[Gllug] component level repair (was Open Source Hardware User Group meeting)

[Andrew Back]

On (07:15 08/05/10), general_email at technicalbloke.com wrote:

<<SNIP>>

> 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.

That's amazing and I've no idea how they manage this. Even when most ICs
were DIL and PLCC packaged, if a job was not reasonably quick to fix our
policy was to pay a few hundred quid to ICL and swap the board for a
refurbished one (~mid 90s). Even when working on microwave radio modules
that cost a few grand to replace, policy was to spend a half day or day at
most at attempting a repair.
 
> 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! ;)

I'll bear this in mind. Do they also repair Apple laptops? It would be nice
to know there is an alternative to shelling out 1/2 to 2/3 the cost of a new
machine for a "logic board" replacement.

Cheers,

Andrew

-- 
Andrew Back
mailto:andrew at osmosoft.com
http://carrierdetect.com
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