laptop power button

[Johnspace]

Hello all

I am hoping to repair a laptop power button. The circuit board has become damaged and no longer works. Using a metal clip across the cable powers the laptop on.

An exact part replacement seems unavailable.

The circuit board with button connected via a ribbon cable.

Would a momentary switch be suitable? And if so, how would I go about connecting it to a ribbon cable?

Thanks all.

 

[shrtrnd]

Telling us the manufacturer and model number might get you better information.

 

[73's de Edd]

AND a closeup photo of " what's being left of it" .

 

[Johnspace]

Hi,
The laptop is a MD 98733. I managed to find the part - 15bft1-050203 but it is not affordable at €64.90 - so I am still looking for an alternative option.

Unfortunately I no longer have the board. The laptop design is questionable and we had problems with the power button all along. I believe the board itself was exposed to pressure/friction from general use and this is what damaged it and would likely damage it again. During my attempt to identify the problem, I removed it and given its state did not keep a close eye on it and sadly lost it.

 

[73's de Edd]

Sir Johnspace . . . . . . .

With your unit being a . . . . .MEDION AKOYA S6211T Laptop aka (MD98733) . . .with its 1 terabyte HDD

Have I found the side of your unit, and is my assumption on the location of its power switch being correct?

And if so, was the silver pushbutton cap really attached to a rectangular vinyl pad?
And is both the metal cap and its vinyl portion behind it, now being missing?
But by looking in the resultant hole , you can see the rectangular contact grid which I have shown as being a circular version . . .vice rectangle and is shown just above, on the green board pic inset.

ORIGINALLY . . . your vinyl pad at the rear of the silver frontal pushbutton would have had a black colloidial graphite contact pad on its back.
Such as I have depicted on the very top photo inset.

Soooooooooooo now if you reach in and make contact across that grid network with a metallic contact for a second or so, you can turn the unit on / off ? . . . . . am I right ?

Two repair thoughts come to mind that would be right about €62 cheaper than your very pricey find.

But first . . . . .I now wait to see if all of my prior assumptions were being correct ?

Laptops Side Photo:





Further Clarification:

If you have left , just exactly what I described, all holds true . . . . . . however if you happened to have pulled the WHOLE PCB assembly,with its ribbon connector, the square SILVER switch . . . .( which we call a TACT switch ) and the surface mount LED.
Its a whole DIFFERENT story and you are now treading in some deeeeeep do-do.









73's de Edd

 

[Johnspace]

Hello, thank you for your post and time.

The entire board & button are both gone, leaving just the cable itself.

 

[Johnspace]

I was able to find the board: http://i.imgur.com/dBcd8Ak.jpg As you can see, there is damage (looks a lot worse zoomed in like that).

It is/was slightly different to the one you posted, there is no actual button connected to the board. I think the plastic button may have had a metal interior which sat across the 3 silver circles on the right side of my image.

 

[Gryd3]

I was able to find the board: http://i.imgur.com/dBcd8Ak.jpg As you can see, there is damage (looks a lot worse zoomed in like that).

It is/was slightly different to the one you posted, there is no actual button connected to the board. I think the plastic button may have had a metal interior which sat across the 3 silver circles on the right side of my image.

Nope... the board is the same... the damage is that severe!
This is not normal use damage. Who did what to that poor laptop?

(look closely and you can see part of the button sheared off, and the contacts for the resistors and LED... All of which is gone)

 

[73's de Edd]

Sir Johnspace . . . . . . .

English to Texan converter activated. . . . .

I tell you whuts, it done certainly 'peers like to me , what like that there boored done fells out of yore cars and wuz a layin downs theres on the con-cretes driveways and you done went and droves all overs it a whole bunches of times with yore BIG 'ole hevveeeeeeey Mercedes Benz.
And thets why it looks so awl frazzled ups.

English to Texan converter . . . . now deactivated . . . . .

Things are looking better with that photo for referencing BOTH sides of the board as mine was only for the component side.

I was thinking of less conductors on the ribbon cable unless a few are unused.

Basically the switching/connections needed, are a common ground and a line that feeds the LED on the board and up to two connections for the power switch function.
Now you don't really NEED that indicator LED, so you are actually down to only two connections.
On the component side, you can see that now cracked up black? / grey? TACT switch and it is numbered at the four corners.
Ohmming out the 1 2 3 4 connections will reveal that there are 2 jumpers across them for switch redundancy / reliability..
Read between the pairs and you will find a shorting action when the frontal push button is pressed . . . .UNLESS . . . it is now broken so bad, as to no longer work..


So basically, you just now need to get a new tact switch to use, easy to find , and if you want a reliability reference, your left and right "clicks" on your mouse are connecting into one of those.

No heavy power is involved with the switch, as the power is controlled at the computer portion that this switch activates.

The switch action is a normally open, momentary closed, contact switch action.

Soooooooo . . . . . what does the computer cases area, that I marked up with a YELLOW rectangle, look like now ?
Is it all missing and just having a rectangular hole there now ?
The chore now is just basically having another tact switch interconnected to the ribbon cable through two fine flexible stranded wires.
According to the case question, just asked, will determine the mechanico / cosmetic aspect of bumping the switched case area out a bit for accommodating the switches mounting space.


