Something to test on dead machines (2133)

[Zim_256]

The keyboard controller is inside the system management microcontroller. The computer should respond to the [WIN]+[B] keystroke AND blink the CAPS LOCK key even if there isn't any possible way to boot, initialize or start the hardware. The SM Micro is the IT8512E and the implementation in the HP board possibly is exactly the one depicted in the ITE's application notes (not public/available at the moment).

The ITE chip controls the Power button, WLAN button, Bluetooth module, Wireless LED, battery, power management, CIR module (optional), SPI ROM (Shared with the chipset for BIOS), thermal management, Coolers, the whole keyboard, the RTC, PS2 port (optional), LCD Backlight and sends some interrupts to the systems to indicate KB/Thermal/another sort of events.

Seems like an important chip to boot and it has to be active and working in the early stages of the startup sequence.

If the machine doesn't blink the [A] led, maybe this chip isn't receiving power or is failed. To test it we should have the required power and clock on it's respective pins. To know what these pins are we need the manufacturers data-sheet or application note. I'm still digging for that document.

Its hard to retract the heads on an SSD.
It turns amber when the "drive guard" retracts the heads temporarily.

Now i see, that's why the 3D Driveguard keeps telling me that my HDD is not compatible... Anyways, i uninstalled that app for the memory footprint of it's driver. The amber led is GPIO controllable?

[meltice]

Hi Zim_256, I have a dead HP 2133, which is already out of warranty. I tested the WIN+B key and did see CAPS lock flash. I didn't notice if the light on the USB storage devices were really blinking. But the USB devices did get powered up and LEDs are on. Is there any way hopefully to fix this dead HP 2133. Thanks!

[Zim_256]

Hi Zim_256, I have a dead HP 2133, which is already out of warranty. I tested the WIN+B key and did see CAPS lock flash. I didn't notice if the light on the USB storage devices were really blinking. But the USB devices did get powered up and LEDs are on. Is there any way hopefully to fix this dead HP 2133. Thanks!

Try this:
You'll need a empty SD Card.
Download from the HP website the BIOS update for the 2133, run the downloaded file (sp41847), install and select "create bootable USB Key". Select on the "Device" box, the SD card reader and format.
After formatting there will be some files on the card. Make a copy of the file 68VGU.BIN on the same card (drag with the right button, select "Copy here") and rename it to AMIBOOT.ROM.
Now insert the card on the 2133, connect AC power and turn it on.
Wait a while, now 3 things can happen:
1) The "American Megatrends" logo will show and do a BIOS recovery flash from the SD card file AMIBOOT.ROM.
2) Nothing will show on the screen and the computer shuts off after some minutes (The SD card booted and flashed the BIOS with the AMI utility using the 68VGU.BIN file).
3) Nothing happened, your PC can't be recovered by a BIOS Recovery flash.

My computer on the 2º BIOS upgrade (fail) did 1.
On the third, it did 3.
Now i'm building a flash programmer to flash the BIOS ROM chip i extracted from the notebook (SST 25LF080B).

[meltice]

Try this:
You'll need a empty SD Card.
Download from the HP website the BIOS update for the 2133, run the downloaded file (sp41847), install and select "create bootable USB Key"...

Thanks! But I had no good luck. I tried the USB disk, SD Card. I tried the USB disk on either side USB port too. I also tried WIN+B key. All combinations failed.

[jahf]

Sorry if this is considered a necro but this thread is topical to me.

I decided to flash my 2133 over the holidays to F.06 (it was F.02 or F.03, very old machine). Flashing failed. Condition now is that when I power on the caps lock flashes very quickly once every 5 seconds or so, repeating apparently forever. Power LED also comes up. Screen does not show anything -however- when I force a power-down (holding the power button until system shutdown) I do see a screen flash, so I know the screen is active. System was fully functional before the BIOS upgrade so I'm doubting any hardware failure coincidence, meaning it's a bad flash.

I've made a SD card using the "Bootable USB" option and if I boot up with Win+B depressed the flashing caps lock pattern is different. Instead of a quick flash every 5 seconds I get a pattern of 1 or 2 long flashes (2.5 seconds) followed by a quick flash (usually 2 long flashes, sometimes 1). Repeats apparently forever.

Does anyone know what the capslock flashes actually mean? Is there a way for me to read the long flash as an indication something is happening? I've let it run for 20-30 minutes and it never seems to complete. I guess maybe it could be a VERY long time before the reflashing is done?

I don't see the HD LED flashing. Does the SD card flash the HD LED?

I'm going to try next with a USB stick that has a flashing LED during access (it's a huge stick, so formatting is taking an hour or so).
EDIT: Tried that, no luck, I see the different capslock pattern but it never accesses the USB drive.

I'm definitely out of warranty. I don't need another PC badly, but I do need to get files off of it. So if I can't get it fixed on my own I'll take the drive out and copy the files I need off of it. But it would be nice to have my old "lazy on the couch" netbook back.

