Sunday, November 12, 2006, 11:12 PM
Repairing the GATEWAY 610 MEDIA CENTER ALL IN ONE PC is no walk in the park. I would suggest that unless you're familiar with repairing laptops or other All-in-One desktops. Do not try to do this. However, there are some parts to take note of; the video card is a 128MB AGP card (may be upgradeable), the wi-fi is a standard mini pci card and the tuner a regular pci tuner.
I will soon be testing to see if I can find suitable upgrade cards to fit this unit.
COURTESY OF CRYSTAL, A BLOG VISITOR, WE NOW HAVE SOME PICTURES FOR THE OPENED 610 MEDIA CENTER.
Crystal needed to change the LCD inverter in her unit as half the screen was lit and the other half was not. Based on this we reasoned that since the LCd carries two lamps, each running horizontal of the screen (lamps otherwise called backlights are inside the screen), we needed to change the inverter connected to that lamp. To make sure it was the inverter and not the lamp itself we switched around the inverters. The conclusion was that a bad inverter had caused half the screen to go dark while the other half was lit. These pictures are a good general idea on how to open the unit. Please follow link for pictures:
HOW TO OPEN THE GATEWAY 610 MEDIA CENTER
So the screen on your 610 Media Center keeps going on and off during TV viewing and web browsing. I have found that this is due to a faulty power supply. However, if you just have a dim screen that just wont go bright youre having an inverter problem. If it is the on & off problem you're having and you have power supply FIC Part Number:71-50522-00 (Gateway P/N: 6500966) then you will need to upgrade to FIC Part Number:71-50522-01, Model No: DPS-185JB-1 A Rev 01. This should solve your problem in approximately 90% of the cases. If your unit does not have a flickering screen and keeps shutting off a Rev. 00 should work.
Please note that though the 610 Media Center power supply is labled to be 185 watt, if tested with a fluke meter you will only read 100 watt (3.3v & 5v power points). This is because the regular output is 100 watt however, if needed, the system can draw a maximum of 185 watt from this power supply.
In some cases this will not solve the problem and I am currently looking into installing a different vide card in the 610 Media center unit. The video card is located directly above the heatsink and does not have a heatsink of its own nor a fan to pull heat off the card. I have notice that the on/off problem with the screen tends to happend when I run graphic demanding programs. based on this, I believe the card is overheating and the unit may be saved by installing a fan with a fan. This is my current project.
Some have told me that its just a bad motherboard thats the problem. So this would suggest that changing the mother will solve the on/off issue in some cases. I have not personally experienced this but will not rule it out.
There is a certain memory issue with the 610 Media Center. Apparently if you remove one bar of memory changing its configuration to 256MB, the system will boot and then restart. The unit will continue to do so untill the memory is replaced to the original configuration of 512MB. This is just something I have noticed with this unit and it may not happen with all Gateway 610 Media Centers. However, I will try to upgrade this unit to 1GB and see if there is a boot problem after the upgrade.
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( 3 / 6054 )Saturday, July 29, 2006, 11:58 PM
The Gateway Profile 3 is a great all in one desktop unit but parts tend to be hard to find. So lets make a few substitution. The unit uses a slim line laptop optical (DVD/CDRW/DVDCDRW) drive with a special faceplate. Therefore it can be replaced with another laptop optical drive with the faceplate cut to fit the Profile. To replace the optical drive in the Profile 3; remove the unit from the stand, remove the screws located at the rear of the unit and carefully remove the chassis back cover. Remove the chassis back cover starting from the side with the USB ports. The drive is held by one screw, remove the screw and pull the drive horizontally away from the unit.
The Profile 3 CPU Fan tends to cause a bit of a problem if the fan is not set just right on the CPU. This is sometimes the case when the unit starts with the error, "cpu fan not installed" or sometimes the unit just will not start. This especially happends when using the cylindrical fan. More and more the Cylindrical fans are becoming hard to find. However, just as good is any square (2,1/8 X 2,1/8") socket 370 cpu fan with a maximum height of 1,3/4" of an inch. On the back cover of some Profile 3 chassis there is a cylindrical plastic similar to the cpu fan. Remove this plastic to install the replacement fan. The replacement fan should have three pin motherboard connection cable.
There are two lcds used on the Gateway Profile 3. One is the SAMSUNG LTM150XS-L04 15" TFT LCD which uses the AMBIT LCD inverter P/N: T27I031.00. This LCD is mainly found on chassis P/Ns: 3500994 and 3501139. The other LCD the Profile 3 uses is the LTM150XH-LO1 which uses AMBIT inverter P/N: T27I044.00. You can identify the LCD your profile three is using by looking at how many cable connections there is to the inverter. The LTM150XH-LO1 uses four cable connections, two connected to each end of the inverter. If its just one cable connection at each end, then you have LTM150XH-LO4. The Profile 4 15" LCD model also uses LTM150XH-LO1. However, the inverter is different.
