ASUS G60VX (JX136V) black screen on boot

[The Muppet Surgery Special]

I got an old ASUS G60VX (JX136V) black screen on boot laptop and was trying to repair it to stick Linux on it

I changed laptop because one day it just went black on the screen.

So, today I tried to get it working. The following happens

Power on...
Lights..
HDD noises
Loads from USB and DVD internally and USB DVD reader

Screen is blank

So.. I opened it up (again) reseated the ram (2x 2GB) in various configurations of slots single and both SODIMMS and also tried no ram sticks and powered up..

Still blank screen..

Even HDMI externally is blank for some reason,.. no signal.

So

everything works except the display... GPU fan (copper heatsink covers North/South bridges and GPU).

Everything is spanking clean inside (I even blew it out again with an air can).

Tried power with and without the battery and off mains and both..

Any ideas? Is it the GPU daughterboard needs replaced? It's a GTX260M.

I assume the chipsets and CPU are fine since the other stuff seems to whirrl and flash.

I even put no HDD's in it, single HDD, and then stuck TWO in it to see.. Nada.

DVD reads from a Linux DVD but I cant see what to do so it sits there.

F2 causes the HDD light to come on on boot (Bios load key).

Suggestions are welcome :)


Would be an awesome lappy to stick 8gb on and Linux with dual HDDs maybe SSDs later.

[rotNdude]

With no video, it's the video card, cables or monitor.

[Beardface31]

Is it just the backlights not working? Or the screen is entirely black with no image? Sounded like the monitor has failed, but if your external HDMI connection isn't working it sounds like a GPU failure.

You can still find them online to purchase. Upgrading your CPU at the same time might be worth thinking about.

[The Muppet Surgery Special]

Escrito originalmente por Beardface:

Is it just the backlights not working? Or the screen is entirely black with no image? Sounded like the monitor has failed, but if your external HDMI connection isn't working it sounds like a GPU failure.

You can still find them online to purchase. Upgrading your CPU at the same time might be worth thinking about.

I tried ASUS parts in Sweden but they have none listed, I may mail them later (that is where I got other parts - Keyboards and HDD shield brackets from before).

They are the official EU ASUS (they are called Zandparts) parts supplier I believe. http://www.asusparts.eu/

Have you got other info on sources? Even a better GPU board if they're not too expensive and compatible will do, I would have to repaste the North and South bridges too since the Heat Sink covers all three chips past the fan.

I want to be sure that is the actual problem before I order a part if they can get it though.

I could even maybe hunt down a same or similar model and disect that but I think that would be unlikely since most people run them until they burn out (me :) ) or repurpose them (me again :) )

[The Muppet Surgery Special]

I might try to reflow the solder on the GPU on the MXM board, since I know it was approaching 9x oC temps so maybe some pin solder went bad, reflowing it will reset it (heat it up and let it cool again to reset it).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6ybDipimIk&feature=iv&src_vid=chaoqoebcTo&annotation_id=annotation_3480447751

Looks like that may do it.

1) Strip out the MXM board
2) Reflow the GPU solder
3) New thermal paste and spacer
3) Reassemble MXM board

[Beardface31]

I wouldn't think you were able to upgrade the gpu in your laptop. Most cant be and the couple high end gaming ones are pretty limited from what I understand.

I was thinking you would find a good eBay seller and buy there. Either the motherboard or gpu module component if thats the case.

[The Muppet Surgery Special]

Escrito originalmente por Beardface:

I wouldn't think you were able to upgrade the gpu in your laptop. Most cant be and the couple high end gaming ones are pretty limited from what I understand.

I was thinking you would find a good eBay seller and buy there. Either the motherboard or gpu module component if thats the case.

I don't trust eBay, and ASUS use CUSTOM (reversed) MXM boards (if at all, some are soldered), it varies from board to board.

The G60VX is on a MXM 2.1 board with a single heatsink crossing the chipset, CPU and GPU on the MXM board.

I can just remove the fan/heatsink unit and then do the GPU in the oven maybe preheated and on foil or find somebody that can do a reflow (fixes cracks inside the solder by reheating and cooling it).

You cannot upgrade this one since its MXM 2.1 (custom) and I think this was the highest GPU model on that board.

I just want it to work to repurpose the laptop, it's been sitting here for a couple of years doing nothing and everything else on it works.

I just have to find Heatsink spacers for reassembling.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_PCI_Express_Module

"Asus utilizes non standard MXM modules in most of their laptops, with a reversed pin on configuration on most MXM 2.1 models (since MXM 3.0 they are no longer reversed) and nonstandard PCB shape and mounting."

If I take it to a repair shop, that is all they would do, reflow it with a heat gun.

Since it's on an MXM board I don't have to do the whole mainboard.

A better fix is reballing

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rework_%28electronics%29

I might ask around repair places to see if they can reflow or better, reball if necessary.

If not, I will DIY or check with Zand Parts in Sweden for a MXM GPU board but since it's old I doubt they will have one (and they don't have them listed).

[The Muppet Surgery Special]

Well I just sent an email to AsusParts (ZandParts in Sweden) about the GPU board spares.

