Narrator: In this lesson, we're going to talk about
physical component damage,
specifically those components on your motherboard
that can be damaged over time,
either by manufacturing defects,
careless actions by a user,
or a technician who isn't following
the proper safety protocols
when they're installing or removing components.
Now, when it comes to physical damage of components
on a motherboard,
normally we're going to be looking at things
like the chips on the motherboard, the resistors,
and the capacitors on that motherboard.
Now, when we look at the other chips on our motherboard
and other sensitive components
like resistors and capacitors,
these can actually be damaged by electrostatic discharge,
also known as ESD,
as well as electrical spikes,
or even overheating of your system.
If the components on your motherboard
are exposed to excessive thermal loads over time,
this can actually wear down those components
and cause permanent damage.
Now, in addition to all the different chips
and components on the motherboard,
there's also a lot of different connectors
on the motherboard too.
If you're plugging or unplugging
different cables into different ports,
over time those ports and connectors can become worn down,
and the pins can get bent or damaged.
When this happens, those pins can actually be bent
or broken off completely
and this will cause those particular components
that are attached to those pins or connectors
to fail and no longer communicate properly
with the motherboard and it's associated components.
So it's always important
when you're putting things into or out of a connector,
you take care to do it the right way
and put it directly in and not at an angle
that can bend or break different pins.
Also, when you're looking at your motherboard,
you always want to keep it clean.
Dust and dirt can cause lots of problems for your system
including overheating or shorting out of components
if that dirt has conductive material in it,
such as little metal flakes
that can go across the sensitive components of a motherboard
and cause shorts.
Another common problem that you'll find
with different computers being damaged
is when a user is simply careless
and they're eating or drinking around that system.
When you're eating or drinking around a system
and you accidentally spill over your coffee cup or water,
this can then get onto the case and seep inside
onto the motherboard itself
and damage the different components there.
Generally, this is one of the easiest things
for you as a technician to identify
because you're going to be able to physically see
the damage to this motherboard
based on that liquid damage or other things
that were dropped onto it.
Now, in addition to looking for things physically
you can also use your nose
as one of the things to detect when things are going wrong.
For example, you might smell either a burning smell
or a rancid smell.
If you smell an unusual odor
like a burning smell or you see smoke,
this can indicate that something is overheating,
such as a power supply,
and this can actually catch fire,
and obviously that would damage the computer as well.
Another thing to look for
if you start to smell a burning smell,
is to make sure the case and its fan vents
aren't clogged with dust or dirt
because this will hinder airflow
and can overheat the system as well.
Now the final thing we need to talk about
is that rancid smell that I just mentioned.
Now, this often comes from a blown or burst capacitor.
Now a capacitor is a small electronic device
that has a barrel-like or cylindrical shape.
You'll see these all over your motherboard,
and they're used to regulate the amount of electricity
that is going to the different chips in a system.
Now, these capacitors are used to basically hold a charge,
and over time, and they're made up
of a different chemical composition inside of them.
If there's a manufacturing defect,
and that chemical inside starts to seep out,
you're going to smell it
because it has a very sour and rancid smell to it,
and it's very distinctive.
Once you smell this once in your career,
you're going to know exactly what it is
every time you smell it in the future
because it is very distinctive.
Now, when you have these capacitors
and if they start leaking out that chemical component,
this can start emitting that residue onto the motherboard,
and when the capacitors start emitting
this internal chemical,
it's actually going to lose its ability to do its job
of regulating electricity.
This can then cause surges to different components
on the motherboard and cause them to fail over time.
Now, when you look at a capacitor,
they should be a cylinder or barrel shape,
essentially like a soda can.
They should look very consistent in size.
If they start bulging out or swelling,
this means that capacitor
is likely going to be failing or has already failed.
Now, in these cases, you're not going to be able
to replace those capacitors on the motherboard
unless you specialize in micro and miniature electronics.
So most of us will simply replace the motherboard.
Anytime you start seeing swelling of these capacitors,
bursting of the capacitors, or the leakage of the components
from inside the capacitors,
you want to immediately shut down the computer
and no longer use that motherboard
and replace it with a new one.
Capacitors are also found on video cards
and other expansion cards as well,
but the primary place you're going to see them
is on your motherboard as this form of electrical control
for your system chips.
So remember, when you're looking at a system,
you want to visually inspect it
and see if there's any physical damage.
Also, you want to use your other senses,
such as your nose to be able to determine
if there is a burning smell or a rancid sour smell
because this can be an indication of different components
that are physically damaged inside of your system.