Thinkpads Forum

Who has experience transplanting/ changing LCDs in T61 T60?

I could use some help/ guidance as I am a little afraid of popping open the Bezel to change LCDs even though I have opened most of the laptop and did a replacement on a 17" Dell 9300 many years back.

Thoughts? Who's out there.

PS: Since I will be traveling through all over for work, I was wondering if I could leverage some helping & guiding hands.

If the screen bezel is removed for the first time, the most difficult part is pulling the bezel away from the sticky pads. Before that, of course, you should unscrew all front facing screws (there are three of those under the black circular covers, at least for a 15 inch T60). Keep the Hardware Maintenance Manual handy during the process.

So, after all screws are out, what I do is put my fingers under the plastic bezel and slowly try to lift the bezel so it comes apart from the sticky pads. Try not to push too hard on the LCD panel when doing that. You work yourself from one edge to the other (hinge to hinge). If that bottom part of the bezel comes apart then the rest are easier cause they do not have sticky pads underneath (correct me if I am wrong). I go on following the same process using my fingers to separate the bezel from the rest of the panel. On the top of my head, I don't remember whether you have to remove the 6 screws from the sides (3 each) first, in order to remove the screen bezel, check the HMM. I recall that these only hold the LCD in place and not the bezel, so you can remove them after taking the bezel out, but double check.

Hope that makes sense.

As said above, having the HMM handy is a very good piece of advise, most of the steps are very well explained there.

I've done some panel swaps in these series, with patience and the HMM at hand there shouldn't be big problems. Also as pointed by Ilakast, you'll need to take special care with the double sided tape used in the bezel. I carefully go through it with a flat screwdriver, I also used a cutter in the cases where the panel was already busted

It's more work in the T61's due to the extra magnesium frame. T60's are easier (at least the 15.4" wide versions)

My 2 cents...

crashnburn wrote:I could use some help/ guidance as I am a little afraid of popping open the Bezel to change LCDs even though I have opened most of the laptop and did a replacement on a 17" Dell 9300 many years back.

OMG, you started asking a lot about upgrading to 14.1" UXGA or 15.0" QXGA at least 4 years ago and you still haven't done it? Perhaps you don't need high resolutions after all?

I suppose you are referring to the T61 in your signature. It's not that big a risk to pull out the display bezel. First of all, most Thinkpad bezels are fairly flexible and so they don't break as easily as the more solid (but also more brittle) bezels used on many other laptops, and second, your T61 is no longer worth much money anyway. However, I do think the instructions in the HMM aren't very clear regarding bezel removal, at least for the 14.1" T42, 15.0" T43p and R50p on which I did the UXGA and QXGA upgrades. I think I just tried pulling it in various directions, until I stumbled upon the direction that worked. Patience is key. Take your time; don't be too forceful.

I just noticed you have an old 14.1" XGA T43. It's worth not even $50 and I recommend you to practice on it.

Few years back i disassembled completely a T60 (to quickly dry it after it got submerged in water.... but that is a story for another time), i dont recall anything being different from any other notebook computer

As i recall, and its the same in the X60s i am trying to repair currently, the plastic goes open easily and with good "ok to pull" feeling when you lift it from the inside (by inserting your finger next to the screen) and lift it from inside and outside as you go around the screen (use your feeling to locate where a pin is holding it etc) and not from the connection line on the outside. Remove the screws under the plastic covers around the screen

All of these responses are good. Follow the HMM carefully...I printed one out. I always have a couple of magnets handy for pulling the screws out after they are unthreaded and ready to go, as well as for keeping them organized. Take notes as you go. The only thing I do different than what is described here is I use a credit card rather than a screwdriver to loosen the bezel after the screws are out. Taking the time to determine precisely where the little "ratchet tabs" are and then focusing on them one at a time will increase your chances of success without breaking one (or two) of these tabs. Good luck.

I pulled it by hands alone beginning near the hinges at the bottom, pulling from the inside. No scratches whatsoever around the connection line (as would be caused by screwdriver) and no broken tabs

I've swapped a few screens on my 14" and 15" T60s. Far from an expert.

The 15" is waaaay easier for me to work with. 14" is more fiddly and thinner plastics.

On the 14" I used a credit card to help separate the bezel tape. Unfortunately I ended up scraping a surface mount resistor off of the inverter board. Didn't have a clear sense of where the underlying components were the first time around.

I now try put the screen in the sun to warm it up and soften the plastic and/or adhesive prior to disassembly, hoping it'll make things less brittle.

After you have one or two under your belt it's a very quick procedure!

BK

portsample wrote:The only thing I do different than what is described here is I use a credit card rather than a screwdriver to loosen the bezel after the screws are out. Taking the time to determine precisely where the little "ratchet tabs" are and then focusing on them one at a time will increase your chances of success without breaking one (or two) of these tabs. Good luck.

From my experience, this procedure is crucial for a successful removal of the bezel - leaving no marks, no cracks and no broken tabs. I have used both credit cards and also a 1" wide piece of thin sheet metal. Filed smooth on the edges, so it leaves no scratches or marks. Locate the tabs, make a narrow gap, insert the tool, and try to slide the tool towards the tab. Avoid twisting it, particularly if you use the metal tool. And avoid screwdrivers. The relatively narrow end of a screwdriver will certainly leave marks. (People's preferences are different, but my goal is to leave as few marks as possible on the laptops from dismantling). Good luck!

Heh, I just thought now that one of those glue scrapers for tile work would do the trick.
Other then just my nails, I had used the cover of a PCI port from a desktop.
I agree with Norday Pad, screw drivers are either too thick or not strong enough if they are thin and make marks easily.

I replaced many a screen in T60 14(4:3) and in T61 WS 14 models. And I've completely re-assembled the whole LCD assembly in both of those two models (not fun on the latter)

If you are working on a T60 14", yes those 6 screws on the side (3 on each side) do need to come out in order to remove the bezel. If not, you can still get it off however you will break the clips those screws go into and there is a small chance the bezel will not sit flush along the sides after re-assembly if those clips are missing.

If you are working on a T61 14" wide screen model, that bezel is a b*tch to get off and more than likely will not go back on due to the little clips it has breaking in the extraction process.

I have not worked on a T61 14"(4:3) all that much so cannot comment on that model.

But yes start at one of the bottom corners and work your way to the other bottom corner, then work your way up.

Thank you all for responding I was travelling and I just hit Bay Area for a few weeks.