Acer Aspire 5910 Service Guide

							
Acer Aspire 5910 Notebook ComputerService Guide
                                                                                                                                      PRINTED IN TAIWAN
Service guide files and updates are available
on the Acer CSD web site at  http://csd.acer.com.tw
Acer Aspire 5910 SG.book  Page I   Tuesday, May 29, 2007  11:40 AM 
						

							
II
Revision History
Refer to the table below for the updates made on this version of the Aspire 5910 Notebook Computer Service 
Guide.
DateChapterUpdates
Acer Aspire 5910 SG.book  Page II   Tuesday, May 29, 2007  11:40 AM 
						

							
III
Copyright
Copyright © 2007 by Acer Incorporated.  All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, 
transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or  translated into any language or computer language, in 
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magne tic, optical, chemical, manual or otherwise, without 
the prior written permission  of Acer Incorporated.
Disclaimer
The information in this guide is  subject to change without notice.
Acer Incorporated makes no representations or warranties,  either expressed or implied, with respect to the 
contents hereof and specifically disclaims any warrantie s of merchantability or fitness for any particular 
purpose.  Any Acer Incorporated software described in this manual is sold or licensed as is.  Should the 
programs prove defective following their purchase, the bu yer (and not  Acer Incorporated, its distributor, or its 
dealer) assumes the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair, and any incidental or consequential 
damages resulting from any defect in the software.  
Acer is a registered tradem ark of Acer Corporation.
Intel and Centrino are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation.
Intel Core is a trademark of Intel Corporation.
Other brand and product names are  trademarks and/or registered tradem arks of their respective holders.
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IV
Conventions
The following textual conventions are used in this service guide.SCREEN MESSAGES Denotes actual messages that appear on screen.
NOTE Gives additional information related to the current topic.
WARNING Alerts you to any physical risk or  system damage that might result 
from doing or not doing specific actions.
CAUTION Gives precautionary measures to avoid possible hardware or 
software problems.
IMPORTANT Reminds you to do specific actions  relevant to the accomplishment 
of procedures.
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V
Service Guide Coverage
This Service Guide provides you with all technical information relating to the BASIC CONFIGURATION 
decided for Acers global product offering. To better fit local market requirements and enhance product 
competitiveness, your regional office  MAY have decided to extend the func tionality of a machine (e.g. add-on 
card, modem, or extra memory capability). These LO CALIZED FEATURES will NOT be covered in this generic 
Service Guide. In such cases, please contact your regional offices or the responsible personnel/channel to 
provide you with further technical details.
FRU Information
Please note WHEN ORDERING FRU PART S, that you should check the most up-to-date information available 
on your regional web or channel. If,  for whatever reason,  a part number change is made, it will not be noted in 
the printed Service Guide.  For ACER-AUTHORIZED  SERVICE PROVIDERS, your Acer office may have a 
DIFFERENT part number code to those given in the FRU li st of this printed Service Guide. You MUST use the 
list provided by your regional Acer office to order  FRU parts for repair and service of customer machines.
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VI
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VII
Table of Contents
System Tour  1
Features  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Aspire Tour  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Open Front View  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Close Front View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6
Left View  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Right View  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Rear View  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Base View  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Status Indicators  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Easy-launch Keys  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
System Utilities  11
Phoenix TrustedCore Setup Utility  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Accessing the Setup Utility  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Navigating Through the Setup Utility   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Setup Utility Menus  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
BIOS Flash Utility  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Launch Manager  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
System Disassembly  23
Disassembly Tools  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Stages of the Disassembly Process  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Equivalent Torque Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
System Screw List   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Pre-disassembly Procedure  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
External Modules Disassembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 External Modules Disassembly Flowchart . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  25
Removing the SD Dummy Card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  26
Removing the ExpressCard/54 Dummy Card  . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  26
Removing the Battery Pack   . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  27
Removing the Lower Case Cove r    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Removing the Memory Modules      . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  29
Removing the WLAN Board       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  29
Removing and Dismantling the HDD Assembly     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  31
Removing and Dismantling the ODD Assembly  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    32
Removing the Cooling Fan      . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  33
Removing the Heat Sink    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  34
Removing the Processor   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    35
Removing the VGA Board   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    36
Main Unit Disassembly  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Main Unit Disassembly Flowchart  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  37
Removing the Keyboard      . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  38
Removing the Middle Cover    . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    39
Removing the LCD Module    . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    39
Removing the Power Board   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      41
Removing the Upper Case     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  42
Removing the Power FPC Cable   . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Removing the Speaker    . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  45
Removing the E-key Board      . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  46
Removing the Launch Board     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  47
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Table of Contents
Removing the Touchpad Board     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  47
Removing the Modem Board     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  49
Removing the Bluetooth Board      . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  50
Removing the Subwoofer    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  51
Removing the USB Board      . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  51
Removing the System Board     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  53
Removing the Card Reader Board    . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  54
Removing the DC-in Jack    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
LCD  Module Disassembly    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  55 LCD Module Disassembly Flowchart   . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  55
Removing the LCD Bezel      . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Removing the LCD Panel      . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  57
Removing the Inverter Board      . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  58
Removing the LCD-CCD Cable       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Removing the LCD Panel Brackets     . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  59
Removing the LCD Module Hinges      . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  59
Removing the CCD Board       . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  60
Removing the Microphones     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  60
Removing the WLAN Antennas       . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
System Troubleshooting  63
Hardware Diagnostic Procedure  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
System Check Procedures  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  64 External Diskette Drive Check   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
External CD-ROM Drive Check   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Keyboard or Auxiliary Input Device Check. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  64
Memory Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  65
Power System Check  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Touchpad Check  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  66
POST Error Indicators   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 POST Error Message. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  67
POST Beep Codes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Index of Symptom-to-FRU Error Message   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
Intermittent Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  78
Undetermined Problems  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
Online Support Information  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
System Block Diagram and Board Layout  81
System Block Diagram    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
System Board Layout  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 Top 
View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  82
Bottom View   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83

