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Motherboard Repair
Motherboard Repair
Bulging capacitors
The most common method of identifying capacitors which have failed because of
bad electrolyte is visual inspection.
The capacitance value may degrade to 4% of the original value, as opposed to an
expected 50% capacity degradation
Bulging of the vent on the top of the capacitor.
Sitting crooked on the circuit board as the bottom rubber plug is pushed outbr>
Electrolyte (a crusty brown substance) leaked onto the motherboard from the base
of the capacitor or vented from the top
High equivalent series resistance (ESR) can easily be measured without
disconnecting capacitors (in-circuit) with an ESR meter if available.
Failed Tayeh capacitors both of which have vented through their aluminium tops.
As the capacitor ages, its capacitance decreases and its (ESR) increases. When
this happens, the capacitors no longer adequately serve their purpose of filtering
the direct current voltages on the motherboard, and system instability results.
Some common symptoms are:
Not turning on all the time; having to hit reset or try turning the computer
on again
o Instabilities (hangs, BSODs, kernel panics, etc.), especially when
symptoms get progressively more frequent over time
o Memory errors, especially ones that get more frequent with time
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Spontaneous reboots
In case of on-board video cards, unstable image in some video modes
Failing to complete the POST, or rebooting before it is completed
Never starting the POST; fans spin but the system appears dead
Capacitors with high ESR can make power supplies malfunction,
sometimes causing further circuit damage. CPU core voltage or other
system voltages may fluctuate or go out of range, possibly with an
increase in CPU temperature as the core voltage rises
This failed capacitor can explode and blown its casing off
Failed capacitor from a PC power supply can blow off the board and expelled its
contents Unlike the physical signs which are conclusive evidence the capacitors
are failing, many of the operational signs may be caused by other factors,
such as a failing power supply, dust clogging a fan, bad RAM, or other hardware
problems.
Instability, once the operating system has loaded, may indicate a software
problem (such as some types of malware, poorly-written device drivers or
software), and not a hardware problem at all.
If any of these symptoms are experienced, removing the system's case and
inspecting the capacitors, especially those around the CPU, may immediately
identify capacitors as the cause.
If there are no physical signs, an oscilloscope may be used to examine the AC
ripple voltage across capacitors during operation, or an ESR meter to measure
ESR when powered down; excessive ripple or ESR is a sign that the capacitors
are faulty.
Cause of the failing capacitors
When a faulty capacitor is charged, the water-based electrolyte becomes unstable
and breaks down, producing hydrogen gas. Since these types of capacitors are
sealed in an aluminum casing, the pressure builds up within the capacitor until
either the flat metal top of the capacitor begins to bend, or the rubber sealing plug
is pushed down. Eventually the pressure exceeds the strength of the metal casing
and venting occurs, either by blowing out the rubber bottom of the capacitor, or
bursting the scored metal vent on the top of the capacitor. When an electrolytic
capacitor bursts, effects can range from a pop and a hissing noise to a small
explosion. Venting is typically messy, and the corrosive electrolyte must be
cleaned off
Hardware failures can have mysterious faces - computer crashes, display anomalies or
read/write errors when accessing a hard drive. Usually, what you do is install new
drivers, then you look at adjusting settings within your operating system, you search
BIOS for relevant options or go the whole nine yards and exchange components such as
the main memory. But your computer just won't run smoothly.
Not only operating systems or device drivers cause system malfunctions. Not even the
latest hardware such as quad core processors and terabyte hard drives can prevent
hardware failures. Hardware manufacturers typically define a certain lifetime for every
component of your computer or laptop. This tends to be five years for hard drives, but
other components may have longer life expectancies. Building blocks such as processors,
memory, motherboards or graphics card usually keep working for much longer - if
always operated and cooled properly. But no crystal ball can tell you precisely how long
an electronic product will last.
