Thinkpad monitor probs

[marikatech]

Hi all,

Ive got an IBM thinkpad 22, and it went abroad with me recently, in a suitcase rather than as hand luggage. It worked fine b4 the trip, but not afterwards.

At first I thought the xray machines or ruff handling had killed the machine, as the monitor has a very, very dull glow around the outside portions of the screen only, (most the screen is just black), and theres nothing to be seen on it.

NOTHING! not even at start up...

So I plugged an external monitor in, and all was well. Everything worked and I could access my files just as before. So Ive definitely narrowed it down to the screen.

Does anyone know whats wrong? Is there a 'monitor reset' button or anything similar? Could a wire or something have got loose, and if so, how to find it?

Is there anything I can try b4 admitting defeat and having to buy another?

Cheers all...

[BillMorrow]

if it is a T22, then you might remove the keyboard (get the Hardware Maintenance Manual for instructions) and be sure thast the display cable did not come loose..

another test..
can you see ANYTHING on the display..?? look closely..
if so, then it is the backlight..

others will have more tests that you can do..

welcome to the club..
are you the guy with the "subliminal" website..?

[marikatech]

Ok thanks, I will look into your suggestions..and yes...I have the subliminal website!

[rkawakami]

Since your problem seemed to occur after some physical stress (and not due to switching the display off using the Fn+F7 sequence), then try this: Can see any activity (images) on the screen when you shine a bright flashlight (torch) on it? If so, then you can assume your problem is due to the loss of the backlight. Could be one (or a combination) of these things (in order of estimated repair cost):

1) Loose or broken connection
Easy to determine if this is your problem once you know how to disassemble the laptop. Inspect all of the connections having to do with getting power to the backlight (i.e. inverter card). The Hardware Maintenance Manual for the T2x series can be found at:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... IGR-4UYM3F

2) Failed inverter card
One of the cheapest and simple to replace cards in the laptop. Unfortunately there is no easy way of determining if the actual problem lies within the card unless you have a high voltage meter. A search on eBay or here on the forum's Marketplace will give you an idea of how much they cost.

3) Failed backlight (CCFL) in the LCD panel
Assuming that you determine that the inverter card is working okay then the next thing to check/replace is the backlight. You can take the easy road and replace the entire lid or attempt to disassemble the display and replace just the backlight. Refer to the following thread for an example of how this is done:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=3705

4) Motherboard problem
Indicated if you've checked all of the connections and replaced both the inverter AND backlight.

[kstuart]

Ray - wouldn't the fact that an external monitor has normal video, indicate that it is not a motherboard problem ?

[rkawakami]

Not necessarily. If the problem is a lack of voltage/signal which drives the inverter, which in turn provides the voltage to the CCFL, this could be the issue. As I do not have schematics on these Thinkpads, I'm just guessing. It's based upon my experience with a 600E which has a delayed backlight turn on problem. I've replaced the entire LCD panel and the inverter, but the problem persists. My 600E also has no problem with external video. It always takes 5-7 minutes for the backlight to finally fire up. It could be running fine for hours and then if I simply Fn+F7 a couple of times to cycle through the three different settings, the backlight again needs a few minutes to light up again. Strange problem which I have yet to figure out, but to me seems to be related to the motherboard. Unless both LCD panels have identical problems with the backlight... small probability in my mind.