Dell 5150 Owners.

StratosFear · 30th March 2006, 5:44 PM

Just a little heads up.

Had a mate drop off his Dell 5150 today as it was having issues booting. When you turned it on if you moved the screen or the unit slightly it would loose power and then power back up. On off on off.

I pulled it to parts assuming it would be a loose wire or something, but couldnt' see anything wrong.

A bit of a google pointed me to this

Quote:

Due to the design of the case of the Dell 5150 notebook, a intermittent motherboard is common. When you touch the case of the notebook or move the notebook it will power off or reboot. Dell will replace your motherboard for a charge of around $450-$550 and due to the defective design, the problem WILL REOCCUR . We have developed a solution that can repair any motherboard that will currently power on - even if it only powers on for only a few seconds. In most cases we can fix the unit even if it won't power on, but we need to evaluate it first. Our repair corrects the defect in the case and the damage. The problem should never occur again.

Flat fee repair for the Dell 5150 power cutoff problem is $225 plus $25 shipping for a notebook that will currently power up for any amount of time. We will provide you details on how to ship your notebook to us. We will then repair and ship your unit back to you (2 Day FEDEX). Turnaround time is 2-3 days. We warranty this repair for 6 months for the same problem.

If the unit won't power on, we will evaluate your notebook for $15 plus $25 shipping. We will provide you with an estimate for the repair and fix it within 2-3 days with your approval - assuming the parts aren't backordered.

$500 US dollars for a replacement motherboard or $250US dollars for them to fix it. Hello dell paper weight.

Anyway a bit more of a google pointed me to a solution to this issue.

It involved soldering an IC on the motherboard that has come loose due to a poorly designed case. I won't go into too much detail about that but if any is having this issue let me know and I can help out.

More importantly though if you are not having this issue I strongly recommend you unscrew the 'C' cover on the bottom of your laptop where the Wireless card and modem are. When you have the cover off snap off both of the clips on the side of the cover. One of these clips pushes on an IC on the motherboard and will cause this issue over time. These clips serve no purpose. The cover will still screw on as it always has but you will extend the life of your laptop.

Cheers.

http://forums.us.dell.com/supportfor...172436#M172436

Walkinshaw · 15th April 2006, 5:22 PM

I found this also, i broke off the C clips hoping that was my problem (I never had this "move it and it turns off delema, rather, she wont fire up anymore (wont recognise the AC adapter) or charge the batter). Its either a loose DC jack or some busted solder joints on a 14pin SMT under the C cover. Hopefully a local sparky can fix it. I dont want a $3k paperweight.

DELL = Monkeys for Engineers

callan · 16th April 2006, 10:30 AM

Thanks, Stratos - great find.

I have the 5150's older cousin, the 1100 (It's been a boon, btw)
Interestingly, the vinyl PCB cover shows significant signs of damage from the lug (indents, and a slight tear), but there is no component underneath the lug, (unlike the 5150), so the 1100 probably dodged that bullet. I have taken the precaution though, of trimming the lug, as previously mooted.

My guess is the motherboard was redesigned, and the co-incidence of the Surface mount component and the lug was not noticed by the design team, until too late.

Soon after purchas, I also noticed that the notebook sagged slightly in the middle, and immediately put to clear silicone feet in the midline, right next to the supporting pillars through the unit. (Pikkies later)

You should check that out.

Ooroo
Callan

StratosFear · 18th April 2006, 7:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walkinshaw

I found this also, i broke off the C clips hoping that was my problem (I never had this "move it and it turns off delema, rather, she wont fire up anymore (wont recognise the AC adapter) or charge the batter). Its either a loose DC jack or some busted solder joints on a 14pin SMT under the C cover. Hopefully a local sparky can fix it. I dont want a $3k paperweight.

DELL = Monkeys for Engineers

Wow, just got a call from the mate I fixed the 5150 for. Turns out now his won't charge either.

Fun, fun fun.

Will see how we go when I get it later this week.

15th April 2006, 5:22 PM	#2
Walkinshaw Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Adelaide Posts: 48	I found this also, i broke off the C clips hoping that was my problem (I never had this "move it and it turns off delema, rather, she wont fire up anymore (wont recognise the AC adapter) or charge the batter). Its either a loose DC jack or some busted solder joints on a 14pin SMT under the C cover. Hopefully a local sparky can fix it. I dont want a $3k paperweight. DELL = Monkeys for Engineers __________________ Duron 850@1112Mhz XP2600+ Inspiron 5150 3.2HT, 1gb DDR, 80gb HDD Last edited by Walkinshaw; 15th April 2006 at 5:24 PM.

16th April 2006, 10:30 AM	#3
callan Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: melbourne Posts: 1,750	Thanks, Stratos - great find. I have the 5150's older cousin, the 1100 (It's been a boon, btw) Interestingly, the vinyl PCB cover shows significant signs of damage from the lug (indents, and a slight tear), but there is no component underneath the lug, (unlike the 5150), so the 1100 probably dodged that bullet. I have taken the precaution though, of trimming the lug, as previously mooted. My guess is the motherboard was redesigned, and the co-incidence of the Surface mount component and the lug was not noticed by the design team, until too late. Soon after purchas, I also noticed that the notebook sagged slightly in the middle, and immediately put to clear silicone feet in the midline, right next to the supporting pillars through the unit. (Pikkies later) You should check that out. Ooroo Callan __________________ Christianity: The belief that a cosmic Jewish zombie claiming he was his own father can make you live forever, if you symbolically eat his flesh, and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master.