Thinkpads Forum

And if you touch and push it, does the backlight appear again?
Also, checking the backlight fuse wouldn't hurt.

nitrocaster wrote:Make sure adapter board is soldered to docking connector properly and these capacitors in the gap are intact. I had a case when user wasn't able to get an image because those two capacitors were fractured.

All capacitors are clean and damage free. There are none that are bridged by solder, verified by DMM. There is no flux contamination either.

nitrocaster wrote:

technopanda wrote:I even tried to simulate the situation for carcuevas, where the sense wire is not connected, also only brightness control and blank screen. Selecting Fn+F7 does nothing. Also tried selecting 'Digital 2 on Dock' as boot display.

Makes no sense since your problem is that the system does not even recognize the display, which means that DisplayPort lines are bad.

The OS is detecting there is something that is 1920x1080, it just can't send the image to that panel.

BIOS version of this X230 is 2.62

technopanda wrote:The OS is detecting there is something that is 1920x1080, it just can't send the image to that panel.

It should detect two 1920x1080 displays. One fake (adapter board) and one real (the actual display). Here's how the fake display EDID should look like: http://imgur.com/eDXrfwm

Check if AUX lane is good: http://imgur.com/MAf20PD
Panel side connector has same AUX pins as board side one. Check the continuity of both traces and measure their resistance to ground.

nitrocaster wrote:

technopanda wrote:The OS is detecting there is something that is 1920x1080, it just can't send the image to that panel.

It should detect two 1920x1080 displays. One fake (adapter board) and one real (the actual display). Here's how the fake display EDID should look like: http://imgur.com/eDXrfwm

Check if AUX lane is good: http://imgur.com/MAf20PD
Panel side connector has same AUX pins as board side one. Check the continuity of both traces and measure their resistance to ground.

I see. There is only one 1920x1080 panel. I guess that's the fake one.

Continuity for Pin 9 and 10 checks out. Resistance to ground is ~11 MOhms for them both.

technopanda wrote: Continuity for Pin 9 and 10 checks out. Resistance to ground is ~11 MOhms for them both.

Did you check the cable too?

nitrocaster wrote:Did you check the cable too?

Yup cable checks out for pins 9,10.

It should work then. Do you have a dock station to test DP#2 output?

nitrocaster wrote:It should work then. Do you have a dock station to test DP#2 output?

I don't. All I have is an ultrabase for it.

Where did you measure resistance to ground?
Docking connector pins (AUX_P and AUX_N) are expected to have no connection to ground, because they're connected to those two little ceramic caps (rightmost), so your multimeter should indicate 0L here. But if you measure bottom pads of those two caps, it should be ~52K.

nitrocaster wrote:Where did you measure resistance to ground?
Docking connector pins (AUX_P and AUX_N) are expected to have no connection to ground, because they're connected to those two little ceramic caps (rightmost), so your multimeter should indicate 0L here. But if you measure bottom pads of those two caps, it should be ~52K.

Sorry I thought you meant on the FHD board for AUX_P and AUX_N, I measured to ground on the board.

For the bottom of C128 I get ~250kOhm and for bottom of C129 I get ~260kOhm. The tops of both are 0. Ground point is the copper near to the aux power take off point.

Check the continuity between top pads of C128/C129 and soldering joints on the adapter board.
If those are good too, my guess is that your motherboard is bad.

nitrocaster wrote:Check the continuity between top pads of C128/C129 and soldering joints on the adapter board.
If those are good too, my guess is that your motherboard is bad.

I don't quite understand, wouldn't the tops of C128/C129 be open as they connect to pins 69,71 on the docking connector? If you mean the continuity between them, then they are 0, as they aren't shorted.

I am beginning to think there is an issue with this motherboard. Would connecting the sense wire to C127 mean that the FHD board uses instead DP#1? I don't mind sacrificing DP#1 on the dock, as I'd never use it, more likely to use miniDP instead.

technopanda wrote: I don't quite understand, wouldn't the tops of C128/C129 be open as they connect to pins 69,71 on the docking connector? If you mean the continuity between them, then they are 0, as they aren't shorted.