Most people with a Profile 3 want to know how they can watch tv on the unit. Now you can find available in most computer shops and definetly online; pcmcia or external usb tv tunning devices. These units come packaged with software bundles and applicable cables. Some will only give the ability to access 125 channels others much more. When adding a pcmcia tv tuner to your unit be sure to max out on memory (512mb pc-133 168pin sd-ram) & cpu. Most Profile 3 will accept a 1Ghz socket 370 PIII except the Tualatin motherboards which will accept a 1.2Ghz socket 370 PIII Tualatin cpu.
All Profile 3 units have a Mini PCI port and will accept virtually any Mini PCI card. Some units use this card to for modem onnection and some use it for a modem/nic combo card. I say we ditch the ones with just a modem card and replace it with a Mini PCI WI-FI card. You may use virtually any mini pci wifi card, as long as you can find the correct drivers. In addition to the card you will need a pair of wi-fi antenna (similar to the ones found in laptops). First remove the thumb screws which secures the stand to the chassis and remove the stand. Lay the unit, LCD face down and proceed to remove the screws from the back to remove back panel. Remove your existing Mini PCI card located above the I/O board (board with all the connectors). Be sure you card is not a modem nic combo card in which case there will be two cables connected to the card (smaller cable for modem and broader cable for nic). If you have a modem/nic card, removing this card will also disconnect your LAN NIC connection. Before you install your mini pci wi-fi card, attach the antenna cables so installation can be easier. Install your card and carefully route the antenna away from any components which may cause it to over heat. Attach the cable along the plastic of the unit or on the rear panel of the unit. To hold the cable in place you can use a hot glue gun. Once you have reassembled your unit, boot and install the needed drivers for the card. Soon you will have wireless connectivity. Now you can finally place that unit on the kitchen counter.
The Gateway Profile 4 ac adapter (ADP-160AB GWP/N:6500683) is becoming increasingly harder to find. The truth is both the Profile 5 (ADP-180AB) and 5.5 (Model HP-AN235D43) adapter can be used on the Profile 4.
Sometimes following the manufacturers specifications for these units can give a limited view of a units true potential. The motherboard for the Profile 4 according to the manufacturers web site takes 2 bars of DDR-266Mhz. However, since the time these units were designed, memory modules have changed in speed. In the case of the Profile 4 the unit will also accept DDR-400Mhz PC-3200 memory modules.
Gateway Profile 4 comes in two versions the Profile 4 & Profile 4.5. Some of the main differences I've noticed are:
The Profile 4 uses the HARAPPA-10 model motherboard whereas the Profile 4.5 uses the POLARIS-5 motherboard Purchase a Gateway Profile 4 or 4.5 motherboard. The units use different video chips, however both are Nvidia based. The form factor of the I/O board in the rear is different an I/O board from the Profile 4 will not work on the Profile 4.5. The way the I/O board interfaces with the motherboard is different.
Using an additional monitor on the Profile 4 is a breeze. Just connect to the VGA port in the rear and you are good to go. All the control features are provided by your Windows OS (2k & XP). You will have the ability to expand your desktop to the second monitor or even make the second monitor your primary screen. Perfect for a temporary fix while ordering a new screen, lcd cable or inverter.
Removing the power inverter (SDC-1605P OR 1605PA) from a Gateway Profile 4 is easier than it looks. The process involves removing the LCD, motherboard and all its components intact, from the rear part of the chassis and its stand.
First remove the access panel for the hard drive/memory and cpu. This panel is held by two screws each above the axis/hinge point of the stand. Next remove the optical/floppy drive combo. To the rear of the combo drive there are two screws (right & left of the COA) holding the drive in place, remove these screws. Pull the drive (thumb to the front of drive & all other fingers under unit) horizontally away from the unit and detach the cables. Next remove the two screws below the axis/hinge point of the stand. Then remove the four screws surrounding the I/O ports, two on each side. Additionally, there are four screws two located on each side of the unit. These screws are covered by plastic tabs, small tabs with slots just large enough to fit a flathead screw driver. Using the flathead screw driver pull them off. This will reveal the screws you need to remove.
Carefully turning the unit over to the bottom, you will notice two points at which there are clips holding the unit together. Using your flathead screwdriver release these clips and with moderate force pull the bottom section away from the rear. Then look to the sides where you will notice other clips being revealed, release them all. You are now able to remove the LCD, motherboard and all its components including the power inverter.
