Thinkpads Forum

I would like to replace the lower resolution screen on an X200s with a LED backlit higher resolution Flexview screen.

Is it a straight swap? Are the same screens interchangable with the X200?

Jason404 wrote:I would like to replace the lower resolution screen on an X200s with a LED backlit higher resolution Flexview screen.

Is it a straight swap? Are the same screens interchangable with the X200?

I don't believe there is a higher resolution AFFS and there's soldering involved if you want to do the LED AFFS LCD. See here. I think your best option at the moment is to do the CFFL LCD, which is a straight swap if you have the CFFL LCD now. If you've got the LED LCD now, you'll need to swap the cable and inverter in addition to the LCD.

Basically, I have sold my X200 and bought a slightly used X200s.

It's a high spec X200s, but I want to add a few things to make it my perfect laptop:

SSD drive
Flexview LED backlit screen
WWAN/GPS card
Webcam (not so important)

I didn't really understand your reply, as I am unfamiliar with any screen modding. All I can say is that I want the higher resolution and battery saving of the LED Flexview screen.

Cheers.

Let me make it clear to you. There is no high resolution Flexview screen with LED. There is WXGA Flexview screen with LED, which isn't compatible with X200s. Also, you can't use CCFL WXGA Flexview screen with X200s (without significant modding at least, but you don't seem to be involved with modding, so irrelevant I think). Basically, you can do all the upgrades that you wish, just not the screen upgrade. There are other threads on those modifications. Search for them.

Jason404 wrote:Basically, I have sold my X200 and bought a slightly used X200s.

It's a high spec X200s, but I want to add a few things to make it my perfect laptop:

SSD drive
Flexview LED backlit screen
WWAN/GPS card
Webcam (not so important)

I didn't really understand your reply, as I am unfamiliar with any screen modding. All I can say is that I want the higher resolution and battery saving of the LED Flexview screen.

Cheers.

AvalonXIII wrote:you can't use CCFL WXGA Flexview screen with X200s (without significant modding

Just curious, how does the X200s differ from the X200? I thought the X200 and X200s used the same WXGA screens. If you had a X200s with the WXGA it was a straight swap, but if you had the LED, you'd need to swap the cable and inverter too. I'm certainly no guru on the matter. I was lucky not to break mine when doing it.

FredGarvin wrote: Just curious, how does the X200s differ from the X200? I thought the X200 and X200s used the same WXGA screens. If you had a X200s with the WXGA it was a straight swap, but if you had the LED, you'd need to swap the cable and inverter too. I'm certainly no guru on the matter. I was lucky not to break mine when doing it.

Oops, forgot about that. Indeed, if you have a X200s with CCFL WXGA, then you can swap the screen. The main issue is the LCD ribbon cable. It's different for CCFL model and LED model, so you can't put the CCFL Flexview screen in a LED variant X200s. The LED Flexview screen uses a completely different connector compared to both the CCFL and LED variants of the X200/X200s. Then there's the X200 with LED screen, which can't be retrofitted with neither the CCFL nor the LED Flexview screens. It's quite complicated, but that's about all I know. You can try replacing both the LCD ribbon cable, and the screen, which should work in theory. It has been done on the X201 with LED screen.

Okay, I can see what my misunderstanding has been. I have seen a X200s with a high resolution screen, and I thought that it was a Flexview panel.

What I want to do is upgrade the screen that I have on my X200, which is a CCFL backlit WXGA (1280x800) screen, to a LED backlit WXGA+ (1440x900) one.

What does doing this involve, and what is the chance of me getting hold of one?

Cheers.

AvalonXIII wrote:you can't put the CCFL Flexview screen in a LED variant X200s.

I thought and again I could be wrong here, that if you had a X200s with the LED screen, you could swap in the AFFS screen if you used the cffl cable and inverter from the X200/X200s since they were the same or am I wrong on that one?

After a bit more research, it seems that the screen housings of the X200/X200s are physically different, depending on whether it houses an LED or CCFL backlit screen. This is what I know, but correct me if I am wrong:

The LED screen housings have the Lenovo logo under the left-hand side of the screen, and the CCFL ones have the logo further to the right, on the other side of the green lights.

The LED screen housings do not have the window for fitting a webcam, while the CCFL screen housings do, as far as I can see. They are also thinner.

The CCFL screen housings have magnesium roll-cage, while the LED screen housings are reinforced with carbon-fibre, like the X200s bottom tray. Therefore, X200s models with CCFL screens have a hybrid of carbon-fibre reinforced chassis, but with the magnesium roll-cage screen housings of the X200.

The two different types of screen housings are interchangeable between the X200, X200s (LED) and X200s (CCFL).

So basically, what I am after is a complete X200s LED top lid, for my X200s CCFL laptop. Either the WSXGA (1280x800) or WSXGA+ (1440x900) version will do.

Unfortunately, the issue is even worse than everything you've researched. I had both the X200 and X200s at one point in time, and thus was able to compare them. The locations of the hinges on the X200 and X200s are physically different. This means that even if you replace the whole top lid of the laptop, it still wouldn't fit into the hinges of the X200. You'll have to replace the whole bottom chassis as well.

This is strange. Do you remember what your model numbers were?

I am going by the parts list and eBay listings like this.