urgent: laptop repair Pattaya

[tgw]

My laptop just died, I believe the problem is power-related, repair might involve replacing a chip or two.

 

Who knows a shop doing that kind of work and which is open at the moment, during the lockdown?

[Bruno123]

Pattaya2u around the back of Tukcom(near the car park)/ There is another shop that can do it; but his work is a bit messy. His shop is called AppleCare or some such and is also near the car park.

Expect to pay around 2k.

[shortstop2]

11 minutes ago, Bruno123 said:

Pattaya2u around the back of Tukcom(near the car park)/

I've had good luck with this shop.

[MrJ2U]

12 minutes ago, Bruno123 said:

Pattaya2u around the back of Tukcom(near the car park)/ There is another shop that can do it; but his work is a bit messy. His shop is called AppleCare or some such and is also near the car park.

Expect to pay around 2k.

Good choice.  Fairly cheap.

 

Also if you wander around that area there were many other computer repair shops.  COVID-19 may have closed a few with so few falang.

[law ling]

Yes, there are several repairers with their own shopfront stores in the Tukcom area.

 

I successfully used "Eastern IT Pattaya" near the carpark.

 

From South Pattaya Road, walk down the soi between Tukcom and the big K Bank, then turn left at the soi where (the now closed) FamilyMart is. They are about six shops down, on the left-hand side.

 

Ask for Mr. Tom.

[tgw]

thanks for all the advice, I will try my luck

[giddyup]

13 hours ago, Bruno123 said:

Pattaya2u around the back of Tukcom(near the car park)/ There is another shop that can do it; but his work is a bit messy. His shop is called AppleCare or some such and is also near the car park.

Expect to pay around 2k.

They charged me 3500 baht to fix the power button which seemed excessive to me.

[tgw]

22 minutes ago, giddyup said:

They charged me 3500 baht to fix the power button which seemed excessive to me.

I was quoted the same price today.

 

but "fix the power button" is probably not describing the work they did on your laptop.

[giddyup]

21 minutes ago, tgw said:

I was quoted the same price today.

 

but "fix the power button" is probably not describing the work they did on your laptop.

 Unless you know something about what is being fixed you are completely at the repairer's mercy, be it a laptop, watch, car etc. They can show me some electronic component and say this is what they replaced, but who knows?

Edited August 9, 2021 by giddyup

[KannikaP]

16 hours ago, tgw said:

I believe the problem is power-related, repair might involve replacing a chip or two

How do you come to that conclusion?

[Bruno123]

55 minutes ago, giddyup said:

They charged me 3500 baht to fix the power button which seemed excessive to me.

I don't use them for that very reason. I quoted the price that you should pay for that kind of job and the price that I did pay.

Unless they had to pay for new parts it was...excessive.

So I gave the OP a guide price, to prevent him from being ripped off unnecessarily.

 

[giddyup]

11 minutes ago, Bruno123 said:

I don't use them for that very reason. I quoted the price that you should pay for that kind of job and the price that I did pay.

Unless they had to pay for new parts it was...excessive.

So I gave the OP a guide price, to prevent him from being ripped off unnecessarily.

 

I get a little annoyed when people keep recommending this shop as though they are completely above board and never rip off anyone. Personally, I think they charge what they think the customer will wear. I learned my lesson, next time I will shop around inside Tucom and get a few prices. BTW, the price I was quoted (3500 Baht) was before they even opened the laptop.

Edited August 9, 2021 by giddyup

[DrPhibes]

If it is a Dell, they have a power sensor circuit that checks to make sure you are using a true Dell power supply.  Have had 2 of those go bad after owning 5 Dells over a long time and are able to be repaired.

[LongTimeLurker]

1 hour ago, giddyup said:

They charged me 3500 baht to fix the power button which seemed excessive to me.

Whenever I've used Pattaya2U they have charged me Baht 500 for the labour, and whatever the part cost, which was never too outrageous or I wouldn't continue using them.

 

A couple of times I've been and left a laptop that wouldn't start up, come back in an hour and it's working and no charge.

 

I find the shops inside Tukcom pretty useless for repairs of computers, printers or 'phones, they're just seller that want to sell new stuff, it's the shops outside that have their own workshop that you want to find.

