What's Wrong With This MacBook?

This customer sent in their MacBook Pro to our store in New York City for our logic board repair service because it has no backlight on the screen. It appears to have some liquid damage.

How can we fix the issue?

Initial Diagnosis

The first thing we do with this MacBook is measure the resistance to ground on the backlight circuit with and without the LCD connected. With the LCD connected, we get 24 ohms to ground. WIth the LCD disconnected, we still only get around 320 Ohms to ground. This means that there is an issue with both the screen or screen cable and the logic board.

Repairing the board

The first thing we do here to rule out any issues with the connection to the LCD is replace the LCD connector. We remove the old one and replace it with a brand new connector. After this, we measure the voltage on the backlight circuit with the screen connected. We measure this to be 46.5V, which is the proper voltage. This board should be showing a light on the screen, however we suspect that this is now an issue with the LCD cable, rather than the board. After replacing this cable and running the board through the Ultrasonic cleaner, it should be fully functional again.

I can't fix this myself. How do I get it fixed?

Rossmann Repair Group offers MacBook Logic Board Repair Services in New York City. Our MacBook Repair is not limited to Austin though, we accept mail-in repairs from virtually anywhere! Visit https://www.rossmanngroup.com/macbook-logic-board-repair/  to start your MacBook repair.

The post Why does this A1398 MacBook Pro have no Backlight? appeared first on Rossmann Repair Group.

Good supplier relations help create success.

Early on, I wasn't working with a lot of money, nor with a known reputation. Sure, I had a reputation from repairing studio gear, but that doesn't translate over into what I was trying to do in this business. What gave me my competitive edge early on were my parts vendors.

Many legitimate repair shops have no vendor relationships.

Take advantage of this.

It was helpful when I realized early on that “legitimate” competition had no supply chain. During my exit-interview with my customers(which, btw, you should always conduct, more on this in the future), I heard my competitor's failings over and over again. "I was going to use XYZ repair, but they didn't have the part in stock." Or, "I was going to use PLM computers but when they got the part in it was bad and I couldn't wait anymore."

Instant service creates legitimacy in the mind of your customer.

If you can offer service in 20 minutes in front of a customer, you are legitimate. Forget about the fact that you work out of a park instead of a store, forget that your idea of a receptionist is your bluetooth headset, forget about having a nice location. All those things make the other guy's operation seem more legitimate. However, if you can do in 20 minutes what would take them a week – you'll always win.

I based my business around the shortcomings of my "more legitimate" competition. I didn't have a client base or a name built for myself, so I had to be better. One of the ways I created legitimacy for myself was through my parts vendors. I always had a proper supply chain. I knew my vendors, and they knew me. I kept quality stock and they cut me deals for being a regular. When something went wrong, I was always able to receive swift replacements.

Fair pricing makes you competitive.

Utilizing a good supply chain allowed me to purchase parts for standard prices, instead of the ripoff rates offered by eBay.

If we can purchase a part for $97 that costs $250 everywhere else, that puts us at a distinct advantage. We can offer a service for $275 and make $178, whereas others would have to offer the service at much higher prices, cutting them out of the loop. Or, they can come down to our price, and cut their own throats with a lack of profits.

The additional profits we netted as a result of utilizing proper supply chains was funneled back into the business, and the high volume of customers we gained as a result of offering fair pricing allowed me to grow my client base exponentially.

eBay is for people who cannot develop vendor relationships.

Talking to vendors requires work. You have to find them, which takes time. You have to find one that caters to what you're looking for, and to find that; you have to know what you are looking for. What you value in a vendor. Then, you have to get them to care about you and your success. This is hard.

So, what do many repair shops do? They keep the training wheels on, and use eBay. This puts you at a significant advantage.

You can't expect an eBay or Amazon vendor to care when something goes wrong.

You can't expect overnighted RMAs or advance RMAs from eBay & Amazon vendors when you are just an order #.

When you order off of eBay or Amazon, you are $3 of profit. You are not a returning customer. You are not a business opportunity. You are not someone they know, or care about, and you'll be treated accordingly.

Lengthy RMA procedures will be the kiss of death for your business.

When you're waiting on a part for a customer, waiting for an RMA kills your business. You send the part back, wait a week, then they send it to you, wasting another week. This back & forth shipping time is very often the kiss of death that precludes your customer leaving your business with their device & going elsewhere; before leaving a lengthy review detailing your incompetence.

This RMA process is based on the single order – the $3 profit margin they're looking at when making their decision. You're being treated like three dollars. You're being treated like your business is worth little more than a bottled Vitamin Water, because that's what it's worth to them.

Good faith gets you a better RMA policy.

Let's talk about good faith. This is what overnighted RMAs and receiving replacements before they receive the bad part back is based on.

You have a vendor you've spent most of your parts budget with this year. You've stuck with this vendor even when their prices were 10% higher. You've stuck with them when they've been out of stock, returning to them after a onesie purchase from someone else. You don't call their customer service staff to berate them when you receive a defect. This is a vendor that knows you by name. You've built up something called good faith with this vendor.

When deciding whether to send you a replacement overnight or an advance-RMA, they're looking at more than the profit on one purchase. They're looking at all the business you've done with them in the past as well as all the business you will be doing with them in the future, and they might just send you an advanced RMA with overnight shipping – which saves the business and allows you to satisfy your customer.

I cannot believe repair shops expect eBay vendors to trust them with advance RMAs!

Three years ago, I decided to count how many people sent back the defective part when we provided an advance RMA. An advance RMA is when we send a customer a new part before they send back the defect, and we provide them with a prepaid return shipping label to return the defect to us.

Out of 100 returns – 14 customers sent the old part back. Out of these 14 RMAs, 11 of them were fully functional.

The reason these people never sent back the old part is simple; there was no benefit. The label was prepaid, and the box was provided, but the two minutes they would have spent to do the honest thing and return our part was not worth it to them. There was no relationship there, so two minutes of time was an unacceptable waste to the customer. They were never going to use us again, so there was no need to work with us.

