MacBook Motherboard Repair

Here at BITS we recently began offering a brand-new service to our customers, motherboard component repair! This awesome new service allows our customers to save hundreds of dollars on motherboards and other component level repairs. To give you an idea of how this process works, we have written a brief description of a motherboard repair we recently completed on a customer’s MacBook Pro.

First, we determine that the motherboard is the cause of the problem by testing all other hardware connected to it. For those of you who don’t know, a motherboard is the main logic board in a computer to which all other hardware is connected. It is almost always the largest circuit board in a computer and often has expensive components, like the processor and graphics card, permanently attached. In this case, the user was having problems with the computer not charging correctly and not turning on until the battery was nearly full. After testing the battery and the charger, it was time to investigate the motherboard!

Because this is a power problem, we know to investigate the circuits that have to do with charging and other power supplies. We use circuit diagrams like the one above to find out what microchips are suspect, then use a board viewing program to identify those locations on the motherboard. After checking around some of the different areas, we found this little guy on the right. It had some moisture damage which caused two of the pins to short circuit, completely burning off the middle pin. This component is responsible for measuring the voltage of the battery so the computer knows when it is charged, this makes it a very likely cause of the issue.

 

 

After locating the damaged component, we replaced it with a new working one. We were able to source the part for this repair from a donor machine in the shop, saving the customer even the cost of the part (That is why you see a small cut on the chip, this does not affect its operation). If this customer had gone to practically any other PC repair shop in Connecticut they could have spent $1000 or more on a new or even used motherboard. Our motherboard repair service is only $350 and if we don’t fix it, you don’t pay! So stop by the shop today and find out how we can help you solve your technological woes cheaper and faster.