System Switch   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
Aspire 5910 Series M odel Configurations  85
Test Compatible Components  89
Technical Specifications  93
Index 103
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Chapter 11
Features
Your Aspire 5910 is part of the Acer Gemstone line of notebook computers. It provides superior computing 
performance and excellent audio-visual experien ce in an all new sleek and elegant exterior. 
NOTE:  The features listed in this section is for your re ference only. The exact configuration of your Aspire 
computer depends on the model purchased.
Computing platform
TMobile technology: Intel® Centrino® Duo mobile technology
TProcessor: Intel Core™ 2 Duo processor. Your Aspire notebook supports the following processor 
sequence: T7600, T7400,  T7200, T5600, and T5500.
TProcessor technologies
t     Intel Virtualization Technology (Intel VT) 
t     Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology 
t     Intel 64-bit architecture
t     Execute Disable Bit functionality
TCore logic: Mobile Intel 945PM Express Chipset
Memory
TTwo DIMM slots supporting DDR2 533/667 MHz memory modules
TMaximum 4 GB system memory  using two soDIMM modules
TSupports dual-channel memory mode
T1 MB flash BIOS and shadow RAM support
Storage subsystem
TSATA hard disk drives in 80–,120–, and 160 GB  capacities (higher HDD capacity supported)
TDVD-Super Multi double-layer drive or DVD/CD-RW combo drive
T5-in-1 card reader slot supports Secure Dig ital (SD), MultiMediaCard (MMC), Memory Stick® (MS), 
Memory Stick Pro™ (MS Pro), a nd xD-Picture Card™ (xD) formats
Display and graphics
T15.4 WXGA high-brightness (220-nit s) Acer CrystalBrite™ TFT LCD (1400 x 900 pixel resolution, 16.7 
million colors)
TGraphics controller: ATI Mobility™ Radeon™ X2300 HD
TAcer GridVista™ for simultaneous multi-window viewing (8 ms response time)
TAcer Arcade™ featuring Acer CinemaVision™ and Acer ClearVision™ technologies
TSupports the following video capabilities:
t     Dual independent display
t     MPEG-2/DVD hardware-assisted function (full decode)
t     WMV9 (VC-1) and H.264 (AVC, full decode)
t     S-video/TV-out (NTSC/PAL)
t    True Digital Visual Interface (DVI-D) with s upport for High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP)
System Tour
Chapter  1
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2Chapter 1
Audio
TOne speaker grill with L/R stereo speakers
TOne subwoofer supporting low-frequency effects
TTwo built-in stereo microphones supports beam forming, echo cancellation, and noise suppression 
technologies
TRealtek ALC883 Azalia High Definition Audio Codec
TIntel High Definition Audio (Intel HD Audio, integrated in the Intel ICH7-M)
TSupports the following audio technologies:
t     Dolby® SurroundSound
t     Dolby Home Theater
t     S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface)
t     MS-Sound
Connectivity
TWLAN controller options
t     Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection (tri-mode 802.11a/b/g)
t     Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Link 4965AGN
t     Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection (dual mode 802.11b/g)
TBroadcom NetLink™ BCM5787 Gigabit Ethernet Controller with PCI Express
TAcer Video Conference solution for advanced Vo ice and Video over Internet Protocol (VVoIP)
t     Acer OrbiCam™310,000 pixel camera supporting the Acer PrimaLite™ and Acer VisageON™ technologies
t     Acer PureZone audio technology for crisp, uninterrupted voice communication
TMultiple network connection options
t     WLAN via Acer InviLink™ 802.11b/g Wi-Fi CERTIFIED solution; Acer SignalUp™ compatible
t     WPAN via Bluetooth® 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) interface
t     LAN via a Gigabit Ethernet port (Wake-on-LAN ready)
t     56K ITU V.92 MDC 1.5 modem (PTT approved, Wake-on-Ring ready)
Keyboard and special keys
T88-/89-/93-key keyboard with international language support
t     Embedded numeric keypad
t     Inverted T cursor keys, 12 function keys, Windows® key, independent US and Euro dollar sign keys, and 
hotkey controls
t     Seamless touchpad pointi ng device with 4-way scroll button
t     2.5 mm (minimum) key travel
TAcer MediaTouch keys: play/pause, stop, previous, next, and record keys
TEasy-launch keys: WLAN, Inter net, email, Bluetooth, Acer Empowering, and Acer Arcade™
I/O interface
TFront panel ports 
t     Line-in
t     Microphone-in
t     Headphone (with S/PDIF support)
t     5-in-1 card reader slot
TRear panel: DC-in jack for the AC adapter
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