This bites both ways - there is no need, in this scenario, for the supplier to put forth effort to do the right thing. There is no relationship. There is a one time profit of $3, and you will be treated like your business is worth a bottle of Vitamin Water. You will be treated as someone they don't know, and you will deserve it if you did not make an effort to establish a relationship with the vendor.

Quality vendor relationships allow you to achieve more and obtain a competitive advantage.

Vendor relationships even the playing field.

You do not need a lot of money, or an established business to work out a relationship with a new vendor. This is something that requires work, people skills, and an agenda. You need a specific mission & purpose to figure out what you want out of a vendor, and to go out there and achieve it. You need to also bring value to the relationship for them, whether by offering insight or information that they may not have that would be valuable to them.

Let's take a look at those necessities.

1. Work.
2. People skills.
3. Clear agenda.
4. Mission & purpose.
5. Information.
6. Insight.

What do all of these necessities have in common? None of them require money.
Vendor relations even the playing field because you do not need to have money to obtain them. Sure, money helps, but if your business has little money and the other business has lots of money – vendor relations can be the leveling factor that allows you to compete.

Personalized relationships are key.

We don't talk to our vendors when we need parts. We talk every day, regardless of what we need.

We discuss trends in the business. We discuss moves that other companies are making. We anticipate demand for parts and services, but it's not all business. I've discussed family life, personal life, problems, hopes, and dreams with some. The propriater of my favorite vendor has even become one of my most trusted friends & advisors.

You want your vendors to know who you are. You want them to have an interest in you and your success. You want them to like you. You don't want to express neediness, as if you need them to like you. Rather, you should act in a manner where they can't help but like you.

Personalized relationships get you treated like a human being.

If you want to be treated like a client, instead of a customer, you want a personalized vendor relationship.

Customers get sold parts. Human beings get sold competitive advantages.

When iPhone 4/4S LCDs were being produced that didn't work with old versions of iOS, who gets sold the batch that does? The customer, or the human being?

When Macbook Air screens were new to the market, who gets the first carton? The million dollar conglomerate customer, or the broke 23 year old human being?

See where I'm going with this? If you have a real relationship with the people you do business with, you will be kept in mind when something comes up that might skyrocket your business or keep you from stepping into a hole. Making sure you are seen as a human by the people you do business with starts with you. How you act, how you treat them, will all play a role in how they see you.

eBay only makes sense for small odds & ends that real vendors don't sell.

eBay's value is in the obscure, not in the commodities.

I believe eBay should be used when we are dealing with something rare. I don't mean the kind of rare in which it is valuable, I mean the rare as in “rarely needed”, “rarely used”, “rarely sold” - the type of rare where it is not valuable. eBay is good for sourcing components that other vendors do not sell because it would make no financial sense to do so. Odds & ends.

What's an odd or an end vs. a commodity?

Let's say the cable that attaches the top case to the motherboard on a five year old, unpopular laptop. No real vendor in their right mind will sell this. A low amount of these laptops were ever sold, the laptop is worth very little as it is very old, and this part rarely if ever goes bad. It would make no sense for a real vendor to sell it. As a result, I will often look on eBay for it. This is an odd & end.

A commodity is a part that everyone has; something that can be acquired from many sources. A laptop LCD, an iPhone screen, a Macbook LVDS cable. You have options when purchasing these parts, and your option SHOULD be a vendor you have a long term relationship with.

eBay should be used for parts when you have no other sensible options!

When forced to use eBay for these items, USE EBAY WISELY!

When purchasing these small odds & ends for repairs, don't use eBay expecting everything to go as planned.

If a customer is leaving in 3 days, DON'T TRUST PRIORITY MAIL TO GET IT THERE IN THREE DAYS!

Use Express Mail. And even then, give the customer the option of returning their device by mail, FedEx, or UPS incase it doesn't come in in time.

Plan for disaster. Plan for it to take a day to ship. Plan for a snowstorm to hit the county in which the part is shipping from.

If it's cheap and you're making money, buy more than one!

If the cable or part you are ordering is $5-$25 and you are getting $150-$200, do yourself a favor – buy two. Buy them from different vendors. This way, when you get screwed by one of these vendors, you're still able to offer good service to the customer.

Don't expect this to be easy – it's not supposed to be!

It pains me to watch technicians buy parts off of eBay and complain when they do not work.

Isn't it beautiful to you that this is NOT easy?

If this were easy, customers would be doing the work themselves.

Don't offer customers the same poor experience they would have repairing their own device!

When someone comes to you, they expect better. They expect an excuse-free, hassle-free experience. They came to you to avoid the pitfalls of delays, bad parts, & non-working junk that they must wait weeks to return.

What many repair shops do not realize is that by purchasing from eBay, they are offering their customers the risk of a bad experience that they came to the repair shop to AVOID!

These parts are not always going to work; you can't be mad at that.

Don't take it personally when things don't work.

Many repair shop owners become personally agitated at vendors when they receive a defect. Even good vendors will become the target of anger when they ship a bad part.

Understand why these parts do not always work.

When you order an iPhone screen, you're ordering a device with millions of small transistors inside of a thin glass layer, that cost about $15 to produce, that was sent to you in an envelope via the US Postal Service. How can you possibly expect every one to work?

I am not surprised when I receive a defect. I am surprised when more than 10% of them work!

There are, however, good reasons many eBay parts do not work.

Many eBay vendors take parts out of abandoned, ewasted, recycled machines to sell to you.

Let's say a laptop is dead. It was tossed in an ewaste container.

A parts company will part it out and sell all of its parts on eBay. It is far easier to refund the customer who receives a defective part than it is to figure out which parts do & do not work inside of that laptop. It is built into their business model that they are selling broken parts which will have to be refunded, and you are purchasing these parts for mission critical repairs – YIKES!!!!