Removing the LCD inverter (P/N: SIC850 OR SIC850A) from a Gateway Profile 4 can be accomplished in five steps. The LCD trim bezel (silver tone plastic around lcd) is first removed by pulling it away from the rear black plastic with a flathead screwdriver. Next remove the screws holding the LCD inplace. After removing the lcd by gently raising each end away from Profile chassis (use flathead screwdriver). You will notice that there is a rectangular chip board to which four cables from the lcd is connected (Inverter). Disconnect the cables and then remove the screws holding the inverter.
One of the main signs of an inverter that needs to be changed is a dim screen with faint image or the unit will power on, show an image and then screen goes dim.
I recently upgraded a Profile 4 from a 15" LCD to a 17" LCD. The 17" models commonly uses inverter SIC850A. However, you can just as well use inverter SIC850 along with the video scaler PF41700. The cables will be a little short and a bit of a hassle to connect but once connected the system will work flawless. The ideal solution would be to take a piece of foam (foam will serve as a mounting for the inverter) and afix it to the inverter. Glue the inverter in place where all cables can be effortlessly conected (usually the place where the former inverter was removed). Make sure the inverter is not touching any metal surface which could cause an electric short.
One of the difference with the Profile 4 & 4.5 is; The LCD frame is specifically designed to fit the SIC850A having two close fitting mounting studs whereas the Profile 4 was shipped with the SIC850 inverter. The Profile 4 frame design supports this inverter having two opposite sided mounting studs.
Many Profile 4 are now coming off-lease and they tend to have dead motherboards. One known reason for these motherboards going bad are swollen capacitators, especially those at the top right of the motherboard. These capacitators can be replaced and in many cases dead Profile 4 motherboards with swollen capacitators can be repaired by changing these capacitaors.
The Profile 4 was intially sold with the modem being an optional component. So many after market units will not have a modem or even the RJ-11 port for the phone line connection. However, all Profile 4 units have a Mini PCI port and will accept virtually any Mini PCI card. I decided to use my Mini PCI port for the installation of a
WI-FI card. The card I used was an Intel Pro 2200 B/G mini pci wireless card. In addition to the card you will need a pair of wi-fi antenna (similar to the ones found in laptops). Open the rear panel of your unit and remove your hard drive located at the upper left hand corner. Exposed you will see the mini pci slot. Before you install your mini pci wi-fi card, attach the antenna cables so installation can be easier. Install your card and carefully route the antenna away from any components which may cause it to over heat. Attach the cable along the plastic of the unit, I attached mine on the rear panel of the unit. To hold the cable in place you can use a hot glue gun. Once you have reassembled your unit, boot and install the needed drivers for the card. Soon you will have wireless connectivity. Now you can finally place that unit on the kitchen counter.
Just a quick update. The Profile 3 is not compatible with Windows Vista however the Profile 4 is Windows Vista ready. However, before doing the upgrade, make sure you have atleast 768MB of memory.
If youre looking for more hard drive space and would like to have a second hard drive on your Profile 4' dont worry it's simply. Remove the back cover/door from your unit and then remove your existing hard drive. The hard drive is located to the top left corner within a black plastic enclosure. Disconnect the IDE cable/ribbon and power cable connected to your hard drive.
Next you will need to purchase a longer IDE cable/ribbon with three connection points and a power splitter for your hard drive power cable. One end of the IDE ribbon cable connects to the motherboard and the other two points to your hard drives, just as with your previous drive. You may need to set your newly acquired hard drives jumper settings to either Cable Select (CS) or Slave. Next install the power cable splitter on the power cable that was connected to your hard drive and connect one end to the old hard drive and the other to the new. The drawback is that you will not be able to fit both drives into your unit but you will have two functional drives and more storage space.
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( 3 / 2387 )Friday, June 23, 2006, 02:47 PM
The Solo 9500 & 9550 have the following parts in common: Keyboard, Keyboard cover, Battery, Optical drive and Floppy drive.
The Solo 9500 can take one of several speeds MPGa-2 CPU (PIII 700MHz - 1GHz). However, lets face it, no one wants below 1Ghz. To change the Solo 9500 processor (cpu) requires removing three simple components; The first is the Keyboard cover. This is the strip of plastic right above the keyboard, the plastic to which the power button and internet function keys are connected. You can use the flatedge of a screwdriver to remove this plastic. Next remove the keyboard by unscrewing the silver screws formerly covered by the plastic strip and release the black latch to the left of the keyboard. Place the keyboard keys facedown on the palmrest and then proceed to remove the heatsink. The heatsink is held by five screws. Remove these screws and then remove the power wires for the heatsink fan (pull up to remove, gripping the plastic and not the wires). The cpu is now exposed. Remove the cpu by using the flatedge of a small screwdriver to turn the locking screw which holds the cpu in place. Remove the cpu by holding the edges and lifting vertically. Be carefull not to damage the pins of the cpu.
