Replaced T60 LCD Panel with OEM LCD. Having some issues.

[hsophie]

Hello,

I have a T60 2613-CTO 14.1" SXGA+ (1400 x 1050) LCD panel which went bad due to a failing backlight. I replaced it with a OEM LCD panel off of ebay ($102.50). The panel is working **almost** fine. I just wanted to ask if someone could help me with the problem I'm having.

My T60 is dual boot - XP and Ubuntu Linux. Before I replaced the panel, the screen sequence displayed used to be:
1. Thinkpad Splash Screen
2. OS selection screen (I think its called grub???). I pick the OS here.
3. Win XP splash screen
4. Defragger
5. Login screen with fingerprint reader.

After replacing the LCD screen, I only get screen #1. None of the other screens are displayed. The LCD backlight stays on, but there is no video displayed.

If I connect an external monitor and boot, then I must toggle monitors after the Thinkpad splash screen to see 2-5 on the external screen (and my laptop LCD panel).

Once XP has loaded, I can toggle back and forth between the LCD and the external monitor. The problem I'm having is that nothing is displayed during boot-up, so I can't select the OS. Essentially, I can't boot without an external monitor....

Can any of you suggest what may be causing this issue and a fix, if possible?

Thanks.

Hammad.
P.S. The OEM LCP panel I bought is this one.

[richk]

I would be very surprised if that one os a real OEM panel. Does it have a real Lenovo sticker on the back?

[hsophie]

I didn't see any lenovo stickers on the back. I think it is a generic LCD Panel.

Hammad.

[beefey]

WOW incredibly similar to what I am going through, in fact identical. I don't even have external support. When you say you "toggle" to an external how are you doing that?

Thanks,
Scott

[jketzetera]

Your problems may be caused by the screen EDID lacking the Lenovo specific string (see the QXGA EDID thread for more info).

[RealBlackStuff]

Or worse, the EDID chip might even be missing altogether.

You 'toggle' between LCD/external by using Fn/F7 keys.

[hsophie]

Thanks for the responses.
jketzetera: Can you post a link to the thread re: QXGA EDID.

RealBlackStuff: Is the problem fixable? Do you know of any other OEM screens that are cheap, which would be compatible?

Thanks.

Hammad.

[RealBlackStuff]

A missing EDID chip cannot be fixed (at least by us mere mortals..).
Get an IBM/Lenovo screen with proper IBM/Lenovo P/N or FRU.
Anything else is potluck and more often than not unusable.

[hsophie]

RealBlackStuff,

Thanks for your reply. I bought the one I did since the seller claimed it was 100% OEM compatible and also listed the exact IBM FRU# of 13N7059.

How do I determine if the problem is a blank EDID (which needs to be flashed) vs no EDID chip at all?

Do you recommend any sites or ebay stores who have great deals on LCD panels?

Thanks.

Hammad.

[RealBlackStuff]

I didn't see any lenovo stickers on the back. I think it is a generic LCD Panel.

Generic panels may or may not have the chip, and if they do, probably have the wrong EDID info in it.
About programming and the like, see the last post (by tgun603) in this thread: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... 8&p=555899

As to buying one: try in our Marketforum.

[hsophie]

I installed Phoenix EDID Designer. It shows me many monitors' EDID in my registry.

I also installed the registered version of Powerstrip.
When I try reading the EDID from my panel using Powerstrip, it gives me the following error:

DDC Communication with the monitor failed or is not supported.
Reverting to EDID data provided by Windows and the display driver, if available.

When I try to update EDID, I get the following error:
A valid EDID was not detected on the selected monitor. Do you want to scan the bus for a EDID EEPROM?
Whether I hit yes or no, I then get: 'A valid EEPROM was not found'

I think this means that there is no EDID capability on the LCD Panel. Any help here would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Harryc]

I think you need to return this one and get a genuine Lenovo FRU LCD.

[decosse]

I am in need of a new panel - was reading through all this background info.

These EBay and other deals that claim complete compatibility look good - if you believe their jargon

Here is a straight forward Q & A I initiated to laptopscreen.com

(the ad claims complete compatibility)

I have a technical question regarding the compatibility for IBM Lenovo

This is the screen from your product portfolio that 'matches' my requirement:

Laptop LCD Screen 14.1-inch Screen (11.3"x8.4") SXGA+ (1400x1050) Matte CCFL 1-Bulb compatible with IBM-Lenovo LENOVO

I have a question regarding the EDID however - in order to work with the IBM system it should have that EDID chip installed & appropriately flashed to work with the IBM
Does your screen have this device installed/programmed accordingly?

Thank you in advance for your reply

Aug 26, 2010 1:21:12
(name deleted) wrote:
Our screens (14.1" SXGA) do not have a special EDID chip installed.

So - there you have it - when asked the question point-blank, the answer was negative.
I would suspect the other EBay vendors in that $100 price range (like the OP) are the same.
It looks like the only option is OEM FRU - too bad they are 3x the price!