Gateway MA7/MA3/MA2 - Dead, Won't Charge
Gateway MA7 - MX6958*Centrino Duo
Dead, Battery will not charge
Works with good battery,
Will not work with Adapter
This unit arrived with a common problem that DC jacks presents. However when you continue to use with the defect, it eats the copper around the POS terminal of the jack. In this case the copper had been eaten away, as well as shorting between planes of the motherboards phenolic. So there is only one way to resolve it, by bypassing that section (if possible). The condition of this MA7 was too far gone to be able to bypass.
One picture shows the scorching under the copper, the other shows the current path of the DC In.
Will verify the model number when returning to shop
hey, just ran across this post-I am a computer tech in Michigan (mattthegeek.com, and I have a gateway ma7 that seems to have the exact same symptoms and probably the same problem. Did you get a resolution? I would love to know what you figured out on this. Thanks
ReplyDeleteNot sure of what you have checked, but common problems are:
ReplyDeleteI - Bad Solder around POS terminal top and bottom of board.
II - Broken weld at the back of the DC Jack
III - Open MOSFET
IV - No contact on POS side (TOP)
1: with meter - check continuity from the front side of the DC jack (the center pin) to the two common legs on the diode. If no resistance, the Jack is bad. Usually broken inside the back at the elbow bend.
2: If there is continuity from DC Jack to Diode pins, the problem is after the Diode. Then it is usually the AO4407 Mosfet.
IF you have 19v at the diode check the MOSFET
IF you have no voltage, check the jack.
----------------------------------------------
My old repair page has some info on the Topside repair. http://www.mayosoftware.us/repairs/Gateway/GatewayTA6.html
Most cases require replacing the Jack, unless the customer kept wigling the jack and using laptop until wiggling no longer worked. Then all the copper may be gone, and is a real 'dog' repair or is beyond repair.
I think my problem is the number IV. (No contact on POS side (TOP).How can I test that. the link http://www.mayosoftware.us/repairs/Gateway/GatewayTA6.html is not available
DeleteThat was a post from when I started. The host skipped out, and I lost the domain in the process. Older posts are rarely answered and the information is in pictures here showing the failure point.
DeleteI have since opted from step by step details due to the number of questions from non-techs.
G'day
ReplyDeleteI stumbled upon this most helpful site whilst searching for a DC Input Jack for my daughter's Gateway MA7 laptop. Can you tell me where to buy the jack?
Cheers, Andrew (Australia)
I have seen many of these in which the copper for the positive pin is destroyed. I have heard of someone drilling through these boards, restoring operation. Have you heard of that? I guess if I drilled through the positive pin, I could then use a surface wire to "connect the dots" to where ever positive would come up next. But how would I find that point? Possibly from a working board? Mark a positive point, then I know where to connect it to next time?
ReplyDeleteAndrew: there are a number of vendors that sell the jacks on ebay. Though AUS is kinda of far, but Hong Kong can get them to you faster.
ReplyDeleteRob: Drilling can sometime short the mid-planes and render the board useless. Even when the problem doesn't require drilling. So I stay away from a drill or deburring tool. The easiest way is to bypass the shorted hole and jumper directly to the Diode. The [coil] on the circuit board is actually a jumper, since the uH (microHenry) is so high and no forward direction needed because the diode blocks reverse current.
1 solution Remove the jack
bend the positive terminal so it does not go through the hole. Replace it, making sure the + voltage does not touch the hole. Then jumper it directly to the diode. Test before reassembling.
Sorry for the delay- I am new at blogging, and was attempting to put info out the best I could.
Good Luck
Now when you say jump + to the diode, you mean to PD1? What pin of PD1?
ReplyDeleteEvan. I would like to know to where you jumped it? Replaced the jack, no go. Was going to jump the pin, but you are not specific in the detail.
ReplyDeleteUpon further review, it appears that if I jump the post to the left leg of the marked diode, It registers the battery as charging and is able to power on. I am not %100 sure of the stability of the connection but it is further than I have gotten as to this point. Will run tests and report back.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the diode marked with? What's the diode #? I'll attempt to re-create the same test here.