I mean the continuity between top pads and plated through holes - to make sure you soldered the adapter board properly.

technopanda wrote:Would connecting the sense wire to C127 mean that the FHD board uses instead DP#1? I don't mind sacrificing DP#1 on the dock, as I'd never use it, more likely to use miniDP instead.

It wouldn't, because the adapter board is soldered to DP#2 pins.

nitrocaster wrote:And if you touch and push it, does the backlight appear again?
Also, checking the backlight fuse wouldn't hurt.

You know sometimes, pushing in the card where the LVDS connector is, makes the screen backlight work for a wee bit , but not always actually so I am not sure if it's more related with the cable or the connector...

I have to do more tests, for example I am going to try to don't stress the machine (to don't have too much delta of temperature) and see if with the time also the screen go black...

About the fuses, are those F17 and F18 on the MOBO right? I will check the continuity when the screen will go dark...

Thanks for the clues Nitrocaster..

nitrocaster wrote:

technopanda wrote: I don't quite understand, wouldn't the tops of C128/C129 be open as they connect to pins 69,71 on the docking connector? If you mean the continuity between them, then they are 0, as they aren't shorted.

I mean the continuity between top pads and plated through holes - to make sure you soldered the adapter board properly.

I am confused now. How would the top pads of C128/C129 connect to the FHD board? Aren't I only meant to solder the sense wire from the bottom pad of C137 to the pad next to the word 'by' on the FHD board and the Aux power cable from near Q31 to the left most pad of four on the bottom edge of the FHD board?

nitrocaster wrote:

technopanda wrote:Would connecting the sense wire to C127 mean that the FHD board uses instead DP#1? I don't mind sacrificing DP#1 on the dock, as I'd never use it, more likely to use miniDP instead.

It wouldn't, because the adapter board is soldered to DP#2 pins.

But, I'm asking if in fact DP#2 on my motherboard is bad, can I, instead of soldering the sense wire to the DP#2, DPD_3N at the bottom pad of C137, but now to the DP#1, DPC_3N at the bottom of C127?

Can you explain how else the FHD board can be otherwise soldered to DP#2 pins?

technopanda wrote:How would the top pads of C128/C129 connect to the FHD board?

Very simple. Top pads of C128/C129 are connected directly to docking connector pins. Did you even solder points 1-7?

carcuevas wrote:About the fuses, are those F17 and F18 on the MOBO right? I will check the continuity when the screen will go dark...

You have to check continuity when the system is off and all power is disconnected.
Backlight fuse if F1.

nitrocaster wrote:

technopanda wrote:How would the top pads of C128/C129 connect to the FHD board?

Very simple. Top pads of C128/C129 are connected directly to docking connector pins. Did you even solder points 1-7?

A has just turned on. There is no mention of solder points 1-7, on installation guide v0.2, to be soldered directly to motherboard.

While it's not shown in detail, this installation step is present:

4: Install and solder the adapter board to the motherboard

I'll add extra pictures there.

nitrocaster wrote:I'll add extra pictures there.

Thanks. I think that would help clear things up.

carcuevas wrote:This is really some kind of joke,I remove the cable, I left the computer to warm up, and left the cable at ambient temperature, then when the computer was warm enough I installed the cable switched on, and not working so now I am not sure if it is the cable or something else...

I had very similar experiences. Once the machine got hot (I started putting load on it), the display was gone. My solution was to reattach the OTHER end of the LVDS cable again on the motherboard side.

nitrocaster wrote:

carcuevas wrote:About the fuses, are those F17 and F18 on the MOBO right? I will check the continuity when the screen will go dark...

You have to check continuity when the system is off and all power is disconnected.
Backlight fuse if F1.

Ohh thanks I have to see where is the F1 )) I will test it once it's not working and I have the computer off and no AC for sure hhe

seasonshu wrote:

carcuevas wrote:This is really some kind of joke,I remove the cable, I left the computer to warm up, and left the cable at ambient temperature, then when the computer was warm enough I installed the cable switched on, and not working so now I am not sure if it is the cable or something else...