In conclusion!

Develop relationships with your vendors. Use these relationships to gain a competitive edge over your competition. Leverage that competitive edge to become more successful, and smile at your success, because you earned it through doing what's right; instead of doing what's easy.

The post How supplier relations work. Success & failure is based on how you source your parts. appeared first on Rossmann Repair Group.

Let's look at why having a clear warranty policy is important.

Click here for a review of a good local business. Prior to reading this, to put it in proper context, I would suggest you check out this article on how Apple has admitted manufacturing faulty power buttons on the IPhone 5, in addition to the slew of complaints about faulty iPhone 4/4S power buttons. This is a very well known issue, that the flex cable power button fails without reason, far before the phone has reached the end of its life.

A clear warranty policy is key to avoiding trouble.

Explain your terms.

Many repair shops offer a warranty. Whether it's 30 days, 3 months, one year or lifetime -many fail to explain the most important part, which is what their warranty covers! It's important to explain precisely what is covered by your warranty if anyone asks, or you may find yourself in a sticky situation later.

People's expectations of warranty policy are not always in line with what you offer.

You offer a warranty on the parts you replace. So, if you replace a screen, you offer a warranty on the screen against defects. Customers do not always see things this way, so it's imperative that you explain this, even if it is a casual mention.

Customers expect that warranty covers future physical damage.

You might not anticipate that customers expect warranty to cover physical damage. If you explain that your warranty does not cover physical damage upfront, you are less likely to have that customer come back expecting a free repair. If the customer hasn't had this explained to them they may come back and discuss the situation as if there is partial blame on you, as if the crack occurred magically. Explaining this upfront is by far the best way to go because it plants the seed, ever so subtly, that you "don't play that shit."  🙂

Some customers see your repair warranty like a manufacturer's warranty that covers “everything.”

You can't blame people for expecting a warranty to be comprehensive. The average person has utilized a product warranty far more often than a repair warranty. It is important to understand the difference between a product warranty and a repair warranty.

Product warranty:

When you purchase a new phone, you expect that the warranty that comes with this phone covers anything that goes wrong with it – so long as it's not a result of your abuse. This makes great sense, for several reasons.

1. The manufacturer provided you with the entire phone.

2. You paid them for the entire phone.

3. It is up to them to warranty, to whatever is required by law, what they have sold you.

Repair warranty:

When you have a phone repaired, you get a different kind of warranty. The warranty typically only covers the part you replaced, rightfully so, for several reasons!

1. The repair shop has only touched a specific part of the phone.

2. You only paid the repair shop for this particular part of the phone they have replaced.

3. It is up to them to warranty what they have repaired, not the entire phone; for they have not sold you the entire phone!

One must be especially careful with warrantying Apple product repair.

Apple products are made like crap!

How may I count the ways?

1. 820-2101, 820-2249 motherboards for A1226/A1260 Macbook Pros with no video issues.

2. Frames on A1226/A1260 Macbook Pros that crack over time.

3. A1286 2008-2009 Unibody Macbook Pros with glued together, split back display assemblies that fall apart.

4. 820-2850 motherboards with PCB faults and overheating NVIDIA GPU failures

5. 820-2915 motherboards with overheating AMD GPU failures.

6. iPhone 4 power & volume buttons. 
7. iPhone 4S power & volume buttons.

8. iPhone 5 power & volume buttons.

Some are cited, but people who work on these regularly are well aware of the ones that are uncited. There are many more, but I've got work to get back to. 🙂

These products are made to fail.

That's great. Apple products are made to die – great for us. It's why we can make a living repairing Apple products whereas we'd be on the street begging for change if we were repairing Lenovo products. The problem is that they will often fail while in your possession! When this occurs, you will often be blamed. You could be doing something as innocent as installing OpenOffice and OS updates on an A1286 2010 model, and when the motherboard fails 2 days later, they will blame you!

You need to protect yourself for when they fail.

You don't want to be held liable for when products in your possession die, nor do you want to be stuck providing warranty service on an entire device when you are only servicing one part.

Make sure your warranty protects your business.

We would have to charge astronomical rates to stay in business if we were expected to warranty any issue on a product where we've only billed the customer for repair of one issue. Here are some ways

Service covers part repaired only.

This is key. Make it clear to the customer that service covers the part repaired only. Even if you are the type of business that provides courtesy service - you do not ant to be forced into providing courtesy service because of an unclear warranty being manipulated.

Service does not cover physical damage of any kind.

If you say that your warranty covers everything “unless you drop it again”, you're setting yourself up for trouble, because people can always say it happened on its own. Make it clear that the warranty does not cover any type of physical damage to the screen.

Make sure your warranty matches your target demographic.

We're in the hospitality and repair industry. The hospitality industry is focused on the happiness of the customer. The repair industry is focused on fixing a specific problem at a specific price and covering their ass for any additional liability.

These two are at ends all the time when providing customer service in a repair shop. However, both are equally relevant.

When debating what to do for your customer, think about what type of customer you target, and the type of service you provide.

How you provide warranty service does not reflect on your personal ethics & morality.

Customers will bring up how you should “stand behind your work” even when the problem they are requesting you to repair is not part of the original problem. Some people will feel compelled to do this free work to feel like they are doing the “right” thing. At the same time, some will feel compelled to not do the work because they feel they need to do the “right” thing by their business.

It's not about right or wrong. It's about your business' strategy.

It's important to realize that this is not about what is right or wrong morally or ethically. It's about what is right in the context of how your business operates – what type of services your business offers, and who your target demographic is.

If you're a boutique service, it's ok to do courtesy service every now and then as part of your customer service, branding, and loyalty building strategy. 

If you charge $125 to fix an iPhone 4 screen in 2014, or $350 to replace a white Macbook screen you might just be expected to do a little courtesy work every now and then. You charge a rate that allows for a more than healthy profit – in return, you go the extra mile to make people happy. If you make an additional $130-$170 for each job, this "covers" your premium service when you have to give 1 out of 20 people $75 in labor or $100 in parts for free.

