Dreadful situation Clevo P770ZM-G catastrophic failure

I have seen a couple, but not spectacular flames. Like the size of a lighter flame and short lived.

 

Was it similar point of failure?

 

When looking at the screenshot, could you maybe tell us possibly causes for this?

 

No, one appeared to be a display cable short and one involved an end-user's soldering job on a DC port.

 

Might need another look, image isn't loading for me any longer.

 

Unlikely, the machine does not use a unique adapter, it is used across other models.

 

Is it still currently used with newer models or has the switch over to non mobile gpu cards changed things?

 

Original 240W power supply. I don't have it in hand at the moment but since it's been 3 years plus it is original part surely the part number could be found somewhere.

 

What about the 330 version?

 

Here are the images again. These were taken a week after the incident and right before I dumped it in the bin. The board was dusty when I dissembled the laptop but since I left it bare for a week in that state more dust was collected.

I never had a 330W adapter. Note that the laptop was the 15-inch P750ZM but I believe it shared the exact same configs as the P770ZM, just smaller screen.

 

Yea same processor and gpu setup

 

So how many models is the 330 watt power supply compatible with?

Will it work with the newer Lake series and 1000 type Nvidia GPUs?

 

Looks like a failure on the input power chips. This can either be due to a bad chip or an input surge that has taken out one and the others are sure to follow.

 

What can cause such a surge that leads to failure?

 

Lighting, poor mains wiring, an electrical fault from another applicance, a faulty power brick, substation issues, varying mains voltage, full power cuts and a few other things I've likely forgotten.

 

Is there any way to check the power adapter to see if its failed?

Because if I plug it in it seems fine. Light goes green like always.

 

Not without an artificial load and monitoring no.

 

How much would that kinda test run? Or would it be such an amount as to just make more sense to buy a new 330w?

 

Buy a replacement if you are suspicious.

 

Yea. Can I do that from any builder like adding an additional power adapter?

 

Usually it's an option as a second adapter is a useful option.

 

It's something I'll definitely keep in mind for the future. Though my question is can I just buy an adapter without a unit purchased from a builder?

 

You can from us, other builders may vary.

 

Alright. Does it run the same cost as it would being an addon item?

 

In our store it does, yes.

 

I'll be sure to check it out once I get another laptop off ebay.

 

To add a thought. Would using a fuse safe power strip keep such surges from happening.

 

A good anti surge strip (harder to find than you might think) can add some protection as can a good UPS.

 

Won't keep them from happening, but will keep them from damaging things plugged into it. If you are worried about surges, have your house's wiring checked. It's something you want to get solved soonest if it's actually a problem.

 

Not really as nothing else was burned out as the plug the laptop was connected to also had a powe strip connection for external fans and my phone charger and all of that is fine.

Just seeing what precautions to take in the future. Being safe.

Also how can one see what parts could have been damaged by the surge. I mounted the M. 2 drive in an external caddy and its fine.

Any way to check for damage just going by sight?

 

Sometimes, but not always. You can sometimes see burned components, but I've had parts fail after another component was visibly damaged that I couldn't see anything wrong with too.

 

Multimeter and rail checking would be more definitive. See Louis Rossman's videos for an idea.

 

Yea I'll take a look. Hopefully I can get an idea on what's salvageable. Then I can make some proper headway towards buying a new unit. Even a second hand one.

Is there a buy sell trade section on the forum for Clevo parts?

 

There is a members market that has member ship time and posting requiremebts.

 

What's the usual situation for selling there?

I've stripped my unit and everything worth selling is in good condition.

 

What do you mean situation? If the parts are good then hopefully someone's looking.

 

I mean how does one start posting just say you've got a gpu some ram and a Intel processor for sale and say what your selling them for?

 

Ah the sticky guide will let you know:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/buy-sell-trade-form-you-must-fill-this-form.653883/

 

Electrical shorts always have the potential to cause a fire. I've personally seen laptops catch on fire, including an Alienware M18xR2 I owned and another M18xR2 owned by a friend. This is in addition to examples reported in this community by people I do not know. They usually do not go totally up in flames because there are not a bunch of combustible materials, but I did literally see a flame about the size of a match in my case. For me it was the amplifier for the external chassis ports for the audio chipset. In my friend's M18xR2 it was MOSFETs for the CPU. Ironically, I always overclocked the crap out of my 3920XM and that never caused any issues, but in his case he never overclocked and CPU MOSFETs went bye-bye.

Not trying to take away from the problem noted in this thread, only confirming it does happen. Here are some photos that I took myself. In both cases the motherboards were repaired by replacing the parts that burned out. To my knowledge, both are still kicking.

