VOGONS

Search

Common searches

OmniBook 800CT - exploding tantalum - help (...and moral support) request

Topic actions

First post, by bano

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

Hi everyone,
this is my first post here, and... well, it's a moral support request, mainly 😀
I'm a proud owner of a cute little OmniBook 800CT - the P166 MMX version - perfectly working until yesterday, when suddenly started releasing the magic smoke and the usual nasty smell. I disconnected it from the mains and removed the battery, but the damage was already done... and now it doesn't show any sign of life 🙁.

Taking it apart, on the bottom side I found this:

IMG_20200923_210414.jpg
Filename
IMG_20200923_210414.jpg
File size
1.78 MiB
Views
401 views
File license
Fair use/fair dealing exception

(More pictures here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ph1eo … uPLtFjiu4T0X36b)

The tantalum cap has shorted, I suppose, and almost burnt a hole through the bottom chassis.
Now, I know that this is quite a long stretch, but maybe someone here has the same unit and can help me retrieving the value of the cap. I found some pics here: http://omnibooks.info/archive/ob800/FAQs/ but unfortunately the layout of the motherboard is a bit different, and the cap is not there - supposedly I need someone with the MMX version (F1360).

Of course, all this in the faint hope that the damn capacitor, while shorting, hadn't taken any other component with him.

Thanks in advance!
Kind regards,
Gabriele

Reply 2 of 6, by Thermalwrong

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

I've got an 800CT 166MMX model, potentially I can get some pictures for you but the laptop is all assembled right now. I'm busy over the next few days but maybe on Sunday I could dismantle it to get some pictures. It seems odd that I spent as much time working on the poor thing but didn't take any pictures 😒

Reply 3 of 6, by pentiumspeed

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank l33t
Rank
l33t

I received a LTE ELITE 4/50 while ago, did have burnt tantalum under the power supply on the motherboard. Swapped out and notebook is fine.

Cheers,

Great Northern aka Canada.

Reply 4 of 6, by bano

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

Thank you guys for your replies 😀

quicknick wrote on 2020-09-24, 21:13:

Just remove its remains, clean the area and give it a go, might work without it. Or you can temporarily solder any value that fits, at 16 or 25V.

Yep, I'll keep that as an option, if I can't manage to retrieve the correct value.

Thermalwrong wrote on 2020-09-24, 21:29:

I've got an 800CT 166MMX model, potentially I can get some pictures for you but the laptop is all assembled right now. I'm busy over the next few days but maybe on Sunday I could dismantle it to get some pictures. It seems odd that I spent as much time working on the poor thing but didn't take any pictures 😒

Oh that would be *really* nice - thank you!
I'm pretty sure you already know that, but there's an handy service guide that simplifies the dismantling process a bit.

Kind regards,
Gabriele

Reply 5 of 6, by Thermalwrong

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

As promised, here are some high res pictures of the motherboard from various points. Not labelled but I think you can work out what's what 😀

https://imgur.com/a/kYGmdRv

I'd forgotten the absolute state the plastics are on my one, but thankfully I'm a bit better at repairing plastic than the last time I put this thing back together so the crack around the audio ports is held together properly this time. All working still 😀

Reply 6 of 6, by bano

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie
Thermalwrong wrote on 2020-09-29, 22:04:

As promised, here are some high res pictures of the motherboard from various points. Not labelled but I think you can work out what's what 😀

https://imgur.com/a/kYGmdRv

Oh wow, thank you sir - you really have all my gratitude for this! 😀
Now at least I'm a bit more confidend in replacing the cap - I'll update the thread with the results, as soon as I get time to work again on the OmniBook.

Thermalwrong wrote on 2020-09-29, 22:04:

I'd forgotten the absolute state the plastics are on my one, but thankfully I'm a bit better at repairing plastic than the last time I put this thing back together so the crack around the audio ports is held together properly this time. All working still 😀

I'm glad it's still working 😀
But yeah, I noticed on mine too that the plastics are definitely brittle - surely age is playing a role here, but the plastics looks also a bit thinner than in most laptops of the same era, maybe in order to reduce weight.

Go to top of page Go to top of page
Back to General Old Hardware
Close window
Close window