My uncle told me to always check the fuse first, even on a dead screen.

He's been fixing old radios for years, so I listened when a laptop came in with no display. I spent an hour checking the backlight circuit and voltage regulators, getting nowhere. Finally, I popped out the main board fuse with my tweezers, and sure enough, it was blown. Replaced it for about 50 cents and the thing lit right up. Anyone have a quick way to test those tiny fuses without pulling them?

3 comments

3 Comments

janaw111mo ago

Your uncle is a smart guy. Been there too many times. I keep a cheap multimeter on the bench just for that. Set it to continuity and you can test those little fuses in place. Saves so much time prying them out.

holly8981mo ago

Disagree on testing fuses in place. You can get a false reading if there's a parallel circuit path. I just pull them to be sure.

barnes.shane3d ago

My old boss at the auto shop drilled this into us. He said testing in place is fine for a quick check, but you have to pull it for a real diagnosis. I mean, I've seen a fuse show good on the meter because of a backfeed from somewhere else in the wiring. It's rare, but it happens enough that I don't trust it. Pulling it takes two seconds and you know for sure.