T23 Display

[DanG]

Hello All -

My T23 screen displays perfectly for approx 4 seconds at boot then goes blank. The boot will not continue unless I have the system attached to an external display. When I Fn+F7 the laptop display will work again for 4 secs although it flickers(no pink hue) and there is a hum/buzz emitted from the base of the display until it goe dark. In addition I see no display adapter when I access Device Manager. Suggestions on where to start?

Thanks in advance -

[dara212]

I had a t21 with a similar problem. I traced it to a bad ccfl which was causing the inverter to go into protect mode. I installed a new ccfl for about $20 and it fixed the problem. But the inverter itself can also be gone.

[rkawakami]

<snip>... and there is a hum/buzz emitted from the base of the display until it goe dark.

Welcome to thinkpads.com! (hmm.. deja vu.... I coulda swore I posted this earlier today but I may have hibernated my system before I actually posted)

The buzz/hum is probably coming from the inverter as dara212 says. But I don't know why that would cause Device Manager to report your display adapter as AWOL. What does Device Manager report for Monitors when this happens?

[DanG]

Hi Ray and Dara -

The only monitor is a VGA which shows no driver or settings. The LCD does work though. otherwise no adapter. So if I replace the tube the situation should/may resolve or do I change the inverter? Thanks for everyone's help.

[rkawakami]

The easiest (and cheaper) thing to try to replace first is the inverter. I have had several bad inverters in my 600X and T series systems, but never a bad tube like dara212 had. Fairly easy to obtain (eBay or here in the Marketplace) and almost as easy to replace. If you don't already have the Hardware Maintenance manual, here's a link:

T23 HMM

Trying to replace just the CCFL (backlight) in the LCD panel is quite a task. There is a sticky in the 600 conference which details how it was done, but each panel is different on how easy/difficult it is to get the old tube out and the new one in, without breaking anything. I believe that the tube can usually be had for about the same cost as the inverter (~$25), so that's a toss-up. However, once you break open the LCD panel to replace the CCFL, I understand that you may be seeing more light "leakage" around the edge of the display if you don't exactly re-assemble the panel the same way it was originally. dara212, how hard was it to do with your panel and were you happy with the results?

So, in short, if this were my problem, I'd go with the inverter first, then if that doesn't work, swap out the LCD panel (easy to do when you see my .sig; harder to do if that's your only system).

[dara212]

I did some research before I attempted to replace the ccfl on my t21. here is a useful link. http://www.lcdpart.com/doc/ccfl_detail_instruction.html
It took some time and a lot of patience but I was very pleased with the results. I do have a very very small degree of bleed thru along the bottom but that's nothing compared to the red tint and flickering from the old ccfl. The screen is a sxga+ hitachi 14.1. hitachi is abit more difficult to repair. I have successfully repaired 8 otherwise useless screens and brought them back to like new condition. just make sure to cover the exposed lcd and film with plastic wrap during the repair. The slightest bit of dust or hair will show thru. Also try to desolder the wires from the ccfl instead of cutting them. The wires are cut to a exact length and if they are cut just a little they may not reach the inverter.

[DanG]

Thanks for all the great info!! I will proceed with the inverter first and keep my foingers crossed.

Dan