Bricked Clevo N150RD after EC Update

Hi guys,
Unfortunately, something went wrong after the EC flashing. Are there any recovery steps at this point or should I dump it? :-(

Story behind:
The laptop was running fine, but there were some chassis problems around like broken chassis, sturdy hinges, cracks, etc. So I decided to fix them. I disassemble the laptop, changed the thermal paste and test whether it is working. Everything was fine and running. In the meantime of the case fixing, I decided to update the BIOS as it has the older version of it: BIOS 1.05.01.

So I downloaded the latest files here: https://repo.palkeo.com/clevo-mirror/N1xxRD/ > 1.05.15 B0515.zip and 1.05.04 E0504.zip

I wanted to update the EC firmware 1.05.04 first, so I did that via USB and FreeDOS. And after the update, the laptop won't turn on. If I plug the AC cord in, the Power button LED lights. Nothing happens if I click the button. If I hold it for like 20 seconds, it turns off and lit again. On battery only, Power button LED is off, when I click it, it lit for a while and then shut down after a couple of seconds.

Many thanks for any help!

 

The only thing you can do is try and locate the EC chip and hope its a regular SPI chip, if it is you can purchase a hardware programmer and reflash it. If the EC chip is some nasty multipinned chip, then your only choice is a new motherboard or solder an EC chip with the data needed.

EDIT:Checked the schematic for your notebook, well tough luck, your IC chip is in a 128pin chip named ITE 8587. Reprogramming that one will be an absolute pain.

Here is what you will need to save your notebook:
Toolkit for EC

 

Damn it. Is it this one right? By the way I have found out it is a N150SD version. Still it seems that they are identical.

 

jep, that's the EC.

 

Hmm. It is easier to sell it then on spare parts. Thanks for you help.

 

Were you supposed to update the Bios first before the EC?
Never seen an EC bricked this way, as long as it was actually for that system.

There is a cheap adapter on aliexpress that will allow you to program an EC through the keyboard connector, hooking up through an existing programmer like a Skypro, since the EC chip uses the same interface as the keyboard port (long story), but the # of EC chips it supported was limited. I don't have the link but someone posted something way back, either on the Clevo overclocking thread or on the MSI forum. It had support for some windbond chips and a 'few' ITE chips but I don't remember if ENE was supported. It wasn't expensive.

 

I have read that EC should be done first before the BIOS. So I blindly followed the instructions. Do you mean that it could work similarly to this approach:

 

If you haven't already; remove ac, remove battery, remove cmos battery and hold power button for 20 seconds. It's the first order of business on any system that appears to be bricked.

 

Thanks for the tip. I just did that and still nothing. Everything is disconnected and once I plug in the AC, the power LED consistently lights.

 

You flashed an RD EC to an SD notebook, you will have to fix ur EC or get a new board. No amount of fiddling is going to fix your notebook.

 

You are absolutely right. Let me check the EC flashing and contact some repair centre at my city.

EDIT: I have found the right firmware for EC here and here and there are some notes as well

Still, I'm fckd Thanks for your replies! I appreciate that!

 

No protection against that?
MSI wont' even let you flash an EC with an incorrect HWID...it won't even flash...
Only solution is to RMA if allowed.

 

This is why we recommend getting your firmware from your reseller.