X40 LCD Colour/Color Replication

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kai · #1 Post by **kai** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 8:00 pm

Hi,

I've had my X40 for a long time now (over 2 years) and apart from the slow hard disk, I've very little to complain about it.

However, there's something bothering me about the LCD screen. I have done a parts lookup and it's listed as: 92P6688(MFR#) & 92P6687 (FRU#). From searching around on this forum, someone mentions it's an ID Tech panel.

Anyway, I do a fair amount of web design and use my X40 frequently to either create on the move or show clients their designs. The problem is that the colours on the screen always appear very washed out and frequently can look completely off compared to almost any other normal LCD panel. It is especially noticeable with the lighter colours, such as #ccc or #ffffcc

A good example of this is a website that I created (I hope this is ok): http://www.perfectlyou.co.uk

It is very hard to describe, but usually to even get anywhere near the correct colour replication that I intended on my screen, I have to turn it up to maximum brightness and tilt the screen around 130 degrees (fully closed is 0) to almost be able to see the yellow. If you look upwards at the screen, the colours appear stronger, but at a cost of darker contrast. On my normal LCD screen (Dell fpw2405), the yellow is actually quite bold and strong.

If I view the site with my normal settings, brightness set to '3', and display titled around 100 degrees, it is almost impossible to tell that there is actually any yellow at all on that site posted. The yellow shows the LCD panel as very uneven - the top half is stronger (more yellow) and it disappears like a gradient to almost white.

It is obviously not just this site, any subtle hue just doesn't show very well at all.

I'm fairly sure that this isn't normal and it's frustrating having to show off my work this way. However, I'm asking around first before I contact IBM to see if anyone has had any experience with dealing with IBM with an issue like this?

I am not aware if the X40's ever shipped with different panel types, so if anyone knows, that might help.

Any help will be appreciated.

floz23 · #2 Post by **floz23** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 12:46 pm

Yes. IBM committed such a sin, by pairing such a wonderful laptop with such a poor LCD panel.

This is what I know: there are, in fact, 2 panels compatible with the X40. IDTECH and Samsung. I believe the samsung one is used in the X41, which is very close to the x40. Check at the very bottom of this page.
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... 53645.html

My friend had an x41, the screen was infinitely better, but still not up to par with any real, decent monitor.

Finally, I was told by an IBM Qualxserv technician, that all of the tech's hate replacing LCD panels in the x40. If you don't put the thing together EXACTLY as it was originally assembled, it will not fit together properly.

If you ever muster the balls to replace the IDTECH screen with a Samsung one (check ebay, they sell samsungs on there all the time), let us know!

PS- In this document, you can find the details to replace an LCD panel.
ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mo ... 9t5972.pdf

kai · #3 Post by **kai** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 9:03 am

Thank you for you reply. I've already read through the technical manual for the X40 and I've noticed that there are 2 different LCD screens available for the X40? and ID Tech and a Samsung one.

Since my machine is still under warranty, I've decided to send it in for them to look at to see if they'll replace it. I think I'll try request a Samsung panel, although I'm sure that I've read somewhere on here that ID Tech no longer supply IBM/Lenovo with panels.

The only thing I'm wary of is getting a panel back with dead pixels, but I guess the quality of the panel would be better. The machine has to go in anyway because the hinges have got a bit loose now (ever since they shipped it back the first time).

floz23 · #4 Post by **floz23** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 9:33 am

Tell me what happens... I'm dieing to get a better LCD in this machine!!!

-Adam

kai · #5 Post by **kai** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 9:47 pm

I just received the machine back today. During the time it was in, despite me writing a note detailing the problem, they didn't seem to understand. They contacted me and I explained it over the telephone, although the guy wasn't the person doing the work - he said that he'd pass on what I'd said to the service technician.

What they've done is actually gone ahead and replaced the planar (motherboard)!! I didn't ask for this as the previous one was fine. It's obviously not made any difference as it's still the same LCD panel, but now I've noticed that it's come back with two dead pixels! I'm not actually sure if they are dead pixels, as they are dim and black, one bigger than the other (about 0.5cm apart). I know that when I sent it in, they didn't exist.

