Laptop repair is not as simple as it might seem at first glance.
Here are a few reasons why:
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You need a clear understanding of the exact sequence and mechanics of laptop startup to properly locate the issue.
Those who lack this knowledge at best start going through common problems one by one, and at worst — start soldering everything in sight.
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Soldering components on a motherboard is not something you can teach a "monkey with a soldering iron".
The more "monkeys" try soldering on your laptop's motherboard, the worse it gets for the board!
First of all, removing certain components requires expensive, specialized equipment.
You can't just replace anything on a laptop motherboard using a single soldering iron.
Not even one with a hot air gun!
Not even a soldering station!
Even a professional one!
Even with an infrared heater (and not all of them are "equally effective" — some stations are better avoided altogether).
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To achieve high-quality soldering (like "factory level"), you need to understand the physics of the soldering process!
And not only that.
You also need real-world laptop repair soldering experience — for a true engineer, that means years of practice and hundreds of repaired boards.
At that point, you can visually estimate soldering parameters, correctly position the board, set the right soldering profile, and predict what challenges may arise in the specific conditions on your workbench.
Without this experience, beginners ("well, everyone has to start somewhere"), "experts" ("my buddy solders pipes at a factory"), and quick-profit seekers ("I read about it on a forum — I’ll try, maybe make some cash") often cause irreversible damage to the motherboard.
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The motherboard is actually a pretty durable component.
At least when handled by professionals.
Sometimes it can survive 3–4 times more abuse than it should and still be repairable.
But that’s not always the case.
Here are some examples of damage that can render a board irreparable or make repair economically unreasonable:
a) Torn contact pads under chips
Usually caused by desoldering chips at too low a temperature (partial solder melting).
If 30+ pads are torn — the repair becomes so complex that hardly anyone will agree to do it.
b) Blown 3.3V and/or 5V standby power lines
For example, when the power controller is removed but the MOSFETs are left unmanaged — 19V flows through the upper transistor into the 3.3V rail, and a couple of seconds is enough to fry half the board.
Or from careless handling of metal tools near the board.
c) Bridged solder balls under chips in Lenovo laptops
Lenovo laptops (Legion, Ideapad Gaming) use such a compound that even simply desoldering any microchips requires specific knowledge and often several soldering processes to achieve the desired result.
Because even during chip removal, the compound can compress and cause solder balls to shoot out under the chip, shorting various circuits.
Here’s a video showing what a board looks like after “someone tried”:
This laptop had to be repaired by replacing the entire motherboard.
But that is:
- First — more expensive
- Second — not always possible to find a matching board
The motherboard is essentially the entire laptop (minus the case, display cables, and screen).
So you can imagine how much it might cost...
If I haven’t convinced you yet — feel free to call or write in the chat.
We’ll gladly provide a free consultation to help you understand what the problem might be and what dangers might arise on the path to solving it.
Then you can make an informed decision about where to take your laptop for repair.
We wish you unbreakable laptops and peaceful skies above!
Your A-Game Laptops team!