You can't make $320 off of a simple 10 minute job in our business if you don't go the extra mile, and work with people.

If you're a cheap service provider, don't provide the courtesy service as part of your cost saving strategy.

If you make $20 off of every laptop screen you replace, you can't provide a reinstall or a new drive if their drive dies a day later.

Your business' strategy is based on offering very low prices. You can't offer low prices and eat every expense from the misfortune of customers, because it would eat away at the low overhead that allows your business strategy to be successful.

You can be middle of the line and play it by ear.

We charge mid-level prices, and are always willing to hear a situation out. Sometimes we'll perform courtesy service, and sometimes we won't.

In each of the above situations, the customer service policy is based on the business' chosen strategy.

A policy that is in favor of the customer or a policy that is in favor of the repair shop is not what is important. What is important is that your warranty policies are in line with your strategy and your mission & purpose. It is also important that both you, your technicians, and your customers understand your warranty policy, or things will go awry.

The post How to craft a warranty policy that suits your business. appeared first on Rossmann Repair Group.

The Retina Macbook Pro is not a simple machine to repair.

The Retina Macbook Pro is touted as being an unrepairable laptop. We don't think it's unrepairable, but it certainly is a pain in the ass! Today I'd like to go over a few common issues that repair shops will face when working on a Retina.

The latest Retina has no screwholes for a keyboard.

The keyboard is bolted into the machine, not screwed in or riveted in Compare this to past Macbook Pros where the keyboard is screwed in, and it's a pain in the ass. Even the Macbook Air rivets the keyboard in, and these rivets can be replaced with screws. On the newer Retinas, the keyboard is bolted in with no real clear cut way to put it back in. and We stock the keyboards and know how to replace them.

The trackpad sits under a battery that is taped into the laptop, that explodes when punctured.

The trackpad sits under a battery that is adhered into the laptop. It is easy to puncture this battery while removing it from the laptop. When punctured, it can pop, expand, spark, or explode on you. 🙂 We stock the battery & the trackpads, so we can offer same-day service replacing your trackpad even in the unlikely event that your battery becomes damaged over the course of reaching the trackpad.

The LCD assembly is expensive and changes each year.

Don't get us started on the LCD assembly, which is even more of a pain in the ass than the Macbook Air to refurbish! Not to mention that there are already four different assemblies for the retina which has been out for under two years. 🙁 We stock ever single one so we can offer same day service, no parts orders necessary.

The SSD is proprietary, and changes each year.

The proprietary SSD is costly & confusing. We can source them and even pull data off of failing ones, with several Retina data recoveries on our belt so far!

The Retina is a pain in the ass to repair - but we do it anyway!

I understand why many shops want nothing to do with them. However, it is a Mac, and we would have no business having Mac Laptop Repair Specialist written in our window if we didn't work on them. It's our job to deal with pains in the asses so you don't have to. If you have a Retina and no one wants to help you with it, bring it to us. We'll fix it; even if no one else wants to. 😉

The post Retina Macbook Pro Repair - we're ready for it! appeared first on Rossmann Repair Group.

No appointment is necessary - come by during our open hours and we are happy to help you!

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How do you make a choice? Why do hot air stations range from $50 to $1800 and what makes them different? How do I pick the right one for me? I've bought the wrong equipment and I use these tools every day in a professional environment. I will walk you through EVERYTHING I wish I knew when I first pulled out my credit card to buy a station.

This station is only $57, but good luck getting anything off a multilayer PCB with it!

This hot air station is perfect & makes repair a breeze, but is $1500, which leaves you bankrupt.

Price and experience. Do newbies need good stations?

You can buy an Atten 858D for $58 or a JBC JTSE for $1500+. The cheap station doesn't do the job, the expensive station makes you too broke to pay the electric bill. Neither make sense for someone NEW to our business. A JBC has nice features, but do you really need a station that can save graphs of your activity?

Don't mistake my statement as an argument for a $50 piece of crap! People often message me saying they do not need something great because they are just starting out. This is bad thinking! When you are just starting out, you need equipment that is "known good." When you are new, you have no way to tell if bad results are due to your technique or your equipment. You will blame yourself for what is actually an equipment issue and never improve. Even worse is if your station is fit for a single layer PCB, has a bunch of good reviews, then you try it on a multilayer PCB and it fails. "It has such good reviews, it must be MY fault!!" is something I commonly hear.

Even worse is when you actually find the cause of the problem on a board, but then kill its CPU or something else with cheap hot air. You figured out the problem - great, but you never get to see if you were right because you killed your board roasting it to death with a $55 hot air station. This ruins confidence and desire to learn. With hot air you want to get in, and out, as quickly as possible in a precision manner.

When you are just starting out, you need equipment that is "known good." When you are new, you have no way to tell if bad results are a result of your technique or your equipment.

Power

By far, the single most important attribute for any type of serious professional rework is the power of the station. If you point the nozzle at the board and the component you are heating does not come off, you're not going to bill anything. Cheap stations, fringe stations, and also ALL IN ONE stations are often low energy.

This Hakko 851 has less than 6 liters/minute airflow. This means its blowing is weaker than a 59 year old whore. At $650 & incapable of removing a touch IC, it's as expensive as it is useless.

Weller's WR3M seems like the ultimate all-in-one tool until you realize that even at its high price it only hits 15 liters/minute of airflow.

Unfortunately, this is difficult if not impossible to properly judge over the internet via spec sheets. Many companies make wattage/temperature/airflow claims that never stand up to real world usage, especially cheaper stations. Some do not publish them at all!

When it comes to temperature, spec sheets are useless. They lie more often than receiver/amplifier manufacturers lie about the rated wattage output for their electronics. Even if it can hit a high temperature, can it maintain that temperature? Does it fluctuate in the middle of a soldering job? Many cheap stations make claims of 600-1000 watts of power or of temperatures up to 500c, but are unable to maintain them. Even worse, many cheap stations display temperatures on their display that they aren't reaching.

