T60 with random occuring dark screen

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Bobroberto · #1 Post by **Bobroberto** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 12:22 am

The screen on my 5 year old T60 has recently begun going dark. The screen may or not flicker very slightly near the lower right corner before it goes dark. I close and open the lid and the screen is back on. This can happen several times in a row, or can be stable for a week. When using a monitor, the monitor screen stays on, just the Thinkpad goes dark. A shaky connection? I have been unable to cause it to happen by tapping or moving screen.

#2 Post by **Harryc** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 5:26 am

A defective CCFL(backlight), inverter, or LCD cable ... in order of failure likelihood.

Bobroberto · #3 Post by **Bobroberto** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 12:39 pm

Thanks, any tips on diagnostics? I have some skills and a VOM meter.

#4 Post by **Harryc** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 12:51 pm

Unfortunately no diagnostics exist for this issue, at least at an enthusiast level. What most folks do is start with the cheapest part (inverter) and start swapping. EBay is a good source for cheap parts.

Bobroberto · #5 Post by **Bobroberto** » Sun May 08, 2011 12:02 pm

Further info on dark screen, it still shows faintly visible images when goes dark. Is this the back light? If so how hard to replace? I was once a silversmith and familiar with delicate assembly and soldering. Saw two avail on ebay, one was $13 other was $82. Why the wide spread? Other sources? Also, any recommends on service? Mail or local in Tucson?

Troels · #6 Post by **Troels** » Mon May 09, 2011 8:55 am

When the T60 is booting up, does white colors have a red tint?`Try turning the backlight brightness down to 0 using Fn+End while showing a bright image on the screen. After a couple of minutes - does the image appear red-ish in hue, especially in the right and left sides?
If yes, it is definitely the CCFL which has reached its end of life. By the way, it's not that the CCFL doesn't continue to work or can't emit light, it's just a precaution by the inverter, since as they age they will gradually draw higher and higher currents which unfortunately heats up the CCFL, thus destroying itself in the long run.
Usually the thin CCFLs used in laptops has a life time of about 15,000 hours, which is about 1 year and 9 months 24/7 usage.

Bobroberto · #7 Post by **Bobroberto** » Mon May 09, 2011 2:51 pm

Has anyone used a LED replacement bulb for 14.1 SXGA+ instead of a CCFL? If so, who's got it?
lcdparts.net only shows CCFL for this screen.

T60 with random occuring dark screen

T60 with random occuring dark screen

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