Dead Asus X405u with a suspicious charger - LFC

[@markdoescomputerstuff8354]

I have a multimeter, a soldering iron and a few 'dead' motherboards lying around. This video has given me a push towards having a go at fixing them on a level beyond my current knowledge which is essentially just covering them with electrical contact cleaner then giving up if that doesn't work. So thanks.

[@candabi]

The best thing it is not only the knowledge that you show to us but the way you explain it and speak to us, we love it. Thank you!

[@schmutz1g]

Love this channel because its all information, no glitz. no glam. no bullshit. thanks for doin the channel m8. Big ups

[@TheGameBench]

Guessing it was power cycling to re-train the memory, since the BIOS was most likely reset. More nerve racking than updating a BIOS. Great video. I don't generally get down to replacing things at the component level, and I really enjoyed watching this. Learned a couple of things today.

[@wladewig]

As an EE, my mantra goes something like this - anddddd now the moment of truth and the survey says - yes.... it's working... it's working... Nice work, entertaining, and honest troubleshooting technique.

[@em0_tion]

It's always visual inspection first, measuring second. That goes for the power jack and motherboard component faults :) Saves so much time :P

[@lis6502]

Finally a good youtube recommendation ;). As a fan of many repairshops i let myself to advice you to buy silicone matt for soldering - despite of using hdd's top is looking improfessional it can lead to spread heat appiled by iron thus forcing you to prolong heating, which as we all well know may be fatal to surrounding elements. Also - don't hesitate to use flux and i mean a lot of - it greatly trasfers heat whereever you want it to be, further shortening time of heating board. Just to remember to wIPA it all after repair and you're done ;). Finally - think about microscope - soldering (metric) 2012 is doable as you've shown on movie, however 0603 caps are statistically more often being shorted due to their smaller size and thus fragility.

[@Cphoenix-r6y]

Hmmmm

[@DennisCrouse]

Ya, that initial power cycle has scared me as well. I have found that it is the new normal, particularly in laptops that don't use a separate CMOS battery, but instead rely on the laptop battery. They, some how, have them setup to power themselves on and go through their initial BIOS hardware detection all on their own. (On a related note, I would love to see the mechanism for how this is accomplished, or if it's an artifact of some kind). I would expect this to happen from now on, it has saved me a lot of "30 seconds of fear". [Edit: Spelling]

[@Adamant_IT]

Good spot, hadn't occurred to me that there was no CMOS batt - I think you're right and it was doing RAM training!

[@manuelsilva9335]

My ASUS Fx-504 has a CMOS battery and every time a have a reset BIOS, for instance BIOS update it power cicles 3 times, first time i scared out

[@KyleGP]

I've also experienced this on some MSI laptops. They also don't power on from battery alone after reassembly. They need the charger plugged in to get going. It then does it's weird power cycling before operating normally. Scared the crap outta me at first.

[@ianide2480]

I've written code for Phoenix, General Software, and AMI BIOS packages. From Core2Duo up to Haswell. Besides the microcode needed (that's secret sauce from Intel) and the IDE/Language, they are pretty similar in over-all structure. The more things change the more they stay the same. The differences in language are pretty minor as well. Phoenix SCT used their own made in house Visual Studio add-on, General Software was kind of a roll your own/compile from command line with several linkers running in the background (heavy use of Notepad++ and batch files), and recent AMI uses their own "made in house" IDE. General software requires you to edit a bit more assembly language but still mostly C for all the "normal" modifications. Phoenix and AMI was almost 100% a C subset, though there is some assembly that can be modified. Minor differences in syntax existed, of course, but they are all quite similar. I have a small chuckle sometimes when I hear people refer to BIOS as UEFI, because it's not. UEFI is more or less an add-on for BIOS. The code is no different and UEFI is shoehorned in there. Made possible by memory density increases. Well dammit, I'm rambling a tad (it's going to happen again probably, I tend to over explain far to often....) On bootup, devices are detected in multiple stages. Certain devices are "brought to life" first followed by others in a well orchestrated dance. As you can imagine the CPU and chipset is pretty high on the list, followed by memory, buses, devices on buses, etc etc... A "normal" BIOS gets the config data for each device and stores this data in an internal database. Next boot, read database, plug in values, and life moves forward MUCH faster. I've brought up many fresh from the factory PCBs during prototype stages, normally BIOS is flashed at the factory so we don't have to dick with it, but during prototype, things are different. What you are experiencing in this multi-boot process is a rebuilding and verifying of the internal database, it really is as simple as that. The power went blank and the database went with it. There's other shit happening but that's the short of it all.