The FM-206 allows desoldering, hot tweezers, and soldering all from one station, but its included hot air doesn't go over 6L/minute.

When it comes to airflow, you want something that can do at least 20 liters/minute. Larger chips will be difficult to do without going to 30-40L/minute, but at the very least 20L/minute is desired. Airflow is how powerful the pump/fan that propels the air forward is. Even the hottest hot air station will be useless if it cannot propel that hot air forward onto the board/chip you wish to heat and move it into place. Keep in mind most all-in-one stations that try to combine hot air & soldering into one device, while convenient & savers of desk space, have terrible airflow.

Stations that get put in the hall of shame are below for not having enough power to get the job done.

Interface

Hot air differs from standard soldering in that you will often want to adjust airflow and temperature. While a soldering iron can remain at 750f or 840f for the entire duration of a board repair, a hot air station’s airflow or heat you'll want to adjust based on what you're soldering. airflow may be desired. If we are soldering a larger IC that is far away from anything vulnerable to heat, high airflow is fine. If we are working on something right next to a CPU, lower airflow may be desired. The ability to adjust these attributes quickly is important. If adjusting temperature or airflow is difficult, the technician will be incentivized to “work around” using the “wrong” setting to save time and this helps no one.

Some stations have analog interfaces you can adjust with knobs, which is ideal. Others have push buttons for changing temperature. And the worst of them all, like the Hakko FR-810 have these 1980s VCR like interfaces where changing temperature or airflow is just a total nightmare. Interestingly enough, the stations with the worst interfaces such as the Hakko are often the most expensive.

The Hakko FR-810 is a clear example of the worst interface on a hot air station I've ever seen.

The Quick is not the best interface - knobs are preferable, but still far more acceptable than Hakko's junk.

This bent nozzle makes workng under a microscope at an angle easier.

Nozzles

Bent nozzles are great for working with a microscope. When working under a microscope, you can’t point the hot air directly at the board from above. It must be placed from an angle. This gives you less direct heat on the board. However, if you have a bent nozzle available, then you can have the benefit of direct heat on your component while under the microscope. As you angle the hot air to fit it under the microscope, the angle of the nozzle allows the nozzle to shoort air directly down on the board. We will be offering bent nozzles for the Quick 861DW shortly!

We must also consider the size of the nozzle. Using a 2mm nozzle to remove an SMC will never work, and using a 10mm to remove a tiny part on a cellphone is overkill. It’s best to buy a station that has a good number of nozzles between 3 and 7mm available.

This straight nozzle makes working under a microscope at an angle more difficult.

Our pick

Our current pick for hot air station is the Quick 861DW. Why?

• Easy to use interface: air & temperature adjustable in single button pushes.
• Recallable presets for common air/temperature settings.
• More powerful than anything we have tried to date.
• Incredibly affordable at under $300.
• Bent nozzles available.

Buy a Quick below!

Louis Rossmann's preferred hot air station.

The post How to buy a hot air station for laptop & cellphone repair. appeared first on Rossmann Repair Group.

Why we loved the Thinkpad.

The Thinkpad was a special machine, as I've explained three years ago when discussing my disappointment with modern Thinkpads.
Thinkpad interfaces allowed me to avoid moving my hand away from the keyboard to move the cursor. The anti-glare screen added to my viewing comfort. The keyboard layout felt like "home" - just like a desktop keyboard, no adjusting to laptop form factor required. The ports, the thinklight, the ability to swap drives without removing a bottom case. It was a special machine.
As laptop design evolved into more trendy, less productive designs across all brands, the Thinkpad stood out more and more as the last device of choice remaining for the practical tinkerer & engineer. The function over form kind of person that just wanted to get to work without feeling limited by laptop form factor bought this machine. The designers, the engineers, the service technicians; and it was a treat.

What happened to the Thinkpad?

The T61 Thinkpad with its classic keyboard layout, 4:3 aspect ratio, thinklight, and small trackpad is considered by many to be the last "true" Thinkpad

The T530 removed the old keyboard layout entirely in favor of a new, confusing design. The lack of island keys is not as apparent as the confusing location of the delete/page up/page down/home/end keys.

The T540 was the straw that broke the camel's back. No dedicated trackpoint buttons, a numpad. a terrible large trackpad.

Talk of the "retro."

Discussion about the retro began about two and a half years ago after anger over the T440/T540 blew over. Lenovo has had two and a half years to go over this decision, polling consumers on what they'd like and milling over how to make it happen.
Personally, I saw talk of the Retro as defeat in and of itself. Putting a proper keyboard back on all the old model lines meant that anyone could pick & choose the machine for them - ultrabook or workstation, 1366x768 or 4k, matte or touchscreen, and still get a proper interface. This would be an admission of defeat to the marketing departments that likely demanded we get this new keyboard, but it would be better overall.
Creating a single retro model meant it had to be all things to all people, and is a show of ego from marketing itself. It isn't that our design is bad. It's those weirdos. Those basement dwelling redditors that demand that silly looking keyboard. "Come up with something for them so they shut up!" I can imagine a marketer saying. This is guaranteed to fail.

Retro release.

Fast forward to 2017. Two and a half years after the first mention of the retro, three and a half years after the butchery of the T440 & T540. Do we get a screen with a different aspect ratio? Do we get a thinklight? Are there choices? Are the specs something to die for?

Before we dig into specs....

