Clevo 5620 motherboard battery replacement

If the 5620 is like the 5680 (and I think it is), you need to remove the battery (main one), then bay one device, then the hard disk assembly, then the bay two device (if you have one), then the keyboard, then the CPU (and heatsink), then the palm rest and then flip it over to remove the back by removing 15 screws (not kidding).

It is a real bear--took me 3+ hours.

You can probably still find the 5680 service manual on these forums to show the way

Honestly don't know. It probably wouldn't hurt since now is when many of those cmos batteries are probably dying.

It seemed in my case the heatsink partially covered a screw that needed to be removed--but then again, I tend to remove the heatsink and re-apply compound every six months anyway, so maybe that is why I did it.

It could have been worse, I recently did a compaq that you had to remove the screen, too.

I do what you did....take a digital camera and take pictures every step of the way and then follow the pictures backward.

I also will print the pictures and then tape the screws to the pictures so I know where they go back. Some laptops use 2-3 different size screws -- maddening.

Well, you call them what you wish, as long as you know what you're talking about.

Typically, the heatsink is the metal (copper or aluminum usually) component that sits atop the CPU. A fan pulls heat off the heatsink and exhausts it out of the laptop.

The compound in my case is silver/gray. I use arctic silver 5
http://www.arcticsilver.com/as5.htm
Yes, it goes on top of the cpu between it and the heatsink. It's purpose to assist in the transfer of heat from the cpu to the heatsink so that the fan can pull the heat off more efficiently. Mainly, it achieves this by filling the many tiny, tiny gaps between the heatsink and CPU--air pockets make for lousy heat transfer. Biggest mistake made when applying thermal compound is people put on too much,

I am not re-applying the compound every six months just for the sake of re-applying the compound. I am open the case and cleaning out the dust inside the heatsink fins. However, once you break the seal between the CPU and heatsink, the old compound needs to be cleaned and then you reapply the new.

I work in a lot of dirty places, and take my laptop everywhere, which means it tends to get dirty quickly. I open it up to clean it out every six months, because a dirty heatsink means too much heat and too much heat kills electronics.

Most people probably don't need to clean their laptops as often, but I will say I have repaired numerous laptops whose main issue was clogged heatsinks.

well, this is a bit late, but your heatsink compound should not glue your heatsink to CPU....if so, there was probably too much heatsink compound or bad heatsink compound was used

It should not be thermal glue--which is a different animal and is sometimes used with motherboards and chipset heatsinks

I will admit, I have had a few cases while working on the CPU where pulling the heatsink did pull the CPU from the socket--scared the crap out of me. I know one guy who lost a pin on his CPU this way and had to junk it.

But, it should not happen.

Try to wiggle the heatsink a little back and forth (rotate it clockwise and counter clockwise) to break the seal...my heatsink will rotate about 1/16th of an inch in each direction and that is enough

The foil was just part of the packaging for the heatsink compound...I haven't seen that for a while, but it makes it easier for companies to assemble PCs quicker.

You do not need the foil when applying AS5

I just did this, replace the battery I mean. What a pain, and yes there is a little screw that needs to be removed by the Heat Sink. I used A5 as I always do on almost everything. But I missed connecting one of the ribbon cables under the keyboard and it would not boot so I took everything apart 4 times before I finally realized what was happening.

OK the odd thing was the first time I removed the HS after the inital install the HS was absolutely "glued" to the CPU. I ended up ripping the CPU right out of the socket, but didn't hurt anything. It was a thin coat, I always use a grain of rice amount, but the seal was unbelievable. Too bad to because it would have been the best application I have ever had. It is still running cool and quiet even after 4 removals and no reapplications.

And the term is TIM = Thermal Interface Material ( If we want to be snobbish about it)

There was a time when they used thermal glue, instead of "thermal interface material"--let me tell you--it took some serious leverage to pop the cpu then.

I recently had to replace a fan on an old ati 8500 all-in-one and it used thermal glue--what a pain.

froze the card over night in a freezer bag to make the glue more brittle, then popped it...can't really do that with a laptop, though.

True enough on that old stuff but I was surprised to have such a bond with A5. It could not have been the A5 actually but a sort of suction/bonding. I should have turned the HS back and forth a few times but just didn't think of it.

All is well that ends well

PS: I am currently looking for the (actuator or whatever it is called card for video on a 5620) (not hijacking just sayin')

Helllo everyone -

I have a 5620D also. I've stripped out everything as in posts #2 and 3 - but I am absolutely unable to find the battery. Can you tell me where it is, please. I can see the mother board top (under the keyboard) and bottom (heat sink and CPU out) but there is a metal cover over something to the left of the CPU socket that I can't get out - has a screw up in the CD bay, but I can't get the case apart any further to get to that one screw.

Any suggestions?

A link to the service manual perhaps?

Thanks in advance

If it is the cmos battery you seek it is under the hard drive, but you will have to split the case to get at it. Yes you have to take the screws out from under the keyboard.

I have finished the project. Mine is an Alienware 5620D.

The CMOS battery in mine is under (on the inside) the floor of the main battery bay. What a chore!

Working nicely, however.

I can't get the Clevo ftp site to respond. Anybody know of another source for the service manual?

Cheers. Good computing to all.

PB

I would think the Sager 5620 in the same ... use Sager site.