[@DennisCrouse]

@@ianide2480 Thank you for the detailed response. I think I can safely speak for most people on here in saying that there is no such thing as too much information. There is one core unanswered question, and perhaps it has nothing to do with the BIOS, but how does the laptop know to self power. Some will do it as soon as a battery is hooked up. Others only when mains is connected. While still others, who's BIOS has been cleared, just wait for the user. This isn't YOUR responsibility to answer lol, just the general question I would love to know the answer to. :D

[@SuperSamsung85]

Amazing video, it was really helpful. I learned that CPU caps beep on both sides and that doesn't mean they are shorted. Very helpful video specially for someone like me, a beginner.

[@abjectt5440]

I like your channel. No glitz and pizzazz just repairs. Makes me think way back when I used to repair office equipment. Board repairs where components would fail when getting hot and components that wouldn't work until they heated up.

[@jesperbachhansson]

Thanks for the great video.. keep on bringing 🔥 videos.

[@divad295]

I've been watching your old videos, they are awesome!

[@bigbird2620]

Fabulous video. I am pretty good with PC diagnostics on a basic level, but circuit testing and replacing caps is scary stuff for me. I used to chip PlayStation's back in the day and that was as far as it went!

[@TheSauronchik]

It took me like 20-30 seconds to spot it, after a pause. I thinks its because I'm usually looking for a "problem" at the center of whatever/capacitor and not the corner. Good video! Thanks!

[@saarike]

Great repair! Thank you.

[@bramvandenbroeck5060]

Caps that become a wire are a pain in the rear end, had those before, i spotted it when you did the editor step in ;) great video!

[@Matt-xl5sp]

Hi Adam. Absolutely loving your videos - you have a gift for explaining things clearly and keeping it interesting. Thanks. Quick question - are you entirely self-taught and if so just from youtube? Or do you have a background in electronics?

[@johnpaulbacon8320]

Nice job on the repair. Very clear and easy to follow.

[@karuppanllc9675]

This is what we are expecting from you ,basic things that we can learn and doing beginners like me in repairing field

[@edsongaldino9747]

my friend Gregory said you're good. he is right. you are a beast... congratulations

[@slakleadify]

You crack me up matey i thought you where having a stroke when it didn't power strait up what a laugh, Great work too i like your videos very informative.

[@patross6925]

Good Sense the way you do things ...

[@astanfartin1647]

impressive bro... thank you for sharing...

[@kelvinkatongo1430]

I'm loving these videos...i have a passion to become a pro pc repair guy...

[@johnloydcruzz5733]

great job teacher, greetings from philippines

[@stater3]

Power cycling analogy to cardiac arrest, Clear!!

[@livacreative]

12:05 maybe I am not a professional, did I see a short circuit when he check the voltage on that mosfet?

[@brainsironically]

I wish I could find a tech as competent as you in my neck of the woods. All the "techs" near me won't even troubleshoot laptops, they just send them to the manufacturer for repair, and I can do that.

[@joshuacolonhernandez]

Awesome work!!! Really enjoyed your video!!

[@stevelarkin3285]

Fantastic work you are amazing well done

[@cliffordgallagher4531]

Absolutely Great Fix! Thanks for sharing this and it was informative!

[@yuppiehi]

When trying to determine the value of a cap without the schematic diagram for the motherboard available, I usually trace the cap to the chip, and then locate the datasheet for the chip. Usually, but not always, there will be some example schematic diagrams on usage of the chip. And from my experience, the manufacturer of the laptop will usually use the datasheet's example.

[@memorywarrior8752]

I enjoy your videos, well done.

[@морс-ф3д]

u r great!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that initial power cycle has scared me as well)))

[@jaago1969]

Yéep

[@jdechaltier]

nice work, i learned a lot

[@JamezGrimm]

I went back the 20 seconds and couldn’t find the thing. But afterward I went back and said the same thing, “how did I not see that!!” 😂😂😂

[@tbs_karthik]

Sir, can you please help me. My Toshiba laptop, an old one now shuts off when the charger is plugged in. It suddenly OFF when charger connected. And never load the windows when charger is plugged in. It is perfectly working with battery power, and battery will charge when the system is completely off. I have checked lot of answers for my problem. When I checked that solution, one answer is that the system is 100% working on safe mode and it works with charger plugged in. I tried lot of software updates, OS changing, even though removing each hardware one by one. Nothing works. Can you please help us to solve this issue?

[@Arvidje]

check the voltage on the second mosfet of the charging circuit.

