dad were in a car accident, the laptop was as well.
It survived quite well (as did my mom and step dad)...
The screen was smashed into a million pieces, the keyboard needed to be replaced, and the heatsink fan casing was bent which was causing it to shut down...no biggie, offered to replace the screen, keyboard, and bend the heatsink back into shape....
All is well for a couple of years...few viruses and spyware in between....

Now the new screen is recently extremely dim....so I'm guessing it's inverter or possibly backlight.
I ordered both. Replaced inverter...no change.
Replaced backlight (what a job), still no change....scratching head...

I read up online and read that it could be the lid close switch...of course...should have thought of that first....turns out it's a magnetic switch...slim chance of electro-mechanical failure there.

Well....I know my mom said that it sounded like something popped....it made a weird noise anyways, that's why I thought the inverter may have gone out....

Well....turns out it's the video card
Integrated into the motherboard of course...first thing I tested was if external video worked...and it did, so I assumed the video card was OK....NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING!



Anyone know how to identify surface mount capacitors....I can't seem to find anything about it, and there's absolutely no labeling on the thing.

Tried finding a service manual....found a "free" service manual for a different model, but it included no circuit diagrams...it was just the major components...aka motherboard was just that...the whole assembly....some service manual

On another note...this laptop is now in tons of pieces....

TOC Admin
Brando

Ordered a new motherboard...

Hopefully I can get this one repaired when I get the new one.
The case size of the capacitor is 1210 (.12" x .10"), but that means nothing as far as its capacitance rating.
I pulled a couple off this motherboard of the same case size...one measured around 10.8 μF, the other measured around 116 μF....
Only way to know is with a circuit diagram or pull the capacitor from the good motherboard and measure its capacitance.




Wonder who had the brilliant idea of not labeling MLCC capacitors....they label surface mount resistors with codes...usually.

TOC Admin
Brando

What usually causes those to blow? .... a power surge? too much heat? faulty part? physical shock (like in a car accident,) any or all of the above?

Don't know why it blew....because it's Gateway?

Replaced old motherboard with replacement motherboard off eBay...lasted for a good day. Boot screen shows up in inverted colors, and then the backlight turns off....this thing is pissing me off. My Toshiba laptop from 2001 is still going strong, this thing can't even last a day...

Tried new video cable, new inverter, old LCD screen to see if it at least kept the backlight on....didn't work. Contacted seller of motherboard...

TOC Admin
Brando

I wouldn't have even bothered with it being that old

Well...it's not that old....made in 2005...2GB of RAM, it's a good laptop, when it works.

TOC Admin
Brando

+1

i wouldnt even bother, but then again i wouldnt know how to fix it anyway lol. good luck brando, i envy you and your electronic know-how.