Acer 6530g Dead?

HI all
This is my first post, i have 3 pc`s which i built myself the oldest and still running strong is a nf7 mobo with a mobile athlon on board, i also have a ispiron 5100 running linux, this is now the sad part i bough my son a Acer 6530g 2 years ago and now it wont start at all, he said it started shutting down and the blue light started dimming, it now will not start up even with or without the battery, we bought a new ps for it but it makes no difference. The machine is pristine never left the house and still has the original stickers on it, now i build and repair all my familys pc equipment but have never tackled a laptop, would any one know what the problem may be or will be an expensive fix? or maybe recommend a repair firm in the wigan area that wont attempt to me on fees.
Sorry the post is a bit long winded, but the laptop has my sons uni work on and yes ive told him so many times back it up, but you guessed it he hasnt.

Many thanks for any help you can recommend.
Mark

 

Hi Mark,

Because the laptop is 2 years old, maybe the fastest and easiest way is to buy identical working laptop and simply change the hard disk. Maybe it is a dust and heat problem. I had similar problem with my daughter's 5520g, it was so full of dust that cooling was not working properly and display adapter was dead.

Seppo (from Finland)

 

Hi
The machine is spotless really, if there any thing like a desktop then it should post even without hd in it i would think,pls correct me if im wrong.

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Ok, i have opened it up and at this point i have 0 from the adapter going into the power socket, but on the other side at this power socket for the board it only shows .5 volts on both of the black and red wires , I see no fuses so could there be a problem with the socket, i cannot find a circuit diahram so i dont know what the voltage should be, does any know?. wondering if th replace adapter is faulty , it shows next to nothing now.
Thanks

Mark

 

You should be getting 19v at the connector you show unplugged in your photo with the power supply connected. You should also get 19v at the power supply even if it is not plugged into the laptop. If the power supply light goes out/flashes when you connect to the laptop then you have a faulty power supply or a short circuit somewhere.

 

Hi
Thanks, ok a new day and clear mind, i get just over 19v at the adapter socket and when plugged in i get the same on the two reds and blacks on the mobo power socket when unplugged from the mobo, when i plug the power socket back into the mobo i get just over 8v on each tested from the male plug side, if i test the female part of the socket fixed too (image attached) the mobo then it shows next to nothing ?. If the mobo is dead the cost fore replacements is too much which is a shame as the whole laptop is virtually mint. I get no lights or sounds at all.

Mark

 

So what exactly happens when you turn it on? Do the lights turn on? Can you hear the fans? Does the screen turn on and does it show any error codes? Do you hear any beeps?

Have you tried removing the HDD, resitting the RAM? Booting with just one RAM stick?

So what exactly happened before laptop stopped working?

You could try the power drain:
1. Turn off laptop, disconnect power and remove battery.
2. Press and hold Power button for 30seconds.
3. Press and hold Power button for 60seconds.
4. Connect AC adapter and turn it on to see if it works.

 

The drop in voltage when you plug cable into the board is not right you should still get 19v on the female side of the socket.
Have you tested the power supply in another machine under load?
what happens to the light on the power supply when it is all connected?

 

Hi
Thanks for your replys, i get nothing from the machine no lights no sound with or without battery, the ps is a new replacement, i have removed and reseated the the hdd and ram, have also tried power drain, i am waiting for the original ps to be brought home from my sons girlfriends house, he said it started cutting out and he had to restart it a few times in the days leading up, then it just would not power up or post at all. I do wonder about the socket though, i thought it should show the same voltage at the female side going into the board but if i put the multi meter probes in the back of the male plug when plugged into the mainboard it will only read 8v on either red wire, but unplugged it will read just over 19v, i dont have another machine to test the ps, i admit the thought crossed my mind that the high quality chinese ps might be faulty, any one know what other models the battery fits, if i could get it charged i could try that. Would there be any fuses on the board?
Thanks
Mark

 

Almost certainly a faulty power supply, safer with the genuine article, at least they have proper overvoltage/current protection.
Do a search for the battery no make sure that the voltage is the same as yours 14.8v or 11.1v
Mine is an AS07B31 11.1v from a 5310, same one fits the 5920g, 5720, 5315,5715 etc etc and most likely yours too.
There is a diode labelled PD11 on the other side of the board underneath CN2 (speaker connection) in your pic if it blows then you get no power anywhere on the laptop.

 

Thank you again,im borrowing my bosses ps 19.1v from his laptop tomm , so if that doesnt work i will remove the board and check the diode as cashwo suggests, will a continuarity test be enough or is there a other test for it?.
Thanks
Mark

Edit: Tried the old power supply my son thought was duff and it shows 19.2v at all connections straight away, so i assume the next stage is to check diode on the other side of the board?.

 

Diodes only conduct in one direction, testing depends on your type of meter, digital meters usually have a setting just for testing diodes and show nothing in one direction and usually read 500-700 the other way. Analogue meters you set to one of the lower ranges and show infinity one direction and conduct the other way, google will give you plenty more info.
You should also try disconnecting the cmos battery(between the CPU and memory) and the large capacitor between the GPU and the wireless card before taking the board out to test the diode.
Good luck

 

Hi
Would those stop the board from working?, i will try and locate them i assume i can get at tem easy enough.
Thanks
Mark

 

Disconnecting them will remove all power from the board, like the power drain suggested by prikolchik a few posts ago but complete. After you plug them back in you might get signs of life again.
Both are accessible if you take off the large cover on the bottom, worth a shot before you take the board out

 

Hi Guys
Thanks for the responses, unfortunatly the board still does not work , i discoed the cap and that didnt work so i tested the diodes and they were fine, im just gonna check ebay and see what price i may get for it whole or in seperate peices.
Next lappy wont be an acer for sure, will try another brand, what pisses me off is i have a dell inspiron 5100 with 500m of memory that must be 7 years old at least and it works fine.
Thanks or your help.
Mark

 

Hi, hope it's ok if I hi-jack the thread somewhat: I had almost identical experience with my Acer Aspire 6530G, only the blue indicator light didn't fade, the computer just turned itself off in an instant and since then it's been completely dead (while in your case, I got the impression it didn't happen quite as fast). I've tried with 2 AC adapters, not even the indicator light will go on no matter what. My (really uninformed) guess was that there's a problem with the power board, but looking at your thumbnails it seems like you looked at something else?

Is it unlikely that it would be the power board where the problem lies (in my case)? Anything I can do to check it out?

http://support.acer.com/acerpanam/manuals/acer/0000/userguides/SG_Aspire_6530_20080822.pdf

Any answers will be much appreciated...
Cheers

EDIT: Just an addendum, I explained the problem (via e-mail) to a local repair shop and the reply was that it was likely the mainboard so they recommended I send it in to Acer...