Vertical White Stripe On X21 Screen - Do I Need A New LCD?

Message

jamiphar · #1 Post by **jamiphar** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 12:25 am

I recently got a project X21 to mess around with, and I have a couple of questions about it.

When I turn it on, the screen shows a vertical white stripe that's about 3-4" from the left and about 3/16" wide. This is the only thing the display does. I can hear the laptop accessing the hard drive and trying the read from the DVD-ROM in the UltraBase, so that seems to be normal.

What could be causing this to happen? I suspect a bad LCD, but I would like more opinions before I spend money.

Thanks in advance!

The Spirit of X21 · #2 Post by **The Spirit of X21** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 12:29 am

I would first open it up and check the connections between the cable and the LCD and the cable and the motherboard. Sometimes a loose ribbon can cause this. If those are fine, you will have to look into a new LCD.

jamiphar · #3 Post by **jamiphar** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 12:33 am

I forgot to mention this; I did open it up to check the cables. The connections seem fine, but I noticed the hinges are broken or very loose. Could the added play from the hinges mess with the cable? Moving the LCD back and forth and flexing it slightly didn't seem to make any difference.

#4 Post by **rkawakami** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 12:38 am

Have you tried connecting an external monitor to see if that has the same problem? It could be several things:

- ribbon cable (loose connection or broken trace in the cable)
- LCD panel (again, loose or broken connection)
- video chip on the motherboard

I don't think that the looseness of the LCD hinges would affect it. I have an X22 (actually I'm typing on it now) and it's one of the first things I noticed about it. Reading the forums, it seems to be a common complaint about the X2 systems. I had the system opened up a month or two ago but really didn't notice how the LCD cable was connected, but if it's like the other Thinkpads I've seen, there's not much pressure or strain on the ribbon cable when flexing the lid around (maybe 600 systems excepted).

edit: Hmm... is the ribbon cable coiled up inside the left side hinge? I just looked at the HMM and it appears that this is the case.

jamiphar · #5 Post by **jamiphar** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 1:04 am

rkawakami wrote:Have you tried connecting an external monitor to see if that has the same problem? It could be several things:

- ribbon cable (loose connection or broken trace in the cable)
- LCD panel (again, loose or broken connection)
- video chip on the motherboard

I don't think that the looseness of the LCD hinges would affect it. I have an X22 (actually I'm typing on it now) and it's one of the first things I noticed about it. Reading the forums, it seems to be a common complaint about the X2 systems. I had the system opened up a month or two ago but really didn't notice how the LCD cable was connected, but if it's like the other Thinkpads I've seen, there's not much pressure or strain on the ribbon cable when flexing the lid around (maybe 600 systems excepted).

edit: Hmm... is the ribbon cable coiled up inside the left side hinge? I just looked at the HMM and it appears that this is the case.

The ribbon cable is coiled up on the left side where it should be. I was just wondering if whatever force that caused the hinges to break (the hinges have no resistance whatsoever) could've caused damage to the cable. It looks fine to me, though.

I just tried it with an external monitor. And I don't get any signal on the monitor, even after pressing FN+F3 and cycling through FN+F7 (just turns the screen of and on).

Does this sound like a video chip problem? I so, would using a heat gun to reflow the solder be likely to help?

#6 Post by **rkawakami** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 2:48 am

A video chip/motherboard issue seems likely given those symptoms (lack of proper video on LCD and external monitor). It is possible that a re-flow could get the thing working again but that's just a guess. It also can be a little dangerous as it could cause more problems than what you have now. But if it's not usable in its present condition than I guess you have nothing to lose.

Before resorting to the heat gun, if possible try pressing down on the video chip when powering up the system. If that (temporarily) cures the video problem than you have at least isolated the area you need to heat up.

jamiphar · #7 Post by **jamiphar** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 5:47 pm

rkawakami wrote:A video chip/motherboard issue seems likely given those symptoms (lack of proper video on LCD and external monitor). It is possible that a re-flow could get the thing working again but that's just a guess. It also can be a little dangerous as it could cause more problems than what you have now. But if it's not usable in its present condition than I guess you have nothing to lose.