But Louis. IT'S NOT A WORKSTATION! STOP COMPARING IT TO WORKSTATIONS!!!
Yes, it is not a workstation. That is the point; there is no customizability here. I can't pay extra to get a beefier processor. I can't pay extra to get a better screen. So there is nothing else to compare my current P50 to in the retro "lineup."
If you use an X1 Carbon, there is no Retro ultrabook to compare it to.
If you use a P50, there is no Retro workstation to compare it to.
I am demonstrating how bad this entire retro premise is. Rather than bring good design back to the fully fledged, customizable Thinkpad line, where there was a machine for everyone, we have one model. One model for everyone who wants a good interface.
That is a severe weakness. I was hoping for good design to come back to the entire Thinkpad line, rather than getting a T470, with an older style keyboard and a price premium.

The display disappoints by ANY standard.

People who want the retro want a 4:3, 3:2, or 5:4 screen. They might even settle for a 16:10. The Retro gives us 16:9.
People who want a modern screen want something high resolution. Maybe even 3k. The Retro gives us 1080p.
If the surface can get 3:2, why can't we?
The Retro gives us the worst of the old, with the worst of the new. The T25 has "old" resolution with "new" aspect ratios. Whether you're into modern or classic, there's something to hate with this machine.
Do you get an option for higher resolution for more $$? Of course not. It's standard for laptop manufacturers to charge an additional $350-$400 for a higher resolution screen when the panel only costs them an additional $50, and that's fine. At least they offer the option. Lenovo isn't even going to bother offering a higher resolution screen if you were willing to pay, which is inexcusable. It is difficult to impossible to find a 4:3 screen, but it is not difficult to offer a higher resolution 14" screen for a premium with a dropdown menu for those of us who use our laptop for viewing schematics and boardviews where 1080p is really a hinderance.
Many will say it is unreasonable to expect a different aspect ratio, as well as difficult to get a manufacturer to produce this. Just look at what Apple did with the A1425 in 2012 .Unlike almost every other pro level laptop, the screen was separate from the backlight. The resolution was 2560x1600 on a machine that was offered five years ago. Apple got LG & Samsung to mass produce non-standard LCDs for the A1425 which started at $1299. Yet Lenovo can't get anyone to produce an LCD slightly outside what has been the cookie cutter mold for five years, on a machine costing $1899? Apple not only provided a better screen, but Apple's 2012 A1425 model had an aspect ratio closer to "classic" Thinkpads than the actual Retro Thinkpad. I may crap on Apple a lot, but credit where credit is due.

Apple had an idea for a machine that would sell well. They pitched what they needed to LG & Samsung, and they created it for Apple. Lenovo could have done the same, but didn't. "What if it doesn't sell well? What if it isn't worth it?" All valid questions, that reek of a lack of confidence in this model as well as the ability to market it. That type of thinking leads to what we get here: a half baked effort that makes no effort to even pretend it's retro. 1080p. 16:9. 2017.
We have grieved the loss of the practical display. When we await the release of a T480, P72, no one is disappointed at the 16:9 display because we do not expect anything outside of 16:9. This is why I think it would make more sense to just put the retro keyboard on every other Thinkpad, rather than release a "retro" model. We would have 3k & 4k options available. We would not experience the disappointment of having "retro" dangled in front of us, only to end up being a 16:9 display. By advertising a retro model, you are teasing people by dangling the idea of a T61-ish screen in front of them and by releasing it with a 16:9 1080p touchscreen you are kicking them in the balls.

Weak, outdated graphics.

Why use the 1050 GPU which is faster and more powerful with same energy usage when we can use this retro to dump out last year's inventory?

Thinkpad users aren't looking at cinebench scores. We care about interface, screen aspect ratio, ports. The practical. If we're going to miss out on some of the practical, and if we're going to have a price premium, can we at least get some specs from this year? This card is available in laptops less than half the price.

Processor limitations: only dual core.

You get one choice, a dual core, at $1899. Its cpubenchmark score is a 5221, 1403 points lower than a Thinkpad W520 from 2011!

Last I recall there was a company that only offered you dual core options at this price.. yes, Apple. I realize the retro isnot a workstation. As such, people have said it is unfair to compare it to a workstation. I would agree if there were other workstations in the retro family, but there are not. It would be unfair to compare its processor to a workstation class machine IF THERE WERE A RETRO WORKSTATION. I am merely judging Lenovo by my shopping standards from 2011, back when you could choose between an ultrabook, a midrange, or a workstation with a good keyboard. Six years later and the choices are actually worse.
If you had a W520 you were looking to replace, you will be disappointed. Your six year old laptop was more powerful than this, and you might have paid less for it.
Thank you Lenovo for copying the negatives of Apple's pricing & lack of configurability, without copying any of the innovation.

Battery life.

Lenovo's never been known for amazing battery life. Early reports show it lasts under 7 hours even with the U processor on the default 3 cell battery it ships with. With battery life you could expect from $1899 laptops from six years ago, at least it lives up to the retro name in one way.

Pricing: starts at $1899.

$1899 is a lot for what is being offered here. There is not a lot of value.

Some will say this is being cheap. The price would not be an issue at $2300, or even $3000 if some degree of customizability were offered. The price would not be an issue if Lenovo pulled a rabbit out of their hat and got LG, Samsung, AUO, Chi Mei, or Sharp to produce a more square display. The price would not be an issue if Lenovo allowed us to configure a higher resolution display, a different processor, or maybe even had bothered to put the indicator LEDs that used to exist back where they were.

The reality is that this price premium is for nothing but a keyboard and a little colored logo engraving. This price premium exists without adding value. We get yesterday's specs with today's trends, all in a machine touting itself as worth its price for being "retro."
No.

Ports

When I say this isn't worth the price as a "retro" machine, the ports say all that is necessary. This is not a "special" machine, but rather a T470 with an old keyboard and a different logo slapped on.
How many people have tried to use a modern laptop in a conference room or educational setting where the projector only offered VGA? You forgot your dongle at the hotel. Crap.
THIS is where the Thinkpad user's smile stems from. Being able to pick that up and plug it right into their laptop. This is something that would be doable, cheaply, easily, if they weren't copying & pasting the T470 motherboard directly into the retro machine.
But they did just that. You get no mini-displayport, only USB-C. You get less USB ports than the P50. You get no VGA port, which is the only port "retro" people were asking to have back.
Granted, one can argue you should be replacing your mini-displayport adapters/cables with USB-C adapters/cables. Yet this is not necessary on last year's P50, the stronger machine that is $500 less.
Why skip out on the retro port, on a retro machine, that is still in widespread use, unless you just don't care?

