~Toughbooktalk~

Hello fellow toughbook enthusiasts,

I'm quite depressed to report that my Toughbook Y4 no longer accepts power from its brick. Nor from the replacement brick
I acquired last time this happened. It was sad to be using it, plugged into the wall, watching the battery slowly drain, knowing
that there would be no coming back from 0%.

This is the third time I've seen this problem; the first time, it started working after a little bit of time. The second time, I
bought a new power brick, and by the time it arrived in the mail, the laptop was working again. I'm not sure if I'm burning through power bricks or not, but I suspect a problem with the voltage regulation/socket on the motherboard. Maybe I'll be lucky and the socket is no longer soldered well, or there's an obviously bad solder joint that I can fix.

In any case, I come here seeking advice and mayhaps a Service Manual, before I pull out the multimeter and open this old friend up.

Thanks,
-TJ

Edit: Full model number is CF-Y4HWPFZBM

I would have to say that unfortunatly the power plug is probably shot. While this can be soldered with a skilled hand (I could do it for sure), it is better to replace the motherboard.

I've attached a few service manuals for you as well

Welcome to the forums as well

Thanks for the manuals, Rob. Unfortunately the promising-looking "Service Manual" (the second link) is only 2 pages long-- looks truncated to me.

I disassembled my Y4. The power connector is not directly soldered to the board; there are actually two wires that lead to a connector on the
motherboard, presumably to make it much more resistant to breakage.

So what's wrong? I have no idea. I do know that if I connect power to the laptop (while open), I can hear a "ticking" (an electronic power switching sound)
about once a second.

If I disconnect the CD-ROM drive from the motherboard, then the LED in the power switch lights up in time with this ticking. I can actually disconnect
everything from the motherboard and still hear this ticking. (and the LED will light if that part if is connected, as long as the CD-ROM is not.)

So, there's power... I expect the flashing is some sort of trouble code, but I have no idea how to interpret it.

Any suggestions or good sources for motherboards? I see a seller on ebay who is selling both a used Y4 for $300, and the parts from a stripped Y4 including
the motherboard for Y4. But, sketchy... Maybe I just need to let go. But how will I get 1400x1050 in a 3.3lb package?!

-TJ

For the record, I obtained a Y5 service manual at http://toughbookforum.com/viewforum.php?f=32 which is probably similar enough.
(It also did not help.)

TJ