# [SOLVED] Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.



## stephmw

Hi there,

Yesterday I woke up and walked into my office to use my laptop. I had put it in sleep mode for the night (left the screen up). Got to the laptop, hit the power button to wake it up and nothing happened. All the lights were on as normal. Next I hit enter, thinking maybe the power button wasn't right. The laptop made the regular slight surging noise as though it was waking and then it abruptly shut off. After this I could not (and still cannot) power it on successfully.

It is an HP Pavilion dv9000 series (dv9308nr to be precise). 3 years old. Light to moderate use in that time. Only problem I've ever had was a bad stick of RAM a year or so ago which was replaced. For the most part, its been smooth sailing otherwise.

Current symptoms:

1. When AC cord is plugged in the light always glows where it is plugged in. When battery is also in the charge light is lit up (though it has gone out intermittently while I try different things).
2. When I push the power button all normal system lights light up as normal (includes three system lights at front left, wifi light, media card light, touchpad light, cd-rom light and upper right lights, volume & media control, etc).
3. These lights only stay lit for 1-3 seconds, during which I also hear the fan come to life.
4. After the 1-3 seconds everything dies, lights go out, fan stops.
5. Lather, rinse, repeat.

What I have tried to do to narrow down the problem:

1. Removed battery, tried to power on with just cord.
2. Removed cord, tried to power on with just battery.
3. Removed battery and cord, held down power button for 30 seconds to drain power and then tried with cord, battery, and cord and battery.
4. Blown out dust with air compressor.
5. Removed all of the following hardware components:
- RAM (2 sticks)
- Hard drive
- RTC/CMOS battery
- Mini (wifi?) card
- CD/DVD Rom

With all of this testing it has always been the exact same result. 1-3 seconds of lights and fan but nothing else.

Things seem pretty dim here, I don't have much hope. I figured as a last ditch effort I would put forth the problem here as the users on this forum are always very helpful and knowledgeable. Looking online there seems to be numerous posts about the dv9000 series, however not many of them mirrored my exact symptoms and the ones that did have not been resolved. I'm worried it is a motherboard issue, but I really know nothing about motherboards so I wouldn't know much about diagnosing such. Despite my smallish knowledge base I welcome any and all theories/suggestions and I will do my very best to answer any questions and do any tests anyone poses. Thanks very much in advance for any time or help anyone can provide.


----------



## GZ

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

Hello stephmw,

Unfortunately it does sound like it is most likely a motherboard problem. There have been quite a few problems with the DV series notebooks.

Unfortunately, it seems as though your particular model has the GeForce Go 6 series integrated GPU which has been the cause of many issues for these computers (and many others with them). I would assume you took pretty good care of your computer?

I would like you to take a run through the troubleshooting steps contained in the following thread. It will help you figure out if the issue is being caused by a removable component or the mainboard.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f108/black-screen-issues-and-troubleshooting-498132.html

Here is a link to the service manual for your computer. It will help you become familiar with your computer and assist in any disassembly/reassembly you may have to do.

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c01311536.pdf

You may also want to look into this... Although I am not sure if HP is honoring or will honor a claim this late.

dv9308nr - Google

Business support forums - HP Pavilion dv9000


----------



## stephmw

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

Hi gavinzach,

Thanks for the quick response! You're exactly right, and that was what I was referencing as well. While you sound like you know much more about it, I think the problem was that the laptop was producing a lot of heat and was not designed with sufficient cooling options? I do remember stumbling upon a notice about updating the BIOS at some point - which I did - and have now later read all that did was tell the fan to run faster.

I have done my absolute best to take very good care of my laptop in the 3 years I've had it. Like I said, light to moderate use. I have the main desktop workhorse here, laptop was just for web browsing and word processing as I liked to use it for my writing.

Only thing I didn't mention was my wi-fi seemed to be performing very poorly in the last week. It was very sporadic, but mostly crap.

