Microslop Bricked Another Laptop, And Then Tried to Brick It Again!

Problem

• A 2020 Dell XPS 9500 would not power on after the charger was disconnected. The charger LED turned orange, the machine shut off and would not restart.
• Customer had already replaced the battery.

Diagnosis steps, tools and measurements

External checks

• Verified USB‑C PD negotiation to 20 V; measured CC1 ≈ 1.6 V (PD controllers OK).
• Used an inline power meter to observe idle/current behavior.

Internal inspection and electrical checks

• Opened the laptop, removed the bottom cover and unplugged the battery to perform a CMOS reset.
• Thermal imaging (P2 Pro Thermal Master under a microscope) used to find warm components; warmth identified near the chipset/power area.
• Visual inspection of the motherboard: prior service marks, minor corrosion, no obvious blown parts.
• Multimeter checks:
  • Battery measured ≈ 10.7 V.
  • 20 V, 5 V and 3.x V rails were present when the charger was plugged in.
  • 1.2 V rail (DRAM/VTT) / RAM power was missing when the system tried to start.
  • Chipset and EC appeared to power up (thermal/audio evidence), but RAM power stayed off — system was “half on”.
• Performed continuity checks around SSD power rails and inductors to rule out shorts.
• Oscilloscope probing of BIOS/SPI communication pins showed activity (“chatter”) but suggested a possible firmware problem.

Key findings / Root cause

• Power delivery and many rails were physically present; MOSFETs and PD chips did not show clear failure.
• Evidence pointed to corrupted BIOS/firmware rather than a pure hardware power failure: the chipset and power-management components were waking but the system would not fully POST.
• After flashing a known-good BIOS the laptop booted, and Windows immediately queued a BIOS/firmware update. That Windows-initiated update was likely the original cause of the brick and could re‑brick the board if left enabled.

Repair actions performed

• Backed up the original BIOS contents from the on‑board SPI flash (chip ID: 25B256D / WS 256 — a 32 Mbit/sector size).
  • Used a T48 pogo-pin reader (on‑board programming without chip removal) to read and store the customer’s BIOS (important for BitLocker/PTT and recovery).
• Wrote a verified good BIOS image to the SPI chip.
• Reassembled and tested: Dell splash screen appeared and Windows booted; battery charged.
• Observed Windows performing firmware updates again (including EC/PD). Some update attempts failed but the process ultimately completed successfully.
• Disabled UEFI capsule (UEFI capsule firmware updates) in BIOS to prevent Windows Update / Linux Vendor Firmware Service from auto-flashing firmware in the future.
• Ran Windows updates and Dell diagnostics; passed diagnostics. Noted CPU/GPU temperatures and planned to redo thermal paste and clean fans.

Warning: Always back up the existing BIOS before writing a new image — it may contain BitLocker keys / PTT information needed for recovery.

Note: On‑board pogo programming can work for the 256‑size SPI chips; for 512‑size chips it is recommended to remove the chip for reliable programming.

Practical tips & takeaways

• Always back up the existing BIOS prior to writing a new image (contains BitLocker keys / PTT info).
• For small SPI chips (256 variant) an on‑board pogo reader can work; for 512-sized chips, remove the chip before flashing.
• Use an oscilloscope to monitor BIOS/SPI lines to help distinguish firmware corruption from a hardware power issue.
• Use thermal imaging and methodical rail checks (20 V, 5 V, 3.3 V, 1.8 V, 1.2 V) to identify which rails power up and which do not.
• Windows Update can queue and auto-apply UEFI/BIOS updates — this can brick laptops. Disabling UEFI capsule updates in BIOS prevents Windows from auto-flashing firmware.
• If a machine was previously repaired elsewhere, expect prior damage or attempts (missing screws, peeled thermal pads, corrosion).

Tools, parts & components mentioned

• USB‑C power meter / PD negotiation checks
• Thermal camera: P2 Pro Thermal Master (mounted under microscope)
• Microscope for board inspection
• Multimeter / continuity tester
• Oscilloscope for monitoring SPI/BIOS communications
• T48 pogo-pin BIOS programmer (pogo pen reader)
• Power management IC: 9538CH (mentioned)
• BIOS flash chip: 25B256D (WS)
• Typical suspects: MOSFETs, charge coils/inductors, power management IC, EC, SSD power rails, BIOS/firmware regions

Guides / Procedure demonstrated

1. Check external PD negotiation and idle currents.
2. Open the laptop and disconnect the battery; attempt a CMOS reset.
3. Use thermal imaging to localize warm components.
4. Visually inspect the board for corrosion, damage, or missing screws/components.
5. Measure key rails: 20 V, 5 V, 3.3 V, 1.8 V, 1.2 V and RAM/SSD power rails.
6. Do continuity checks to find shorts on rails or around the SSD area.
7. Probe BIOS / SPI communication with an oscilloscope to check for firmware chatter.
8. Back up BIOS SPI contents before flashing.
9. Flash a known-good BIOS (use on‑board pogo for 256 chips; remove chip for larger 512 chips).
10. Reassemble, boot, and immediately disable UEFI capsule updates if Windows auto-updates firmware.
11. Run diagnostics and address thermals (re‑paste, clean fans).

Main speaker / source

• The video’s narrator / repair technician (the channel’s creator) who performed the diagnostics and repair.