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700m DC Jack Replacement

post #1 of 11
5/13/07 at 1:42pm
Thread Starter 
Well... it happened.
I tripped over the cord to my computer this morning and it dropped on the corner near the DC jack. Now, it won't charge.
I've been researching some things this morning and I can find the part. But I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem and how easy the fix is. Would be even nice if there is a right up. The rest of the lappy still works perfectly. Just the charging is down.

I'm in the process of tearing into the comp. right now based on Dell's pics, but that may only get me so far.

Thanks in advance all-
Happy Mothers day
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post #2 of 11
5/14/07 at 12:01am
Unless you know how to solder and have proper soldering tools, this is NOT a do-it-yourself repair. You run the risk of screwing up your motherboard more than it already is.
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post #3 of 11
5/14/07 at 9:06am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrEvil
Unless you know how to solder and have proper soldering tools, this is NOT a do-it-yourself repair. You run the risk of screwing up your motherboard more than it already is.

Let me ask you this-
The laptop is almost three years old. Do I justify $100 to pay someone else to fix it?
Or do I try it myself and if I mess it up, I have to get a new one a little earlier than I would have if I had gotten it fixed.

And I am curious about your opinion. I absolutely love the laptop and have had ZERO problems with it until now.
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post #4 of 11
5/14/07 at 8:16pm
Thread Starter 
Alright... here are the pics:
The motherboard removed and in the nude:


The top (showing the DC Jack):


The bottom showing where the DC Jack goes through the board:


Now, the million dollar question, I assume I remove the solder from the bottom of the board allowing the DC Jack and it's connections to pull through?
Unfortunately, it doesn't look like a connection on the jack just came loose. It looks like the jack itself may have broken. Thankfully, I ordered one this morning in case and it should be here this week.
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post #5 of 11
5/15/07 at 9:33pm
$100 to have someone with proper soldering skill and tools do it for you is cheaper than a new laptop or a new motherboard should you screw it up. I charge my customers $95 labor + cost of parts. Generally the jacks aren't more than $10. That's actually a more than fair price since I drive to the customer to pick up their laptop and bring it back to them, and it takes about 2 hours to get the laptop disassembled, old jack desoldered, new jack soldered, and reassembled.

If you have a good Soldering iron, a desoldering braid (Pumps don't work so well for the tiny contacts on PCBs) and some .022 solder you might do ok if you know how to solder. I hope one day to do enough DC Jack repairs to warrant purchasing a $1500 rework station.
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post #6 of 11
5/16/07 at 9:21am
Thread Starter 
I completely agree with your line of thought.
However, this is the second time in two months I have had to solder. The first time, I paid someone. The second time, I decided that unless I tackle a project myself, I'm never going to learn how to do it.

I'll take my time. Get some insight from others as I go. And at the end of the day - walk away a smarter person. Hopefully in this case, a smarter person with a fully functioning laptop.

-cheers
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post #7 of 11
5/16/07 at 1:14pm
If you're willing to learn that's cool. But I wouldn't train on my Laptop, broken DC Jack or not. I practiced my desoldering and soldering skills on an old Garage Door Opener (circa 1990) and a couple motherboards I had whose capacitors started leaking.

Weller has a good soldering station for ~$60 that comes with a 40W iron (40 watts is all you need for little stuff like this) temperature control, iron and cleaning sponge holder. You'll need to get a micro-tip for it though because the one it comes with is too big. You can order it online from action electronics (google it) along with the tip. Supplies like solder, flux, and a desoldering braid and pump can be found at Radio Shack.

Oh yeah, and don't forget to be careful. even the tiniest blob of molten solder on bare skin hurts more than the worst bee-sting. It might also help if you put a little fan next to you so you don't get high off the fumes from the solder.
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post #8 of 11
5/16/07 at 10:08pm
Thread Starter 
The job is complete and I am typing on the computer as we speak.

Here are some pics of the job, and yes, I am sure I could have done better. However, for my first soldering job (ever), I am pretty pleased.






And the final product (check the charging symbol). Of course, during my startup, the was the LAST icon to finally display. But it's there, and that's all that matters.



To anyone else considering this project, while I can appreciate what Mr. Evil has said and suggested throughout, this project is completely do-able. Take your time, read up on what is required and have confidence.

Cheers.
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post #9 of 11
5/17/07 at 1:19am
If I offended you in any way. I apologize, I just tend to err on the side of caution when it comes to $200+ parts. Especially if its a CUSTOMER machine. But you are right, with the proper tools and a steady hand DC Jack replacement isn't that difficult. However, the tools cost almost as much as having someone do the work for you.
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post #10 of 11
5/17/07 at 10:03am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrEvil
If I offended you in any way. I apologize, I just tend to err on the side of caution when it comes to $200+ parts. Especially if its a CUSTOMER machine. But you are right, with the proper tools and a steady hand DC Jack replacement isn't that difficult. However, the tools cost almost as much as having someone do the work for you.

Offend me??? Please. It's an online forum.
Like I said - I did appreciate your advice. Sometimes people just need a little push to try something themselves and learn something new. For those people that think they might be able to do something, but haven't found the resources or pictures that may help them through the project, I submitted these.

No worries at all mate-

-peace
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post #11 of 11
10/25/10 at 5:13pm
Great that you were able to complete the repair. For others.....you MUST make sure to have the proper equipment for this job. Not everyone will always come out as successful as RT did. Mainly due that you will need grounded soldering stations and ESD work stations. The motherboards on the DELL 700m can be very sensitive to static electricity and stray current arcing. If you don't have the proper equipment for a Dell 700m power connector or Dell laptop dc jack repair. I would stronger suggest going with a professional. I can provide you with more detailed information on the Dell 700m dc jack repairs and give you some guidelines and precaustions that may help. Without the proper safety measures when attempting a jack replacement...you could end up destroying a good motherboard, that only has a dc powerjack or power issue.
But then again..you could get lucky as did RT. you just need to weigh the pros and cons in attempting the dc power jack repair. As mentioned...you have further questions....i can help. Just shoot me a email if you want > blueddiamondd@harbornet.com
Thanks and best regards!
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