Thinkpads Forum

I'm considering taking my X200 off the market so as to try another screen upgrade, this time to an LED-backlit panel. I already know I need to swap the cable with a 40-pin one (FRU 44C9919), but I'm unsure as to what else I need to get. Do I need to replace the inverter with anything?

The panel that I have in mind has not, to my knowledge, been used in an X200/X201 before. It's a Chi Mei panel, specifically an S-MVA panel. I'm interested in this particular panel because it has a response rate half that of the Boe Hydis HX121WX1-100 (15ms vs 30ms), viewing angles comparable to S-IPS, and a better contrast ratio (800:1 vs 700:1 for the Hydis). It's electrically compatible (standard 40-pin LVDS), and *should* be a physically-compatible drop-in replacement.

you'll need to replace the inverter with an LED board.   FRU # is 45M2812.   i believe the system will run without the board -- you just won't have any status lights.

as long as the pinout is correct on the CMO panel then it should work.   the bigger question is if the connector is in the same location or if the cable can be folded to reach.

good luck with the project.   let us know how it turns out!

Thanks for the quick response!

I'm 100% sure the pinout is the same (I have both datasheets in front of me), and the LVDS socket seems to be in the same place -- although that's a little harder to tell, since the Boe Hydis datasheet only lists an edge distance on the front-view schematic.

Now to find a source that'll let me order a single unit without charging an arm and a leg...

Alright, I found a cheap source for the S-MVA panel (about $120/piece). I'm going to give it a shot.

I'll check back if/when I get the panel.

Cool, good luck with the project and do let us know how it goes. Take some pictures too if you can.

Out of curiosity, how is a LED backlight powered? Directly from the LVDS connection? Or is there some cable going from the LED board to the panel, just as there is one from the inverter to a CCFL panel?

If there is none, then you shouldn't have to buy a LED board because it would mean that it's just an inverter card without the inverter parts (only the status LEDs). An inverter with nothing connected to it shouldn't draw any power.