The Final Answer - T42p 14.1" SXGA+ is NOT FlexView!!!

[csv96]

Besides the nearly-always-accurate TABOOK, here is more definitive evidence that the 14.1" SXGA+ T42/p screen is NOT FlexView.

According to the T4x/p Hardware Maintenance Manual...

The T40/p, T41/p, and T42/p 14.1" XGA and 14.1" SXGA+ screens come with "Inverter Card" (FRU P/N 26P8464). The T42 15" SXGA+ FlexView and T42p 15" UXGA FlexView screens come with "Inverter Card, IPS" (FRU P/N 93P4161). As you know, FlexView is IBM's marketing name for In-Plane-Switching (IPS). So if the T42/p 14.1" SXGA+ was FlexView, it would need an IPS Inverter Card. But it doesn't have one. So there's no way it can be FlexView.

Interestingly, the T42 15" XGA screen comes with "Inverter Card, TN" (FRU P/N 91P7422) which indicates Twisted Nematic (TN). It's unclear whether this is the same TN technology as in the 14.1" XGA and SXGA+ screens or whether this means TN + Film, a slightly improved technology. Regardless, this shows that different screen technologies require different Inverter Cards. IBM only puts the IPS Inverter Card in FlexView/IPS screens. No IPS Inverter Card = No FlexView.

[BillMorrow]

thank you for doing this research..

[Mofongo]

csv96, I agree that there is substantial evidence that the 14.1" T42s do not have Flexview.

However, the inverter card just determines the power consumption of the backlight. It is conceivable for the backlight of a 14.1" Flexview display to use the same power as the older non-Flexview one. For example, according to the HMM, the same inverter card is used for both 14.1" ID-Tech and 14.1" Samsung displays (although neither are Flexview, they come from different suppliers yet use the same inverter card).

Granted, if I had to bet money, I would say that it is probably more likely that Flexview and non-Flexview displays use a different backlight. This is because Flexview displays can handle a brighter backlight, which uses more power. Concordantly, the 15" models do have different inverters for the XGA (TN) and SXGA+/UXGA (IPS) screens.

In short, the use of the same inverter card for T41 and T42 14.1" SXGA+ displays does not necessarily *prove* that the T42 does not have Flexview. But you are correct that it does indeed look suspicious, and this adds one more large drop to the pool of evidence that we have that all points to the 14.1" screen being TN-based technology.

Mofongo

[csv96]

Good point Mofongo.

Also, the 15" XGA screen is rated at 200 nits (~increased power consumption of the backlight) while the 14.1" XGA and SXGA+ screens are rated at 150 nits. This would suggest that IBM uses a different Inverter Card for the non-FlexView 200 nit 15" screen, because the standard Inverter Card can't handle the power requirements.