Is this worth fixing?
Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2020 7:08 pm
I have a Netgear switch I use to piggy back several Ethernet connections. I've been using it for over 5 years, and it's only turned off when I go on vacation. Most of the time it remains powered on.
The other day I went to my desktop to check for something on the net, and it would not connect. So I looked at the switch and it was powered off with no lights indicating activity. I also noticed a burnt smell, so I disconnected it and removed the board from the container. From my limited electronics experience, it looks like the power transistor took a dump.
I looked underneath the board and you can see some discoloration on the board indicating it it probably got hot I guess.
I did find a replacement in Amazon and it looks like a higher quality replacement than what came with the switch even though it's still made in China. Do you think this is something worth fixing by replacing the power transistor as show in the first pic? I'm pretty good with soldering, as I was trained back in the 80's at General Dynamics for a whole week just on soldering. All the other components look OK.
The other day I went to my desktop to check for something on the net, and it would not connect. So I looked at the switch and it was powered off with no lights indicating activity. I also noticed a burnt smell, so I disconnected it and removed the board from the container. From my limited electronics experience, it looks like the power transistor took a dump.
I looked underneath the board and you can see some discoloration on the board indicating it it probably got hot I guess.
I did find a replacement in Amazon and it looks like a higher quality replacement than what came with the switch even though it's still made in China. Do you think this is something worth fixing by replacing the power transistor as show in the first pic? I'm pretty good with soldering, as I was trained back in the 80's at General Dynamics for a whole week just on soldering. All the other components look OK.