Toshiba T1960CT doesn't want to turn on

[itsvince725]

I picked up a Toshiba T1960CT from a guy in New Jersey who just had an entire room full of laptops and it has a problem I just do not understand. When you hit the power button on the side, it attempts to turn on and then shuts off a few seconds later. I've tried powering on without both the NiMH backup battery and the main battery pack but removing those doesn't seem to make a difference. Any ideas what the problem could be?

 

[compaqportableplus]

Have a look at this.

Fix for Power-on Problem in Toshiba 486 Laptops

www.vobarian.com

My T1960CT used to work every time but more recently started doing this, I need to get it fixed eventually.

 

[3lectr1c]

First off, remove the NiMH backup battery and leave it out. They leak catastrophically.
As for your issue, I'm gussing capacitors are at fault, many Toshibas of this age have issues with them. If this one of the units with a completely internal PSU (just uses a two prong cord straight from the wall for power?)
Pictures of your board would help too.
So in any event you probably have some bad caps to replace.

Edit: Looking at compaq's reply - that article is pretty old (from 2009 it seems). He's right though - it's caps. The difference is that today you should just replace all of the electrolytic caps you see there. They're likely to leak with age and others are likely failing too, not just that one.

 

[itsvince725]

First off, remove the NiMH backup battery and leave it out. They leak catastrophically.
As for your issue, I'm gussing capacitors are at fault, many Toshibas of this age have issues with them. If this one of the units with a completely internal PSU (just uses a two prong cord straight from the wall for power?)
Pictures of your board would help too.
So in any event you probably have some bad caps to replace.

Edit: Looking at compaq's reply - that article is pretty old (from 2009 it seems). He's right though - it's caps. The difference is that today you should just replace all of the electrolytic caps you see there. They're likely to leak with age and others are likely failing too, not just that one.

NiMH battery got pulled pretty much immediately, especially since the other Toshiba I got from the same place was starting to get eaten by its batteries.

This model doesn't have an internal PSU, just a typical DC jack for an external one.

 

[3lectr1c]

Alright good on the battery! Chances are there’s still a DC/DC board somewhere in it with caps though, even if the PSU is external. That’s gonna be where your problem lies.

 

[itsvince725]

Sadly this is only the start of my problems, as the LCD has developed the infamous "vinegar syndrome".

But of course, not much reason to work on the LCD if the laptop itself doesn't power on, right?

 

[ajacocks]

The ”vinegar syndrome” is the polarizer layer failing, I believe. It’s possible to separate that and replace it, on most panels.

Failing that, finding a replacement panel isn’t usually all that hard for TFTs.

- Alex

 

[itsvince725]

The ”vinegar syndrome” is the polarizer layer failing, I believe. It’s possible to separate that and replace it, on most panels.

Failing that, finding a replacement panel isn’t usually all that hard for TFTs.

- Alex

Yeah, the main obstacle with that is that I have no idea what kind of polarizer film to buy, apparently there's different varieties and I don't know what Toshiba used originally.

 

[ohmylove2u]

I have several T1960.
Most of them had been fixed.
The damaged capacitors that are shown below are the source of your issue.
I advise you to replace all (10) caps on this board immediately. Because they had exhausted their life.


You may change the polarizer film on your own. Simply remove the damaged polarizer film with utility knife blades and carefully clean the glass. Then when you install new film, push the polarizer layer with a plastic ruler to minimize bubbles. The polarizing film's degree lost my mind, maybe 45 degrees.
By the way, this job requires a well-ventilated area because the smell is "wonderful"!

 

[3lectr1c]

Ah yes, ELNA caps. They're absolutely the worst offenders when it comes to leakage. The LCD should be recapped too, those SMD caps will also leak all over.

 

[itsvince725]

Ah yes, ELNA caps. They're absolutely the worst offenders when it comes to leakage. The LCD should be recapped too, those SMD caps will also leak all over.

I didn't even consider capacitors in the LCD, I should have as an Apple PowerBook owner since they're infamous for capacitor leakage on the LCD boards.

 

[3lectr1c]

Been there done that with PowerBooks. Not the worst cap jobs I’ve had to do but you’ve always gotta be extra careful, and you can’t really use flux as it could get into the LCD and mess things up. But in any case yes, get the LCD done! Cap leakage on an LCD will cause unrepairable damage to those internal ribbons fast.
What PowerBooks have you dealt with?

 

[itsvince725]

Been there done that with PowerBooks. Not the worst cap jobs I’ve had to do but you’ve always gotta be extra careful, and you can’t really use flux as it could get into the LCD and mess things up. But in any case yes, get the LCD done! Cap leakage on an LCD will cause unrepairable damage to those internal ribbons fast.
What PowerBooks have you dealt with?

Oh, I haven't had to recap one myself as I only own two ancient PowerBooks, but I know that all the 100 series and probably also the 500 series are susceptible to cap leakage on the LCD boards.