Before resorting to the heat gun, if possible try pressing down on the video chip when powering up the system. If that (temporarily) cures the video problem than you have at least isolated the area you need to heat up.

I pressed down on the ATI chip while powering on, and I was able to see a perfect display on the external monitor, and the same white stripe on the LCD.

So, I guess there is more than one problem here. The ATI chip has a bad connection, and the LCD or LCD cable is bad.

Right now, I think I'll break out the heat gun and try to resolve the video chip issue.

jamiphar · #8 Post by **jamiphar** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 1:16 am

After heating the chip and then pressing down on it until it cooled, the issue seems to be resolved. I can consistently see a picture on an external monitor and the laptop doesn't shut off when moved.

Now, the VGA output from the back of the laptop doesn't seem to work, but have it going through a port replicator and it works like that. I'm not sure if this could be related or not, but I thought I'd mention it.

Is there anything I can do to further determine what's causing the white line? I could buy a cable or screen and try it, but what can I do before buying anything?

#9 Post by **rkawakami** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 1:56 am

The only thing that comes to mind is a very close inspection of the video ribbon cable. There's not much else you can do without swapping either the LCD panel or the cable. And if you don't have them laying around, that's going to cost some money.

jamiphar · #10 Post by **jamiphar** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 10:12 pm

rkawakami wrote:The only thing that comes to mind is a very close inspection of the video ribbon cable. There's not much else you can do without swapping either the LCD panel or the cable. And if you don't have them laying around, that's going to cost some money.

I took a good look at the cable with my near fifth century old eyes

, and I didn't see anything that appeared broken or worn. I tried moving the cable around while the LCD was on, but that didn't change anything. I also tried slightly flexing the LCD, and pressure in certain places would cause a single red, green, or blue vertical line to appear on the right side of the screen.

I'm thinking that since moving the cable had no affect and flexing the screen did, that the LCD is at fault. Does this seem like a logical guess?

If I need a new LCD, do you have any idea where I could find one for a decent price?

#11 Post by **rkawakami** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 11:45 pm

Your 1/5 century optical sensors >> my 1/2 century (contact-assisted) sensors

. "Much greater than", not a bit shift operation

Flexing the LCD and seeing a change in the display can be an indication that something in the panel is wrong, but it's not necessarily concrete proof. Without a known good lid assembly to swap with (cable and LCD), it would still be a toss-up between that end of the video display system and the motherboard. Seeing how the ATI video chip had/has a connection problem, there still could be something on the motherboard which is causing your error. Were I to be in your position, I'd opt to buy a proven X20 or X21 base (motherboard and case), transplant the lid and see what flies. This is based upon your comment about external video not working coming out the laptop's VGA port but it does with the dock.

If you can live with the lack of video from the VGA port and your instincts say it's the LCD panel, then you could try the lid swap instead.

Sources for each would be here in the Marketplace (somebody may have a partially dead/partially alive X20 or X21), eBay or craigslist.com. If you want a "new" panel, that will probably run as much as a used X21.

jamiphar · #12 Post by **jamiphar** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 5:28 pm

I finally got the right panel for this (the first one I got was for an X22), and I've installed it in the X21. When I power on, the screen turns on but stays blank. The white stripe is gone.

So it seems that the white stripe was due to a bad screen, but I'm still not getting a signal. I suppose the LCD cable might be the next thing to try, I should be able to find one for a low price.

bhtooefr · #13 Post by **bhtooefr** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 8:32 am

Ah, wish you had PMed me a link to this thread, I could've helped here.

(I sold jamiphar this laptop...)

The hinges ARE broken.

I was pretty sure the white stripe was an issue with the LCD panel itself - if you look at it with the display off, the stripe is still there. However, the problem originally developed as a thin green line, and pressure on the back of the LCD, or sometimes on the front on the bezel below the line would get rid of it.

