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Gateway MA7 mainboard power circuit
Hello technical gurus & brethren - I have a Gateway MA7 laptop that I took in on trade and already have a little money in it and I am trying to avoid ordering a new board when the problem is most likely a simple one. I have seen where several other users have inquired with a similar problem but have not seen any replies with the technical response I was seeking. It seemed to POST fine when the battery had a charge but died when it was depleted. It will not post at all without the battery and the battery is good. It is not the DC connector. I have pulled the mainboard and the DC connector appears to be fine. I have 19 Volts getting to the board. It is apparently not switching back from battery & no power to an AC / charging state. There is a transistor marked E74 which I am suspicious of but before I start desoldering and testing components I was hoping to find someone that has already repaired this to confirm that it is this or a similar semi-conductor switch. Schematics would be nice... but I'm not holding my breath.
1st May 2009
Answers (4)
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Same situation
Brandon, I have a Gateway MA7 in the same condition as yours. Unfortunately I haven't been able to solve it. Please let me know if you ever figured anything out.
Seth
Seth
17th Sep 2009
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If it will post with the battery, that sounds encouraging
I would start looking closely for SMD fuses or diodes that are part of the charger circuit.
Will it charge the battery?
I've seen many laptops that would charge the battery but not power-on...pretty sure in my case it was either the transistor 'soft switch' that failed, or some deeper problem which does not allow the 'power good' signal to get back to the power supply section from the northbridge chipset.
In your case, it sounds to me like the core part of the Mobo is good, just a power supply-section part has failed.
Logically the circuitry used to charge the device is the same circuit path used to supply power to the unit when it is on battery.
Maybe just buy an external battery charger and call it fixed?
Will it charge the battery?
I've seen many laptops that would charge the battery but not power-on...pretty sure in my case it was either the transistor 'soft switch' that failed, or some deeper problem which does not allow the 'power good' signal to get back to the power supply section from the northbridge chipset.
In your case, it sounds to me like the core part of the Mobo is good, just a power supply-section part has failed.
Logically the circuitry used to charge the device is the same circuit path used to supply power to the unit when it is on battery.
Maybe just buy an external battery charger and call it fixed?
Updated - 17th Sep 2009
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About dead Gateway MA3 / MA7 notebooks...
Many of you have Gateway MA3 / MA7 (MX6xxxx / MT6xxx) notebooks that don't power on at all. Some of you have replaced your jacks, only to find out that the problem remained.
This problem is due to a short in between the layers on your board - but a skilled technician can still repair it. Precision Division in Clearwater FL repairs this problem in the Gateway MA3 / MA7 notebooks for around a hundred.
This problem is due to a short in between the layers on your board - but a skilled technician can still repair it. Precision Division in Clearwater FL repairs this problem in the Gateway MA3 / MA7 notebooks for around a hundred.
Updated - 18th Apr 2010
Replies
Touting for work isn't cool but probably more importantly the post that you answered is a year old so not only are you wasting your time but you are reviving a Zombie Thread.
Col
Col
OH Smeg
18th Apr 2010
Plz post answers, not ads.
rlounsbu
9th May 2010
I have found an issue with an MA7 that was brought in to me for repair apparently it is a problem in the mid-plain of the mother board between the DC jack and one of the chips I have pictures of my repair on my blog. Let me know if it helps you out.
http://cegeekbook.blogspot.com/2010/07/gateway-ma7-mx6930-no-power-will-not.html
http://cegeekbook.blogspot.com/2010/07/gateway-ma7-mx6930-no-power-will-not.html
cesgeek
24th Jul 2010
That is very useful information. I've just repaired one of these, thinking it would be usual stress-fractured solder joints (why are power connectors never properly anchored?) and I would never have arrived at your solution. Thank you!
fjp@...
11th Aug 2010
I'm having the same problem but I have no clue what y'all did to fix it. I looked at the pictures and everything.
Skylarhefner
25th Oct 2010
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attn: cesgeek, pix of the MA7 mother board with power on problem
can you send me pix of the MA7 motherboard with power on problem cause I have the same problem it power on. tnx. my email add: bike_wd_mike@yahoo.com
19th Feb
Replies
Note the OP was from 2009
robo_dev
20th Feb