I will try to go through the thread you linked. I have had a look at it already while browsing another similar post on this forum. I've done some of the stuff (Step One, Step Three, Step Four). In Step Two I'm not sure where/what my heatsink is. Everything else in that step is somewhat easily accessible, however CPU and heatsink, sound like much more tear down is required. So far I think I've eliminated everything except the CPU, GPU and heatsink? And of course, they're three things I'm not familiar with, plus I don't have extras to swap out. I will do my best though to delve in further and find them.

I have also seen mentions of HP extended warranty with possibly similar problems, however like you said, I think I'm a good deal out of that extension (saw notes of it ending back in '09?). I was going to contact HP, however the last time I called with an issue they wanted me to pay $80 before I could even discuss the problem, then directed me to the online chat which was free. When I went to the online chat yesterday I noticed they not require that all contact also be made by people still in warranty. I have to say, I'm a bit gobsmacked that they're essentially saying "Too bad, so sad." to anyone out of warranty. But 'dems de breaks I suppose.

Thank you so much for your help so far. ^_^


----------



## trenaud

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

Spehpmw,
I have exactly the same problem with a DV9205 laptop. I get a blue ring around the AC adapter jack as well as a charge light in the front. I hit the power button and all the lights blink for a second or two then shut off again. I've followed all the helpful suggestions from HP as well as some of the wacky ones from the internet involving hairdryers and assorted talismans. I've already had the main board replaced by HP once for a GPU issue. 
As an IT professional and former elctronics repair tech, it 'feels' like a power supply problem, since it never gets to the POST stage. Almost as if something's drawing too much current on power-up...? I have no problem replacing the main board myself if I thought that was the problem. I just don't need a dissembled laptop losing pieces for weeks on my table.
If you get an answer that works for you I'd love to hear it. It was too expensive (and too good a machine) to just give up on.


----------



## r00x

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

Okay chaps, as you know the issue with this laptop is a common one, but you have some recourse if your warranty has dried up and the thing has become a paperweight.

Just so long as you've tried _everything_ else and have nothing to lose, you can try a manual repair on the motherboard. This is not guaranteed to work and could in fact cause more damage, but what've you got to lose apart from time?

Often the problem is caused by the rapid expansion and contraction of the graphics chip in the laptop as it heats and cools in and out of use. Combined with the appalling cooling solution in this range of laptops, you have the perfect recipe for fractured connections between the chip and the board as the two shuffle apart.

The solution? You need to bring the temperature of the chip and its area of the board up to the reflow temperature at which the solder connecting the two begins to melt. Thanks to surface tension any fractures will self-repair.

Rip out the board according to the service manual, remove the processor, CMOS and anything that can melt (all the protective plastic sheeting and cables for example) leaving just the naked board.

Support the board so none of the components are resting on anything (including the supports themselves) and place on a foil-covered baking tray. I like to use a cheap nut-n-bolt set and mount these through the screw-holes on the board, allowing for precise height settings.

Pre-heat oven to 220deg.C and insert the tray with board for roughly 7-8 minutes before removing and allowing to cool. It's a poor substitute for a real SMD repair environment but it works.

Reassemble, and enjoy your (hopefully working) laptop! Sorry, this is rather rough as far as guides go, but there's the bare essentials.


----------



## stephmw

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

LOL, I'm sorry, you want me to bake my motherboard? Is this a serious suggestion? I mean, I feel I may be dealing with an expensive paperweight here so I'm open to any ideas, but I'm not sure whether to take this seriously or not.


----------



## GZ

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

Please, do not do anything of that nature... at least until we have ruled out every other component.

In post 2 is a link to the Service Manual. This will give you blow outs of components, component locations and removal/installation procedures. Use that information along with the guidelines in Black Screen Troubleshooting to help find the cause of the issue.

If the cause is determined to be motherboard/gpu related, we will go over options.

Please ask any questions you feel necessary. I am here to help.


----------



## stephmw

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

Okay, I'll try and get the rest of it torn down tonight or tomorrow. Since you offered, could you tell me if those three main components (CPU, GPU, heatsink) are going to be found at the very last step of the tear down (getting to the motherboard)? I'm not completely up on the synonyms and in that guide it uses some different names for the components. Thx!