ReplyDeleteIn the picture that is posted, it has the word "DIODE" in yellow. The chip that the words are on, is the chip to be jumped to. I went straight from the pin to the left post of that diode. It looks like it marked P1 or P16. Looking at the picture, the post on the left is where I jumped to. It now charges the battery and powers the laptop. Further testing is necessary.
ReplyDeleteAs to this point. Works great. Operating perfect for 1 hour. Battery fully charged. Pulled battery, running on cord only. Further updates available via email.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI found continuity to that diode on my fluke about a week ago, but was afraid to try and connect to it. I tried it first on a salvage DV6000 board set up in a similar way and it burned up some fets. This makes sense though. There are 4 plated holes above that diode - all of which have continuity with the + pin as well. The diode is probably a better place to solder to.
ReplyDeleteI have a friends gateway MA3 sitting beside me, I just unsuccessfully installed a new DC jack which of course the center pin pad was burnt off the board I soldered it as best I could figuring it wouldn't work and it didn't.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm stuck trying to figure out where/how to jump the positive pin to the next node. There is what looks to be a similar diode on this board just a bit further down from the positive pin on the board shown... My question is how on earth do you solder a jumper to a solder joint that's the size of a pin head on that diode?
Any help or information would be greatly appreciated... I know I'm asking for a boarder line miracle here....
Sorcerer: The left and right legs of the diode are common. So either leg will suffice. A drop of flux will help the heat transfer and a drop of solder with a fine tip 40w iron.
ReplyDeleteWill check into a MA3 tomorrow, and see what tip I can provide. Since I blog at home, and work at the shop.
ReplyDeleteAnything? Or is it a lost cause?
ReplyDeleteJumper a thin wire from back of DC jack to the pair of legs on the diode [PD33] then give it a try turning it on.
ReplyDeleteWell she's working charging beside me just as it should, I really appreciate your help. Now I just have to hope my solder joints hold! They seem strong, but I must say it's a little more precise (tiny) then soldering I'm used too.
ReplyDeleteLuckly I took an electronics course and did a ton of soldering on new boards. So I do have quite a bit of hands on experience.
Thanks again!
You the man cool guy!!!
YEAH!!! Glad to hear you got your problem solved!!!!
ReplyDeleteActually to me, these are huge wires. I had a job once doing hybrid IC's.
The substrate was about the size of an pencil eraser, and from there we had to add a custom chip, SMT caps, resistors and 12 gold filament wires. It took a dozen wires to equal the diameter of a human hair.
That's why laptops seem such a breeze to fix. Again - glad I could help.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI have a gateway MA7 Series laptop that constantly reboots about every 3 seconds, have swapped batteries, swapped ram and remove all drives and hard drive, and and it is still in a rebooting loop
Ray
On the bottom of the motherboard there are two identical chips marked AO4812 (side by side). Verify they are getting power at Pins 1 & 3. I may have to wait until Monday to pick up a board to see the chips ID, can't keep all the info in my head.
ReplyDeleteAlso that they have substituted some models with cheaper chips, and may have to get that number too.
Thanks for responding to my question so quickly. Actually it is a MA3 Laptop which has the Ide rather than Sata setup. But should find anything let me know, Thanks again
ReplyDeleteRay
Basebal297@aol.com
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI have a gateway MA3 Series laptop that constantly reboots about every 3 seconds, have swapped batteries, swapped ram and remove all drives and hard drive, and and it is still in a rebooting loop
This is a common problem with laptops. In many cases it is usually CMOS settings incorrect, memory defective or wrong speed. Rarely battery causing the reboot.
ReplyDeleteOn the Gateway MA3 try clearing the CMOS.
If it is the type with wires, simply remove from connector, short the POS and NEG terminals of the battery connector while pressing the power button. (I know it takes 3 hands, but you'll find a way).