Standing by . . . . . afar.



73's de Edd

 

[Johnspace]

Hey again all.

The picture does look terrible Gryd3 but to the naked eye most of the damage is invisible. I am unsure how it happened, it is my sisters laptop.

73's de Edd - Thank you greatly for all your help thus far but I must confess I am struggling to follow some of it. I have no real electronic knowledge/expertise and perhaps this project will prove beyond me.

There is indeed a rectangle hole in the side of the case, with the little ribbon now poking through (so as to be accessible). The aesthetics at this point are of no huge priority, if that helps at all.

 

[Johnspace]

Is anyone able to offer further assistance, or is this not fixable?

 

[davenn]

I am unsure how it happened, it is my sisters laptop.

I have a pretty good idea ....
the button has fallen out and then things have been poked in there to try and continue to activate the switch
till finally it and the circuit board were damaged beyond it being able to operate


If you can identify which 2 wires in that ribbon cable go to the switch positions in the PCB, you would have a chance of
putting those wires to another switch and getting it operational again .... it may not look pretty, but it will work


Dave

 

[73's de Edd]

Sir Johnspace. . . . . . .

Why 'soitanly . . . . firstly you digs into your tall stack of money and pulls out your £0.261 and order one of these SEALED tactile switches .
I am including this supplier since I know that they serve your country . . . .WELL.
( Even though, their interplanetary home base is 35 clicks from my front door. . . . I call them "The Mouse House."

http://www.mouser.co.uk/ProductDetail/CK-Components/KSC1001G-LFS/?qs=/ha2pyFaduhfjT3CVoZVRmvJhKMZzrp5c9zqJ6Dn%2bcbKqNOgzp4Kfw==

(Now don't get GREEDY, as they are then only going to have 964 of then left, after filling your order.)

And then YOU build a MINI housing from 4 pieces of acrylic plastic to surround it.( Ever make any plastic models when a kid ?)
That will then create a "bump out" housing to surround the unit for physical protection.
Then you figure out who of your immediate family, happens to know a college or trades instructor . . .or a student who has received training . ..or an electronics "nerd" or an amateur radio operator (HAM).

SOMEONE out of all of that mentioned group, should confirm themselves as being adept at soldering, so have that lucky person take two fine stranded wires and solder one to each of the two contacts on the back of that tactile switch. (THEY are going to have the wire.)
Then, one of the loose wire ends gets soldered to one of the contact pads on the ribbon cable ** and the other free wire gets soldered to the other contact pad on the ribbon cable.

** Fortunately, you have ALREADY found the two "magic" contacts involved, so we won't have to tell you how to trace them down from that old PCB.

The ribbon cable:
Most of the ones I have see have either copper contact tabs or more likely TINNED copper tabs, and will accept a FAST soldering to them.
OR an eraser cleaning of a contact tab and a degreasing of any residue and an immediate drop of applied rosin soldering fliuid will make EXTREMELY quick and easy soldering job for each contact.

If perchance the wire to ribbon cable solder connection is problematic, inquire and I can give you a do it yourself connecting interface solution using:

After connector interfacing is made, press to test the new tactile push button and confirm sweet success.

FIO . . . the tactile switch handles almost NO power at ALL , the real POWER handling is done inside of the laptop, responding to a feeble electrical summons from that tact switch.

Then the connection areas are taped up flat and compact and the cable is inserted back into the case hole, wire slack taken up.
Then the internal rims of the plastic "bump out" receives a toothpick applied seam of Silicone Rubber and is pressed to the pre-degreased area of the case and tape or twine bound to maintain pressure for an overnight cure time.
This creates HOLD, yet it permits removal for any future access needs.

That's the rest of the story . . .now, what say ye ?

73's de Edd

 

[Johnspace]

Thank you kindly for the instructions.

Would this switch http://i.imgur.com/y5XynOk.jpg be suitable? ( he previously linked item had a rather steep shipping charge of £12).

 

[73's de Edd]

Sir Johnspace:

Yes
But with these stipulations:
You only gave the image URL so I can't research it to see if it is sealed.

Is there any chance that the other vendor is an " Ali express" affiliate, which sometimes offer
low priced shipping, but, it takes a month to deliver, most times.

I am surprised with the other source, with its shipping of 24 times the price of the part.


73's de Edd

 

[Johnspace]

The item was from ebay, http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TACTILE-S...262024?hash=item3f356ccb48:g:OZoAAOxysE5Sa8BQ it is sealed I believe.

And isn't coming via the China horse trade route, so should take less than the usual ebay month

 

[73's de Edd]

KSR231G LFS

Looked it up, and it ALSO is being a sealed unit.

And looks like you are paying 6 times the price and the same £12 on shipping.
Looks like I am totally spoiled with my £0.261 price and they pop it in a small bubble wrap envelope
and post it to me for £0.5.

BUT with your own repair of this unit, you avert the £50-100 that a "brick and mortar" electronics repair
facility would / might have to charge.

73's de Edd