----------



## GZ

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

Yes. They will be the last things you do.

The GPU is integrated, you will be able to identify it by the die... It is a small flat metal surface in the center of the chip. Also, there will be a contact area on the heatsink for it. There may be a little light blue silicon pad between the GPU and the heatsink.

The CPU is also under the heatsink. It is socketed (removable) and will look similar to the GPU only it will have a small label that says AMD instead of nVidia.

The heatsink is the coolling aparatus that has the fins, heatpipe and fan attached to it. It is attached by screws around the CPU and possibly one or two screws around the GPU and the fan.

When you remove the heatsink you will need to clean and reapply thermal compound to the CPU and the GPU (unless the GPU has the silicon pad, in which case you will need to replace that).


----------



## r00x

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*



stephmw said:


> LOL, I'm sorry, you want me to bake my motherboard? Is this a serious suggestion? I mean, I feel I may be dealing with an expensive paperweight here so I'm open to any ideas, but I'm not sure whether to take this seriously or not.


It does sound funny, doesn't it? :laugh:

But yes, it's serious. :normal: It's not an idea that only crazy people try, either. People use similar techniques to repair laptops, graphics cards, and games consoles which all exhibit symptoms of heat-related 'damage'. I have repaired lots of all of these with a variety of different methods, but the idea is the same.

So I can assure you, it's serious. But so was my recommendation that you _not_ do it unless it's your _absolute last resort because you've tried everything else_ and you're _positive_ you've got a paperweight on your hands. You know, one of those "well I'm going to have to recycle it I guess" situations.

This is how your boards are made! Your boards are 'baked' in the factory, you know! Machines that resemble huge printers carefully place the tiny components on the board, where they loosely adhere to the solder paste placed on the pads. Then they go through a glorified oven, which bakes the lot into place, if you will. You'd just be trying to recreate that environment at home.


----------



## stephmw

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

Okay, I have taken everything apart and tested all steps in the "Black Screen Issues and Troubleshooting" post except for the GPU and CPU.

My motherboard has an integrated nVidia chipset(?) so I can't see being able to test another one. I can't remove and re-seat the CPU right now as I don't have any thermal paste/silicone pad to re-adhere it with. I don't have access to another known-working CPU, so my only option will be to re-seat it, however upon inspection everything seems really tight.

While I have the entire system torn down is there anything else I can look for? How likely is it that re-seating the CPU can fix my issue? I'm sorry I can't finish it all, but I'm rural and we don't have any local stores that sell the paste, so I'll have to wait until my next trip to the city.

*EDIT: ADDITION* Just a quick note, having removed the heatsink, there are 3 areas that state thermal paste/pads should be. The GPU, the CPU and something else that I'm not sure what it is (manual doesn't say). Anyhow, I see that both the GPU and the unknown object both have thermal (silicone?) pads, but the CPU does not. There is nothing on the CPU itself, but the adjoining part on the heatsink appears to have some kind of foil sticker that covers a sticky purple substance (I assume the thermal paste). Does that all seem right?


----------



## GZ

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

Yes, I am not certain what the third item is off hand, I would have to see a photo or a schematic to be sure. Either way, you would remove the foil and use something to clean the compound from the heatsink. I recommend Arctic Silver Thermal Compound Remover and Surface Purifier. That stuff is amazing. (I also use the surface purifier to clean oxidized contacts:grin

You will want to scan your board for anything that looks damaged or burnt.

It is looking as if your GPU is the offending component. There are a few ways to procede from here.


Find a trustworthy shop that does BGA re-working.
Pros - Usually comes with a guarantee and is done with the proper equipment.
Cons - Expensive.

Replace the motherboard with a new/refurbished/used board.
Pros - Less down time, may come with warranty depending on seller.
Cons - Expensive for new and refurbished, chances on getting a dud (unscrupulus sellers)

Perform a home-reflow.
Pros - Least expensive
Cons - Usually only a temporary fix, likelyhood of damaging your board beyond repair if done improperly.


