Dell XPS 15 L521x Overheating

I was asked to take a look at a Dell XPS 15 L521x ultrabook because it was having video flicker problems. I originally took the approach of swapping out the thermal paste which helped a little, but the problem persisted. However, looking at the heatsink assembly, it was clear the problem wasn't the thermal paste, rather the heatpipe and heatsink is way too small for the Intel Core i7 and nVidia video processor. Remembering a similar issue with the HP Pavilion tx1000, the Dell XPS 15 L521x also had the heatpipe and parts of the heatfin covered in a black paint. I decided that it was time to scrub it off.

Before photo of the heatpipe and heatfin.

After photo of the heatpipe and heatfin. I scrubbed off the black paint using high isopropyl alcohol and a 800 grit sandpaper. A regular toothbrush had no effect on the paint. I had to use something a little more abrasive. The 800 grit sandpaper doesn't grind, it polishes. I use this particular sandpaper to polish down uneven heatsink surfaces. Even still, I couldn't get all the paint off.

Acer Extensa 5420 Upgrade

The Acer Extensa 5420 is an interesting machine. The 5420G model has an MXM slot for replaceable video cards. The 5420 lacks the slot but it has the leads for the slot (see pictures below). The Acer Extensa 5420 I got a hold of to repair actually started up and I couldn't find any problems until I opened it up. The heatsink was clogged with dust and lots of it.

The Acer Extensa 5420 has a fair amount of space for upgrading. The WLAN card can be upgraded to the latest and greatest 802.11 ac (no WLAN whitelist to worry about). The processor can be upgraded from a 1.9GHz to a 2.4GHz AMD Turion 64 X2. The memory can be bumped up to 4GB. And the real performance boost, an SATA SSD.

Before starting, here's the specification so of the machine.

Specifications:
AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile TL-58 1.9 GHz processor
15.4-inch display
1280 x 800 (WXGA)
ATI Radeon X1250
2 GB DDR2 RAM; 120 GB hard drive
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium pre-installed
Chipset: ATI RS690
Southbridge: ATI SB600
Memory: 2GB (2x 1GB) (4GB max)
160GB HDD
Broadcom BCM94311MCG 802.11 b/g

Slots

• PC Card
• ExpressCard/54

Interfaces

• Microphone
• S-Video output
• Line-out/headphones
• Line in
• Modem (RJ-11),
• Ethernet 10/100 (RJ-45)
• Infrared (IrDA)
• VGA
• 4x USB 2.0
• IEEE 1394 (FireWire)
• Network

Memory Card Reader

• 5 in 1 card reader (Memory Stick, SD Memory Card, Memory Stick PRO, MultiMediaCard, xD-Picture Card)

HP Pavilion tx1000 Upgrade

While performing a repair on the HP Pavilion tx1000, I noticed that there were unused trace for a mini PCIe slot and a SIM card holder. I ordered the parts from mouser.com and as soon as the parts arrived, I got to work:

• C&K Components Memory Card Connectors Conn Smart Card Hinged 6Pin Smd , Mouser Part #611-CCM03-3013LFTR10
• Molex PCI Express / PCI Connectors MINI PCI EXP. 0.8MM PITCH, 9.90MM HEIGHT, Mouser Part #538-48338-0099

Dell Latitude E6430 Upgrade

My work Dell Latitude E6410 was replaced with a Dell Latitude E6430. Aesthetically, I preferred the E6410. The boxy look worked for me. The E6430 is clam shaped and the area around the keyboard is covered with a soft rubbery material. In general, I don't like that material because once it starts to breakdown, it gets very sticky.

Specifications:

• Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3740QM CPU @ 2.70GHz
• Memory: 16GB
• HDD: Samsung SSD PM830 2.5" 7mm 256GB
• Video: Intel HD Graphics 4000/NVidia NVS 5200M

Target PA248U5 AWE61US Laptop Chill Mat Fan Replacement

I have a Targus PA248U5 AWE61US Laptop Chill Mat and the fans started to rattle. The Targus Laptop Chill Mat is a simple single speed (no fan speed control) cooling pad. I opened up the chill mat to find that while the fans are standard, they are hardwired in the device. To replace the fans, you have to cut out the old fans and add connectors to make the new fans replaceable in the future.

Parts required to replace the fans in the Targus PA248U5 Laptop Chill Mat:

• EVERCOOL 80mm x 80mm x 10mm DC 5V Case Fan (see here on eBay)
• 3 pin fan Y power splitter (see here on Amazon)
• Optional: 3 pin fan power extension cable (see here on Amazon) - Optional because, the Evercool 80x80x10mm fan comes with a 3 to 2 pin converter. You can use this instead of buy another $5 cable.

HP Pavilion tx1000 Repair

I've inherited a broken HP Pavilion tx1000. It was suffering from the classic no WIFI detected problem. Meaning, that a WLAN mini PCIe adapter is installed and it works, but the computer doesn't detect it. Additionally, when I ran the Windows 7 experience score test, the notebook computer would blue screen. There were other problems such as the mouse pointer would disappear after prolonged use and the display would get staticy after a while.

All these issues were caused by the NVidia video processor solder joint being damaged from overheating.

You can find additional information about the HP Pavilion tx1000 here.