[@crazycraigy01]

Cutting up chargers..Penny pinching, my kinda guy...😂

[@PHONE-LAPTOP-REPAIR]

i love repair video and thanks for this one sir

[@Sadenki]

When you have 2 fault on a computer, first one is made by customer, second one is the actual problem :D

[@VOLTRONDEFENDER4440]

Lol late comment but that’s kinda funny

[@Martin-ot7xj]

Hi there , at 15:27 , how do you know that which side of current resistor you must inject the power to find the short ? thnx

[@paulgarrett9322]

Great job,love your work

[@DanielMelendrezPhD]

13:41 oOh yeah, found it before confirming the culprit. Bloody caps

[@AlCatrraz]

That CAP is called MARRY... BLOODY MARY

[@saintsaul2502]

Thank you for your teaching May i ask you a favor How can i find out two points in pcb board where 2 wires to be connected which are offered main power + , - Is it possible to connect original power adapter of 19volt to pcb board to find out Worm point May i use this way to find out diode or tr or mosfet in the other pcb such as machinery pcb?

[@Adamant_IT]

You can't use the original adapter to find a short, because it will cut out. The bench PSU is a regulated power supply that I control, so I can force it to keep injecting power even under a fault condition. As for finding test points, you need to follow traces from the adapter input through the board, sometimes with the aid of schematics. It takes some practise to 'read the board'. See this video for more information: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpu4q4WKeL-lmc0

[@saintsaul2502]

@@Adamant_IT oh thank you so much ㅡ.,ㅡb

[@saintsaul2502]

@@Adamant_IT you said that if i use original adapter then i cant find short for cut out. Just observe point which adapter attached then i can find +and - cirquits then follow trace +cirquits if you pass cut out elements which are mosfet or ic chips or tr then connect wire to ptoper point but this is difficult to find and - cirquits are probably board itself then by these 2 wire i can keep injecting power and current flow through these 2 wire and find worming places where short elements are existed ok thank you but it feels that tough to find point part that +wire attached because If i were use original adapter to find worming part then it is cut out by itself then should have find the point +wire attached in circuits this is high level. And during injecting power by force then perhaps volt is 5V and ampere is 5A i can fix the construction machinery by Reading cirquits but this is more deeper and delicate ...really thank for your teaching And i like Charles platt for his easy explains and service and i want to know the serial communication which is communacate between two computer through 4~5wires But the effect is it has 100 wires are connected each other of coure sure that you know it far more than me.

[@occazinfo7369]

The ABC of : how to diagnoise and finding a short to ground..nice job

[@edwardrogers-wright1604]

Graham, were some of these charger ports not switchable? The barrel pushes the tab to make the switch ...

[@Ricardordz11]

amazing ending lmao, good job!

[@ElSeñor.T]

Nice fix mate!!

[@AndyHippoR]

Great informative video, teaching the basics, including the 'dirty' tricks, while taking us along on the repair ride. Do you find you get much drift on the other components while using the heat gun? Would some Kapton tape be of help there?

[@Adamant_IT]

It's not really much of an issue, although admittedly I could've used a little kapton tape to protect the electrolytic caps. Other components won't really budge until you knock them with the tweezers though. Flux also helps keep things in place, as it'll make the solder attract to the pads more.

[@19mati67]

I have picked up a Q502LA board from Ebay, and initially it was working great, but gradually got worse. Now it won't see the HDD in the Bios no matter what I try. Could you please help? I would appreciate it a lot.

[@mnetobr]

Nice job, greetings from Brazil

[@mat_555]

Wonderful job again.. and I wish if you avoid using the hot air with just with this small issues specially what near to important chips.. maybe look faster way but I rather use tweazer soldier just to avoid any chance to have another problem.. any way thanks for the great work

[@travelvideos]

I had one with coffee latte spilled over. So bad that SSD in casing failed as well. I will try to do something similar and then go for motherboard replacement.

[@medazert7663]

You can get a good microscope for a price not over $150, this is because we support you and we love your channel and how you explain, if you want the microscope link just let me know and i will send, for information I am not a trader and I am not advertising for anyone, I am only a technician like you and I like to see the development of your channel, thank you

[@turnipgaming9747]

@Adamant IT When a Laptop or a Desktop PC is doing a power cycle is it pretty much doing a Voltage and Current Self-test before turning on fully ?? [Edit: didn't type the question properly.]

[@kcinplatinumgaming2598]

i was eagerly waiting for that post screen too lol

[@noizyneighbour5790]

Please dont laugh at this question because I genuinely have never understood how tiny parts are desoldered/resoldered accurately and precisely. Do you simply use a hot air gun to break/remake the join? And how do you avoid weakening surrounding connections? I have a gorgeous Denon power amplifier which has lost sound to one channel. I would like to try and fix it myself but I dont think I have a soldering tip small enough for some of the connections.