[giddyup]

3 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said:

Whenever I've used Pattaya2U they have charged me Baht 500 for the labour, and whatever the part cost, which was never too outrageous or I wouldn't continue using them.

 

A couple of times I've been and left a laptop that wouldn't start up, come back in an hour and it's working and no charge.

 

I find the shops inside Tukcom pretty useless for repairs of computers, printers or 'phones, they're just seller that want to sell new stuff, it's the shops outside that have their own workshop that you want to find.

Like I said, they quoted me 3500 baht before even opening the laptop. How they could diagnose the problem and give me a price before doing that is a mystery to me. Like a motor mechanic quoting a price because your car won't start, but not even opening the hood.

Edited August 9, 2021 by giddyup

[Bruno123]

59 minutes ago, giddyup said:

I get a little annoyed when people keep recommending this shop as though they are completely above board and never rip off anyone. Personally, I think they charge what they think the customer will wear. I learned my lesson, next time I will shop around inside Tucom and get a few prices. BTW, the price I was quoted (3500 Baht) was before they even opened the laptop.

He asked about what was open and who could carry out the work. He didn't ask about value for money. But I also put a price range in there; so that if they quoted a ridiculous price....

 

I also mentioned someone else who would be cheaper; but he likes to break things.

 

He could take it to an official service centre; but they would likely replace the whole motherboard. 

[Bruno123]

50 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said:

Whenever I've used Pattaya2U they have charged me Baht 500 for the labour, and whatever the part cost, which was never too outrageous or I wouldn't continue using them.

 

A couple of times I've been and left a laptop that wouldn't start up, come back in an hour and it's working and no charge.

 

I find the shops inside Tukcom pretty useless for repairs of computers, printers or 'phones, they're just seller that want to sell new stuff, it's the shops outside that have their own workshop that you want to find.

They used to be inside Tukcom, as was the other place that I mentioned. Replacing the power management chip was exactly the job that I had done.

Doesn't sound like the same issue with the OP; but he seems confident.

[LongTimeLurker]

1 hour ago, giddyup said:

Like I said, they quoted me 3500 baht before even opening the laptop. How they could diagnose the problem and give me a price before doing that is a mystery to me. Like a motor mechanic quoting a price because your car won't start, but not even opening the hood.

Maybe they had just had experience before with the problem you had so knew the estimated price and were giving you advance warning so you could head to the ATM.

[giddyup]

1 hour ago, LongTimeLurker said:

Maybe they had just had experience before with the problem you had so knew the estimated price and were giving you advance warning so you could head to the ATM.

Are all power button problems identical?

Edited August 9, 2021 by giddyup

[giddyup]

1 hour ago, Bruno123 said:

He asked about what was open and who could carry out the work. He didn't ask about value for money. But I also put a price range in there; so that if they quoted a ridiculous price....

 

I also mentioned someone else who would be cheaper; but he likes to break things.

 

He could take it to an official service centre; but they would likely replace the whole motherboard. 

I was talking generally, not having a go at you. I went to this shop myself because of previous recommendations,  and pretty sure I was over charged, but if others have been satisfied, good for them.

[Bruno123]

1 minute ago, giddyup said:

I was talking generally, not having a go at you. I went to this shop myself because of previous recommendations,  and pretty sure I was over charged, but if others have been satisfied, good for them.

I'm sure on another day and another forum many years ago, when they were inside Tukcom, I pointed out the relatively high fees. The replies were overwhelmingly that whoever used them received good service; if I remember correctly. So if value isn't an issue, it seems a solid recommendation. 

 

[giddyup]

31 minutes ago, Bruno123 said:

I'm sure on another day and another forum many years ago, when they were inside Tukcom, I pointed out the relatively high fees. The replies were overwhelmingly that whoever used them received good service; if I remember correctly. So if value isn't an issue, it seems a solid recommendation. 

 

When is it ever that value is not an issue?????

[tgw]

5 hours ago, KannikaP said:

How do you come to that conclusion?

Power went off while under high load.

 

I might have heard a snap noise coming from the laptop, but I cannot be sure, maybe it came from the speaker.

 

When reconnecting the power supply, charging LEDs come on on the laptop, as if charging the battery.