 

So any idea how much these repairs cost? Where they were done? If I have the chance to keep this one going a while longer I would like that option.

 

If you can clearly identify the burned IC chips they are very inexpensive (like under $5 depending on what piece is burned) and you can get them from a place like Digi-Key or Mouser Electronics (both online). The mail/shipping usually costs several times more than small IC components.

If you have the machine apart already and can find someone that knows how to do the soldering, that should also be inexpensive. It only takes a few minutes. The time consuming part is disassembly. There could be a minimum shop fee, like charging for an hour labor minimum even if it only takes 15 minutes. But, that should still be a small fraction of the cost of a new motherboard.

You have nothing to lose by trying. It is possible other components were damaged that show no visible evidence of damage, but it is also just as possible nothing but the burned chip(s) have damage.

Where do you live? Perhaps I or someone else can provide a suggestion on where to have it fixed.

It is not a given that other parts are damaged, and since you do not have a BGA turdbook, even replacing the motherboard with a new or used one would be a whole heck of a lot cheaper that buying a new system. Motherboards for laptops with socketed CPU and MXM graphics generally range in price from $250 to $350 (USD). The BGA crap generally costs two to five times more because you are buying a motherboard, CPU and GPU.

What happened with Mythlogic was unfortunate and a very personal matter that is not suitable for public discussion. The owner was not a bad person or a crook, but bad things happen to good people. The rain falls on the just and the unjust. It is also not very common. If you find a well-established Clevo reseller with positive representation in the forum, chances are really good that they are not going anywhere for a long time unless an unexpected tragedy strikes. That can happen to anyone. Most of them... probably all of them... are honest people doing their best to scratch out a living and provide for their families, just like the rest of us. And, like most of us, they are successful.

If you need a new motherboard, HIDevolution, LPC-Digital, XoticPC, ProStar Computer, RJ Tech are just a few of the US vendors, Eurocom is in Canada. If you are not in North America, Clevo has a presence in many countries and regions. You may also find a motherboard on eBay.

You can possibly beat this price by checking directly with some of the vendors listed above. I found one on eBay immediately. https://www.ebay.com/itm/CLEVO-P770ZM-Sager-NP9772-Mainboard-P-N-77-P770Z-MO3A/112435823309

But, I would still explore the idea of fixing what you have first, because there is a good chance that it might be fixable for less than $100.

 

Right I removed all the parts for safety reasons as it was time for repaste and didn't want to damage anything while I looked around. Source of the damage to the unit seems to be right under the upper lip of the laptop right were the keyboard is installed so I cannot see where the damage is and I don't know how to further remove it from the unit to check.

I live in the Ohio Michigan area hence my use of Mythlogic sad to hear it was hardship that caused their fall. Wish them the best.

Is there anyone in the region that I could look to doing repair work? I've tried leaving a message with AVA out of Cleveland but they have not replied in a week.

 

Here is a link to download the P770ZM Service Manual for help with completely disassembling the laptop so you can see what is damaged and (if necessary) replace the motherboard. Once you have the motherboard removed and can see what is fried, post some good photos and we can see if it looks like a good candidate for repair.

 

I'd do a cursery inspection of the PCB, has it delaminated? If it has the board is toast.

It looks pretty clean though, just like any burned bits to make sure the PCB is not raised.

 

Well right now I'm clearing a space to really get into it

So far the part I've been able to see is a bit smoky right below the upper lip of the laptop I'll post a pic once I get into it.

 

Well I'm stuck. How do you remove the mainboard from the chassis?

Whole lotta screws but nothing has become loose

 

Did you download the service manual I gave a link to? It has disassembly instructions and even part numbers.

 

It stops at video card removal. So I'm a bit of a loss how to remove the case to get a look at the main board.

Diagrams included after that step don't help me a lot.

 

I believe the palm rest/top cover assembly unsnaps from the bottom frame after all the screws are removed and the motherboard lifts out from the keyboard side if I remember correctly. Have you removed the keyboard? That will have to come off if you haven't already. There may be screws underneath it. If not, this video by Brother @HTWingNut will show you how to do that about 6:45 in the video. Be gentle with the ribbon cables and the clips that hold them.



@Dr. AMK recently had a P750ZM apart for motherboard removal and they are made essentially the same. He may have some additional tips for you as well.

 

Yea, accidently punched a hole though the back of the keyboard though, what I thought was a screw was just a empty hole. Knocked a key off which I got back on. Though did I wreck the keyboard?