Dell XPS 15 9510 i7 zif socket help

Question

Hi all, first post here and its a cry for help. I recently purchased non powering on XPS 15 9510 on ebay, in pristine condition. When I opened it obviously I previous owner had had a go at repairing it, but totally ruined it.

One of the obvious faults is a extremely damaged keyboard zif socket on the motherboard. As its so badly damaged I am unable to count the pins, every time I try I count a different number ranging from 43 to 22, Is anybody aware of the amount and any other information that my assist me.

Thank you very much for your patience and help

Pete

ejn63 · Accepted Answer

Look for someone selling an otherwise dead mainboard on EBay that has an intact keyboard connector. As long as there's no damage to the board underneath, it should then be a simple job to replace the connector.

ejn63 · Answer

It depends on what the socket is for. The socket may or may not be replaceable depending on whether or not the board traces underneath are intact. If they are intact you'll need

A microscope

A hot air rework station

An otherwise faulty board with the same connector on it, from which to salvage a replacement part.

The required SMT soldering skills.

There are working mainboards available on Ebay starting in the mid-$100 range, so keep that in mind before you undertake a repair -- if you can't do the work yourself, and have to pay for labor the cost will far exceed the cost of a replacement system board.

00100 · Answer

The zif socket is for the keyboard. (the cable is all intact). I have all the gear to do the job, repaired quite a few laptops now. Just never come across any issues like this before. Priced up motherboards, they are more than I paid for the machine itself. Being a 2021 model I want to get it working correctly.

00100 · Answer

Thanks for your help. I think that's the best and easiest solution, I was hoping for a new part, but I don't think that's not going to happen.

ejn63 · Answer

You can try one of the big electronics suppliers (Mouser, Digikey or Newark) to see if they have the required part, but in all likelihood you may be faced with ordering from Aliexpress, etc. -- and that won't be less expensive than a salvage operation.

00100 · Answer

Just looking around now to see what I can find, I think I am going to have to struggle to count the pins or try and get a damaged motherboard from ebay.

00100 · Answer

I think I may of discovered the answer to my question. According to Google AI   Dell XPS 15 9510  typically uses a 32-pin FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) connector.

XPS

Dell XPS 15 9510 i7 zif socket help

Was this post helpful?