The monitor stuff... interesting that it was the video chip loose. I found that I could get it working by holding the monitor cable in a certain position. I assumed that the VGA connector itself needed hit with a soldering iron. I also assumed the same about the power connector - but I just used the UltraBase's power connector.

I believe the inverter is going bad in this laptop, as well, based on the noises it made when I could get the LCD to work.

Hope this helps...

jamiphar · #14 Post by **jamiphar** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 1:31 am

bhtooefr wrote:Ah, wish you had PMed me a link to this thread, I could've helped here.

(I sold jamiphar this laptop...)

The hinges ARE broken.

I was pretty sure the white stripe was an issue with the LCD panel itself - if you look at it with the display off, the stripe is still there. However, the problem originally developed as a thin green line, and pressure on the back of the LCD, or sometimes on the front on the bezel below the line would get rid of it.

The monitor stuff... interesting that it was the video chip loose. I found that I could get it working by holding the monitor cable in a certain position. I assumed that the VGA connector itself needed hit with a soldering iron. I also assumed the same about the power connector - but I just used the UltraBase's power connector.

I believe the inverter is going bad in this laptop, as well, based on the noises it made when I could get the LCD to work.

Hope this helps...

I got new hinges when I ordered the screen, so the lid's nice and tight now.

When you were able to get rid of the stripe, did you also have a normal display then? Or was it still blank like I'm seeing?

I just tried connecting the monitor and moving the plug around, but I still didn't get any signal. I see what you mean with the power jack, I'll have to re-solder that next time I have it apart.

bhtooefr · #15 Post by **bhtooefr** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 8:30 am

When the problem first developed, the screen was actually normal, except for the stripe, and pressure would get rid of the stripe.

In the state it's in now... once or twice I got the LCD working with pressure (but didn't get rid of the stripe.)

jamiphar · #16 Post by **jamiphar** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 9:10 am

bhtooefr wrote:When the problem first developed, the screen was actually normal, except for the stripe, and pressure would get rid of the stripe.

In the state it's in now... once or twice I got the LCD working with pressure (but didn't get rid of the stripe.)

In that case, I wonder if it's a combination of the screen and cable going out. Maybe it's the video chip, but I think I have that solved.

schiesz · #17 Post by **schiesz** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 12:43 pm

I do not know if this is related to your problem or not, but shortly after I got my x23 it developed a purple vert stripe, 1 pixel wide, right in the middle of the screen. I basically decided that it did not bother me enough to deal with, and continued using the machine. Just this last week, my battery died completely, and I ordered a replacement. Once I put the new battery in, the stripe was gone. The only real explanation I have come up with so far was this: there was a piece of double sided tape on the top of the old battery, which I assume someone put there because the battery was slightly loose without it.

Now, with the new battery and no tape, there is no line. If I remember tonight i'll put the old battery back in to see if it has the stripe again, since I removed the tape when I took out the old battery.

Again, probably not related to your particular issue, but it might benefit someone.

jamiphar · #18 Post by **jamiphar** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 12:52 pm

schiesz wrote:I do not know if this is related to your problem or not, but shortly after I got my x23 it developed a purple vert stripe, 1 pixel wide, right in the middle of the screen. I basically decided that it did not bother me enough to deal with, and continued using the machine. Just this last week, my battery died completely, and I ordered a replacement. Once I put the new battery in, the stripe was gone. The only real explanation I have come up with so far was this: there was a piece of double sided tape on the top of the old battery, which I assume someone put there because the battery was slightly loose without it.

Now, with the new battery and no tape, there is no line. If I remember tonight i'll put the old battery back in to see if it has the stripe again, since I removed the tape when I took out the old battery.

Again, probably not related to your particular issue, but it might benefit someone.

Interesting. My X21 does have a dead battery, but I didn't think it'd affect anything. I'd be interested in hearing what the screen does with the old battery back in it.

bhtooefr · #19 Post by **bhtooefr** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 3:01 pm

That battery had no tape or anything on it, though. And... how would that affect the screen, isn't the X2x battery in the FRONT of the machine?

schiesz · #20 Post by **schiesz** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 4:44 pm

The tape was that thick two sided stuff, with the backing still on the side not connected to the battery. I thought the previous owner probably put it there to eliminate a rattle or something, but it could have been pressing up into the housing of the machine, perhaps against the motherboard, video chip, lcd cable... I'll have to look at some of my pictures to see what might be right above the battery in the x23.