I think I will try the following in order of effort/risk

- Redo heatsink paste and heat sink spacers on the chips,
- Reflowing to 120/150 oC to check the Die core package first
- Reflowing to 180/200/230 oC for the ball chip package housing the core die
- Reballing the entire chip package
- New MXM board (if possible).


I don't really want to buy a second hand on eBay ( lack of trust of eBay and sellers, and some maybe reflowed thus already damaged ).

[The Muppet Surgery Special]

It seems the only way to get a offical "fix"/"part" is to RMA it, GPU MXM PCB boards are not something that are aparently available.

I will try the reseating and rethermaling next.

If that fails, I will bake it :)

Have to figure out if I can remove the GPU MXM PCB without removing the copper heatsink assembly and fan first :) I would prefer not to remove the CPU/Chipset thermalling at this point.

I am going to put 1mm thermal pads on the VRAM underneath so they stay in contact, and paste/pad on the GPU/CPU/Chipset (depends on what was there in the first place, I would prefer a pad for longer term than paste due to potential "movement" or gaps in the thermal assembly). 1mm over 0.5mm as it will compress when assembled.

Good thing the GPU is on a separate PCB.

I don't think reballing/reflowing will help the pins on the board because solder has a higher temperature than the GPU was reading 98oC I think I last read before it went poof. That wouldn't cause much stress on the solder since it is almost half the melting point of it. So the 120/150 oC bake trick on the die may be enough.

I will be sticking Linux on it not heavy gaming so it should last longer than heavy use after rebaking it I hope.

[The Muppet Surgery Special]

Does anybody where to get good a GTX260M GPU BGA package for reballing onto a MXM board? I am thinking if I am to reball it (the probem is most likely not on the MXM PCB to BGA balls but the GPU die to BGA balls), may aswell put on a new GPU BGA package completely.

I checked google and most are used (and most likely going to fail anyway and a chance they have already been baked for reflow).

RMA to ASUS costs about 60 GBP before they even quote you (that is just courier and handling). I would imagine probably 100-150/200 for a new MXM GPU board replacement (assuming they have them).

[The Muppet Surgery Special]

Anybody had similar problems with similar hardware? I am going to try reseating and repadding and maybe a bake of the MXM and GPU today.

Is it possible to get a better GPU reballed (BGA pin compatible) onto this MXM board or is the GTX 260M the maximum I can reball to the MXM board

Obviously it will have to have a similar heat profile since I don't want to modify the cooling.

[The Muppet Surgery Special]

GPU is WORKING again, I baked the GPU in the oven for 5 mins.

Didn't take much, 5 mins in an Aga top oven. Wrapped the MXM PCB in foil just kept the die exposed on top.

Working laptop (for now :)).

[_I_]

once you have to bake it, its commmon for it to go out again
start saving up for a new laptop or gaming pc

[The Muppet Surgery Special]

Escrito originalmente por _I_:

once you have to bake it, its commmon for it to go out again
start saving up for a new laptop or gaming pc

I was dead for a couple of years in a box anyway. I already am on another one. I just wanted to try to revive it for Linux installing.

I won't be doing heavy GPU work on it anyway, it was only 2 years old and it went blank.

I will test it for a while anyway.

What else do you suggest I do with hardware that's sitting in a box almost like new?

Worst case it ends up back in the box for parts :) If I source an MXM board or a new GPU for reballing then that will fix it better I know.

Hardware is for playing with :D I will update this thread after a while or if something changes :)

I may not have even needed to bake it, I didn't do long anyway and not high temps, The reseating and thermal padding replacing may have fixed it, it could have been just thermal shutting down due to bad heat transferring. I just didn't want to go through thermal pads and rework so I just did it all at the same time.

Well I just installed Linux Mint on it and now the GPU (via psensor) is at 54 oC (desktop), before the "black out" it was hitting 98 oC (under load in Windows with Eufloria game and thousands of little of the automatas running). So the repadding may have been the solution.

I will try it under load to see.. but the reseating and repadding helped a LOT in temps naturally. I put on 1mm pads (Phobya thermal pad XT 7W/mk 1mm). The stock pads were rubbish and melted through to the copper.

Since the repadding of the CPU and chipset I also see the CPU thermal stepping going better and the cooling is accomodating the stepping up and down of the CPU.

It could be the bake was unnecessary (and probably ineffective at the duration and temperature I used), I put in some lead free solder to guage the temperature melting point but it didn't melt or even liquify to any degree so the oven did nothing I think.

So with luck, a good working GPU revived from the reseat and repad.

So the GPU looks very temperature stable (and CPU).

[The Muppet Surgery Special]

https://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2752/~/nvidia-gpu-maximum-operating-temperature-and-overheating



Since my GPU was hitting 98 oC before it went blank. I found this, they state the temps CAN reach 105 oC. So, this would be an indicator that the GPU was not rekt.

[The Muppet Surgery Special]

So I just installed Steam and two games on it to check the tempature profile.

Race under the sun gives 75 oC tops
Eufloria HD gives 68 oC tops.

Eufloria was the game I ran under Windows just before it went blank at 98 oC.

So now the system is cooling much much better and not hitting the high temperatures it was. Obviously the thermal pads help here.

So irrattic temperature profiles seen on psensor (Linux).