Conclusion: this is not "retro" - this is junk.

Not enough has changed to warrant having its own model.

Lenovo doesn't want to alienate customers with an "old" design, and as much as I like 4:3 screens, I understand how many modern customers might balk at the idea of having bars as they watch netflix in fullscreen on a lunchbreak. I understand the idea behind making the retro its own model if it was vastly different from what the average consumer would accept. If they put a 4:3 screen, removed the trackpad, added indicator LEDs, a thicker chassis to fit a VGA port, then fine; the machine would have earned having its own model. It would be too far off from what is "mainstream" to be implemented into the standard T, X, and P series lineup.
However, this is nothing more than a T470 with a different keyboard. Here, we get the downside of an "exclusive" model(lack of customization) with all the downsides of the mass produced models(16:9, no VGA, no indicator LEDs).
This is the worst of both worlds, and outside taking some old keyboards out of inventory and shoving them into a T470 casing, they didn't budge at all.

The screen is straight up 16:9, with the resolution I would expect from 2011. It is missing ports that you can get in a used, two year old T series(which, btw, you can buy with a better processor for less $$). So long as Lenovo sees people who desire a proper Thinkpad as a fringe group to be shut up by a token model that was half assed, they will never return to what made so many so loyal to the line.
To quote Philippe Hébert, 

You said something very important in this video, and it's true. Lenovo marketing dept. ad no idea what they were doing and to who they were marketing this to.
First: They launch it on Facebook ?? Really!? People who buy thinkpad are IT staff, engineer, motion designer, corporate executive, enterprise laptop bought for employees, etc..
Who is on Facebook? Teenagers, and people who don't have a clue about technology. It's the average person who buys a computer with the first thing in mind: price. These people don't buy ThinkPad, because you already pay more than an "IdeaPad" for the laptop. A ThinkPad is a business computer. It's easy to service, it's customizable at purchase to suit your needs, it has an anti-glare screen.
Then you have the T25, which has no vPro support nor Intel Trusted Execution Technology, because it only comes with an i7-7500U CPU, instead of a i7-7600U. Lenovo states that the T25 wasn't aiming the business market with this product, and that they wanted to keep the cost to the lowest, as a 7600U is more expensive.
Well, why are you selling the laptop with Windows 10 PROFESSIONAL if you're aiming to non business people? Why are you selling it with a TPM chip, fingerprint reader and a 3D HELO camera, those are all security features that no home user uses.
Beside that, a i5-7300U cost the same as a i7-7500U, but it as vPro.... The only differrences between a i5 and an i7 this gen, is the few speed MHz bump on the i7, and, the i7 has the Intel InTru 3D Technology. But what is the point of having the Intel InTru 3D Technology, if you ship the laptop with a discrete GPU?? The discrete GPU already offer such feature.
It's kind of an identity crisis this laptop has.
Then you have a touchscreen. Really? The multitouch screen is "anti-glare". But it is still glarier than a regular non-touch screen. Plus, there is an higher resolution screen than 1080p offered in the T470, and they don't even offer it in the T25.
That multitouch screen is dimmer than the 1080p non-touch too. If you compare the option of the T470, there's a 50$ USD extra for the multitouch screen over the non-touch screen. If they cared about keeping the price down for the customer, they wouldn't have forced the multitouch screen in their product, they would have put the non-touch screen instead.
Also when you think about it, they mostly put that multitouch screen in there, to clear their inventory. Because, let's be frank, who is buying a ThinkPad with a touchscreen? This was their way of eeping cost down, by not having to buy more 1080p non-touch screens from LG or Samsung or AUO, and simply using what they had sitting on shelves in their inventory.
20$ USD for a fingerprint reader (see T470 option)
50$ USD for a multitouch screen (see T470 option)
30$ USD for the IR camera (see T570 option)
That's already 100$ you're charging your customer for shit they might not even need. But since you don't offer customization, they are forced to pay for it.
Now, since we all know that it's business customer who buys ThinkPad, we know that Windows 10 Pro makes sense, but it doesn't when the marketing dept. tells you that it was aiming business customers with the T25. So if that's the case, there's another 40$ USD (see T470 option) you can remove if you offer Windows 10 Home instead.
The 940MX is 80$ USD (see T470p option). The 940MX is an old GPU, that consumes the same power as the newer MX150 GPU that is twice the power. Why didn't they put an MX150 instead? Again, probably to clear out their inventory. They didn't care about the price the customer will be paying, all they were caring about, was the price it would cost them to manufacture this model.
Lenovo tried to make a ThinkPad with a bunch of marketing staff that ThinkBad. The end result is that their fans ThinkMad.

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One of the things I've taken pride in for many years is doing Macbook logic board repair at our store in Manhattan, rather than sending it out to another company like was done eras ago. You can see a video of that below.

Here, we had a machine that was missing PPBUS_G3H, and PP3V42_G3H. PP3V42_G3H must show up before other rails, because

a) PP3V42_G3H powers the onewire circuitry that allows the charger to speak to the machine.,

b) PP3V42_G3H powers the SMC and the ISL6259 which begins the startup sequence as well as turning on main power rails.

The ISL6259 was short circuiting PP3V42_G3H to ground. As a result, we had no green light on the charger. After replacing it, we had PPBUS_G3H, but now we had power-cycling. It was going from 22-38 milliamps. This is why having a way to read how much power the board is taking from the charger is an important thing - whether it's a USB-C ampmeter for the newer models, or attaching a magsafe cord to a power supply for the older models.

