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SONY VAIO REPAIR
In this day and age of
the bad economy, many more people are opting to
repair older, broken laptops instead of purchasing a
new one. In this article, a friend's broken
Vaio (a TV fell on it) is resurrected back to life
with some replacement parts and a bit of TLC.
But before we get into that, here are the original
and upgraded specs of the base model Sony Vaio
VGN-N130G we are repairing:
| |
Original Spec |
Upgraded Spec |
| CPU |
Intel Core Duo T2050
1.6GHz |
Intel Core2Duo T5600 1.83GHz |
| Memory |
1GB RAM |
2GB RAM |
| HDD |
80GB, 5400RPM |
200GB, 7200RPM |
The extent of the damage
is a bent case, dead LCD, plus some dirt and grime
all over. Luckily, the MB still works, so we
plugged in an external monitor, used the KB to
switch to the external display, and we can see that
the computer is still working very well. To
verify that the Core2Duo T5600 replacement CPU works
before moving forward, we drop it in and see if it
boots to Windows, and if Windows reports the correct
CPU. Thankfully, it does! So after doing that
critical test, we procure the 2GB memory upgrade
from
www.crucial.com, a compatible LCD from eBay
($100), and a new Hitachi Travelstar 7K200 HDD.
Keep in mind to purchase LCDs from reputable eBay
merchants, preferably ones with return policies in
case the LCD you receive is defective or of poor
quality.
On a clean work surface,
we gather all the other necessary items for this
project: Acetone, lighter fluid, clean cotton rags,
glass cleaner, metal foil tape, thermal interface
compound, and various mini-screwdrivers. Take
apart the Vaio carefully, as some parts are snapped
together. Take note which screws go where, as
there are at least three different sizes and lengths
of screws in a laptop like this.
Brush off all dust from the CPU cooler and off both
sides of the motherboard. Note how the two new
Crucial memory sticks are already installed
Remove the CPU cooler by unscrewing the four screws
in an X-pattern. Remove the old CPU by turning
the socket lock. Insert the new CPU, and lock it in
place.
Clean off the the top of the CPU and the copper
plate on the CPU cooler using Acetone on a rag.
Be very careful as to not put any Acetone on the
PCB!
Next, apply a thin layer of thermal interface
compound on the top of the CPU very carefully.
Then, re-attach the CPU cooler using the four
screws, and tighten in an X-pattern as well.
The bare plastic case shows a tremendous amount of
dust as well. Clean this off using a brush, or
vacuum.
Once the chassis is clean, you can return the
motherboard to the chassis. Take note of any
motherboard switches which must align with external
switches, such as the WiFi switch.
Also, be sure to clean off all edges and seams
around the plastic chassis - that is where a good
deal of dirt and grime collect. Lighter fluid
works best in removing stubborn dirt and stains.
Next, we attach the new LCD. Using the harness
from the broken LCD, attach it to the back of the
new one following the correct orientation of the
connector. Use metal foil tape to secure it in
place.
toward the bottom of the LCD, metal foil tape is
also used to secure the LCD cable at another point
Re-attach the metal supports on each side, and the
LCD is ready to be placed back into the chassis!
Here is the new Hitachi Travelstar 7K200 HDD already
transplanted into the cage. Beside it is the
original Toshiba 80GB unit.
Now, we can put the HDD and optical drive abck into
the chassis. Route all the cables as they
were, and don't forget to plug everything back in.
These include the LCD, DC power, the WiFi antennas,
modem connection, and speakers. Other laptop
models may have more or less cables.
This is a good time to do a quick functional check
to make sure all is working properly. Use an
external keyboard to get into the BIOS to check and
see if the HDD and optical drive are properly
detected.
Now you can re-attach the top panel and LCD bezel.
Again, use lighter fluid to clean off all plastic
parts. Windex on a clean rag can be used on
the LCD, but only very lightly, sparingly and
gently!!!
Here on the LCD lid, we see scratches from where the
TV fell on this poor Vaio, and a good amount of dirt
and grime. More lighter fluid here and a clean
cotton rag.
The keyboard is most likely the filthiest part of
the computer. Compressed air can be used to
dislodge any particulate matter under the keys.
More lighter fluid, clean cotton rags, and probably
an hour of your life will be required to polish this
up to a satisfactory condition.
Once all parts are cleaned off, you can re-attach
the keyboard, fasten it from behind, and begin
installing Windows. During the installation,
admire you work of art!
So what did we do about the nasty scratch on top
from the TV? Well, a bit of superglue to reinforce
the joint, and a cleverly placed sticker covered it
up without marring the overall aesthetic too much.
Paint was an option, but color matching will be
difficult and the results may be worse off than just
covering it up with a nice sticker.
Thank you for reading!
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