DESTROYED! REPLACE LCD AT THIS CONDITION?

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bobohead · #1 Post by **bobohead** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 7:25 am

Pics below.. Got into a fight, things were thrown around, crashed, smashed, did headlocks, trips, punch kick,etc etc.. unfortunately the innocent T42 Thinkpad was a victim. It was opened and snapped in half where the monitor is and was split in half. argh! Not only that, but the lcd that snapped off was bent til the screen cracked and just about to be crumbled.

I want to replace the LCD screen, is it possible at these current conditions? The hindges, a tiny cable and ribbion and something else were cracked and stripped out.. based onthe pics and from what i see. I want to replace it but not sure what the heck to replace here.. I dont even know where to start !!! I saw Ebay have a bunch of LCD screens for it, how do iknow which one to get? Or is my laptop finished? Are there parts that has been destroyed where I cant fix/replace cuz something was too damanged? I connected it to a regular desktop LCD screen and the comp boots up fine like a champ.. So it seems the only problem is it lost its eyes (monitor). Im just worried if i bought a new screen, it wont fit right, or it wont connect cause the base has a broke part.
Also the ones i see on Ebay, most of them arent just screeens right? i mean it comes with the cover for it to fit into base so if i close it, it'll still lock like the original lcd cover right? Here is a search result link with LCds: http://shop.ebay.com/items/?_nkw=t42+lc ... &_osacat=0

Let me know if u wanna see more pics.

Also, its a 14.1 inch right? not a 14" exact.

Here are the pics, u may or may not have to brighten or increase ur contrast to see it clearer in certain pics:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/c ... G_1209.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/c ... G_1211.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/c ... G_1212.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/c ... G_1213.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/c ... G_1215.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/c ... G_1216.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/c ... G_1219.jpg

Here are some pics of the monitor incase it helps for u guys to help me determine if its still possible to revive this baby:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/c ... G_1221.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/c ... G_1223.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/c ... G_1224.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/c ... G_1225.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/c ... G_1226.jpg

Any help will be appreciated! Lemme know if u need more pics, or if i have to do something like open it up. I'd hate to part it out and sell what i can.. or even have the thought of just using it as a 2nd "desktop" system.

#2 Post by **underclocker** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 7:54 am

All you need is the complete 14" (some call it 14.1", which it actually is, they are the same) LCD assembly from any T40/T41/T42 or T43. You don't have Bluetooth, so the you don't need to look for the third antenna. You only need to worry about whether or not you have XGA or SXGA+ (high resolution). Or if you had XGA, you can switch to high resolution at this point if you'd like. The swap isn't too hard at all, just a bunch of screws, screw covers and one cable that clips onto the motherboard.

Now tell us what really happened to that poor machine. It looks like you were trying to use it as a fly swatter. Those cables, hinges and cover don't rip that easily.

P.S. The pix are huge! You need a pic warning and/or smaller pics or links.

#3 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 8:01 am

Start learning yoga and control your temper!

Now for the bad news: that laptop is a write-off.
The chassis is most likely broken as well where the hinges came off, although this is not yet visible.

Open it up, and take the LCD-cable leftover out and remove the cables from the wifi-card.
Connect to an external monitor and see if the 'bottom' still works.
Run PC-Doctor from a CD and test all functions.
If you have Intel graphics in it, it may have survived the 'dive'. If ATI, I would bury it.
Take the HD, RAM, wifi card, optical drive and keyboard off, and start looking for a new/used 14.1" barebones T41, T42 or R51.

baisley · #4 Post by **baisley** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 12:49 pm

I have fixed worse laptop damage than what you have experienced.. But as RealBlackStuff has pointed out, you want to make sure that there is not any additional damage to the planar & hard drive. You should be able to plug the unit into an external monitor and run the tests. I have fixed at least a dozen that have been in a similar state from encounters with cars, etc.

You can pick up a complete XGA screen assembly, with hinges for $70.00 or less.

SteveS · #5 Post by **SteveS** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 9:52 pm

If the chassis in the T42 does not look bent, you likely can salvage it by replacing the LCD assembly as suggested. I bought a damaged T43 from E-Bay in similar condition and found no internal structural damage to the main chassis when I replaced the lid assembly.

A word of caution however. Do NOT attempt to power up the unit with the LCD cable sheared. (If you have not already done so). The previous owner did this to recover some data files by using an external monitor. There is a good possibility that some of the signal lines will be shorted to the ground plane in the flex cable, which can damage the system board. If the inverter power run is shorted, the fuse on the system board will likely blow. In my case, everything worked fine except the status LEDs in the replacement lid did not light. The current limiting resistors are located on the inverter board with the LEDs, not the system board. So shorting the runs in the flex blew out the driver chip on the system board.