Electrolytic capacitors on numerous semiconductor-based products such as motherboards
or graphics cards can often cause computer to behave strangely if they fail. What can you
do if malfunctioning motherboard capacitors are the reason for trouble with your
computer? If the mobo is under warrantee you can return it for a replacement. If you have
to exchange a faulty motherboard for a new and different one, you may also need new
memory as well as a new processor. There is a considerably less expensive solution. You
can replace faulty electrolytic capacitors yourself. I will show you how to revive a
motherboard or graphic card with the right tools and for very little money.
Capacitors and resistors are the components most frequently used in electric and
electronic circuits. Capacitors are used for duplexers, oscillator circuits, as interference
suppressors or in the form of electrolytic capacitors filtering of various kinds. Electrolytic
capacitors differ from normal capacitors because they use a liquid, an "electrolyte",
within their aluminum bodies, conducting electricity when a voltage is applied.
Almost all electronic circuits in power supplies use filter capacitors. These deal with
electrical peaks transformers or transistors are unable to handle quickly enough. Broadly
speaking, a capacitor doesn't work much different than a rechargeable battery. It will
recharge when DC voltage is applied. The capacitor's charge is stored when the voltage
source and the capacitor are disconnected. Filtering capacitors equalize voltages, in
power adapters, for example.
Transformers will down-transform a power adapter's voltage to the desired level.
Rectifiers generate DC voltage from the applied AC voltage. The freshly generated DC
voltage is not "smooth", rather it pulsates. The brief voltage drop caused by this pulsation
is covered by a capacitor, which functions like an additional voltage source providing a
stabilizing amount of voltage. Capacitors with lower Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR)
are used to make sure that the stabilization works properly and capacitors are able to
cover pulsing without being damaged themselves.
But not only unclean electrolytes can damage capacitors. Like any other liquid, the
electrolyte can simply change its physical condition and evaporate. This happens not only
when a system is in operation, but can also occur while the system is shut down or the
motherboard is stored somewhere. We all know that components such as RAM and CPUs
benefit from proper cooling. Cooling also increases the life expectancy of capacitors,
since the probability of evaporation correlates with ambient temperature. An unwritten
law says that a 10C drop in temperature doubles the life expectancy of a capacitor.
Our capacity gauge shows 1000F, indicating that this capacitor retains full capacity.
An exploded exterior reveals a broken capacitor. A lumpy top or even an opening at the
predetermined breaking point are clear indicators that a capacitor is about to die, if it
hasn't died already. From time to time, the rubber plug, closing the capacitor on the
bottom, gets pushed out by gas pressure inside the body. It is especially difficult to detect
broken capacitors, whose electrolyte drained over time and didn't leave any traces on the
aluminum body. The dryer a capacitor, the less capacity it has to store electric charge.
You definitely need a capacity gauge (see picture) to measure the capacitor. You can get
these devices for less than $30. We use a Digitek DS-568F, which was sufficient for our
purpose and at less than $40 it was affordable as well.
We found a several year old board from MSI in our shelves. Defective capacitors are a
problem with mobos from just about all manufacturers. So, please don't take our choice
of product as an indictment of MSI. The motherboard just happened to be hanging around
our lab, so we used it.
Due to its dual processor sockets, we believe that the K7Master is well suited to
reanimation. Exchanging this motherboard for another would entail replacing the two
processors as well as RAM (registered DDR memory in this case), which would be an
economic nightmare.
We could not see if all capacitors had deteriorated. However since they were all of the
same kind, we assumed that all of them needed replacement. So we began a search for 26
substitute capacitors with equal capacity.
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It was more difficult to buy special low ESR capacitors than we thought, since we kept an
eye on cost. We think it makes sense to exchange capacitors if the process is inexpensive
- keep in mind that the replacement process itself can go wrong and you would have to
purchase a new motherboard plus processor(s) and RAM.
We needed 26 radial capacitors with a 1000F capacity, 6.3 V and 105C temperature
resilience for our K7D Master. You can find the technical data on the capacitor's case.