 

When trying to start the laptop, then either the LED light briefly turns green for 1/10th of a second, then nothing happens, or the blue LED blinks. In both cases t the power supply goes offline, i.e. the LED on the power supply goes off and won't come back on until de-plugged and re-plugged in a socket. This suggests an electrical problem within the laptop, maybe a short. The power supply also turned itself off when I accidently shorted it.

 

When holding down the power button of the laptop, a very faint clicking noise came from the power supply.

 

I also noticed USB ports were at least partially powered.

 

I checked the power supply with a multimeter and it delivers 19V.

 

There was not the slightest burn smell coming from the laptop.

 

 

=> so it might be a number of things.
1) the power suppply looks ok, but maybe it's shot somehow and despite testing ok for voltage is unable to deliver the required amperage of 11. something. but it's unlikely.

2) the long defunct battery interferes with the laptop's operation. shouldn't be the case as it should be able to operate without, but who knows.

3) the power jack/internal connection is faulty. unlikely because I almost never plug it in or out, the power jack doesn't move.

4) a protective fuse fried just behind the power jack: this might have happened. I was too agitated to think about a fuse. If that's the cause, it will be an expensive fuse. this scenario is compatible with the total absence of burn smell, but then I wonder why trying to turn on the laptop turns off the power supply.

5) something more nasty past the power jack assembly: I have no idea. I know there are one or two chips on the motherboard responsible for brokering the power to the mainboard's components, like the CPU, card slots, USB ports, etc. maybe it's one of those chips that failed. that's compatible with all symptoms.

[davidhen]

I've used Pattaya2u on a few occasions since 2015 and found them to be what I consider to be fair-priced. 

I did have one occasion when they deemed the visit "non-chargeable" and I have always found them to be very courteous and friendly.

My first visit was in 2015 with my wife. We were given a coke each to drink whilst I waited for the repair.  I realise that it was probably good PR, but nonetheless, it was a nice touch.

In short, I highly recommend them.

[Espanol]

23 hours ago, Bruno123 said:

Pattaya2u around the back of Tukcom(near the car park)/ There is another shop that can do it; but his work is a bit messy. His shop is called AppleCare or some such and is also near the car park.

Expect to pay around 2k.

I think that they specialise in Apple there.

 

[Espanol]

9 hours ago, LongTimeLurker said:

I find the shops inside Tukcom pretty useless for repairs of computers, printers or 'phones, they're just seller that want to sell new stuff

If you ask at the small stalls there, they only repair telephones, don't sell new ones, so they are eager to repair them at a good price.

 

I had a good experience there replacing a broken display of my Samsung galaxy. Cheap and fast.

Edited August 9, 2021 by Espanol

[OZinPattaya]

3 hours ago, tgw said:

Power went off while under high load.

 

I might have heard a snap noise coming from the laptop, but I cannot be sure, maybe it came from the speaker.

 

When reconnecting the power supply, charging LEDs come on on the laptop, as if charging the battery.

 

When trying to start the laptop, then either the LED light briefly turns green for 1/10th of a second, then nothing happens, or the blue LED blinks. In both cases t the power supply goes offline, i.e. the LED on the power supply goes off and won't come back on until de-plugged and re-plugged in a socket. This suggests an electrical problem within the laptop, maybe a short. The power supply also turned itself off when I accidently shorted it.

 

When holding down the power button of the laptop, a very faint clicking noise came from the power supply.

 

I also noticed USB ports were at least partially powered.

 

I checked the power supply with a multimeter and it delivers 19V.

 

There was not the slightest burn smell coming from the laptop.

 

 

=> so it might be a number of things.
1) the power suppply looks ok, but maybe it's shot somehow and despite testing ok for voltage is unable to deliver the required amperage of 11. something. but it's unlikely.

2) the long defunct battery interferes with the laptop's operation. shouldn't be the case as it should be able to operate without, but who knows.

3) the power jack/internal connection is faulty. unlikely because I almost never plug it in or out, the power jack doesn't move.

4) a protective fuse fried just behind the power jack: this might have happened. I was too agitated to think about a fuse. If that's the cause, it will be an expensive fuse. this scenario is compatible with the total absence of burn smell, but then I wonder why trying to turn on the laptop turns off the power supply.

5) something more nasty past the power jack assembly: I have no idea. I know there are one or two chips on the motherboard responsible for brokering the power to the mainboard's components, like the CPU, card slots, USB ports, etc. maybe it's one of those chips that failed. that's compatible with all symptoms.

