[wektech]

I am dealing with an interesting notebook problem. This notebook was working fine until it was moved along with the users other possessions from Japan to the U.S. west coast. Upon arrival in the U.S. the notebook was dead and would not power up. There are no signs of exterior damage. The power adapters internal overload protection kicks in as soon as the adapter is connected to the notebook (even before the center voltage sense pin makes contact). The battery is completely and utterly discharged as well. Removing the battery, display, memory, hard drive, DVD/CD drive, wlan, and modem do not elimenate the short circuit symptom. The power adapter has been tested and will run a different laptop. The same symptoms exist with a different adapter as well.

So it seems that the motherboard is bad, but the question is what could have caused the issue. Rough handling by movers is usually an issue but there are no external signs such as a cracked case or display. If the system simply did not power up I could still believe that the problem was rough handling but the short circuit symptoms are unexpected. Another thought that came to mind was that the notebook could have been exposed to extreme cold for a prolonged period which I have seen cause these types of issues usually due to capacitors failing.

The moving company is balking at paying to repair or replace the notebook so it would help if we can explain what possibly caused the damage. Any ideas?

[Howard]

Japan's voltage is 100volts and the USA is 120 volts. Perhaps this is why the overload protection kicks in mate?

Maybe a new mains adapter is required?

[Gunner]

100 vs 110-120 50/60 hz is no big deal. Most notebooks automatically
switch 110 to 240 and back.
In any kind of move, even from one room to another, a variety of things can
and do happen. A short in the power supply should be fairly easy for any
tech to troubleshoot. I can find shorts quicker than open circuits.
Caps usually open rather than short when it goes bad.
Good luck.

[Albert Lionheart]

I used to be in the shipping business and one of the problems you can get is condensation on internal components, expecially if the equipment was in a damp environment before it was packed and shipped. This is why you find silica gel packed in with some bits of kit.
Sorry, but if that is the case then the fault is terminal.

[wektech]

I found out a bit more from the user. The notebook was shipped via air transport not to the west coast but to the northeast U.S. which leads me to believe that it was probably deep frozen. These transports usually refuel in Hawaii if the destination is near here, but route via Alaska for the northern latitudes. I also found out that the shipment took several weeks, which probably means it sat in a container on a frozen tarmack for a period of time.

[Albert Lionheart]

Sue the airline!

[Rik]

was it shipped with the battery in it? For shipping purposes the battery should really be removed.

Also, have you tried the battery in another laptop to see if it will charge?

[backsavekkk]

yeah?

[Albert Lionheart]

Come on you mods - get rid of this idiot who cannot even get the URL of the junk he is selling onto the post!