If it is the coin type, flip it upside down, and press the power button. Then turn off/remove power source, (if stays on). place it back in correctly.
Or remove battery and wait a couple of hours.
In some cases the CMOS is totally corrupt and needs to be replaced. Or the CMOS battery is dead or too low.
Hope that helps.
Above comment was basic, though sometimes it caused by hardware failure. So remedy may not always apply.
ReplyDeleteThe MA3 Will reboot with memory in. will run with memory out, of course no video. I have used known good memory and it still reboots every 3 seconds with no video. I have shorted the Cmos Battery, any help would be nice, Thanks
ReplyDeleteNaturally the laptop will not boot with ram removed. You will not even see anything. There is no onboard memory for this model so the system cannot even start the post. Which is usually a system reserved area of memory (usually between 641kb and 999kb memory range).
ReplyDeleteYou may have a bad CMOS Chip or Bad BIOS chip or capacitor in that circuit. Sorry to say.
I had a similar incident on a DV6000 yesterday [WED 16 Jun] and had to replace the BIOS chip.
Thanks for getting back to me. What is your cost for replacing the bios chip, Thanks
ReplyDeleterayturner357@gmail.com
Mason: for that particular model it is not worth it. Labor and Postage is more than the same item on eBay.
ReplyDeleteI have a MA3 with a similar problem. Im not sure(how to locate) which is the Diode to be jumped or which mosfet to check
ReplyDeleteI would also like to know if I Could connect the power adapter directly to the motherboard's pos and neg
ReplyDeleteNeil: If you are unfamiliar with the components, you may need to contact a technician. This is not a jerry-rig solution. And I was only taught to do it the right way. All sorts of things happen when you go against the grain/rules. Please do not attempt something that will cause more damage than help.
ReplyDeleteI now have a Gateway Ma8 MT6723 That runs fine but will not charge or run on the battery. I put in a New Power Jack Board(DA0MA8TB6D0)And still no battery charge but runs just fine on AC, Any help????, Thanks
ReplyDeleteRay
I went to a technician and he kept saying if i want i could trade it in and buy a dell he has at a cost. Ok is there anything I Can do to get the battery charged.(except getting an old ma3 that can charge)
ReplyDeleteSorry Mason,
ReplyDeleteI have not gotten into any MA8 series yet. But typically there are two MOSFETs in the area near the Battery connector. Check those first. Then work your way backward in the direction to the DC jack.
Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteCan Someone help me please. I need to get my Ma3 Battery Charged. I Can Follow instructions well.
Help!!!!!!!
Neil: follow the earlier post with Damien and Rob. Same answer, same solution. Though you gave no description of your problem I cannot guess where your problem might be.
ReplyDeleteSometimes even the DC Jack is defective. I have run across a number of them that the backpost is broken behind the POSITIVE lead. And the solder looks good on the motherboard. The break or crack is virtually impossible to see with the naked eye. Check the front center of the DC to the rear for continuity. If that is OK then you will need to check the AO4407 see if it shorted.
The pictures show what the diode looks like and how I bypassed it on one unit.
Im getting continuity at diode and ao4407
ReplyDelete(oh the problem is my ma3 only works with the battery, it's not charging or working from dcjack) the dc jack was also replaced. Still nothing
Noot seeing the post above could u email me at nfamar@gmail.com
First of all, thank you so much for this great website and your great advice!
ReplyDeleteI had a MA7 with the same symptoms and I would have had to replace the whole motherboard if not for the information I found on this website. I simply jumped the positive lead on the DC jack to the diode indicated in the picture and she's good as new. runs on battery or AC and charges too.
I do have one question though. Are there any side effects to this fix? only thing I noticed is when charging it never seems to get to 100% ,gets stuck at 99% but that could be the battery.
Thanks again for your help!
Tim: There should be no consequence, you're simply bypassing an open circuit and there is nothing on the underside at that point.
ReplyDeletere: the battery only getting 99% that could be either the battery or the battery gauge chip (MAX 17xx). Check with another battery.
I have a Gateway ma7 the DC jack was replacesed.