----------



## stephmw

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

Hi again,

Thanks so much for your continued support. I'm not sure what the policy is about images here, I didn't want to put them in a post and have it very large, so I have them at Picasa, this is the link to the album:

https://picasaweb.google.com/115294571372086533756/HPDv9000SystemBoardImages?feat=directlink#

The second picture shows the unknown component, top left, two grey squares, both have R45X on them. Please tell me if I need to remove the link, I don't want to do anything wrong here.

To my eye nothing looks damaged or burnt. So if the GPU is bad, it can cause the computer to short out(?) during the power on process like I described? I always thought it would just affect my display or something.

I've no idea what the reflowing process entails and if it's easy to mess up chances are I might. ^_^ Sadly, a new motherboard is costly enough that it seems more prudent to just invest in a new system. These things do happen, it just seems a little sadder as I'm only now learning of the major problems in these HP models/series. Kind of feels like the system was a time-bomb from day 1 and only lasted as long as it did because I took such good care of it (and didn't use it very frequently). Lesson: Stay away from HP, perhaps?


----------



## r00x

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

stephmw, those components are part of the voltage regulation modules that provide power to your laptop's processor. In the dv9xxx series they do get pretty warm, so they're cooled by the heatpipes too.

You probably won't see anything damaged or burnt - if anything was, you'd have smelled it too.

The GPU itself won't be what's bad, it'll be the connection between it and the board. It does affect your display, but it also affects the rest of the system as it cannot function without that chip - it's not like when the laptop panel itself goes and everything else keeps on ticking!

I've explained the reflowing process to you above. You don't have to use an oven, but it's certainly the safest for you personally rather than attempting to use heat guns or buy proper rework tools, which will put you very close to dangerous amounts of heat.

Here it is again (if you want more detail, I will be happy to explain):



r00x said:


> Often the problem is caused by the rapid expansion and contraction of the graphics chip in the laptop as it heats and cools in and out of use. Combined with the appalling cooling solution in this range of laptops, you have the perfect recipe for fractured connections between the chip and the board as the two shuffle apart.
> 
> The solution? You need to bring the temperature of the chip and its area of the board up to the reflow temperature at which the solder connecting the two begins to melt. Thanks to surface tension any fractures will self-repair.
> 
> Rip out the board according to the service manual, remove the processor, CMOS and anything that can melt (all the protective plastic sheeting and cables for example) leaving just the naked board.
> 
> Support the board so none of the components are resting on anything (including the supports themselves) and place on a foil-covered baking tray. I like to use a cheap nut-n-bolt set and mount these through the screw-holes on the board, allowing for precise height settings.
> 
> Pre-heat oven to 220deg.C and insert the tray with board for roughly 7-8 minutes before removing and allowing to cool.
> .


----------



## stephmw

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

Oh, I didn't realize that a reflow was (could be) sticking it in the oven like you said. I suppose at this stage the laptop is useless, so it couldn't make things any worse. That seems like a very high temperature (Canadian, so we deal in Fahrenheit for ovens, not weather though ^_^) but I guess the solder needs to be that high.

gavinzach states that its usually only a temporary fix, do either of you have any idea how temporary? I mean, obviously there's no guarantee that it will work, and if it did, there's still no way to know exactly how long it would. But an approximate in your experiences would be greatly appreciated. I mean, am I looking at it only turning on the once, which I suppose would be enough to get my HDD data, which is now inaccessible :S

The sticking it in the oven procedure does seem pretty straightforward, although as said above, apparently easy to screw up a reflow and do irreparable damage and what not. I would appreciate any and all details that could be provided so I can lessen the chances of doing something wrong.

Thanks again to the both of you for trying to help. I really appreciate it, especially when so many people would tell me to forget it and recycle the thing.


----------



## GZ

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

Yes, I do know how temporary. Usually between a few hours and a few months. I have, rarely, seen a home reflow last longer than a year. The reason being, the issue is not being taken care of.

BGA = Ball Grid Array

This is how your GPU is connected to the motherboard. Instead of pins that line up with holes in a socket, it uses little solder balls that are melted to solder pads on the GPU and the motherboard. This is how it makes connection. The ovens that are used in this process are not ovens like we use, they are infrared ovens that heat up very specific areas to the proper temperature to melt the solder.

