Google WiFi No Power

[ksbarnz]

Hi,

I am new to the forum, so my apologies if this question is not in the correct spot. I have a three puck google wifi system, and one of the pucks no longer powers up. It is out of warranty so I ended up buying a new one. However, I would like to try and repair the dead puck myself if possible. I’ve looked online for parts breakdowns or how to guides and am coming up empty handed. Does anyone have experience with repairing a google WiFi which will not power up? I’ve taken the cover off and tried googling a few different part numbers, but am not having much success. Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[sfx2000]

If one of the pucks is not powering up - have you considered that the AC adapter failed? AC adapters are the most common point of failure with any consumer product.

Looking at the board shots here from the main site - not much that can be fixed inside...

 

[ksbarnz]

Yeah, first thing I tried was using the AC adapter from another puck, it is definitely the device itself. The one part I was going to consider replacing is one that is not on the board shots from the review. It is a separate board from the main, and is elevated above it. It contains the two Ethernet ports and the USB C connection. First shot is the small board sitting above the main, second is a close up pic of the part number.

 

[ksbarnz]

Scratch that, it is on the pics of the review. The angle of the photo just threw me off.

 

[Razor512]

For a first test, can you use a USB power meter to see if the device is pulling any power?

If it pulls some, compare it to the other units (if it is higher then it can point to a short, at which point, you can search for any area that is heating up on the board more than normal.

If it is not pulling power, then you will need some thin wires and a really small solder tip due to that additional PCB.

You will need to probe the power path to see where you stop seeing a proper voltage (and soldering wires to probe points that are under the power input board).

The best outcome is if a passive or a really common regulator has failed that you can easily find replacements on ebay or digikey.

If an IC has failed, then look up a datasheet before even trying to look for a replacement, as if it is something that needs to be programmed, then you have effectively hit a brick wall when it comes to board level repair.


If you are willing to risk it you can also try swapping certain boards from a working unit to see if you can track down which board has the failure.

 

[sfx2000]

Yeah, first thing I tried was using the AC adapter from another puck, it is definitely the device itself. The one part I was going to consider replacing is one that is not on the board shots from the review. It is a separate board from the main, and is elevated above it. It contains the two Ethernet ports and the USB C connection.

Yeah, that's the power board/daughterboard - if there's no signs of the magic smoke escaping...

I would just reach out to Google and social engineer them into a goodwill replacement of the unit - can't hurt to try. Honey catches more flies than vinegar, so be enthusiastic about the product, and what might have happened to the failed unit. Besides, they might want the unit back to see what actually failed as part of life cycle predictions...

Not much there to fix on these, even for someone with micro-mini soldering bench and the appropriate skills - one might be lucky to find equivalent parts over on digikey or similar... and then it's the thing about time spent vs. just going out and getting another one..