Member Avatar for rgrut

I have a Sony Vaio PCG-FRV37 that I'm trying to repair for a friend. I checked the power supply then charged the battery for hours, it will not make any noises only the green power light & amber battery light come on for a second as if the battery were dead. with the battery out & running on PS, same thing. He said it was working fine until he put it away for a spell. I have taken it apart several times checking for loose connections etc. Any help is appreciated, thanks, rgrut.

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Building on suggestions from and , here’s a compact, practical diagnostics + repair checklist focused on isolating why a Vaio powers its LEDs for a second and then dies. The goal is to separate a simple connector/fuse/solder issue from a board-level short or failed power controller so repairs are targeted.

  • Tools: digital multimeter, magnifier, small soldering iron or hot‑air (for experienced hands), flux, ESD strap, optional current‑limited bench PSU. Work on a nonconductive surface and discharge capacitors before touching parts.
  • DC‑in path: identify the adapter voltage on its label, measure it at the barrel and at the DC‑in pads on the board while powered. With power removed, check continuity of the DC jack to the board and of the small SMD input fuse (often labeled F#); an open fuse or broken trace is a common, cheap fix.
  • Short/rail checks (power off): measure resistance from the DC+ node to ground—very low resistance usually means a shorted MOSFET/diode or damaged regulator. Remove nonessential modules (HDD, optical, Wi‑Fi, RAM) and retest; if resistance rises, the short was in an add‑on. A current‑limited bench supply can reveal immediate overcurrent behavior without destroying parts.
  • Power button / reset behavior: electrically verify the power/rescue switch/header with a meter (continuity when pressed, or momentary shorting of the two power‑on pins) rather than relying only on the paper‑clip reset method.
  • RAM slot solder joints: follow ’s lead by testing one DIMM in each slot and swapping modules. Inspect slots under magnification for lifted pads or hairline cracks. If reflowing solder is attempted, use flux, a fine tip, and short, controlled heats—this is delicate work and can lift pads or damage nearby components.

A one‑second blink is often a power‑path/fuse/short issue or a failing power IC; if rail voltages never stabilize after the adapter is connected, a board‑level repair or donor motherboard is usually the practical next step.

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Member Avatar for dogbreath077

Take out the motherboard, and inspect the power connector-to-motherboard solder joints. Look for hairline cracks in the solder. Resolder if you find any. Also test for power coming in while the motherboard is out, see if the board is receiving power.

Member Avatar for rgrut

Thanks dogbreath077, I'll give it a try when I get time, could be the problem. I haven't taken the mother out yet but close.

Member Avatar for byf43

Have you tried the 'Reset' button on the bottom of the pc??? (Press the reset button with an opened paper clip.)
Using the reset button, you may be able to get the pc to boot.
I have a PCG FRV37 that does the same thing.
I'm confident that the problem is cold solder joints on the RAM slots.

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