X32 Black Screen Problem

[lors]

Hi all, I'm a first-timer here and I got some problems about my X32.
It worked well few days ago, but now it is having a black(blank) screen when powered on.

The following are the videos of the problem when I tried to start X32.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jal85Kf2Hfs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9qmQoBHEYo

Is there anyone who knows what causes the problem and how to solve it?
Any advice will be appreciated.
Thanks.

[evening_hunger]

It seems (from your videos) that the LCD backlight doesn't even start, the screen is entirely black. I would suspect the LCD inverter maybe. You could try to do the following: when turning on the laptop, take a strong flashlight (of any kind) and direct it at the lcd. Use various angles, see if you can see anything displaying on the screen. (If it does, means LCD is working but is not backlit).
Other than that I could only think of using external monitor (preferably over VGA) and checking if it shows anything. Also, is the HDD working? (Loading the OS, etc.)
good luck!

[rkawakami]

Welcome to thinkpads.com!

I don't have access to the YouTube videos at the moment but there are a number of things which can affect the backlight of the LCD panel. Here's a list:

1) The lamp inside the panel (aka, CCFL) has finally reached the end of its life. If there had been a pinkish/reddish tint to the screen when first turned on, then this is most likely. Usually is fixed by replacing the entire panel. It's possible to swap out just the CCFL but it is a delicate job and if not done properly, can ruin the display.
2) The inverter board is defective. This small, slim board, located just below the LCD panel behind the screen bezel converts a DC voltage into a AC voltage that lights the CCFL up. If the board is bad, then the backlight will not turn on. It is easily replaced and inexpensive (about $15US in most cases).
3) A fuse which protects the inverter is blown. This is located on the motherboard and can be fairly easily replaced but it does require some soldering skills and good eyesight.

These first three points of failure will still allow a "ghost" image to appear on the screen. Which is why evening_hunger recommended shining a flashlight on the screen (when there normally should be something displayed; the IBM splash screen, BIOS page, Windows desktop, etc.)

4) The lid switch is stuck in the down position. This shuts down the inverter, which also turns off the backlight. The lid switch should be located along the back edge of the keyboard bezel, usually near the right hinge. There is typically a small post/pin/notch on the LCD bezel which sticks out a few millimeters to depress the switch when the lid is almost closed. Use a pencil or pen to make sure that it can be depressed a little bit; should feel "springy".
5) For some reason, BIOS has decided that the active display is NOT the LCD; instead video is being directly solely out the VGA port. If this is the case you can re-enable the LCD by pressing the Fn+F7 key combination (hold down the blue Fn key at the lower left of the keyboard, then press and release the F7 key once; then release the Fn key). Additional Fn+F7 keypress should cycle the active display between the LCD only, the VGA port only and sometimes, both on them active.
6) A connection is broken. That can be anything from the LCD ribbon cable not being plugged into the motherboard fully, a break in the ribbon cable itself, the inverter board not being connected to the ribbon cable or the small rectangular connector that's attached to the LCD panel (and CCFL) unplugged from the inverter. This requires removal of the keyboard and LCD bezel at the minimum. You can download a copy of the Hardware Maintenance Manual from this forum by looking up at the top of any page and clicking the HMM link.

Other things which can cause a display to not turn on would be:

1) Some other problem with the motherboard which causes the system not to power up and run through the self-tests (i.e. POST - power on self test).
2) Defective memory can allow a system to turn on but not complete POST. However, there's usually some beeps that are generated.
3) Defective accessory card; typically a MiniPCI card that goes bad.