I had very similar experiences. Once the machine got hot (I started putting load on it), the display was gone. My solution was to reattach the OTHER end of the LVDS cable again on the motherboard side.

Well I order some samples for the FFC, I think the problematic is as you said the LVDS, the FCC cables have a limit for flexing, after this limit they cannot assure it's not working, the one I orderr now they resists 20 times 180 degrees let's see how they will work... they should arrive soon

just finished reading all the info, there are two points not clear for me:

which pins on mod board itself should I solder in addition to the two cables.

should I switch to dp#2 in bios before installing the mod board because I run macOS and I am a bit afraid that it would not recognise the second display and it will be not possible to see the bios after mod will be installed. I have ultrabase 3 available though, am I safe n this case? ) thanks

xash wrote:which pins on mod board itself should I solder in addition to the two cables.

All 7 plated through holes have to be soldered.

xash wrote:should I switch to dp#2 in bios before installing the mod board because I run macOS and I am a bit afraid that it would not recognise the second display and it will be not possible to see the bios after mod will be installed. I have ultrabase 3 available though, am I safe n this case? ) thanks

Yes, you should.

It is by some kind of miracle and after a hard battle through a comedy of errors, but I have finally gotten nitrocaster's fabulous kit to eventually work in the X230.

After removing the sense wire solder point on the bottom of C137 so many times to diagnose the problems I was having, the poor solder pad eventually lost the will to stay on the PCB and like carcuevas' X230, capacitor C137 was destroyed as well. I was able to rescue the connection to the sense wire though by using conductive ink to connect the remaining top pad of C137 to the via that the bottom of C137 was connected to. A tinned wire was soldered to pin 75 on the back of the docking connector and fed back over to the solder pad on the FHD board through a hole on the FHD board.

I'm off to lie down, rest, and then consider installing the screen into the lid.

technopanda wrote:I was able to rescue the connection to the sense wire though by using conductive ink to connect the remaining top pad of C137 to the via that the bottom of C137 was connected to. A tinned wire was soldered to pin 75 on the back of the docking connector and fed back over to the solder pad on the FHD board through a hole on the FHD board.

Pin 75 (DOCKB_DP3N) does not have DC path to DPD_3N. The sense wire has to be connected to DPD_3N. Otherwise it won't work properly.

technopanda wrote:It is by some kind of miracle and after a hard battle through a comedy of errors, but I have finally gotten nitrocaster's fabulous kit to eventually work in the X230.

After removing the sense wire solder point on the bottom of C137 so many times to diagnose the problems I was having, the poor solder pad eventually lost the will to stay on the PCB and like carcuevas' X230, capacitor C137 was destroyed as well. I was able to rescue the connection to the sense wire though by using conductive ink to connect the remaining top pad of C137 to the via that the bottom of C137 was connected to. A tinned wire was soldered to pin 75 on the back of the docking connector and fed back over to the solder pad on the FHD board through a hole on the FHD board.

I'm off to lie down, rest, and then consider installing the screen into the lid.

Wow!! I'm glad that your little adventure went well ))) I have also good news, as expected the problem I have when the computer was hot was related with the FFC for the LVDS, I got the samples from Wuerth and they are working like a charm I mostly cannot believe also that my little quest it's finished

BTW Nitrocaster I am using the 10cm lenght cables and they are working properly, maybe it will be easier to work with them, so let's see.... Today I will adventure myself with coreboot???? who knows hahahahah

nitrocaster wrote:

technopanda wrote:I was able to rescue the connection to the sense wire though by using conductive ink to connect the remaining top pad of C137 to the via that the bottom of C137 was connected to. A tinned wire was soldered to pin 75 on the back of the docking connector and fed back over to the solder pad on the FHD board through a hole on the FHD board.

Pin 75 (DOCKB_DP3N) does not have DC path to DPD_3N. The sense wire has to be connected to DPD_3N. Otherwise it won't work properly.

It is connected now. I bridged from the via for DPD_3N to it through Pin 75.

technopanda wrote:It is connected now. I bridged from the via for DPD_3N to it through Pin 75.

If you use a docking station, by bridging the AC coupling cap you're putting your PCH under risk (i.e. fried motherboard lottery).