Thinkpads Forum

Hi,

I have quite a few old IBM laptops (T20, T22, T23 and T30's). Some of them has a broken LCD. My question might be stupid but here it is anyway. If I have a 14.1 inch broken LCD display can I then buy any 14.1 laptop LCD or do I need to buy one that is exactly the same as the one that I want to replace? I am looking at www.pchub.com under the OEM spareparts section and here I can see lots of different LCD's.....

Again I don't have any knowledge about this topic so please provide me with some

Even though the screen sizes are identical, the mounting screws can be at different positions. The LCD cable needs to match the screen and it's resolution, they are not interchangeable at will.
An XGA cable does not work on an SXGA+ screen and vice versa.
According to the HMM, there are screens available from different manufacturers, that may be used as alternatives [to the one you have], but you have to be very sure what you buy!
For example, a Dell screen MAY fit in a ThinkPad sizewise, but there is no guarantee that it works. For a TP, LCD and LCD-cable must match.

First of all, when you decide which machine you want to repair, look up the model code on Lenovo's website and it will tell you what the screen resolution originally was...

The next step in your research could be this:

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/TFT_display

There are some mistakes, but it's a pretty reliable list overall. And, if in doubt, you can always ask for help here on the forum.

And, as RBS has pointed out, the cable must match the LCD, which is in many cases also true for the inverter.

Good luck.