ReplyDeleteThe only way it works now is if a external monitor is plugged in. With the battery pulled out the and the power cord plugged in I get nothing, as soon as I plug in the external monitor the power light comes on. As soon as I disconnect the external monitor I loose power.
With the battery on it will chard the battery as long as the monitor is connected. My thinking is there is a grounding problem with the DC jack just not sure to solve this one. when the battery is charged it works great on battery. Any thought on this Help!
Ken
You do have a defective repair. The Negative line is open, and having to draw GRND from the sheath of the video cable. My suggestion is have the tech redo the jack. There are several ground point for the DC Jack and he missed an important one.
ReplyDeleteThis is usually caused by poor soldering, or pads not flowing through to bottom side. The only solution would be to make a jumper from the NEG of the DC jack connector to the groundpoints on the bottom.
I personally have never experienced that problem, but surely it is the reason.
Mayo,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the reply.
"The Negative line is open" That's what I thought I new it was a grounding issue just didn't know what or where.
So if they replaced the DC jack with a new one that would fix it? or do they still need to use a jumper. I'm trying to picture this in my mind.
Thanks again for your time.
Ken
They should do either to solve the problem. If a Jack change don't do it, then test the shield of the Jack to ground and find out which section is open.
ReplyDeleteI seem to have a similar problem. After assuming it was the dc jack, i re soldered it, without success. I get 19v to the diode. I can also see 19v at the battery charge port, but I can still not get the laptop to either charge the battery, or even run without the battery. Currently I have a charged working battery, and its the only way i can run the laptop, but not for long. I haven't checked the mosfet, but i'm not sure were that is.
ReplyDeleteGood job - I am getting power all the way up to that point already though. I am even getting ~18.5v on the other side of PD16. With the battery in and power supplied - I get four flashes from the front power light.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what the four flashes are, maybe the battery is shorted... I should check that.
The customer pushed to hard on the closest USB plug and knocked off C646 and maybe PC149. Maybe these missing capacitor(s) took out part of the charging circuit? Or if not related, maybe the GND from the USB cage shorted out something and blew charging circuit?
The power jack is solid and solder joints all appear fine under magnification.
Runs with charged battery of course... driving me nuts to say the least.
http://ebuychance.com/images/MA7/MT6707USB_broken.jpg
http://ebuychance.com/images/MA7/MT6707_back_top_view.jpg
http://ebuychance.com/images/MA7/MT6707_left_top_view.jpg
I will keep digging, but any pointers or advice would be appreciated.
Big Thanks - ebuychance
Ok I read the manual and I only get 4 flashing red lights after hitting the power button.
ReplyDeleteBattery charge indicator
■ LED blue - Battery is fully charged.
■ LED purple - Battery is charging.
■ LED blinking red - Battery charge is very low.
■ LED solid red - Battery is malfunctioning.
Important: This LED only lights up when your
notebook is connected to AC power or the
battery charge is very low.
Hope that helps somebody.
Todd: you may have a shorted or open MOSFET after the diode. It may be marked AO4407, which is common. Check with a meter if available, and see if shorted/open
ReplyDeleteDigikey.com has them available for about $1.07 each.
Chance: great post regarding the battery indicators. sometimes I take it for granted that everyone has the info.
Ken: sorry for the delay. You may also need the jumper. I have a MA7 that arrived just the other day same issue. Shorting at POSITIVE pad. I had another mobo available, so I put it in the project pile.
ReplyDeleteI will have to attempt to bypass or jumper that pad and directly to the diode to see if that eliminates the short, then find what section that pad feeds power to and have a working board.
Mayo where are the mosfet(s) located at? I see PQ29 marked 4077, is this it or are there others? How do you test them if so? Look for short/open between D and S? What is a normal impedance if good? I assume the gate doesnt matter, just care if it is getting power right?
ReplyDeleteAny other things to check after the 4077?
Thanks - thanks and thanks - I am more versed in programming than hardware these days, but I do have excellent soldering skills and I thought this was an easy fix...