What happens is... In the case of this group of laptops... that the quality of solder used was not very good. The constant heat/cooling cycles eventually cause cracks in the solder balls. (In rare cases of excessive heat electro-migration can also occur). These cracks create poor connections that end up failing altogether.

A proper BGA rework requires removing the GPU, cleaning the solder pads and applying the proper amounts of flux, along with new solder balls, to completely renew the connections. This is the only way that is guaranteed to last, but it requires expensive equipment, the BGA rework station and an IR oven.

What you are attempting to do at home, whether you use an oven or an adjustable heat gun, is to heat up the solder to it's melting point so that it forms a strong connection again (re-flow). Unfortunately, this does nothing for the oxidization of the solder and the original issues, like the bad solder.

What also can happen is that you can overheat components and damage them. There are hundreds of liquid filled capacitors on your board and the heat can cause the liquid electrolyte to boil off, and possibly rupture the capacitor. (amongst other heat sensitive equipment). Any home reflow is a one time deal.

If you decide to attempt a home reflow, I will help you through it, if you wish. I can also make some suggestions as to how to make it last for as long as possible.


----------



## stephmw

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

Thanks for sharing your knowledge, you seem to be very well versed on this stuff. It's a bit overwhelming to me, trying to figure out what to do. I purchased this laptop on sale from FutureShop 3 years ago for $600. Some will say that 3 years later I've gotten my money's worth...being a conscientious consumer I kind of disagree. At this point I do require a working system, so I'm trying to figure out where my money is best spent. I don't want to purchase another motherboard as they seem to range (quick look around) $200-$300 and best case, I wind up with another board that has the crap solder as you mentioned. From what you've said, the BGA service would give me a much more reliable board without the HP manufacturing problem, but it sounds like it would be more expensive than the motherboard.

At this point I have a 3 year old system, and it would seem my money would be better spent toward something new. As I've only ever used it for web browsing and word processing for my writing, I can likely get a new system for $400-$500 that would do all of that rather well. I hope I don't come off as cheap, I just try and watch my spending and do it efficiently as I have a limited income. I could invest in a much more powerful, more expensive system, but it would be wasted on me, especially when the majority of my other tasks are done here on my much heartier desktop.

At this point I know I need to get the information off my HDD. I suppose if you don't think trying the home reflow is an absolutely rubbish idea I should try that. I would appreciate any and all advice you can give me. It would be nice to get it working at least long enough to get the data off, as I said. Anything beyond that I suppose is a bonus. Otherwise I think I'll have to start saving my pennies and looking into a new system.


----------



## GZ

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

The nice thing about purchasing a new laptop is you can sell your old laptop as a parts machine on eBay and get some of your money back. 

Once you decide what you want to do, let me know.


----------



## stephmw

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

Oh, I hadn't thought of selling it for parts, that's a bit of a consolation.

I think I will try the home reflow then, if you can help me out a bit with some pointers if you have the time.


----------



## GZ

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

I will put together detailed instructions as soon as I get the chance.


----------



## r00x

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*



stephmw said:


> gavinzach states that its usually only a temporary fix, do either of you have any idea how temporary?


This isn't very quantifiable as it depends on the hardware and how it's treated, but assuming you follow the same usage patterns and habits with the machine, you could expect at absolute best only about the same lifetime that you got out of it the first time round - and that's being optimistic. The dv9xxx series have a particularly bad BGA connection issue.

As gavinzach explains precisely, the reflow fixes the symptom; not the cause! :tongue: the moment you get that thing working, please extract your data and remember not to rely on it too much.

But hey, a home reflow is free, simple to carry out and repeatable, which is probably the only thing gavinzach and I would disagree on  as to how many times, well that depends - but I wouldn't worry about capacitors or anything. Very few SMD devices contain wet materials; it's not efficient as the space required for seals becomes too large a percentage of the device's size. Your concern should be the ribbon cables connecting the power panel and media button panels to the motherboard - they are _notorious_ for falling to pieces so reassemble with utmost care!

