When the search for a fix for the Xbox 360 'Red Ring of Death" led to a number of unsatisfactory solutions online, there was one that really made some sense to this old electronics engineeer... that was to "reflow" the solder on the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). That, along with a couple of other adjustments will be documented in a separate post, once I have confirmed that the fixes are holding for more than a couple of days of game play.
As it turns out, the same problem seems to be plaguing the Gateway XHD3000 30-inch Hi-Def Monitor. Since Gateway has been "merged" into Asus, this product line seems to have been "orphaned", leaving no tech support available from the supplier. But the "output" board suffers from a malady of having the display degrade from the center vertical to the right side by getting darker and almost completely black, with an occasional vertical green "stripe" appearing near the right side of the display.
The "fix" that was implemented for the Xbox 360 provided some experience with the proper methods for using a "heat gun" to carefully raise the temperature in the affected area of the "BGA" (Ball Gate Array) solder joints to effectively "reball" the joints and return the unit to full function.
For the Gateway XHD3000, this meant using a similar technique to reflow the solder joints in the area of the ribbon connectors (four connectors) on the Output board (at the top to the chassis). The process takes about 45 minutes, plus it is necessary to let the board completely cool down for about 30 minutes. But, it saved an expensive device and the display is now crisp and clear across the entire range.
For the XHD3000, a search for fixes resulted in about 32,000 links, most of which were complaining about the fact that Gateway Tech Support offered NO HELP. And there are few, if any, service centers accepting repairs for this device.
If you need your LCD Flat Panel Display checked out and would like to have us determine if it can be fixed, give us a call at 866-591-5557, or email us through this Support Blog.
- Jim Kirschenmann
MAX Communications
http://www.helpmemax.com/
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Gateway was bought by Acer - not Asus. Either way, Acer knows about the defective BGA chips, but they refuse to do anything about it. They knowingly sold a defective product. If you inquire about it they just say "not our problem". It's no wonder Gateway has a C- at the BBB.
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