LCD backlight

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kai920 · #1 Post by **kai920** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 9:50 pm

My 3 year old T43's LCD is broken.. and it's just out of warranty

The backlight dims out completely but I can still see a very faint image if I look close enough. Are there parts available on ebay, and if so, what should I be looking for? (LCD? backlight only? or something else)

#2 Post by **richk** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 10:45 pm

It is either the backlight or the inverter. The inverter is much easier to replace. If you have not done them before, it is not a repair to attempt. What size is the screen? (14" or 15") Also, XGA, SXGA, etc)

ajkula66 · #3 Post by **ajkula66** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 11:13 pm

Has your LCD been reddish/pinkish on the initial boot prior to this last episode? If the answer to this question is "yes", your backlight is definitely the culprit.

kai920 · #4 Post by **kai920** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 12:24 am

my screen is a 14" 1400 x 1050.

I have never (yet) seen the pinkish/reddish tint mentioned on the forums.

What happens is the screen backlight flickers, almost flashes gently a few times and then turns off. If I close the lid and open it (or just press the little notch above the blue access IBM button), the backlight will come back on and then goes off again. Sometimes it instantly goes dim, sometimes it will stay on a few seconds, someties 30 seconds.

[btw I am typing this right now with the backlight off..

]

#5 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 6:51 am

There is a micro-switch under where you press (the little notch above the blue access IBM button).
This seems to be sticky/stuck.
You can try 'tapping' this quickly a few times, to see if it gets better.

If not, take the keyboard and upper keyboard bezel off and see if you can fix it from there.
Reseat the LCD cable and see if that improves.
If not, you may have to replace the LCD cable.

#6 Post by **carbon_unit** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 6:52 am

Are you wanting to do this yourself or have someone repair it for you?
Jamiphar will do it for you or you can buy the parts at LCDPart. Be advised that replacing a backlight is not a simple repair.

kai920 · #7 Post by **kai920** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 8:24 am

RealBlackStuff wrote:There is a micro-switch under where you press (the little notch above the blue access IBM button).
This seems to be sticky/stuck.
You can try 'tapping' this quickly a few times, to see if it gets better.

If not, take the keyboard and upper keyboard bezel off and see if you can fix it from there.
Reseat the LCD cable and see if that improves.
If not, you may have to replace the LCD cable.

I took apart the T43 including the upper keyboard bezel and I see that micro switch you were talking about. The backlight still stays off no matter how many times I press it.

Should I try an inverter card? I found one on ebay for about $20USD..

And I also found a whole LCD assembly 1400x1050 on ebay, but that's $200+USD...

kai920 · #8 Post by **kai920** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 8:26 am

carbon_unit wrote:Are you wanting to do this yourself or have someone repair it for you?
Jamiphar will do it for you or you can buy the parts at LCDPart. Be advised that replacing a backlight is not a simple repair.

Thanks for the links, I'll keep these in mind.

#9 Post by **richk** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 5:21 pm

I would try the inverter. All 14" T4x machines use the same one.

kai920 · #10 Post by **kai920** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 11:23 pm

richk wrote:I would try the inverter. All 14" T4x machines use the same one.

I think I'll try that since it's relatively cheap. Are any of the inverters on ebay okay as long as they say works for T43?

http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-ThinkPad-T40-T4 ... 0288603395

#11 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 8:39 am

Yes, that's the right FRU number for a 14" LCD and should work.

kai920 · #12 Post by **kai920** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 5:58 am

Got the part off ebay, replaced the inverter board.. same result. So my backlight is gone for sure right?

I'm not so sure I want to invest in a LCD replacement at this point.. might just leave it in the living room now and use it to stream movies and videos.

#13 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 10:18 am

Attach an external monitor to it until you find a good-priced replacement LCD (or a whole lid).

Shelby Griggs · #14 Post by **Shelby Griggs** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 7:55 pm

My T 43 also recently lost the back light, I was going to have Jamiphar repair this, BUT checked my warranty and discovered I still had until 26DEC to get this fixed (3 year EasyServ depot). I sent it in and just got it back, new LCD, new finger print reader/bezel, new BIOS, very happy with the repair. I ran with an external monitor for about 3 months, so I know what you are going through.

I would have Jamiphar do the repair, as I recall, he is way less than $200 including shipping both ways.

EDIT, I just noticed the OP is in Hong Kong, the shipping to Jamiphar might be a deal killer??

SHG

kam_ · #15 Post by **kam_** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 11:55 am

I'm having a similar problem...

At first the screen starts off a bit yellow, and then returns to normal after a while.. Then if the screen is on full brightness, it turns off after 3 to 10 seconds. If i press the little switch the screen comes back on.

I installed a new invertor but its doing the same thing. the yellowness is still there as well.

When the screen is off tho, its totally off. I can't see anything at all, not even the image unlit.

Any ideas what it could be? I thought the yellowness was related to the invertor, and backlight issues usually have a flickering backlight which turns off?

I guess it could be the little microswitch, but it seems pretty unlikely at this point.

Any ideas?

kam_ · #16 Post by **kam_** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 1:55 pm

After alot of research, it looks like its the backlight that's dead/dying.

Its probably not worth getting a new screen for it.. pitty.. the UXGA screen was imaculate with no dead pixels.

Anyone want to buy parts or the whole thing off me? I'm in the UK, around london area. Its a 2668-F8G, with 2GB ram.

jamerslong · #17 Post by **jamerslong** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 1:58 pm

how much would you want for it?

kam_ · #18 Post by **kam_** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 2:37 pm

No idea actually, i havnt had a look around at what it may be worth. Make me a serious offer. I can take some pics of it tommorow if you want to see its condition?

mg · #19 Post by mg » Tue Jan 13, 2009 8:18 pm

kam_ wrote:Its probably not worth getting a new screen for it..

If you have the patience, get a replacement CCFL from lcdpart.com. It will cost you around US$ 26 including shipping to Europe (shipping from San Francisco and handling costs more than the CCFL itself but it is well wrapped in a special box). However, you will need a few hours to replace it and if you're not very very careful about dust you have to open it more than once. They have instructions on their site, and also search this forum about it. It's brighter than the original new one!

Stargate199 · #20 Post by **Stargate199** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 9:49 pm

I had this problem on a T21 at one point. Turns out is was the cable that plugs from the LCD (with inverter and thinklight) into the motherboard. I would try to hunt for that and replace it and see if it does the trick.

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