[@y0r00]

Why not place a load resistor on the psu to see if the voltage lags before you even open it up?

[@AlCatrraz]

that computer has NO JUICE -- "A SAUCE" PATIENCE comes to THOSE WHO WAIT

[@zohaibliaqat5077]

Can you help me. Acer aspire 3 a315. Motherboard short. I tried a lot bt cnt figure out where is shortage. Component no heating up. Nothingi mean no short capacitor get hot. Bt on R 22 19 volt is there.after that on two mosfet voltage are not passing. I check mosfet they are right. On that point board is shorted to ground. No capacitor is getted heat up. What shld i do.

[@Arvidje]

second mosfet is likely be fault. If u don't have a short but no power on the first or second mosfet u charging ic will be the problem or a transistor in between.

[@simmo1024]

My 2012 ASUS laptop's power brick failed within a few months of buying it. It wasn't ASUS branded, which was weird, but the replacement from ASUS was. Methinks ASUS doesn't spend much time thinking about power bricks. In any case the laptop itself was sound. Still use it on occasion.

[@sp_charles24]

That moment waiting for the board to POST is like waiting for any important exam result to come soon🤣🤣 which is something we are so eager to see n can't wait for it.

[@robstrains8711]

Hi another great video, Could you tell me what make is the battery pencil screwdriver.

[@tonyl4590]

He did a review of it about a week ago.

[@Adamant_IT]

Yea, recent video on it with more info and links!

[@robstrains8711]

Thanks dumb me I missed that one ill go looksy now.

[@Keythong]

Nice, but I was wondering is it not better to inject on the output of the mosfet, or does it not matter? My thinking was since you was expecting 19v, it would be a good place.

[@Arvidje]

no, because the first two mosfets are controled by the charging ic, this ic will check also a fault on the motherboard, so it will not switch the second mosfet. See them as the protected mosfets. Also the voltage on the source of the those mosfetss are higher then the input voltage, thats normal and the working of the system. Always inject voltage after the current resistor, u will bypass the protection circuit.

[@Watch__This_]

Great video!

[@miskosadibol5665]

thanks great work, like watching

[@bury101]

Do you believe the aftermarket charger shorted that capacitor? Awesome diagnostic buddy!!

[@butaudo1918]

You're my god damn hero

[@radhisghaier6394]

wow what a coincidence i have a lenovo legion y520 i got for free from a friend yesterday that has the exact same problem (no sign of life due to a faulty charger) as this one how much likely is it a full motherboard replacement ? when i took it to a repair shop he measured some power when a new charger is plugged in but 0 signs of life (not even led turned on)

[@Adamant_IT]

Hard to say really, 'No Power' can be a lot of things, but as you saw me doing, you have to start from the charger jack and follow downstream until you find the fault. It's not always as easy as a short on VIN though. These videos are the 'easy' faults really.

[@SinsBird]

Hi, disconnect charger, battery, remove cmos battery, hold power button for a few seconds, insert cmos battery, connect charger, see if it turns on. If still not turning on, press the Novo button for a few seconds. Disconnect and reconnect charger. See if it turns on.

[@chunk1978]

That Windows 10 Update was probably what was making it power cycle? I've experienced that a few times, unfortunately: wake up computer, no response, computer dead? Force reboot. Not dead, it was just a Windows 10 update giving me a mild heart attack.

[@yotoprules9361]

the system hadn't even posted yet or shown any display output.

[@johngoard8272]

Good video as I have one of these Vivobook laptops.

[@dfn03]

That e-screwdriver is just so cool. Have to get one myself at some point.

[@Crazy--Clown]

Go for a Jakemy, its just a bit bigger but twice the rpm with a adjustable clutch 👍👍

[@KNFIX-CUCHI]

thank for sharing

[@mrrobot5435]

can we use the reflector foil paper before using hot air gun to avoid melting other components?

[@Adamant_IT]

Yup, or kapton tape.

[@bangNbark]

...Ive got 20 volts coming out of my tip.... But good work though 👍great vids as always.

[@015diesel]

Brilliant 👏

[@harounsahnoun]

Why does the CPU has always low resistance to ground same as the PCH

[@Mikie1959]

what is the name brand of the rechargeable screw driver you are using i would like to get one of those.

[@Adamant_IT]

My one's YZH branded, available on Amazon UK. There are various similar ones. I think mine was a good balance between cost and quality, as well as being supplied with a decent range of bits too.

[@dancoster7332]

Perhaps a Mains cable connecting directly to the power jack would have made that laptop more exciting. Or a mains cable with a universal connector on the end.