Remember you can get also your data off your drives if you remove them and install them in a cheap USB 2.5" SATA hard disk caddy (just so long as they weren't configured as a RAID array, and I don't think they are by default). I would recommend you do that and not sell the drives if you plan on selling anything.


----------



## GZ

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

There are two ways it can be done. You can use an adjustable heat gun to heat the area of the GPU to the point that melts the solder and, hopefully, restores the connection.

Or, you can use the oven trick. I have, personally, tested this method out on two parts laptops that I had. 

Keep in mind that there is no guarantee this will work, and there is a chance you will further damage your motherboard if you decide to proceed. You will be doing this at your own risk.

I was going to put together my own set of instructions for you, but there is already a thread that contains well laid out instructions and photos.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f108/aspire-7520g-motherboard-re-melt-successful-481778.html

Please be careful and follow the instructions to the tee.


----------



## stephmw

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*



gavinzach said:


> There are two ways it can be done. You can use an adjustable heat gun to heat the area of the GPU to the point that melts the solder and, hopefully, restores the connection.
> 
> Or, you can use the oven trick. I have, personally, tested this method out on two parts laptops that I had.


Which method do you recommend more, the heat gun or the oven? Seems oven is a little more preferable to me as it does all the work. LOL ^_^ I don't have a heat gun currently, but I figure I could get my hands on one, if that's the recommended way.


----------



## r00x

The oven is safer for you, and doesn't cost anything. The risks are different. For a heat gun, you risk warping the board with uneven heat application, burning yourself, overheating (most heat guns will reach over half a thousand degrees), or blowing small components off the board. Its also adviseable to have an infrared thermometer to periodically check how hot things are getting.

With the oven, you risk the board sagging if you support it poorly, or heat damage from prolonged exposure - but that's about it


----------



## GZ

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

As r00x stated, it would cost you quite a penny for an adjustable heat gun. That is why I linked you to instructions for the oven method.


----------



## stephmw

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

Okay read through, I'm just a bit nervous about the oven only because of the differences between ovens. Anybody who's ever cooked with more than one oven knows they are none of them the same. He also said he had both lower and upper heaters on, but in my oven you're either baking (lower) or broiling (upper). I don't have an option that uses both. As he states a gradual heating and then adjusting the temperature as I watch may make it easier, but then once it has melted (and then stayed at that temp for 3 mins) I turn the oven off and leave it in there with the door closed? I know my oven stays hot a long time (and I guess his did). The extended heat for that long period of time is recommended?

I know, I know, definitely not guaranteed...I guess I'm just anxious hoping it'll work so I'm trying to check and double check with someone knowledgeable before I muster up the courage to do this. ^_^


----------



## GZ

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

The reason you want to leave the door closed is to gradually cool the board. If you allow the board to cool rapidly, then you can have PCB separation and warpage. You are only going to be making the oven hot enough to melt the solder, that is it, then you are going to gradually cool the board until it is close to room temp. 

I would use the bake function, not the broil function, and don't allow the board to be close to the element... Do you have a gas oven or electric??? It would be best if it were electric.


----------



## stephmw

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

I have an electric oven, no gas out here in the country. ^_^ Bake is what I was figuring as well. Positioning was going to be a question. My oven has 4 rack positions, should I be using the bottom or second from the bottom? Oh, and so I'll put it in cold oven and start at 400 F (that's about equivalent of 200 C)? Then watch it and turn the heat up if the solder's not melting?


----------



## GZ

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

Bake heats from the bottom, so you want to use the second from the top. Broil heats from the top... Unless you have an odd oven. Best bet is to keep it as close to the center as possible if you aren't sure which elements heat.


----------



## stephmw

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*



gavinzach said:


> Bake heats from the bottom, so you want to use the second from the top. Broil heats from the top... Unless you have an odd oven. Best bet is to keep it as close to the center as possible if you aren't sure which elements heat.


