[Gllug] Open Source Hardware User Group meeting on Thursday.

[general_email at technicalbloke.com]

Andrew Back wrote:
> On (23:17 07/05/10), Nix wrote:
>   
>> On 28 Apr 2010, Andrew Back uttered the following:
>>     
>>> I long for the days when you could repair computers to component level (~
>>> 80286). But they're more or less gone
>>>       
>> What? You can still do it, although it's really annoying and difficult (you
>> pretty much have to do it by buying several motherboards and cannibalizing
>> some of them, and you need a good bit of specialist equipment). But nothing
>> fundamental has changed there, not really. The CPU and other chips remain as
>> impossible for anyone to repair as they ever were; the non-
>> photolithographically-constructed components remain possible to repair.
>>     
>
> Right - like anything is possible given sufficient time, money & inclination
> etc. So you get yourself a hot air rework station, wrestle with some QFP ICs
> and hope you don't run into any BGA packages. How do you test? Do you hope
> you can sufficiently bring up software or at least BIOS/PROM? Or perhaps you
> have extremely deep pockets and can afford application-specific automated
> test equipment. I suppose you could just hazard a guess and swap bits
> out. Regardless, it's a lot of effort for a board worth next to nothing
> and is fairly boring due to the consolidation of many functions onto a small
> number of ICs.
>
> Not quite the same as assembling or repairing a system made up from much
> smaller building blocks, where everything is through-hole and you can poke
> around with far simpler debug tools. And if you're feeling adventurous
> hack/expand with bits of wire, piggybacked DIL package ICs, toggle switches
> and LEDs etc.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Andrew
>
>   

Doing it yourself has pretty much disappeared with the advent of surface
mounted everything but I know of at least one UK company who fix
component level faults on laptop motherboards for a (fairly) flat fee of
£60+VAT and have free delivery/collection in central London. Considering
the faff, the kit and the skills needed I think that's a truly
remarkable price.

Some times they charge extra for parts (as someone said there's no
repairing a processor!) and if they do need extra parts and you decide
not to proceed there's a £20 inspection fee but I've used them half a
dozen times now and have never had that crop up. AFAIK they're business
to business only but I have an account with them so if anyone here needs
a laptop repairing at cost price and can drop it round to my place on
Stamford Hill give me a shout (I will check it's running linux first
mind, otherwise it's my normal markup! ;)

Roger.
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