Acer Nitro 5 an515-31 motherboard short

Hi @mach124

When trying to locate problems on a motherboard (or in any electronics or electrical device) it's always easier if you have the schematic¹ for the device.

¹ For some reason the schematic.pdf file is not displaying everything when you click on it. When it opens click on the download link on the right side of the header bar in the document to download it to your computer. It opens OK with all details when you do this.

Perhaps place one probe of the Ohmmeter on the earth pins of the DC-In jack - see p.41 and then use the other meter probe to chase the +ve input supply on the +19V_VIN and +19VADPIN leads to find out which circuit the short is. Use the search function in your browser when tracing each circuit e.g. search for +19V_VIN etc

Do point to point testing and then unsolder one leg of each component in the relevant circuit, one at a time, from the board to find out when the short disappears.

Also be aware of any possible parallel low resistance paths that may indicate it is a short circuit. By unsoldering one side of a component off the board, if the short circuit disappears, remove the component and then test it in isolation to make sure it is where the short is and not a parallel circuit around that component

In the case of computer motherboards you'll also need a boardview file (here's a link to a free download) and a program that opens .bdv files (search online for one that suits you best).

Nowadays most components on a motherboard aren't designated so by using the combination of the schematic to check the circuit and the boardview file to find the location on the motherboard of the components shown in the schematic, you should be able to find the problem.

Although as most boards are multi layer this may be difficult if it is in the actual board and not a component on the board if you get what I mean.