Motherboard check

Hello:

About 3 weeks ago, my computer was hit by a power surge in my apartment building. A power surge was attached to the unit, and it did not protect it fully. (unit is over 5 years old) The unit would not power up at all.

The computer store I deal with said that the power supply was fried and that some of the motherboard's components were "swelled," Also, the computer could work a month, a day, or a year.

Question:

How can I check to see if my motherboard is working effectively?

Since this incident happened, I have only replaced the power supply and it seems to be working fine. But is there anything I can do to check or monitor the motherboard?

Thanks

 

When the word "Motherboard" and "Swelling" go together it usually means the swelling of capasitors if I'm correct try having a look inside to see if any of the capasitors are bulging or leaking.

 

>> How can I check to see if my motherboard is working effectively? Since this incident happened, I have only replaced the power supply and it seems to be working fine. But is there anything I can do to check or monitor the motherboard? << techiegirl2

The computer store guy/gal meant: after examining the motherboard for damage to the mobo; it was determined that the capacitors - the cylindrical components that stick up from the board - looked "swelled" at the top or sides. They should normally be flat on top or only slightly concaved in the middle. Whether or not the motherboard 'appears' to currently be working; you still have a looming problem ahead of you. Checking or monitoring the motherboard will not suffice.

The reason the capacitors 'bulge' or 'swell' is because - due to the power surge - the 'Zapped' electrolyte dried up, turning from a liquid state into a gas. Since the capacitor is a sealed component, the expansion of the gas from heating up will cause the tops and bottoms of the capacitor to swell. Some capacitors in the earlier stages of failure may not even swell up much (or bulge), but are far out of their tolerances, and will failed in time all the same. Eventually, the coil will overheat if the filter capacitors are "leaky", the capacitors will need to be replaced.

My advice: If possible, attempt to have the swelled motherboard capacitors repaired or replaced [rather than replacing the entire mobo outright]. Better sooner than later; as this problem does not just go away or heal itself.

The defective capacitor(s) found in the motherboard will eventually bulge, pop, leak and crust over, first causing video failure and then more and more periodic system shutdowns. Ultimately, your motherboard will eventually fail entirely; when the 'swelling' capacitors finally burst - splattering brownish gooey liquid all over the place. Leaky capacitors and scorch marks on the mobo are characteristic of a power surge or blown power components.

Unless you have considerable soldering skills and are up to date on multilayer "through hole" soldering techniques you should consider having the capacitors replaced by a professional. There are websites that will fix damaged motherboards. You send them the motherboard, pay a fee for S&H and they mail it back to you, etc. However; if your motherboard; board is an integrated and inexpensive type, and there's more damage than just the swelled capacitors - the repair cost might very well exceed the replacement costs.

The average home user cannot repair many motherboard malfunctions, but a little motherboard knowledge will help you get a fair price to fix minor or major problems. You may be able to diagnose other additional serious motherboard difficulties [that also may have occurred during the power surge] yourself:

Examine the motherboard:

1) Does any component on the board look burnt or meted?
2) Does it look like any component; even a small component has been detached from the board?
3) Is any essential connector or HSF clip or ram clip broken that you might need?
4) Are any traces on the board scratched or otherwise damaged?

If the motherboard is/was cracked anywhere due to the power surge, unfortunately this means you will have to buy a new board. You can't repair it. If any of the above situations are on the board then expect to have to do a replace more than just the capacitors. It could be that the board is not worth repairing; especially if your board is an integrated and inexpensive type, the repair cost would more than likely exceed the replacement costs.

Identifying Bad Capacitors: Tell-Tale Signs of Corrupted Capacitors

 

Yeh.. what he said

 

Thank you for your message. You explained more than what the computer guy/gal said, it is much appreciated.

I was eventually planning to buy a new computer in the next 6 months.

Question: My computer is 6 years old. Do you feel that the condition of the motherboard is due to the computer aging, or the power surge? The computer was working fine the day before and then nothing. There was no power at all to the unit that very next day.

Thanks!!!

 

Hmm, Swelled capasitors tend to ocour after a sudden surge of power or temperature. However, over a 6 year period swelled capasitors may of appered due to age Eiher way, if your motherboard has them, you need a new one or the offending caps to be replaced!