[@davidknox294]

do enjoy your vids ...as an aside whats your take on debloat software for win 10 ???

[@Adamant_IT]

I don't think it actually makes a meaningful difference to performance, and might cause unexpected issues with certain services like Xbox Live, etc. I do uninstall guff myself, but I just do what you can see in plain sight on the start menu and such.

[@davidknox294]

@@Adamant_IT thank you sir for the quick reply , have all the plain sight stuff switched off ...mostly !! will keep looking ...thanks !

[@Hanuki]

I do enjoy your videos, why didn't you use your Desoldering Gun when cleaning up after your Jumpers? :) Though it might make a special appearence.

[@Adamant_IT]

The desoldering gun is more for through-hole stuff. For SMD, wick is a lot quicker IMHO. I'm actually sad that I haven't had a chance to use the desoldering gun in anger yet, but yea, I could've spent 5 mins warming it up, or 10 seconds with the wick. Cleaning up blocked through-holes would've been another story, though.

[@catriona_drummond]

@@Adamant_IT I'll go through my 386 boards I screwed up and send you one. :P

[@Hanuki]

@@Adamant_IT GETCHA, :D time is money just been on the edge of my seat waiting for that big white gun to come out :)

[@DaneNanahara]

smd capacitor values depends in their size right? so if the size is same they all have same values

[@thomaskane9922]

As always you make it look easy - would an ESR meter help for testing in-circuit capacitors? Thanks

[@Adamant_IT]

The problem with in-circuit is that everything else is in-circuit with it, so you can never be sure if you're measuring the device between the probes, or the route going around through a lower-resistance device nearby. However, caps don't always fail short - and that's where an ESR meter will come in handy. It's not an issue I regularly see though, so hard to demonstrate it. I think old caps going high-ESR is a fault you often see in retro gear though.

[@thomaskane9922]

@@Adamant_ITThanks - If it's too good to be true - would have been nice though.

[@AcheForWake]

New subscriber here (as of 11:59pm 13th Sept 2020) - keep up the great videos.

[@ikativan2110]

Nice job! 😊

[@baghdadiabdellatif1581]

Thanks 👍

[@abulkhair6604]

How you drop water on the boarde

[@moneyodsg]

What camera and stand/mount are you using for the top view cam?

[@Adamant_IT]

Logitech BRIO on a mic stand

[@moneyodsg]

@@Adamant_IT Thanks. love your content, you're a LEGEND with those pcb's

[@brianduncan5758]

Thank You

[@badonrani4059]

Can you explain more about this power injection

[@Adamant_IT]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4jYq6B_r5ybhac

[@techhonour3821]

Had a DC jack problem with a Dell XPS 15 9575. The centre pin's shroud was missing. Turns out it was made of a really cheap looking plastic. Planned obsolescence. Thankfully it was was just within the extended 3yr warranty.

[@Graham_Langley]

Always amazed me that laptop manufacturers don't recess the power jack so the case takes the mechanical strain, as on the HP ProBook 4540 I'm typing this on.

[@romancillo]

Nice videos master

[@zx8401ztv]

Well done , Layered capacitors are a real pain :-( I do wonder if those caps were made to fail on purpose, they do die a lot in laptops. " i would not trust them as far as i could throw them." Ooow actually quite a distance lol.

[@andrewsteye8917]

Am a beginner sir, where do i start from?

[@bryandepaepe5984]

The story I heard about the origins and pronunciation of the company name Asus is that the name was derived from the word Pegasus and they said either way of saying Asus is alright.

[@Adamant_IT]

I corrected because it sounded like I said Acer - but that's still interesting!

[@marcoramos5037]

Hello @Adamat IT I am watching your vids for repairs since it has started, I'm a filipino fan of yours I have seen your video about repairing Asus X405u that is dead and I have the same problem, on the input of the first mosfet there is 19v but on the other side theres not, remember you replied to me in the comments me asking if if I can use a wall adapter for voltave injection and now I have bought a dc power supply, I have tried voltage injection and I have found one shorted charger Ic And one shorted cap, now I have changed it to correct value but still there is no 19v on the other side of the first mosfet I am out of options now,I would be honored to be helped by you. Thank you so much @Adamant IT I have learned so much from you. I have also a DM on your discord account and also FB messenger. Thank you

[@dancarganilla107]

hi can you post a no display and how to solved it even you change memory or cpu still no display can you try to post it

[@kai990]

Just use any other 20V-ish DC power source. For basic testing even a 12v battery might suffice.

[@cesargarza4560]

LOL at the end i thought you did all this for nothing but its good it turned on good job