Something in my laptop died

Thread Starter

Albert Bubbles

Joined Apr 17, 2015
2
Hi, hoping someone can help...
The air vent next to the power jack in my Samsung NP305E7A emitted some smoke and a burning smell (possibly related to it having been dropped a few weeks previous)...the laptop continued to function fine except that it won`t charge anymore. Took it to a fella who tested the power cable/brick, said they worked OK so obviously something inside shorted. He reckons the motherboard probably needs replacing (expensive)...is there any chance it could be repaired without replacing the motherboard? Is it possible replacing the power jack socket may do the trick? I`ve attached a photo in case it`s of any use (power jack top left).
Any help massively appreciated!
Cheers.

1.jpg
 

DerStrom8

Joined Feb 20, 2011
2,390
Could you take a close-up of the board around the charging jack? I expect it was one of the caps or charging controller chips that fried, but we won't know until we get a clear close-up of that area.
 

ian field

Joined Oct 27, 2012
6,536
Hi, hoping someone can help...
The air vent next to the power jack in my Samsung NP305E7A emitted some smoke and a burning smell (possibly related to it having been dropped a few weeks previous)...the laptop continued to function fine except that it won`t charge anymore. Took it to a fella who tested the power cable/brick, said they worked OK so obviously something inside shorted. He reckons the motherboard probably needs replacing (expensive)...is there any chance it could be repaired without replacing the motherboard? Is it possible replacing the power jack socket may do the trick? I`ve attached a photo in case it`s of any use (power jack top left).
Any help massively appreciated!
Cheers.

View attachment 84169
If its let the magic smoke out - you may want to check out the free recycling groups to see if anyone's getting rid of a laptop.

Usually when someone posts something like that, they get a deluge of people wanting it - you may have better luck posting a wanted for one and hope someone replys.
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
I haven't looked at a lot, but the few laptops I've looked at have the power control MOSFETs directly on the motherboard and the odds of a DIY repair are very low. It's essentially impossible to find schematics, so you're in the dark.

Skilled shops can do the repair, but in my experience it was more economical to sell the laptop as-is (with a clear description of what you know about it) and then just buy a similar working model. I was surprised I could sell a damaged one for only ~$30 less than I could buy a working one. No way I could have gotten that repair done for $30.
 

ian field

Joined Oct 27, 2012
6,536
I haven't looked at a lot, but the few laptops I've looked at have the power control MOSFETs directly on the motherboard and the odds of a DIY repair are very low. It's essentially impossible to find schematics, so you're in the dark.

Skilled shops can do the repair, but in my experience it was more economical to sell the laptop as-is (with a clear description of what you know about it) and then just buy a similar working model. I was surprised I could sell a damaged one for only ~$30 less than I could buy a working one. No way I could have gotten that repair done for $30.
A well known auction site might be just the ticket - someone may want a scrap one to break for parts (eg; the LCD etc).

Always worth a look there for a working item at a reasonable price, but don't rule out free recycling groups - nothing ventured, nothing gained.
 

Gdrumm

Joined Aug 29, 2008
684
Please clarify:
1. It will run (when plugged into the wall), but it will not charge the battery?

If it's #1, have you checked the battery?
Can you remove the battery from the PC, and wire it directly up to the charger?
(kinda tedious, but do-able)
Usually, the center pin is +, and the outer jacket is -.

In a crunch, I'll bet you could make it work (off of the battery).
A spare battery for an NP305 on ebay list for less than $14.00, with free shipping.

If you could rig up an external charging device (without damaging your battery or charger), then you could buy a spare, and always keep one charged.

If the obejective is to have a pefectly working laptop, then you might have to go with the guy who said it's the MB.
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
I had a very similar situation a while back. I was able to find an almost identical laptop nearby on e-bay or craigslist. I used the various combinations of charger, battery, and cpu to narrow in on the problem. One cpu would run off battery but could neither charge a battery nor run off the adapter.

As I said, I sold it with full disclosure of my findings and it sold at only a ~$30 discount to the fully working model, which I also sold when the project was done.

I had researched various options including DIY repair or a MB repair service. Nothing was worth bothering over just to gain the $30.
 
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