HP DV2000 charging, but not turning on

[fattwinkie]

Howdy!

I'm having a problem with an HP DV2000 laptop that I can't seem to figure out.

A couple weeks ago I got this laptop from a buddy that said doesn't work. Said I could have it since its no use to him. It came with a battery but no charger and has been known to work. I took it home and plugged in my universal. When using my universal, I found it didn't have the power to start everything up, so I was out of luck on that.

I ordered a knock off charger (Those $30 ones you can order off Ebay or Amazon) and thought that would have done the trick. When attempting to use the new charger and pushing the power button, I could have swore I smelt something burning but wasn't too sure. Anyways, while still using the knock off charger, the light at the end of the charging port lights up signaling there is power getting to it, BUT the battery charging light doesn't appear and the computer still doesn't power on. No other lights, no beeps, no display, no nothing.

Does anyone have any ideas?

[iain.t]

Have you tried powering up without the battery in ?? sometimes when the cells in batteries hit critical point or die can sometimes cause this type of problem.

[ACE 256]

Originally Posted by fattwinkie

Howdy!

I'm having a problem with an HP DV2000 laptop that I can't seem to figure out.

A couple weeks ago I got this laptop from a buddy that said doesn't work. Said I could have it since its no use to him. It came with a battery but no charger and has been known to work. I took it home and plugged in my universal. When using my universal, I found it didn't have the power to start everything up, so I was out of luck on that.

I ordered a knock off charger (Those $30 ones you can order off Ebay or Amazon) and thought that would have done the trick. When attempting to use the new charger and pushing the power button, I could have swore I smelt something burning but wasn't too sure. Anyways, while still using the knock off charger, the light at the end of the charging port lights up signaling there is power getting to it, BUT the battery charging light doesn't appear and the computer still doesn't power on. No other lights, no beeps, no display, no nothing.

Does anyone have any ideas?

This is a very common problem with the dv series. The GPU/northbridge overheats and physically separates from the motherboard. This has become a regular repair at the shop. I have also heard roamers of a class action lawsuit against HP over it. A quick google search on it found this. It is repairable however. It might not be worth fixing as the price would be a rather large portion of a newer (non DV) laptop. However you can cut a large chunk of the price off by doing the reflow yourself. If you are into soldering and can safely take the DV apart I would be happy to guide you though a reflow process.

[fattwinkie]

Originally Posted by iain.t

Have you tried powering up without the battery in ?? sometimes when the cells in batteries hit critical point or die can sometimes cause this type of problem.

Yes I did. I usually do that with every problem regardless just so I can cover a wide area of repair ideas.

Originally Posted by ACE 256

This is a very common problem with the dv series. The GPU/northbridge overheats and physically separates from the motherboard. This has become a regular repair at the shop. I have also heard roamers of a class action lawsuit against HP over it. A quick google search on it found this. It is repairable however. It might not be worth fixing as the price would be a rather large portion of a newer (non DV) laptop. However you can cut a large chunk of the price off by doing the reflow yourself. If you are into soldering and can safely take the DV apart I would be happy to guide you though a reflow process.

I found that information however I didn't actually know if that was the case or not. I've never seen a laptop or desktop do that before so I had no clue what the symptoms were of that scenario. I've fixed Xbox consoles which I'm sure you know do the exact same thing, but they always still turn on and give some life before RRoDing. By putting those two ideas together, I never thought that was the case.

So would you say I should start looking for a replacement motherboard (I'm going Ebay status on that haha)? I wouldn't mind doing a reflow, but I've never done one before so I'd most likely screw it up somewhere or something so I'd rather not hassle with it haha.

[ACE 256]

Originally Posted by fattwinkie

I found that information however I didn't actually know if that was the case or not. I've never seen a laptop or desktop do that before so I had no clue what the symptoms were of that scenario. I've fixed Xbox consoles which I'm sure you know do the exact same thing, but they always still turn on and give some life before RRoDing. By putting those two ideas together, I never thought that was the case.

So would you say I should start looking for a replacement motherboard (I'm going Ebay status on that haha)? I wouldn't mind doing a reflow, but I've never done one before so I'd most likely screw it up somewhere or something so I'd rather not hassle with it haha.

This is a good video, ignore the sales pitch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2jPq8Qf6g0

I recommend getting some liquid flux. Just put it on the sides of the chip and let it leak between the BGA. A butane torch is enough to get the job done, but a hot air gun is recommended as the torch tends to try to catch the flux on fire. I get the best results at around 350F - 400F and holding it around there for a min or two. But be sure to bring the temp up slowly. Keep the temp as even as possible and cool it down slowly as well. Any sudden changes in temp will lead to uneven/quick shrinking/expanding only making things worse. Be sure to shim the GPU/northbridge up though or you will just get the same problem again down the road. The "thermal cheese" found on a lot of video card ram can be used in a pinch, but copper is recommended. Be careful not to melt the fan header! Good luck!

[jlphlp]

Hi,

That's an AC to DC converter. It only supplies power to run the Laptop and/or charge the battery. The actual charger control circuits are in the computer and in the battery case. Hope this helps to understand the problem better.

Good Luck, Jim

[ACE 256]

Originally Posted by jlphlp

Hi,

That's an AC to DC converter. It only supplies power to run the Laptop and/or charge the battery. The actual charger control circuits are in the computer and in the battery case. Hope this helps to understand the problem better.

Good Luck, Jim

How does posting a small factiod about laptop power / charging help in this situation? As fattwinkie states the laptop is getting power.

Originally Posted by fattwinkie

the light at the end of the charging port lights up signaling there is power getting to it,

[fattwinkie]

Thank you ACE 256 for the information. I'll try the reflow process to see how that works for me (since this will be my first time, I'm sure it will be interesting XD).

If the reflow doesn't work, I guess I can buy a $60 one from Ebay haha.