Cyprus-Forum.com

[B0B]

Does anyone know if I can find someone doing reballing in Cyprus?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rework_(electronics)
I really hope the current crisis will teach the locals out of their don't-fix-buy-new mentality!

[Get Real!]

If you mean one of those machines that reheat all solder joints on boards there is a guy who does it Aglanjia, Nicosia. Here’s his email…

[email protected]

I’ve lost all his other company details because he and I had an argument a few months ago when I corrected his English in one of his emailed ads and he took it personal and called me up on the phone and we ended up pissing each other off and deleting each others messages and everything!

Ridiculous I know, but these things happen sometimes!

Btw, I’m aware it can be done manually with foil but its pretty risky…

[B0B]

Sounds like business-as-usual
No offense but some people here seem to get wind up for the smallest thing
Many thanks for that contact - brings me hopes that things can change!
I'm in Limassol so I'd look around first but if I can't find anything I'll definitely email him.

Oh and I did the foil trick - it works or a couple of weeks then it needs to be done again.
Done it a couple of times now I believe I can take apart my laptop blindfolded...
Clearly the problem needs a professional approach.

[Get Real!]

Oh and I did the foil trick - it works or a couple of weeks then it needs to be done again.
Done it a couple of times now I believe I can take apart my laptop blindfolded...
Clearly the problem needs a professional approach.

If you’ve reheated it before and assuming the joints did reach the right temperature, then the problem cannot be a cold joint.
Have you tried removing the BIOS battery and turning it on/off 2-3 times to eliminate a possibly corrupt BIOS copy?
Also, before you turn it on hold the on/off button down for about 10 seconds to empty all capacitors.
And finally, many years ago I recall some Asian techies who used to whack ICs with the screwdriver handle, and lo and behold it sometimes revived dead motherboards!
(something about the tiny transistors inside the ICs making better contact)

[supporttheunderdog]

The wife wants me to get re-balled.... not sure she is talking about the same thing....oh she's correcting me. De-balled.

[B0B]

Tell her to get super-balled

Get Real - I heat it with a fan so... maybe it is not enough.
It's a laptop - I don't think it has a bios battery...
I'm afraid the whacking part would destroy the laptop

[Get Real!]

Get Real - I heat it with a fan so... maybe it is not enough.
It's a laptop - I don't think it has a bios battery...
I'm afraid the whacking part would destroy the laptop

What fan? It should be with a pro heat gun at about 180°C.

All computers have a battery for the system clock. Laptops have a slightly smaller one underneath but you need to locate it. Lift the memory/modem/wireless hatchets and you may be able to see it. A few rare mainboards even have a little hatchet for CMOS battery access.

http://www.allabouthappylife.com/acer_f ... attery.jpg
http://cdn2.image-tmart.com/prodimgs/N/ ... 1341304198
http://www.techmickey.org/wp-content/up ... attery.jpg

Remove the CMOS battery and short it out with a card bracket’s end or paper clip, while turning it on/off 2-3 times. If it's the little type short the two connector pins.

Honestly, if you haven’t even done a BIOS reset yet I don’t know what you’re doing with reballing… it’s like you want to skip basic important fault finding steps and go straight to hardcore!

[B0B]

Well I'm not much into pc hardware - I just googled the display problem I suddenly had, found out about the foil and hairdryer trick (fan? I must have been distracted when I wrote that), googled how to take apart my laptop, did it myself a couple of times then found out if the hairdryer doesnt help - you need reballing...

Why do you think reballing won't help? If it was a bios problem - why is it that it gets fixed after a hairdryer session? The computer boots even with the display problem just fine, it's windows that complains about the vga and basically you can't read because the whole display gets full of dots...

I don't have a "pro heat dun" - where can I lend one from, just to do that? If I have to buy it - what else is it good for?

[Get Real!]

Well I'm not much into pc hardware - I just googled the display problem I suddenly had, found out about the foil and hairdryer trick (fan? I must have been distracted when I wrote that), googled how to take apart my laptop, did it myself a couple of times then found out if the hairdryer doesnt help - you need reballing...

You need one of these mate, because a hairdryer cannot melt solder as it doesn't get hot enough…

http://cfnewsads.thomasnet.com/images/l ... 493185.jpg

The idea is to “rework” (re-melt) the solder joints in case there are any “cold joints” so they get nice and shiny again.

Why do you think reballing won't help? If it was a bios problem - why is it that it gets fixed after a hairdryer session? The computer boots even with the display problem just fine, it's windows that complains about the vga and basically you can't read because the whole display gets full of dots...

When you press around the frame of the screen and/or open and close the lid, do the dots come and go? Do they move around etc, or are they always fixed at the same location and quantity?

I don't have a "pro heat dun" - where can I lend one from, just to do that? If I have to buy it - what else is it good for?

It's only good for melting things like plastics, some soft metals like solder, special glues, powdered enamel cast making, etc.

Just hang 5 and answer my questions about your display because you may not even need it.

[B0B]

Well I just reheated the chip and its fine again so I can't really tell you anything.
As far as I remember the dots just flicker, but don't move. And I don't remember them being affected by pressing the edges of the screen. They seem very similar with the artifacts displayed in youtube videos about solving the problem with a hairdryer or a heat gun
BTW - that thing in your picture seems like a paint stripper and I know a guy who has one so I will try it the next time it happens...
But of what I have found on the net - this trick solves the problem only for a couple of weeks - reballing they say is a better solution.

What do you think could be causing the problem if not cracked solder?

ps
It seems a very wide spread problem - it's scary... why can't they put the graphics chip on a slide lock mechanism like the cpu?...