How to approach replacement of audio subboard on laptop?
How to approach replacement of audio subboard on laptop?
I have a fairly new laptop where the audio has become increasingly janky - it can work fine for a while, and then suddenly descend into white noise before being completely gone until I bend the laptop ever so slightly for it to come back. Obviously a physical problem.
I contacted the vendor (until my dialogue with them is concluded, I will not name them), and was told that from my description, this sounded like an issue with a subboard where the audio port and sound chip is located. They wanted me to send it in, but this would require sending it out of the country for a 48 hour repair (+ shipping time) which I was not too keen to do, and especially as I am quite dependent on the laptop in my daily life, I wouldn't want to be without it for that long.
However, the problem has since gotten worse, and I recently contacted them again in preparation for finally sending it in, in fear of this become ever worse. However, now it has been more than 6 months since my purchase and they won't prioritize the repair anymore, bumping the repair time up to 2-3 weeks. This is way too long for me to consider at this point, so I am now looking at options to have it replaced locally instead, in case we cannot find a suitable solution.
However, I don't really know how to proceed with this, as I am quite clueless about hardware. Would such a repair be possible by someone not having the proper schematics? Would it be easy to identify the correct subboard to order if I am unable to get the information from the vendor?
It was also difficult to assess the quality of the local repair shops - some of them give the impression that they are quite competent, but rather seem like they might specialize in helping grandmothers set up their e-mail client. How would I determine if I can trust them with my device?
Without knowing the brand etc I would assume the sound hardware is integrated onto the motherboard and isn’t easily replaced. It might be a daughter board with a ribbon connector. There’s also various possibilities on whats wrong - maybe its just the port, maybe its something deeper.
You could always get an external USB soundcard instead as a workaround
6From the way they describe it in their answers to me, it seems they believe the fault is in a subboard that can be replaced (although with the possibility of a fault in the mainboard as well). If it's just connected with a ribbon connector, is that something you generally would be able to replace yourself? I might still end up having to send it in, but the wait time is in this very moment unbearable.
I do have a USB audio interface that I use when "docked" at my desk, and I use a headset when I am on the go (which is seemingly not affected at all by this, I suspect there is a connection to the speakers themselves that is affected). This is mainly a problem when using it somewhere else in my apartment, and especially in the sofa where it is moved a lot while on it.
1Another workaround would be to use Bluetooth headphones or speaker.
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Without knowing the make and model we can't really say. A lot of laptops these days have their sound hardware integrated with the motherboard, so there's no "subboard" to replace.
That said, for things that are not integrated there are one or two options: Remove a screw and pop it out of an M.2 slot and install a new one, or remove or a screw or two and lift it off of a friction-fit connector.
2Ok, thanks. I don't want to name (and shame) them before they've had a chance to provide other options, and I've been happy with the support from them before. But I know it doesn't help you help me. I'm pretty sure it is not integrated based on the way they describe it. I could try to open it later and see if I can identify it. A decade of Macbooks, and the prospects of opening a laptop seems scary somehow, even though I'm an engineer and have regularly opened up much more expensive equipment in my work.... though not computer related.
2I don't think anybody here is going to shame them. Electronics break, that is life. Without knowing the brand and model there really is no way for us to help you.
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Why are you so worried about naming them? They will not see this. Consumers have to stick together. Companies just want to fleece you. You could take off the back and show a picture of the internals. However I would check your bios to see if there is a feature to detect case opening, and disable it. Some new laptops I've seen have that. I'm just spitballing but assuming that will reduce the chances of them being able to detect that you've opened it and void your warranty. Take a photo and we can see if there is a separate audio component that you can replace.
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