A capacitor is one of the main components of a motherboard. They store power and regulate voltage making sure there is a uniform amount of electricity flowing through your computer. When they go bad, you can have problems with video, power issues and rebooting at random. Here are a few reasons why capacitors fail:
- Excessive internal computer heat
- Heat from weather
- Underpowered power source
One of the first tests you should do is to run a system test on the memory to check and see whether the main processor shows abnormally high temperatures when you have little or no applications running. Remember that it may not always be a capacitor causing the problem. You could be experiencing a fan not properly working so your computer is running hot, a failing power supply or some other hardware problem.
A visual inspection of capacitors is recommended to help diagnose the problem. If a capacitor is emitting a brown residue from its base or the top of the capacitor is bulging; these are good clues you have a bad or soon to fail capacitor. In some cases, you might also smell a strange odor, potentially something like ammonia. Also check to see if all capacitors are flush to the motherboard (the cap should be at a 90 degree angle to the board) not tilted to one side or the other.
If there are no physical signs, an oscilloscope, a type of electronic test instrument that allows signal voltages to be viewed, can be used to examine the voltage on the capacitors.
Capacitors can be replaced and soldered into place; however it is not advisable to do this yourself if you have no soldering experience. You can ruin the whole motherboard with improper soldering and not only need to then replace the motherboard but potentially the processor(s) and RAM as well. Another very important item to remember is if you solder the capacitor correctly but replace it with the wrong type, you can end up with even bigger problems. So go to your local electronics store and make sure to get the proper capacitor for your computer.
When in doubt, leave it in the hands of experts. Call any of our three San Diego computer repair stores if you need help. Remember you can be penny-wise but pound-foolish.
Computer Repair Services, Oceanside, CA
Santee
{ 2 comments }
I have a laptop Dell XPS M1330 that does not provide charge to the battery. My AC Power Adapter and battery are good because I was able to test them using my friend’s similar laptop. I also replaced the DC Power Jack to no success. I believe there is something wrong with certain components on the motherboard. Will you be able to fix it and how much?
Thanks.
TK
Dell requires that there be a chip in the AC adapter or it will not charge the battery.
Bring the computer and the AC adapter in to the store and we’ll check them both out and tell you what is wrong.
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