Hopefully your wonderful forum can help others like me who jumped in without a life preserver!
http://ebuychance.com/images/MA7/AO4077_pinout.jpg
First the 4077 seems to be mounted upside down?
ReplyDeleteI got the following impedance readings:
S - D = ~1.5K ohms
G - S = 42.4K ohms
D - G = ~19K ohms
I am guessing the S to D check means it is ok.
So I guess I am lost again - S.O.S.
Thats ok Mayo,
ReplyDeleteIt's also on my project pile too, and it may be awhile before I get to it.
Thanks
Ken
Mayo,
ReplyDeleteI just replaced the motherboard in this Gateway ma7, the replacement board was tested and working per the seller. I put the board in and I get the exact same thing, the only way it works now is if a external monitor is plugged in. the original board had the DC Jack replaced. So I don’t think the DC Jack Is bad, I think it is a grounding problem somewhere else related to the DC Jack. Both boards are doing the same thing.
Any thoughts on this?
Recall of the original problem.
“Ken said...
I have a Gateway ma7 the DC jack was replacesed.
The only way it works now is if a external monitor is plugged in. With the battery pulled out the and the power cord plugged in I get nothing, as soon as I plug in the external monitor the power light comes on. As soon as I disconnect the external monitor I loose power.
With the battery on it will chard the battery as long as the monitor is connected. My thinking is there is a grounding problem with the DC jack just not sure to solve this one. when the battery is charged it works great on battery. Any thought on this Help!
Ken
Mayo Hardware said...
You do have a defective repair. The Negative line is open, and having to draw GRND from the sheath of the video cable. My suggestion is have the tech redo the jack. There are several ground point for the DC Jack and he missed an important one.
This is usually caused by poor soldering, or pads not flowing through to bottom side. The only solution would be to make a jumper from the NEG of the DC jack connector to the groundpoints on the bottom.
I personally have never experienced that problem, but surely it is the reason. “
Hay mayo,
ReplyDeleteHoly cow am I so stupid! Problem solved. It's always the simple stuff we overlook.
After getting the same problem with a different motherboard, knowing it was a grounding issue. I frigged I would start from the outlet and work my way down the line. The outlet working fine good ground, checked the power supply getting DC, ok lets check the continuity. and there lays my problem! the power cord has a bad ground so it is pulling a ground from the external monitor. I grabbed another power cord working just fine. I except the stupid award for the month!!
Thanks for your help
Ken
Not Stupid Ken, You solved it. It may be that you are rushing yourself, but not stupid.
ReplyDeleteI have to come back to some problems even when I thought they were hopeless. Good to see that you never gave up.
Marcio: I may have poseted previous comment on wrong page.
ReplyDeleteIn your case of the MA7 not charging, you may want to test behind the DC Jack to see if 19-20v is present when plugged in. Sometimes these jacks break behind the bend in the lead that goes to the board. Can't see it with the naked eye. So with the DC Power connected, see if there is power on the back of the jack, Or on the two legs of the diode shown in the second picture.
Hello guys,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all let me say THANK YOU!!!
I found your blog a few days ago while looking for a solution to the MA7 power problem.
I did as you suggested and jumpered from the POS to the diode leg. It powered right up!
My question is, can I solder a jumper wire from the POS leg to the diode while the POS leg is still soldered into the through hole in the motherboard? Is there any danger in doing it this way?
I have done 10 of these units and know how to by pass the 3rd layer board and jump the center pin dc jack to the fuse, so far they have all worked out great, learned the hard way as my first one needed a new motherboard, the MA7 is a nightmare.
ReplyDeleterepairmydcjack.com
Yesterday I got an MA3 working with the tip on jumping straight to the diode leg. Thanks for that! I had initially "fixed" it by re-running solder, which failed 15 min after reassembly. What a pain.
ReplyDeleteDavid: Yes you can, infact that would be a permanent solution that you could use.
ReplyDeleteJohn: We are all learning, and have to sometimes experiment, finding a solution is often rewarding and satisfying.
