new to component mainboard repair with questions.

ive repaired my first desktop motherboard by replacing bulging caps. yay!
Now i am curious to learn more about component level repair.

I repair laptops allot and have quite a few bad motherboards sitting in the shop. I would love to try and repair some of these.
I dont have the tools for a smd chip replacement.

Most of the motherboards i have on hand dont power on at all. where should i begin when trying to repair them? I assume its some components near or around the power jack. is that a correct assumption?

how do i begin to diagnose these boards?

should i buy any special meters other than a volt meter?
read any specific books manuals or courses.

If i can repair 30% of the boards i have on hand i would be happy.
I appreciate all advice.

 

I would recommend a multifunction voltmeter/ohmmeter. This will allow you to check resistance, conductivity and voltage all from one tool. I have used this to find the broken parts of many motherboards.
I also recommend getting a high quality very fine point soldering iron (the adjustable heat ones) and a solder sucker, cause you cannot afford having solder short something out on the motherboard.
I would also recommend a good standalone or swiveling base magnifying glass
A good work light, and a nice set of small screwdrivers from eyeglass size to 3/16" would be good.
You should also buy extremely thin wire, and good wire splitters, so that you can mend circuit boards and such.

Also, email Mouser electronics, and have them send you one of their magazines. Their magazines are about 4" thick and have over 2500 pages of electrical components. All motherboard components are pretty basic, all you have to do is look them up in the mouser manual, and I guarantee you will find what you are looking for.
I believe they will ship you one for free.

K-TRON