Yes, the battery is roughly along the front edge of the machine.

qviri · #21 Post by **qviri** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 4:52 pm

schiesz wrote:I'll have to look at some of my pictures to see what might be right above the battery in the x23.

I'm pretty sure it's just the palmrest, nothing electronic.

The extra bit of tape could conceivably be putting some strange stresses on the chassis because the battery is locked in. It'd be most unusual if that actually caused any issues, but I suppose it's not impossible.

The Spirit of X21 · #22 Post by **The Spirit of X21** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 12:17 am

I agree that the tape does seem an unlikely cause of the LCD issues, but electronics are strange in this regard, and if you're willing to risk the possibility of bringing the stripe back on your display, kudos.

schiesz · #23 Post by **schiesz** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 9:49 am

Interesting results here. I took the thick, double sided tape off the old battery before I opened it up to check the individual cels, and i'm NOT going to wedge something else back up in there just to see if I can get the stripe back, BUT I did try the old battery again.

The battery is still not working, but there is no stripe. It almost HAD to have been caused by the tape. This was a 1/2"x1/4" piece of thick double sided tape. Probably 1/16th of an inch thick. Must have been stressing something (maybe the video cable) while the battery was locked in.

jamiphar · #24 Post by **jamiphar** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 1:29 pm

Egad, it works!

I received a new LCD cable today. I put it in and the screen works wonderfully. I also tried putting the old screen in, it works fine except for the white stripe.

Sounds like this puppy's ready to go.

The Spirit of X21 · #25 Post by **The Spirit of X21** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 3:00 pm

Lovely! Congratulations on your repair! The Spirit of X21 carries on...

#26 Post by **rkawakami** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 3:42 pm

jamiphar wrote:I received a new LCD cable today. I put it in and the screen works wonderfully. I also tried putting the old screen in, it works fine except for the white stripe.

So, a combination of TWO problems (dead pixels in your old display and bad ribbon cable). What about the external video? Is that working? And the "video chip solution" of heating it up to reflow the solder seemed to have fixed that?

edit: Fixed quoting

jamiphar · #27 Post by **jamiphar** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 4:09 pm

The Spirit of X21 wrote:Lovely! Congratulations on your repair! The Spirit of X21 carries on...

Thanks! I'll keep it running as long as I can.

rkawakami wrote:So, a combination of TWO problems (dead pixels in your old display and bad ribbon cable). What about the external video? Is that working? And the "video chip solution" of heating it up to reflow the solder seemed to have fixed that?

Yeah, it looks like the LCD, LCD cable, and video chip all had problems. At first, I couldn't get the monitor to display from anything (replicator or onboard). After reflowing the solder on the video chip, I was able to get a signal using a replicator, but I still got nothing from the onboard VGA. I tried the monitor again after installing the new cable, and I got the same result.

I don't know what the deal is with this, but it doesn't really matter to me. It's pretty unlikely that I'll be using this with a monitor anyway.

bhtooefr · #28 Post by **bhtooefr** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 7:49 pm

Awesome, glad to hear you got it working!

jamiphar · #29 Post by **jamiphar** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 8:51 pm

bhtooefr wrote:Awesome, glad to hear you got it working!

Thanks a lot! Now I just have to find a battery.

The Spirit of X21 · #30 Post by **The Spirit of X21** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 8:29 am

If you have an old x2x battery lying around, you could check out batteryrefill.com. BTI sells new batteries at a number of retailers, including Amazon.com. Also, while I can't vouch for their quality, meritline.com sells batteries for just about every ThinkPad ever made, with free shipping too.

Vertical White Stripe On X21 Screen - Do I Need A New LCD?

Vertical White Stripe On X21 Screen - Do I Need A New LCD?

Who is online