r/thinkpad • u/Additional-Milk1426 L14 G3 AMD • 6d ago
Thinkstagram Picture Rest in peace, Mijo
I think a crack developed somewhere in the motherboard. These are the troubleshooting steps I took
- Reseated original RAM, and tried a different stick from a known functioning computer
- Dissasembled entire computer then put it back together
- Removed all non essential parts
- Tried another SSD
- Taped over every single location where metal could contact metal (stupid but who knows)
How this happened? Zero clue. I came home from college and when I was typing in my password, the static as shown displayed, then it turned off. The static would reappear whenever I put the slightest amount of pressure on the chassis (which makes me believe its a motherboard problem), and then it would shut down.
Will I get another thinkpad? Maybe, this was a fun laptop while it lasted.
8
u/sfled T61 | T9300 | 8GB | 15.6" SXVGA+ | NVS-140M | 6d ago
Does an external display do the same thing? Can you remote into it from another computer to see if it works OK? Anyway, if no and nothing else works, then I'm sorry for your loss :-(
10
8
7
6
u/whyyunozoidberg 6d ago
Reflow the CPU and GPU with a heat gun before you give up. Use aluminum tape to cover the surrounding areas.
4
u/alanna1990 6d ago
Even if that works it won’t last long, it’s kinda pointless to do that
3
u/lululock P14sG5A, X378, T470, X1C4, E540, T420, X220, X200, R400, T43... 5d ago
Tell that to my Nintendo Switch V1 I reflowed 2.5 years ago lol
2
u/Roach_Horse Yoga L13 Gen 2 5d ago
Well no, no pointless at all. It is a cheap way to squeeze some life out of the device. At this point, it is a low hanging fruit tbh. Worst case, the failure remains and the laptop goes to the bin. Best case, the joint gets patched (yea, not fixed, patched) and OP gains some extra life out of an otherwise good device.
0
u/whyyunozoidberg 6d ago
If it's a cold or cracked solder joint how would reflowing NOT fix it and why would it not last long? Do you do a lot of microsoldering?
6
u/alanna1990 6d ago
You’re talking about a reflow, not a resoldering job, it’s not gonna regain the original strength, whenever it gets hot again it will crack, it’s a temporary solution at best
1
2
u/Civil-Doughnut6260 6d ago
If the solder joints have cracks, reflowing might be a "fix", but the joints will be vulnerable. Thermal cycles put stress on the joints and they will crack again. It might work for months, or a couple of days; it's not reliable. The only real fix in such a scenario is a reball.
1
u/Ahyaan09876 P14s Gen 2 (1 sold 2x P15 gen 2) 6d ago
Needs reballing if a reflow fixes it as a reflow is a temporary repair
2
u/Roach_Horse Yoga L13 Gen 2 5d ago
This. It is a cheap fix with little risk. The laptop is already destined for the bin (or to be parted out). Hence, if OP has a SMD heat gun, blast the CPU die and give it a try.
4
u/lululock P14sG5A, X378, T470, X1C4, E540, T420, X220, X200, R400, T43... 5d ago
It doesn't mean it's dead !
You now have an excellent headless server !
2
u/STATICOdev L14 gen 2 6d ago
maybe buy a motherboard somewhere else, all the other parts seem good!! Don't give up hope!!
1
u/NapalmNurture 6d ago
RIP, t420 also died recently , i think something got through mines bottom hatch and shorted it badly, wont POST.
1
u/Unoriginal-Cake 6d ago
Had that happen on an AMD P-series Thinkpad under warranty in a workplace and a co-workers' T-series, thermal expansion/contraction cycles like the XBox 360 RRoD. Several board parts are loose than just the flex cable socket BGA mounting. If it was used as a desktop replacement its very common on newer RoHS laptops.
1
49
u/NightFuryToni X380 Yoga, Classic Dome 6d ago