 

>>Question: My computer is 6 years old. Do you feel that the condition of the motherboard is due to the computer aging, or the power surge? The computer was working fine the day before and then nothing. There was no power at all to the unit that very next day. >> techiegirl2

Without a doubt; in your case the power surge was likely the 'primary' reason for the damage to your motherboard causing the computer to go from working fine the day before and then suddenly [immediately after the power surge] nothing. The leaky mobo capacitors are characteristic of a power surge and/or blown power components. If the surge or spike is high enough, it can inflict some heavy damage - seen and unseen - on a machine. The effect is very similar to applying too much water pressure to a hose. If there is too much water pressure, a hose will burst.

The 'age' of the motherboard is actually inconsequential in most cases. How 'old' a motherboard is; is generally not as important as 'how well it has been treated' or maintained by the user. For instance; many different factors can cause motherboards; as well as their capacitors, to fail, such as a failing power supply, dust clogging a fan, bad RAM, or other hardware problems.

I definitely recommend opening up the PCs housing to remove accumulated dust periodically. Computer fans can malfunction when dust and grime are allowed to build up. Heat sinks and fans attempt to dissipate the heat from within your computer, but even a thin a layer of dust can reduce or prevent the efficient this transfer of heat. When components heat up they tend to work inefficiently; causing assorted failures and can even cause the computer to die prematurely.

The only other troubles users sometimes experience with older boards (i.e. after prolonged usage) are things like dry joints, where an electronic component loses connectivity; which results in increased resistance with the actual PCB etc. These can often be re-soldered and fixed providing they can be identified.

How long a motherboard lasts actually depends on how the board is treated. For example, static will rarely cause a board to fail immediately but can drastically reduce its life expectancy or effectiveness. A motherboard which has been well handled and has a good quality power supply 'should' last for years in theory.

It is not only PC motherboards that die with faulty capacitors - you can add any other piece of electronic equipment including TV's Video’s Radio's PlayStations digital set top boxes and satellite receivers to this list.

 

I opened the computer up and removed the power supply to find that the largest capacitor was slightly swollen. There was only one affected and there was no leaking. What do you think?

All the other ones look fine with no leaking or anything swollen. Motherboard also looks fine.

 

>> I opened the computer up and removed the power supply to find that the largest capacitor was slightly swollen. There was only one affected and there was no leaking. What do you think? All the other ones look fine with no leaking or anything swollen. Motherboard also looks fine. << techiegirl2

It's hard to say exactly; because so many other unseeable or concealed things can happen due to a power surge. Therefore the "exact" cause of why the computer no longer works can be very difficult to pinpoint. It's certainly possible that this swelled cap might not be reason or the 'only' thing causing your computer not to function.

A swelled cap can sometimes function for a little while longer; but it's an accident waiting to happen in my opinion. Even though it appears 'slightly' swollen, this means that the 'Zapped' electrolyte dried inside of it up - as I mentioned earlier - which turns what's inside the cap from a liquid state into a gas. That's what generally causes the swelling and the cap failure.

If you are very lucky; it's possible that the power surge only affected that one single 'largest capacitor' which is visibly swollen. However if there's more damage than just the swelled capacitors - the repair cost will likely exceed the replacement costs; particularly with an older computer. You can always try to have the swelled motherboard capacitor repaired or replaced [rather than replacing the entire motherboard outright]. Some repair personnel are willing to perform the labor intensive chore of replacing motherboard capacitors (typically referred to as "recapping").

However the cost of having a technician repair the board often costs more than simply purchasing a replacement board of equal or even greater value. Furthermore, recapping a motherboard does not guarantee its revival as neighboring components can have 'unseen' damaged a power surge can cause. The motherboard may also be further damaged by heat during the soldering process, especially if the person attempting the repair is unskilled.

With all of this talk about capacitors I forgot to ask something that might be relevant: Is the computer connected directly to the wall outlet; or is connected to either a power strip or surge protector? If you're using either on of these; it's quite possible that they were damaged during the surge; causing your computer not to function.

 

The computer is connected to a power surge protector. Thank you again for the long answer. I will keep you posted. Much appreciated.