The capacitor's diameter is about 8 mm, its height is 16 mm, and the distance between the
pins (anode and cathode) is 3.5 mm.
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After a little research we placed our order with a small dealer selling capacitors at scaled
prices. We didn't get the desired capacitors with 6.3 V, but decided to go with 10 V
models instead. Pin distance and diameter are the same on the replacement capacitors, but
the new ones are 20 mm high instead of 16 mm. Depending on the motherboard you're
repairing, 4 mm can cause some trouble. Before you order any replacement please find
out how much space there is between the capacitors and expansion cards such as your
graphics card, among others. We did not encounter any problems with a 4 mm difference
in height. We paid 50 cents each for our 30 capacitors, shipping and handling not
included.
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Before we start, note that you must conduct all further steps at your own risk. We
recommend this task only for users who have had experience using soldering tools. Tom's
Hardware assumes no liability for any damage to the motherboard, the capacitors or you.
Professional de-soldering tools are essential for soldering work. Neither manual soldering
irons nor de-soldering pumps are suitable, since heating and removing the soldering tin
has to take place in a single process. Otherwise, the soldering tin will solidify
immediately. The motherboard itself absorbs a lot of heat, which makes de-soldering
difficult.
Your de-soldering tools' soldering tip should be 0.8-1.0 mm in diameter, so the soldering
tin can easily be sucked away from the soldered spot. In our lab, we used a rather old
processor-controlled soldering/de-soldering station called the PLE-9001. Another
manufacturer of professional level soldering/de-soldering tools is ERSA.
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In addition, we need solder and electronic diagonal cutting pliers. The latter is smaller
than a normal side cutter and is therefore handier for delicate work. A small bench vise
with plastic chucks is also helpful to hold the motherboard in a vertical position while
soldering. Make sure you attach the vise at an appropriate location and do not pull it too
tight.
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De-Soldering Capacitors
After chucking the motherboard into the vise, locate the faulty capacitors on the
motherboard's topside and de-solder the capacitors from the bottom side with your
soldering iron and pump.
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If you're still not successful in clearing the hold in the motherboard, try drilling a hole in
the soldered spot. We advise against this procedure! You should only try it, if neither desoldering with a soldering iron, nor the metal pin approach works.
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Slightly bend anode and cathode (legs) to the side, so the capacitors won't fall out after
placing them on the motherboard.
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Done! Ideally, at this point the motherboard should be ready for operation.
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Conclusion
In case of a motherboard failure. This is especially annoying if the costs for substitute
parts are only in the cent-range, which typically is the case with leaked capacitors.
Although motherboard makers increasingly use solid capacitors free of electrolyte,
flawed electrolytic capacitors are still one of the main reasons for defective
motherboards. In a worst case scenario, you should consider your next steps carefully.
Even if your product is still covered by a warranty, your retailer might not be able to
replace the broken motherboard instantly. Reasons might be that he is simply out of spare
parts or because he insists on not applying the warranty, since the capacitors were most
likely intact when purchased. Exchanging your motherboard might entail undesired
additional costs for the purchase of a new processor or processors and new RAM.
But wait - there is another way: If you know for sure that malfunction is caused by
flawed capacitors, you can try to revive the motherboard by single-handedly exchanging
leaked or broken capacitors. The cost of our project added up to $15. If you are a little
talented in handicraft and have access to the appropriate tools, you might as well try
saving that three-digit sum for replacing the board, the processor and the memory. And
these savings don't only apply to motherboards: Exchanging defective capacitors is also
possible on graphics cards.
Really talented hobbyists can exchange several capacitors in less than an hour, since the
work process is not that complex - provided that you have the right tools. Less
experienced users might fail because they lack the appropriate tools. In this case, why not
try a local radio and TV technician? If the thought of soldering a motherboard is simply
unbearable for you, just consider one thing: practically, the motherboard is already dead.
Why not give it a try?
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