Thinkpads Forum

I have a T60 with UXGA Flexview (ATI graphics) that I use as a backup. I was too long in keeping it charged and let the battery discharge.

I've done this before so I just need to set date/time and all is well. However this time I notice all four corners of the LCD are dark and after about 30-45 seconds after WinXP is fully loaded the display just goes blank. Not just dark, there is zero backlighting as if I've shut it down. I can tell the CPU is still running normally so it seems to be exclusively a display problem.

Although I've already replaced it once I'm thinking inverter card. Any other suggestions as to what might be the problem? This is such a sweet system I hate that it might finally be going South on me

I'd be inclined to think that the backlight is going out, especially since you've already replaced the inverter before.

You basically have two options. Either replace the whole LCD panel, or replace the CCFL within the panel itself.

If you are thinking of replacing the CCFL, just know that it'll be quite an involved process. Trust me, I know first-hand.

A lot of people on the German Thinkpad forum have replaced the T60 CCFL with this LED-backlight kit:
http://www.iccfl.com/product_info.php?products_id=11860
Wrong one, it should be this: http://www.xccfl.com/product_info.php?products_id=4725

Nice to know about. I tried to replace the backlight on a T60 14" non flexview. The part was cheap but the labor was involved. I succeeded but not very well and the screen was not evenly lit after a couple of hours of frustrating work. If I ever have to do it again for one of my 15" flexviews, I will go the LED route so I never have to do it again.

I ended up getting an R60 with a BIOS lock for $10 when one of our local computer repair shops had a yard sale and the LCD was compatible with the T60 and got my display working properly again.

RealBlackStuff wrote:A lot of people on the German Thinkpad forum have replaced the T60 CCFL with this LED-backlight kit:
http://www.xccfl.com/product_info.php?products_id=4725

That is an interesting mod to maybe try anyway. Just that one strip of LED's at the bottom? No problem with uneven lighting? Is it difficult to install? I'm no watchmaker but pretty handy mechanically.

westsailor wrote:No problem with uneven lighting?

Whether you're swapping the CCFL or performing a LED conversion, there's no guarantee that the lighting will be even.

Having said that, if you're dealing with a screen that would otherwise be scrapped, there's not much to lose IMO.

Mmmm, there is a considerable amount of flex on LED strip, it can be bent, but can be bended back again. A lot easier to deal with than a breaking a CCFL tube.
There might be tiny tiny bright squares at the very bottom if the LEDs are spaced considerably.
I want to say its at least 30% brighter when the mod is done, so the drawbacks don't matter once its working.

RealBlackStuff wrote:A lot of people on the German Thinkpad forum have replaced the T60 CCFL with this LED-backlight kit:
http://www.xccfl.com/product_info.php?products_id=4725

Is that only for 15" LCDs, or will it work for a 14" SXGA screen?

As per the German Forum, kits are available for a lot of models, such as:
A31
R60, R61
T60, T61
T40, T41(p), T42(p), T43(p)
T400
T500, R500, W500
X40, X41t
X61(s) with SXGA+ (BoeHydis)
X200t
and many more...

http://thinkpad-forum.de/threads/173224 ... viele-mehr

As I also mentioned, all four corners of my display 'fade out', a gradual darkening starting about 1/3 -1/2" in from the corner and fairly symmetrical. Any idea what might be causing this?

westsailor wrote: Any idea what might be causing this?

A weakening CCFL.

I considered that but thought if that were the case it would be an overall dimming or maybe the corners along the bottom (not at the top as well). I'm just not knowledgeable about how edge lighting actually works, spreads the lighting equally and consistently across the entire display bottom to top.

That said, it would also explain why the display simply 'blacks out' after a short period, e.g. the CCFL tube simply 'quitting'.

I'm glad there is an alternative that is actually considered an upgrade (e.g. the CCFL to LED mod).

westsailor wrote:I considered that but thought if that were the case it would be an overall dimming or maybe the corners along the bottom (not at the top as well). I'm just not knowledgeable about how edge lighting actually works, spreads the lighting equally and consistently across the entire display bottom to top.

You do understand that there's only one CCFL in there? When it gets weak, the screen starts losing brightness in all corners going gradually towards the middle.

But I also considered it not likely being the LCD display itself as I would think the symptoms would be entirely different if the LCD were degrading (missing pixels, scan lines, etc.).

You're confusing a failing backlight with dying/defective pixel rows and/or columns and one has nothing to do with the other.

ajkula66 wrote:
You do understand that there's only one CCFL in there? When it gets weak, the screen starts losing brightness in all corners going gradually towards the middle.

I do know there is only one CCFL tube (at the bottom). I just wasn't aware the symptoms were as you describe. Would have thought it would be an overall dimming or maybe just from bottom to top or ultimately, nothing at all. Interesting in how the protons are thus apparently spread from the center of the screen outward. Not simply from bottom to top as one might expect. Very engineering

ajkula66 wrote:You're confusing a failing backlight with dying/defective pixel rows and/or columns and one has nothing to do with the other.

Understood... Which is why I abandoned the thought it might be the LCD itself (please reread my comment)

ajkula66 wrote: You do understand that there's only one CCFL in there? When it gets weak, the screen starts losing brightness in all corners going gradually towards the middle.

QWT - there is no active elements inside LCD to make such things. T43p with UXGA was shipped with almost dead LCD and it have this symptoms:
- reddish - when you first turns it on all screen have red tint instead white (check in BIOS Screen).
- i don't remember if it have darker spots in the corners - but overall brightness was very low so i must use full brightness.
- after some time reddish disappeared but after some more time screen becomes completely black (no backlight at all) - i think that inverter give high current (voltage) to get maximum brightness out of dead CCFL but after that it becomes overheated.
- after some days it begins shutting down backlight after couple of seconds after turning on... and i have changed CCFL.
It was not first time, but it was not easy enough. Now it bright again but LCD have other defects dust particles).

Other option - you have strange virus - that fools you Try how it behaves in BIOS screen. How dim corners and how long it needs to shut off backlight.

About dimming - i have W500 with non original and NEW LCD... And it have strange dimming scheme. When you want to lower brightness some steps it goes down normally. Then on 1 step it goes very dark. And with the next steps you can see how it becomes completely dark from top left corner to bottom right (bottom right corner have some light till the last step).
I have told that this thing because wrong EDID and it can be fixed with reprogramming it. So each LCD have own light distribution scheme.

RealBlackStuff wrote:A lot of people on the German Thinkpad forum have replaced the T60 CCFL with this LED-backlight kit:
http://www.iccfl.com/product_info.php?products_id=11860
Wrong one, it should be this: http://www.xccfl.com/product_info.php?products_id=4725

Uh oh... I'm curious why that is the wrong one as I just ordered the kit from iccfl