Eighten: Most of the time if the solder pad is not too far gone, I will remove the jack and etch off the green lacquer to make a larger surface area for the solder to stick to. The bottom ring if often gone or burned away so a larger surface on the top helps make it stronger for the constant insertion and removal. But the jumper helps even more.
Good Luck guys and thanks for sharing your experience.
Just read through all of these comments. I have a laptop with a similiar problem. The AC plug would require much wobbling and pinning in a specific location to allow the unit to run. Now it won't even do that so the customer brought it in.
ReplyDeleteI checked and the jack is tight, solder looks good, and I'm seeing ~19V at the solder join on the POS plug, and at the diode legs which were suggested to jump to. Any ideas? It's totally dead...AC power plugged in, battery in, and the power button does nothing. Don't have a good battery to test with and the customer isn't that interested in buying a new one for a laptop that may have a mainboard issue.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
- Josh
try this, remove power and check the MOSFET next to the usb chip. It should be AO4407. Check with meter in Diode or Resistance. One direction should read infinity, the other may be from 127 to 500 Ohms. If it is near zero ohms in either direction replace the chip. When shorted, it will read near zero in both directions.
ReplyDeleteSometimes even the Gate can also take a hit, and shorting Source or Drain. That would be the third test.
Hey Mayo,
ReplyDeleteJust found this post. Very help full. I have a MA7 that I changed the dc port on. It just started to loose connection. The POS. copper insert trace came off with the dc port. I put a new port on the board. the computer works fine with the battery but when I plug in the ac pack the pack starts humming. seems like a short or back feed. The charge light comes on then goes out. every time the light comes on the pack starts humming. I have resistance on the POS pin to the shield of the dc port. it is .351 ohms. i have 19v at diode & 18.?v after diode. I get .558 on the mosfet legs. & infinity on the other direction. Would it be shorting through the POS. hole & if I take the POS. pin out of the hole & put it to the diode would that fix the problem. Thanks for any help..
Yes if you take the positive lead from the hole and wire directly to the legs of the diode you should eliminate the hum in the power supply unless it has defective cap or something, but pwr supplies are relatively cheap.
ReplyDeleteso the readings im getting are ok?
ReplyDeleteyou mean the cap in the power supply or on the laptop board? i seen that they are cheap. i got another power supply from a friend last night. im going to try it when i get home today. just wanted to see if the readings i got are normal.
thanks for your help
I tried the other power supply and it doesn't make a hum like mine. should i still put the POS to the diode? would it be better to put it across both legs of the diode or just to one of the legs? Im wondering if it would help just in case.
ReplyDeletethanks
Scooba: No you should not, if the replacement supply doesn't hum, it means that yours is going bad, unless it was not the same type or voltage.
ReplyDeleteActually that diagnosis should be evident that your power supply is defective or going bad.
Sir i am from pakistan and working from two years in laptop assembling but from 3 months start motherboard componenet level repairing.can i ask questions if i feel trouble.and how?
ReplyDeleteplease help for my MA3 Gateway jumper i need instruction with image which part im going to jumper...thnx for MA3 Gateway. sorry for my bad English
ReplyDeleteHi Grate blog on the mx laptops helped me fix this issue on many units that i was unable to fix in the passed.
ReplyDeleteI was hopeing you have some info for me on a similar symptom on a dell d620. swapped dc jack but unit will not power on. system board seems to get juice all the way through the board. the dc jack leads give the proper voltage and battery leads also give voltage. any thoughts. BTW the system will post off battery power.
Thanks Sam
ReplyDeleteI'll take a look at a D620 and see what I can think of. Since working with so many models, I cannot keep each one in my head, as well as my other projects that are totally unrelated (running out of room in my head). If I forget send a reminder in a couple of days.
Hi mayo I have a gateway ma3 and also no powe after close inspection i see the power diode marked pd33 is blown so I cant make the number on it to replace it. All I see left on the chip is 04, the rest is blown.
