Finally got a handle on those weird Lenovo power circuit issues

I was at a tech meetup in Phoenix last month and a guy showed me his trick with a thermal camera on a ThinkPad motherboard. Spotted a failing capacitor I would've missed, fixed it in 20 minutes. Anyone else have a go-to method for those specific power rail problems?

3 comments

3 Comments

gavin_kim32mo agoMost Upvoted

You're right that a bright light and a multimeter get the job done most of the time. I used to think thermal cameras were just for show, but seeing a hot spot form under power before a component even looks bad changed my view. It's another tool that can save time on the tricky ones.

oliver_mitchell2mo ago

That thermal camera trick is just showing off. Most shops can't drop a grand on a toy like that. I've fixed hundreds of those boards with a ten dollar multimeter and a bright light. You look for swollen caps or discolored spots near the power jack. Half the time it's a cracked solder joint you can see if you just look close enough. Fancy gear makes a simple fix seem like rocket science.

the_jason26d ago

$10 multimeter and a bright light got me through 12 years of phone repairs. Spent way too much on a FLIR once, used it three times, sold it on Craigslist. That guy's not wrong about cracked solder joints either, that's half my nintendo switch repairs right there.