I'm not sure what I should do, although I'll probably contact them in the morning to ask what's going on.

pianowizard · #6 Post by **pianowizard** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 11:33 am

I've owned many X-series Thinkpads (three X20's, two X22's, one X40 and one X60s) and none of them had great LCDs. I always thought that's just because of the low resolution. Does anyone know if the X60 tablet's SXGA+ looks any better?

kai · #7 Post by **kai** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 12:32 pm

After a bit of a roundabout way, I've just received my machine back (again).

floz23: You must have been right about it being a pain in the [censored] to install a new LCD as it took them two days to do it this time. Previously, I've always had my machine back after just 1 day of servicing - even when replacing the motherboard (although for no reason I might add).

Anyway, I am not sure what unit they have used - is there any way that I can tell without opening up the machine?

What I am happy to say is that the colour reproduction does seem to be better - I can finally see some shades of colour - even in this forum, whereas before I thought that there was no colour sheme. However, the display does seem to be tinged with blue somewhat.

I am not sure how much success you'd have by simply stating that you want to replace the display. I think that they only replaced mine because they somehow damaged it the first time.

In anycase, they get a big thumbs up from me!

kai · #8 Post by **kai** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 12:12 am

Just a little update.

After using the screen a little bit more, I have to say that I'm very happy with the difference between this screen and the last one. Web pages now look very different - even on here, in the main index, I've just noticed that the heading dividers have a gradient effect, which I never noticed before!

pianowizard · #9 Post by **pianowizard** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 9:12 am

kai, do you think it's possible that you had 16-bit color depth before, whereas you now have 32-bit?

#10 Post by **gator** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 11:30 am

I don't know about the X40 having never seen it, but the color reproduction on my X31 is not too good either - for instance. this grey colored image that I created appears entirely black (and sligtly uneven if you look carefully). I created it on my T60 (flexview SXGA+) and was very surprised to see how it looked on the X31 (IDTech panel). The site you posted looks very,very similar to how you describe on my X31 too.

But the point is, it is pretty good for reading office documents/pdf (or anything with a light background and dark text) and for people who use it as a "travel" laptop, it is good enough. It is not a brilliant display, but good enough for what it is intended (size and battery lfe beats everything). I would guess that most, it not all, X series machines have a similar panel (no idea about SXGA+ X60T, but have heard it is a flexview, so it will be much, much better).

Anyone with a regular X60 can comment on how their screen is? The image I posted above or the site posted by the OP can be used as a temp. reference.

kai · #11 Post by **kai** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 2:17 pm

pianowizard wrote:kai, do you think it's possible that you had 16-bit color depth before, whereas you now have 32-bit?

Ouch..! No, there's absolutely no way that's possible for over 2 years that it was left on 16-bit color depth and I didn't fiddel with it. Honestly, the difference between what I have now and before is like night and day.

floz23 · #12 Post by **floz23** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 2:37 pm

Thanks everyone,

As for the 16bit vs 32bit: the lcd panel is really only capable of displaying 16bit color (probably even less), the 32bit just enables some type of dithering. So you really shouldn't see much of real, eye popping difference between 16 and 32.

kai: can you tell what panel you have now in your x40? Maybe the Samsung ones are the bad ones, and the IDTECH's are better?

Also, is there any way to tell which panel you have installed, without opening and disassembling the unit?

-Adam

kai · #13 Post by **kai** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 3:04 pm

I asked the same question about what panel I have installed now. Although I did specifically request for them to install the Samsung panel instead, I have no idea if they actually did so. I don't want to open up my machine at all just to find out either - in case I can't put it back together.

I've looked up the parts checker on the lenovo website, but it still lists the ID Tech panel (as I had before) - I don't know if they update it when they replace bits in your system.

As mentioned before, I'm sure that someone here mentioned that ID Tech no longer supply panels to IBM/Lenovo, so maybe they are all Samsungs now?

X40 LCD Colour/Color Replication

X40 LCD Colour/Color Replication

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