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Dying backlight on my T60

T60/T61 Series
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catst22
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Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2022 10:24 am
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Dying backlight on my T60

#1 Post by catst22 » Thu Apr 14, 2022 10:59 am

Hello everyone! I am quite new to this forum so please tell me if I am doing anything wrong, or posting stuff in the wrong place. Basically, I recently acquired a beautiful condition T60. Honestly, if one told me it was new, I'd probably believe them (apart from the keyboard as it is showing a bit of wear). So far, I have done a few upgrades to it, such as maxing out the RAM to 3GB, installing new thermal paste, pads and a brand new fan, and replacing the original 120GB HDD with a 512GB Samsung 850 Pro SSD. It has been very useful to me so far, and has not once failed on me yet. Sadly, the original CCFL backlight is quite dim, and requires me to bring it up to level 7 to actually be somewhat visible. I have read several posts online saying that it is possible to LED mod these things for better battery life and brightness. However, none of the guides are clear (at least to me). I have read Xiphmont's guide too, but to me its quite hard to make out what it is EXACTLY that I need to do from any of the guides I have read. For those wondering, my display is the IPS FlexView 1400x1050 panel. Would anyone be kind enough to sort of guide me in what I would need to do to LED mod my beautiful T60? I have quite a decent understanding in electronics, so I assume I would be capable of doing this mod. If this is of any use to anyone, I have a spare T60 I am willing to sacrifice (don't worry, its completely dead and in really poor condition), which also has the 1400x1050 display panel, which means I could just do the mod on the bad T60 and then swap the panel only into my good working T60, if that makes any sense to anyone.
Once again, please let me know if I am doing something wrong here.

axur-delmeria
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Re: Dying backlight on my T60

#2 Post by axur-delmeria » Fri Apr 15, 2022 2:50 am

This kit seems to be a drop-in replacement: the transformer in the inverter board has already been removed and replaced with the LED driver board. All that's left to be done is to remove the CCFL tube from the LCD panel and replace it with the LED strip. As to how to remove the CCFL...well, I haven't opened up a 15" IPS screen before, so I don't know the exact steps, but it may involve partial disassembly of the LCD panel in order to pull out the CCFL tube. Be very careful though, as they are fragile, and more importantly, contain hazardous materials. :o

AFAIK Xiphmont's kit only had the LED driver board, LED strip, and shims/spacers, meaning you had to remove the inverter board's transformer yourself.
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RealBlackStuff
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Re: Dying backlight on my T60

#3 Post by RealBlackStuff » Fri Apr 15, 2022 3:32 am

Those kits you mention are only for 14.1" and 15.4", but NOT for 15", what OP needs.
How to replace a 15" CCFL: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=88991
I have the LED-strip and LED-PCB from a broken 15" BoeHydis HV150UX2-100 screen, plus the modded inverter that goes with it, but I don't (yet) have the proper packing material to ship them safely.
Just in case, price would be €40.- + shipping.
Lovely day for a Guinness! (The Real Black Stuff)
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axur-delmeria
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Re: Dying backlight on my T60

#4 Post by axur-delmeria » Fri Apr 15, 2022 7:40 am

You're right. It's the wrong kit. I apologize for that.
Planned Purchase: T480s i5-8350 FHD Touch
Impulse Buy: Thinkpad not named for safety reasons :lol:
RIP: X220 4291-C91 X61 7676-A24 760XD-U9E :cry:

WEissbr0t
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Joined: Wed Aug 31, 2022 7:23 am
Location: Hamburg, DE

Re: Dying backlight on my T60

#5 Post by WEissbr0t » Wed Aug 31, 2022 7:57 am

axur-delmeria wrote:
Fri Apr 15, 2022 2:50 am
This kit seems to be a drop-in replacement: the transformer in the inverter board has already been removed and replaced with the LED driver board. All that's left to be done is to remove the CCFL tube from the LCD panel and replace it with the LED strip. As to how to remove the CCFL...well, I haven't opened up a 15" IPS screen before, so I don't know the exact steps, but it may involve partial disassembly of the LCD panel in order to pull out the CCFL tube. Be very careful though, as they are fragile, and more importantly, contain hazardous materials. :o

AFAIK Xiphmont's kit only had the LED driver board, LED strip, and shims/spacers, meaning you had to remove the inverter board's transformer yourself.
Interesting - thanks for the tip. I did not know, that it is possible to remove the tube and replacing it with an LED-strip. Maybe I will try that sometimes. My screen is getting darker and darker. Also takes a bit of time to reach the "full" brightness...

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