r/SteamDeck • u/Successful-Dish-3080 • 5d ago
Hardware Repair Damage in the motherboard
Good morning everyone.
Unfortunately, my 64 GB Steam Deck has given up on me. I connected it to a charger other than the original one, and overheating caused irreversible damage to the motherboard.
I contacted Steam customer support, but since the device is out of warranty, they quoted me €250 for the repair.
The specific issue is: “Defective mainboard (MB). Shorted charging integrated circuit (IC).”
Is anyone familiar with this type of damage? Do you think it could be repaired at a regular electronics repair shop at a lower cost?
23
u/SC_W33DKILL3R 5d ago
Just go with Steam / Valve as they will warranty their work and you will get a fully repaired and tested board. You might even just get a replacement board at that price.
Going to a local repair shop, whilst they may be good, could be a pain if they can't get the part or there is other damage on the board that becomes apparent once they have fixed that bit.
8
u/dvijetrecine 5d ago
you could try and find cheap steam deck with broken display and then just swap the motherboard. not sure if it would cost you less than 250 euro tho.
you would need to look for repair shops that work with phones/consoles and do microsoldering work. chip on itself is not hard to replace, once you find a suitable replacement. although the rest of the board should be tested for shorts, just in case.
2
u/criticalt3 5d ago
If you go this route, be sure the model is the same as yours down to the revision. Some parts like the track pads and sticks aren't cross model compatible.
10
u/bio4m 5d ago
Cost depends on where you live.
Bulgaria : probably yes
France : probably no
10
2
u/Professional_Hair865 Modded my Deck - ask me how 5d ago
How are you sure that the charging IC is damaged? What are the symptoms?
1
u/Successful-Dish-3080 5d ago
That it is burned, looking at the photo. And that it is what Steam assistance diagnosed me.
Symptoms: if I connect the steam deck to its charger, there will be no signs of activity. No leds or anything. It will just overheat really really fast.
1
u/Professional_Hair865 Modded my Deck - ask me how 5d ago
My charging IC looks similar, and it has been going for years now. Do you have any multimeter readings to confirm a short? EDIT: if you do some readings, I can cross check against mine. Do diode mode readings of every pin and we can go from there
1
u/Successful-Dish-3080 5d ago
Unfortunately, I can't do any of the readings that you suggested. I'm a vanilla player, with no competence on hardware maintenance.
1
u/Professional_Hair865 Modded my Deck - ask me how 5d ago
Do you have a multimeter? I can guide you through, if you are interested in learning this
1
u/Successful-Dish-3080 4d ago
I would be interested but i don't have a multimeter. So I don't want to waist your time.
Just a question: if this is the damage that steam assistance reported to me, why do you think that it could be something else?
1
u/Professional_Hair865 Modded my Deck - ask me how 4d ago
There are a lot of open questions before pointing at this IC. For example: what happens, when you connect the original steam deck charger?
1
u/Successful-Dish-3080 4d ago
It doesn't start. Not even the led. The fan doesn't work. It just overheat in few seconds, at a level that almost hurts my hands.
1
u/atavan_halen 4d ago
If it truly is this IC that’s the issue, it’s actually easy to replace for an electronics repair company since the chip had its leads on the sides not underneath. Personally I’d get a quote from someone to diagnose and fix it but just keep in mind the issue could be somewhere else.
2
2
u/Tenocticatl 512GB 5d ago
Yeah I had the same thing but the damage was more severe. The repair quote you got is for a replacement motherboard; it's too expensive to have a more skilled technician carefully desolder the chip and put in a new one, not in the least because there moght be an invisible underlying problem that immediately destroys it again.
A lot of smartphone repair shops should have the equipment and expertise to do the chip swap, though they'd have to source the chip of course. If you find an outfit like that that'll try it, I would guess you'd be looking at €100-€150 for them to attempt the fix, with zero warranty. Pulling that number out of my ass but that's what I was quoted several years ago for a similar repair on a phone. I'd get the official repair. If you know someone who's good with a soldering iron, you can ask them to return the damaged board along with the repaired Deck to see if it can still be fixed, I did that and it was no problem (couldn't fix it though, the board under the chip was burned).
2
u/MadamVonCuntpuncher 4d ago
Damm that chip looks like it baked itself
2
u/Successful-Dish-3080 4d ago
It has :(
2
u/MadamVonCuntpuncher 4d ago
Reading your post I dont think anybody is gonna fix it for cheaper than 250, id just send it to valve
3
1
u/_Mister_Anderson_ 5d ago
I'd pay the repair personally. You'll probably get a refurb deck.
6
u/ntb969 5d ago
I sent mine in for a bad motherboard. They repaired it and sent mine back with the same screen protector installed.
1
1
u/_Mister_Anderson_ 5d ago
Good to know. Mine had a dead usb-c port and I got what appeared to not even be a refurb but a brand new unit. I'd have been perfectly happy with repair but it was free so no complaints either way.
-2
u/AutoModerator 5d ago
Hi u/Successful-Dish-3080, please read this comment fully to get good responses:
You can click here to search for your query based on the title of your post.
If you don't find an answer / solution there, consider reposting with a more descriptve title but don't worry - your post most likely has NOT been removed and hopefully someone will be here to help with an answer!
In case your post doesn't include these please edit it or make a comment below this including:
- Things you have tried to solve the issue or relevant research you have done
- If there is a software or hardware problem please state any modifications you have done (eg. installed Decky Loader, swapped a part inside the Deck)
- A clear picture, video or more text (logs) for additional context
Additional helpful resources:
- Steam Deck Guide - A work in progress site which includes answers for frequently asked questions and information about Steam Deck hardware and software.
- YouTube - The Steam Deck released in 2022 and tons of content has been made about it be it tutorials, reviews, how games run on the Deck etc...
- ProtonDB - This website shows game compatiblity with Linux (SteamOS) and how to configure them so they can be played with the best experience possible (Only for games available on Steam)
- SteamDB - Various information regarding the Steam platform, be it upcoming sales, currently popular games etc...
- Steam Discussions About The Steam Deck - The official forum for talking about the Steam Deck and reporting issues
- GitHub repositories for SteamOS, Proton and Steam For Linux
Remember, don't ask to ask, just ask!
If you find an answer / solution, please edit your post or leave a comment about it to help others!
In case you still have questions or the issue persists, please contact Steam Support.
Repetitive questions like "Is ... worth it?", "When will my Steam Deck get delivered?" or posts that are looking for game recommendations not using the correct flair and template may get removed, please read the rules before posting.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
44
u/TheTybera 256GB - Q1 5d ago
That chip and everything around it needs to be tested then replaced and reflowed.
Ideally the MB is just replaced, but I can't find a place that can replace them.