 

 

Back in the day I used to do some component-level work on circuit boards. It sounds to me like you have a short (although usually what happens with laptops is that the adapter will shut off the moment you connect the adapter plug to the laptop DC jack). Trying to figure out which of the thousands upon thousands of IC's on the motherboard is causing the short can be extremely difficult. A shorting chip almost anywhere on the board, whether or not it has anything to do with a power circuit, can cause the whole board to test shorted with a continuity meter. We used to hookup a benchtop power supply (which could not be turned off by the motherboard over-current protection) to the motherboard and literally see which chip got sizzling hot (a good sign, but not foolproof as to which chip was causing the short). 

 

Any repair shop should have a universal power supply to test the adapter in a jiffy. Unlikely, from your description, to be the problem. 

 

You can rule out the blown fuse. There usually is no such fuse to begin with (that would make too much engineering sense), and a blown fuse would create an open circuit, not a short (and so would not cause the adapter to shut off). 

 

A bad DC jack can certainly cause a no-power problem but wouldn't cause the adapter to turn off. I think you can safely rule out the DC jack. A bad power jack would likely cause an open circuit. 

 

There are laptops now with internal batteries (non-cartridge) that simply will not power on even with the adapter if the battery has gone bad in certain ways. A possibility. But why then would the adapter turn off? Again, sounds like a short. 

 

Sophisticated board-level repair shops sometimes use expensive FLIR cameras to identify the shorting chip. Otherwise you "current blast" the short with an external power supply and keep ramping up the amps until something starts to smoke. Sometimes you get lucky and it's a redundant capacitor which fries under the load and, voila, working laptop. Not exactly scientific but sometimes it's your best bet to resurrect a dead board when all else fails. 

 

Whether a failed chip results in an acrid odor depends on how bad the chip has fried. It's almost better when it does fry badly, makes it easier to identify on the board. No stink and most likely everything will look fine visually to the technician. 

 

There are hundreds, if not thousands of chips on the motherboard (not just two or three) responsible for the various power circuits on a laptop motherboard (if you're going to include the small armies of multi-layer capacitors and resistors involved in such circuits). 2/3rd of the entire motherboard deals with dishing out power. Could be any of these that went bad. 

 

I can't comment on the technical prowess or Thai computer technicians but if some component on the motherboard is shorting it's most likely a mosfet or some "footless" IC and I doubt a Pattaya tech is going to have the knowhow, schematics, pricy rework equipment, optics, or part sources, to do the job. Although maybe I'm wrong and Thai PC techs are as resourceful here as the scooter techs. Anyway, good luck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jacko45k]

6 hours ago, Espanol said:

I had a good experience there replacing a broken display of my Samsung galaxy. Cheap and fast.

Good for you.... my Mrs had one replaced, I thought not so cheap, a copy, and it was defunct under a week later. It caused her so much aggravation I just gave her money for a new phone. Swings and roundabouts......

Hopefully she stops putting the phone on the truck bed rear bumper from now on. 

Edited August 9, 2021 by jacko45k

[LongTimeLurker]

18 hours ago, tgw said:

2) the long defunct battery interferes with the laptop's operation. shouldn't be the case as it should be able to operate without, but who knows.

I have that problem with the laptop I'm using as I type, it won't start up if the battery is in place, so now that battery is a paperweight on the table next to me.

 

Can you remove your battery to see if that resolves the problem?

Edited August 10, 2021 by LongTimeLurker
Typo

[LongTimeLurker]

14 hours ago, Espanol said:

If you ask at the small stalls there, they only repair telephones, don't sell new ones, so they are eager to repair them at a good price.

 

I had a good experience there replacing a broken display of my Samsung galaxy. Cheap and fast.

I've had the opposite experience, they didn't want to touch my 'phone with a bargepole when i had a faulty screen (so I thought), but driving away I spotted an outside shop and popped in as a last resort.

 

The lady 'cold booted' the 'phone and the screen was working perfectly and her husband looked at it and I got it back good as new. It still works to this day although the battery doesn't charge so well.

 

Unfortunately that shop no longer exists so when I went back to indoor Tukcom to see if I can find someone to cannabalise two 'phones into one, again they were not interested.