Notebooks & Netbooks

[JackE]

Hope so. Have you also checked out the power sub-board since you said it also shut down with a known good MB? http://electronicshelponline.blogspot.com/2013/04/acer-aspire-v3-571-v3-571g-how-to_22.html

Jack E/NJ

[ctk2112]

1. Replaced with another MB

2. Still shut down after less than 10 minutes this time.

3. We also tried running it after unplugging the power sub-board (power button mounted to this) and it stayed on for about 15 minutes or so, but still shut down.

4. We thinking this is thermal now.  we detected temp at exhaust port at about 106F with no increase in fan speed before it shut down.  The CPU was probably hotter, but the system was put back together completely this time.

5. We placed the laptop on a Targus chill mat (2 fans) and are running an MBAM scan on it now to see how hot it gets and if it shuts down.

6. It ran for 19 minutes and shut down and the exhaust temp was 90F.

7. Could this be a BIOS issue?  We did notice that the fan doesn't spin up to high speed (ever) even while running an MBAM scan. I am starting to look.  

8. Now that the it shut down with exhaust temp only at 90F, it probably isn't a thermal issue.  Now we are thinking this must be a processor issue. 

Thoughts?

[JackE]

The power sub-board referred to above is sometimes called a charger board ---- it usually connects to the charger jack with a ribbon cable and feeds both the battery & MB. Something may be tripping it or just a bad sub-board.  Hard to tell from afar. Have you tried Ajay's suggestion --- the processor could be a lot hotter than the exhaust port is telling you --- how about putting the whole unit inside the fridge and see how long it runs? 

Jack E/NJ

[ctk2112]

I did discover that it lasts considerably longer if the AC power is not plugged in... over an hour before I noticed it went down.  I will update again after I investigate further.

Thanks for following.

Charles.

[ctk2112]

Well, I bought some time by telling the owner "It's dead!".  

I had to go out of town for a week, but now back and thinking about this.

Posts above mentioned "power sub-board", "charger board", etc.

Does anyone have a part # for this?

Could it be this item?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ACER-ASPIRE-V3-571-15-6-Genuine-OEM-DC-In-Power-Jack-Charging-Port-Cable-/32...

Is there a better place to order from?

Thanks,

Charles.

[JackE]

No, Charles, that's only the jack and cable that plugs into the sub-board.

In researching this more, there may in fact be two sub- or daughter-boards involved in this issue. One holds the power switch itself and looks something like this http://www.notebookparts.com/acer-aspire-v3-571-v3-571-6643-power-button-board-p5ws0-nbx0000uv00/

The other, which the power jack plugs into, I can only refer you to this link right now.

http://electronicshelponline.blogspot.com/2013/04/acer-aspire-v3-571-v3-571g-how-to_22.html

Unfortunately, a lot of these types of small boards are not readily available and often only found as scavenged parts on places like ebay.

Jack E/NJ

[ctk2112]

We ran this motherboard without both of those items disconnected (no connections to the motherboard). We used the power button to start it up and then disconnected the ribbon cable and watched.  It stays on for up to 20-30 minutes and then shuts off suddenly.  We even did this with no RAM chip installed.

We did confirm that this board has the latest BIOS firmware (only one available).

This seems to be the Rubik's cube of laptop problems... 

Please help me save what little hair I have left!  

[JackE]

Correct me if I'm wrong. You've now tried 2 different MBs with essentially the same result. Are you using just one intel I3 CPU part between the two MBs in your tests?

Jack E/NJ

[ctk2112]

The original motherboard was replaced because it would not power on at all.

She stated that it was shutting down by itself for some time now, then the last time it shut off and would not turn back on.

I tried a replacement i3 CPU as well, but there were no significant changes.

Fun, right?

[JackE]

OK, Charles, I now gotta suspect a ground leak or a poor ground connection somewhere. When things get screwy, defy logic or fundamentally create an unfun fun situation, a ground issue often lurks around in there.  Either a board trace or screw contacting something it's not supposed to or NOT contacting (too well) something it's supposed to. Like trying to find a needle in a haystack. So, depending on how patient you are, you might wanna poke around in there a bit cuz you just might get lucky and be a hero. 8^)

Jack E/NJ