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I got an IBM Thinkpad R51 notebook and it's not working. When opened I found that an IC next to the battery has burnt. The worst part is that the IC number is no more present on it due to the burning. Where could I get the schematics of such motherboards? Will the schematics have the part number?

Please help. Thank you.

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migrated from serverfault.com Dec 19 '09 at 10:35

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2 Answers

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There may or may not be a "component list" as you've described for public consumption. However, if you need the mainboard replaced, you should replace the board - not try to unsolder and add a replacement IC.

Not sure what number of layers a ThinkPad logicboard uses for its PCB, but removing a chip and replacing it when it's not socket-based is generally not possible as it's been sodlered at multiple levels to correctly speak to different areas of the PCB.

expansion from comment
Additionally, you'd have to trace down the "why" of the burned IC. If it's not something simple like the just that IC, the battery or power supply itself, you could be replacing it multiple times in the attempt to isolate what component failure is the root cause. ICs don't normally fail in this manner, typically it's another failed component elsewhere that cooked it.
(thanks Brian!)

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Additionally, you'd have to trace down the "why" of the burned IC. If it's not something simple like the just that IC, the battery or power supply itself, you could be replacing it multiple times in the attempt to isolate what component failure is the root cause. ICs don't normally fail in this manner, typically it's another failed component elsewhere that cooked it. – Brian Knoblauch Dec 22 '09 at 20:45
Your understanding of layers and PCBs seems to be a bit off. All components are simply soldered to the surface of the board. There can be signal layers running through the mid planes, but these are connected to the surface with vias. It's a very easy task to replace SMT components on motherboards. The main issues though is why it originally burnt out. – cybergibbons Aug 30 '11 at 9:35
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Modern printed circuit boards often require special tools and solder. They are not designed to be repaired. You could try and find a mother board, but laptop mother boards are very specific. You would need an exact replacement. They are very expensive. Unless the laptop is under warranty, it probably is not worth repairing. You might be able to salvage some components like the RAM, Hard drive, CPU, maybe the screen and try to sell them, but even then I doubt you would get very much.

As much as I hate to throw things away, that maybe your best option. Please try to find a electronics recycling facility that will properly dispose of it instead of tossing it in a landfill.

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