Lol, I'm the cook of the house, believe me, I know my way around an oven. ^_^ I just find my two higher racks are quite high, second from the bottom is closest to the middle...honestly the top rack's position puts it mere inches from the broil burner, so a pretty useless rack in and of itself. If I'm aiming for center, second from the bottom looks to be it. Thanks so much for the continued hand holding! I need it! I think I will get this thing ready and try the reflow tonight. Wish me luck!


----------



## GZ

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

Good luck... Do you have stand-offs? It is very important taht the bottom of the board not touch the baking sheet. The slightest pressure can move components when the solder is in it's melted state. Each and every component that is soldered will be in that state when the board is heated up. So it is extremely important to not bump, jar or otherwise move the board when it is heated.


----------



## stephmw

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

By stand-offs do you mean like the motherboard spacers the tutorial used to prop the motherboard up off the baking tray?

If so, my boyfriend is hopefully going to bring some hardware from work tonight (he's a mechanic, so he has access to all the screws and whatnot in the world, lol). Although seeing the motherboard spacers and how perfect they look, I was going to ask him to check our tiny local computer store to see if they have some. r00x mentioned earlier laying foil down on the baking sheet as well, is that something I should do?


----------



## GZ

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

Laying foil down isn't necesary. No solder should drip from your board, if it does, you have a problem.

The stand-offs are made for motherboards, so they will work perfectly. They would require the matching screw to attach them to the board, of course.


----------



## r00x

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

Ah I would recommend keeping the foil; it's not for catching solder! It will protect from any boiling or fuming materials on the baking tray spattering the board (unless it's a new tray).

The best oven for this is a fan-assisted oven, and thus it's best to use the larger oven compartment. Smack bang in the middle of the oven will do just fine!

Now this is up to you (either timing method has been shown to work) but this is what I prefer:

I pre-heat the oven if I'm using the oven method for repair. While it's true the board is best gradually heated, it's also good practice to minimise the time spent at high temperature. In industry, the boards will only see that much heat for a few minutes at most before being allowed to cool.

The oven is a slow process anyway - your board will be heating at probably half a degree per second over the duration of its baking. That's pretty slow (a lot slower than you'd experience with a heat gun!) and a lot slower than industrial reflow, which will be more like 1-3deg C per second.

Similarly, I would not be content to leave the board in there to cool - I'd remove it immediately when the allotted time was up. In real reflow situations, cooling could happen as fast as a few degrees per second. Besides, an hour is a long time to be left near reflow temperature, whereas out in the open air you'll be looking at a similar thermal ramp to your board's oven-time, only down instead of up.

A good time and temperature? 220 degrees is ideal. It's okay to simply time the board's oven exposure. In a fan assisted oven, about eight minutes should be perfect. A fanless oven might need up to twelve - or you could use that solder-ball trick


----------



## stephmw

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

Okay, I didn't do it, as I couldn't get the spacers locally, so I got them while in the city yesterday, and cleaned my oven last night ('cuz it needed it). Today I've got a fresh, clean oven, my spacers and I should be ready.
Things look a bit confusing seeing as the two totally different instructions. I see there's the solder trick for checking the melting point. I'm not sure if my oven light is even bright enough, but if it is, is there a special type of solder tin I'm supposed to use? My boyfriend says he thinks computer solder would be different from the stuff we have around (for plumbing jobs and such) and that the plumbing stuff has a lower melting point. Is that true?


----------



## GZ

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

Use Pamook's method. It is easy to follow and it is layed out with pictures. Using solder to check the melting point helps keep you from overheating your board.

The solder you need to use is your standard, run of the mill, rosin core electrical solder.


----------



## stephmw

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

Oh my God! Success! I had a crap time putting it back together as it looks like I misplaced at least one screw, but when I pressed the power button it actually booted! I am now immediately backing up my hard drive. Thanks you SO much! Is there anything else that I should do now?


----------



## GZ

*Re: Help! HP Pavilion dv9000 will not start/power up.*

The only thing you can do is to take extra care of it. There is no guarantee on how long it will last.

I will mark this thread solved and closed. If you need anything else, PM me and I will re-open the thread for you.


----------