ReplyDeleteDo you know what chip this is to replace it.
Hi Mayo,
ReplyDeleteI have the Gateway ma3 and on inspection i see the power diode is blown.
Its marked pd33 and i think its the one in your pic.
I cant make out the code on the chip as its blown off.
All i make out is the last 2 number 04.
Do you know the number on the chip or replacement so i can order.
Regards
Iceman: It is a common diode, you should be able to find it on many boards, MA2, MA3, MA6, MA7, and the HP DV series next to the Battery terminals. Sorry, I don't keep records of part numbers and where they are bought. I just fix and move on.
ReplyDeleteIceman: It is a common diode, you should be able to find it on many boards, MA2, MA3, MA6, MA7, and the HP DV series next to the Battery terminals. Sorry, I don't keep records of part numbers and where they are bought. I just fix and move on.
ReplyDeleteI have repaired 4 ma7's with this method. I currently have run into a ma3 that is slightly different then the ma7. the diode that I have been soldering to is not there. Where should I solder to on the ma3?
ReplyDeleteMichael: Email me directly so I can get picture or send picture.
DeleteI have 18.5 V in the two legs of the diode. The Laptop is totally dead, the battery does not take charge, I charged the battery with other laptop and nothing, the laptop dont start. Whitout battery, just with the charger is dead also. What can i test?
ReplyDeleteI also notice that the Battery charge indicators do not lights with the battery charged (11.2 V)
hello all. i tried the jumper connection but i am getting a sparking coming from the hole where the positive post was inserted on the board. anyone have an idea what is going on with this?
ReplyDeleteMach1 your problem is most likely a shorted cap in the power section. After that it may be the shorted MOSFET before branching the power run/charge section. Will check my other notes to see if I had documented the last time that happened for me.
ReplyDeletethank you hoosier. i would appreciate any help and direction i can get. especially where these components are located on the board and how to test them.
ReplyDeleteI traded for a MA3 MX6455. Stuck windows vista business on it.. Other then needing a new keyboard (FN and CTRL buttons missing) it's a nice little computer.. It runs on AC all day long. And since I've been using it. the battery (indictor on battery) says it has gone from 25 to 75 percent. But it still won't run on battery power alone. Took it apart today. and power jack is in fantastic condition.. The board layout for the MA3 is different then what you have shown. Do you think it's a mosfet issue or a bad battery? I've been j-std-001 and ipc 610 certified.. so this is not a problem replacing the mosfet. Also, is there a trick for testing the battery out? thanks...
ReplyDeleteIt could be leaking power with the Mosfets near the battery area. Should be 1 PChannel and 1 NChannel. Test for short both directions. If not then look at the caps in the area.
ReplyDeleteReally no trick for testing the battery but most of the Gateway MA series batteries have a AO4407 inside. They are difficult to crack open and test, but another battery from any MA Series would let you know if the battery is bad, or the mosfets/caps on the motherboard are shorting.
Hoosier, It will be sometime till I can test the battery out.. I found a battery on Amazon for like 22 buck shipped.. When payday rolls around, I think it's a good bet it's getting the battery.... I'll chime in if it fixes it or not.. Thanks for the info! Keep up the good work.. Thanks...
ReplyDeleteHoosier, Just got the new battery for the MA3 MX6455. Charged it to 10 percent and tried it on battery power online and works like a charm. Thank you for the advice.
ReplyDeleteSincerely,
Bill
I have a gateway MA2 with a similar board. I have resoldered, then replaced the DC Jack with no luck. Windows states the charger is plugged in and charging but the battery consistently drains. If I unplug te battery, the computer won't start with just the power cord. The motherboard is slightly different than the MA7 you describe here. Can you tell me what I need to bypass in order to make the dc charger power the machine.
ReplyDeleteljfroloff: You problem is an open MOSFET. I don't have the board available because it is so old. But usually it is one of the MOSFETs leading to the battery circuit area, or the first MOSFET near the USB ports. Not the 2062 chip, that is USB driver.
ReplyDelete