[Bob33]

My 2133 gave up the ghost too. Usual thing, black screen but LEDs on. Mine however is running the CPU fan so there must be power going to the MB?

I've changed ram, taken out the HD and tried to flash the bios as suggested, both by USB, which flashes once, and by SD card. When starting with the Windows key and B held down the little A light in left hand corner flashes steadily but screen remains dark, only flashes momentarily when I power down.
Such an annoying problem as it doesn't seem to be that difficult a fix and such a pity that so many 2133s must just be lying around as pretty paperweights.
Contacted HP but as it's way out of guarantee I don't expect to get any help.

Anything else I can try?
Has anyone ever recovered a black-screened 2133 without the "help" <-- that's a joke BTW, of HP?

Cheers,
Bob

[c0ldb00t]

I have been reading a lot of the Oven Repair Trick all over the internet. Has any of you guys tried it yet? Maybe there's still hope for the dead motherboards out there.

THE- OVEN TRICK - WORKED - Overclockers Forums

[Bob33]

I gave mine a freeze in the fridge-freezer in the hope it was the thermal sensor but no joy. I suppose there's no harm in trying to cook it next
I'm surprised no-one has found a way of rectifying this problem as many on here seem to know what causes it.
I noticed someone on Ebay offering a service for something similar.

HP dv6000 dv 6000 Laptop Repair Service reballing GPU on eBay (end time 09-May-10 17:36:02 BST)

[Zim_256]

THIS IS THE SOLUTION!!!
Do this:
(Can't show here the images, the [img] bbcode doesn't work, follow them in order)
More detailed info and pictures here in the original thread, only in spanish, you can google-translate it:
http://www.psicofxp.com/forums/hardw...hp-2133-a.html

1- Disassemble the entire shit. Take the motherboard and disconnect everything, remove the black film, heatsink, fan, battery (yellow round thing near the WLAN CARD), remove the black screw and take away the WLAN card, remove the 4 screws holding the ExpressCard slot and remove the metallic thing covering the slot, then remove the black film under the slot and finally the gray metallic spongy thingy on top of the left USB port.
2- You should have now this in your hand.
3- Put it in a metallic tray and support the board with some balls of alluminium foil, use 5 or 6 balls, one in each corner.
4- Put the tray inside the oven and turn on the oven on max, you'll need a high temperature thermometer (better if it's digital AND calibrated) that supports at least 300 °C (yeah, °C, that means CELSIUS DEGREES, like, how the entire world reads temp. If you use another measuring, go convert it).
6- Make sure that the temp rises no faster than 2°C/sec otherwise, you'll crack the chips or the board.

--- Continues on new post ---

[Zim_256]

--- Continued ---
7- (No picture) Wait until the temp rises 170°C and pray for avoiding having any kind of earthquake or disturbance inside the oven, the minimal shock and the IC's in the board will fall over and the PC will be trashed with no other recovery possible but reballing, that is, far beyond your average soldering skills.
8- (No pic) When the temp. rises to 220°C, lower the flame in the oven and keep that temp. during 60 seconds, after that, turn off the oven, continue praying and DO NOT DISTURB!!!, DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING!!, JUST STAY WHERE YOU ARE AND BE STILL, QUIET, don't even LOOK HARD to the oven glass. The board now has to cool down WITH THE OVEN DOOR CLOSED!!!, AND WITHOUT ANY DISTURBANCE, did i made that clear enough??? WHY? Because all the solder in the board is now liquid, like water, and some IC's are kept in place just by the surface tension of that liquid, if the liquid is disturbed, it will lose that tension and the IC it's holding will fall. When the thermometer shows like 40~50°C, open the door and let it cool down, don't try to rush this process.
9- When the board is at safe temp. (25°C or so), make a quick test to see if it works now (it should), put the board in a non-conductive, not-grounded table and connect the power bridge (small long board near the HDD place), the power switch board, put the RAM module and plug the power supply to the board and to the wall, fix your attention at the CAPS LOCK LED and slide the power button. At roughly 2 seconds, the CAPS LOCK LED (top left of the board) will blink blue, that means the board is OK and running, disconnect the power plug.
If you wanna test it further, connect the LCD screen, backlight connector and the HDD, then boot it up, it will reset at the first power up because of the missing CMOS settings (you removed the CMOS battery, remember?) and will boot your OS after the reset.
-10 Happy now? assemble everything togheter and BEFORE closing the upper keyboard panel, test it again, boot the OS, make sure you connected the trackpad and that everything is working.


BTW, the PC in this state will last like... 4 or 6 months, recover all the data you had on the PC's drive and discard it. If it fails again, repeat the fix, it will last less then (3 months).There's no definitive solution to the problem. Sorry.


More detailed info and pictures here in the original thread, only in spanish, you can google-translate it:
http://www.psicofxp.com/forums/hardw...hp-2133-a.html