The Solo 9500 comes with the optional modem (RJ-11) or modem/ethernet (RJ-45) combo port. Some units comes equipped with a modem/firewire combo which is rear. If you currently have a modem port, you may chose to upgrade to a modem/nic combo port.Simply remove the existing modem/nic port (located to the back left side of unit) by unscrewing the screw which holds the port. Next, on the the bottom of the unit, open the port cover to the top left. You should now be looking at a mini pci modem card which has one cable connected, remove this cable. The modem card is held by the metal clips on both sides, push clips away from the card to release it. You must now obtain a modem nic combo mini pci card to replcae your old mini pci modem card. Suggested brands of mini pci modem/nic cards; Action Tec or Broadcom. Back to the modem port from which you removed the first screw, pull the port away from the unit slowly. This will completely remove the port from the unit. Now you need to purchase a Solo 9500 modem/nic combo port for your unit and follow the instructions in reverse order.
It is common belief that the Solo 9550 will only upgrade to 512MB of memory (256MB in each slot). However, the unit can be upgraded to 1GB PC-133 144-PIN SO-DIMM. However, for this upgrade the 16 chip memory modules must be used (8 memory chip on each side of the memory bar).
Some Solo 9500 and 9550 laptops after sometime start running slow, taking forever to boot. Even after booting, the unit still runs slow. If you have checked the memory and CPU and none of this makes a difference we have found that its usually the motherboard.
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( 3 / 1356 )Sunday, May 28, 2006, 11:03 PM
The 200ARC can be found with three different speed (CPUs) Processors which all come soldered to the motherboard (systemboard). Speeds range from P4 1.4GHz to 1.8Ghz. However, there is also a Celeron 1.2Ghz motherboard for this unit.
Though it may prove costly to upgrade, the 200ARC will max at 2Gigs of memory (2 x 1000MB units 200pin pc-2100/2700/3200). With maximum memory this unit becomes a nice workstation, able to tackle virtually any personal or small office task.
The Gateway 200STM has two battery options a 3 cell batery which gives approximately 1.5 hours worth of work time and an extended life 6 cell battery which will give close to 4 hours work time
It is true that most 200arc will take up to a 80GB hard drive. However, I have come accross some that will not even accept a 60GB refusing to identify the drive. Even after upgrading to BIOS version 42.03.01.
Should your unit stop booting one day, the most common cause (based on my experience) of dead 200arc units is a deffective dc power board. The part to which the ac adapter is connected is actually a
a detachable part and can be removed from the mainboard (a daughter board). This piece controls power to the unit and if deffective no power will get to the unit, hence the unit will not boot.
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( 3 / 5830 )Tuesday, August 9, 2005, 02:05 PM
The Gateway 450ROG/SX4 are both good units with the 450ROG being the better of the two. Some 450ROG has a 64MB video card whereas the SX4 has a 32MB video card. Also the ROG will accept over 1GB of memory whereas the SX4 takes a max of 512MB.
Both motherboards will fit either chassis (450ROG or SX4) The form factor of the boards are the same. However, as per Joel's entry dated Wednesday, October 4, 2006, 08:53 AM: "The form factor of the boards are the same, but the lcd plug-in is different on the two. The monitors are different from one to another. So you can't interchange monitors between them".
One problem I have noticed, if the fan on your heatsink as started to go bad becoming very noisy but still running. It will cause the unit to shut down. At this point its not cooling the unit fast enough. One of the first thing that will happend is distorted video due to over heating and the unit constantly going into standby.
One major problem on these units are the video on the motherboards. They tend to go bad and as with most Gateway units cannot be manually repaired. This is quite possibly lack of sufficient cooling. My opinion is to buy a cooling pad and this "MAY" extend the life of your unit.
Though an 80Watt power adapter is issued with these units you will find that the unit will function with a 70Watt adapter. However, using a 60 or 50watt adapter will cause problems. The unit will start function for a while then shut down according to usage.
Though the lcd cable connection is different between the 450ROG & 450SX4, one thing some 14.1" & 15" LCD Panels share is the same inverter, Gateway P/N: 8006699, Inverter P/N: 3RUA2IV0003.
Both the 450SX4 & ROG uses Pentium 4 CPUS. However, the SX4 uses a P4 Processor-M CPU (400Mhz FSB, 512Kb L-2 Cache & core voltage of 1.30V) whereas the ROG uses a Centrino P4 (400Mhz FSB, 1mb L-2 Cache & core voltage of 1.484V)
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