We checked down the list of power rails and found out that PP5V_S4 was short circuited to ground, due to a failed transistor. After replacing it - BAM! Working Macbook!

We offer these logic board repair services in New York from our storefront - come visit us anytime!

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When your laptop suddenly stops working, it can feel like all your important data is lost forever. But don’t panic! Just because you have a “dead laptop” doesn’t mean your files are gone for good.

This guide will walk you through the steps to recover files from a dead laptop, depending on the type of storage it uses, so you can breathe a little easier knowing your valuable data might still be within reach.

Recovering Files from a Dead Laptop Depending on the Type of Storage

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When you lose critical data, the first concern is often, “What happens during data recovery?”

At Rossmann Repair Group, we make sure you understand every step of our meticulous process. From the initial consultation to the final data transfer, our expert technicians handle everything in-house, ensuring your data stays secure and your recovery chances are maximized.

Here’s how we take your data recovery journey from start to finish, with clear communication, transparency, and a commitment to excellence that has earned us top ratings.

Our Data Recovery Process Includes:

1. Initial Consultation: When you reach out to us, we begin with a detailed consultation to understand the nature of your data loss. Is your issue logical, or physical? Are your heads stuck or bad? Is your phone’s motherboard at fault or is it just a dying flex cable attached to it causing random reboots?We take this time to explain our in-house process and set realistic expectations based on the specific issues your hard drive may be facing.
2. Evaluation: Next, our skilled technicians conduct an evaluation of your device. This is a critical step where we diagnose the problem. Using state-of-the-art tools and methods honed in our lab, we’re able to identify whether the issue is logical (such as corrupted files) or physical (such as damaged components). We make use of everything to figure out what is going on in your case; from microscopes, ACELAB PC3000, Rusolut, and the most important tool of all – the functioning brain of a good technician! 🙂
3. Recovery Plan: Once we have enough information to provide an estimate, we formulate a personalized data recovery plan. This plan outlines the techniques and tools we will use to recover your data. Unlike many other services, Rossmann Repair Group handles all aspects of the data recovery process in-house. We do not outsource, ensuring that your data remains under the strictest of controls and security protocols.
4. Data Recovery: Our team utilizes specialized equipment in our lab to perform the recovery. For logical issues, we use software techniques to reconstruct damaged files and extract data. For physical issues, our technicians work in a clean environment to prevent any further damage to the delicate internal components of your hard drive.
5. Verification and Transfer: After we’ve successfully recovered the data, we verify the integrity of the information to ensure it’s complete and usable. Once verified, we securely transfer the recovered data to a new storage medium of your choice.

Throughout the entire process, we emphasize transparency, file privacy, and communication. We believe it’s important for you to stay informed, which is why we provide updates and are available to answer any questions you may have.

At Rossmann Repair Group Inc., we pride ourselves on providing a data recovery service that’s not just effective but done with integrity. By choosing us, you’re ensuring that your data stays within the knowledgeable & capable hands of our Austin-based team from start to finish.

By focusing on clear communication, strict in-house recovery processes, and high recovery success rates, we aim to not only answer the question of “What happens during data recovery?” but also to provide a sense of assurance and trust to our customers. Our customer-focused approach, combined with our technical expertise, why we are the top rated shop on Google Maps for what we do – and how we intend to stay there long into the future.

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What Are Data Recovery Apps?

Data recovery apps are software tools designed to retrieve lost, deleted, or inaccessible data from a hard drive or other storage devices. These tools function by scanning your drive and attempting to restore lost files or repair damaged file structures.

Effectiveness of Data Recovery Apps While data recovery apps can be powerful, their success largely hinges on the condition of the hard drive:

1. Mild Issues: For logical problems, like accidentally deleted files or formatted drives, recovery apps often work well, restoring lost data without the need for professional intervention.
2. Severe Physical Damage: If the drive suffers from physical damage – like head crashes, motor failures, or severe disk corruption – software solutions usually fall short. In such cases, professional data recovery services in Austin, equipped with specialized tools and cleanroom environments, are more appropriate.

Recommendations for Customers:

• Assess the Situation: Understand the issue first. If the drive is making unusual noises (clicking, beeping), turn it off immediately to avoid further damage.
• Software Limitations: Be aware that these tools are not a catch-all solution. They work best for accidental deletions, minor corruptions, and logical errors.
• Risk of Further Damage: Using recovery software on a failing drive can worsen the condition, particularly if there’s a physical fault.
• Professional Help: When in doubt, especially in the case of valuable data or signs of physical failure, seek professional data recovery services.

While these software tools can be effective in certain scenarios, particularly those involving logical errors or accidental deletions, their utility is limited in more complex cases like physical drive failures or severe firmware issues. Untrained users should proceed with caution, understanding the limitations and risks involved. When dealing with critical data or signs of hardware failure, consulting a professional like our team at Rossman Repair Group Inc is always the safest course of action.

See Our Live Process of an In-Depth Data Recovery:

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Determining Data’s Value

Personal or Business Importance: The worthiness of paying for professional data recovery services is directly tied to how crucial the lost data is to you or your business. If these files are invaluable and irreplaceable, enlisting the aid of a professional hard drive data recovery expert is often a prudent choice.

You can try DIY recoveries, and often they work – we even give a basic little guide on how to do it for free here. This may be an excellent choice for data that wasn’t worth paying to recover – however, it’s important to understand that doing so on a drive that is too far gone might not work, and permanently damage it to the point where a professional facility cannot economically recover it.

TL;DR

Whether paying for professional hard drive data recovery in Austin is worth it boils down to how much you value the lost data and the drive’s overall health.

If the data is of substantial value or the hard drive has significant damages, paying skilled recovery professionals maximizes your chances of successful data recovery & minimizes the risk of irreversible data loss. For lesser-valued data or drives with simpler issues, consider our DIY data recovery tips, bearing in mind their limitations and potential risks.

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