Use X201 screen for X200?

[Danny Manabat]

i am posting this topic because i would like to replace my screen.

i have an x200 7455-a41. i have checked the tabook and it is an LCD backlit. i recently bought an x201i 3249-mdu for my wife, so i had the opportunity to place them side by side and compare the screens.

my eyes feel some discomfort while using the x200 LCD but it felt better when using the x201i. the x201 is an LED. the LCD was a bit "orange" or "yellow", maybe this is what you call warm. the x201i LED is a bit "blue" and feels "mild".

would it be possible to buy a screen like the x201i and replace the x200? i read the entire topic about the AFFS mod, but i would like to investigate first if its possible to use a screen like the x201i. do i need to replace the x200's cable and inverter also?

if anybody has read this post and had done the swap, or have knowledge about it - any info would be a lot of help.

thanks.

[Cunha]

You would need to buy a cable and inverter, I think.

The best thing you could do would be the AFFS mod, you only need to source the screen and install it, and it will universally be considered an upgrade to everyone..most people don't care about the LED vs. the Normal screen in the X20x series..except as far as upgradability goes.

A lot of people look for X200's specifically because they are so easy to upgrade to the AFFS.

If for some reason you decide to spend MORE money on an LED screen instead of just installing an AFFS, let me know and I will buy your NON led cable and inverter

In your case unlike the case of X201 owners, it will be cheaper to upgrade to the AFFS glossy for around 100 dollars or the AFFS matte for around 170/180 dollars than it will be to spend around 100 dollars in parts and another 100 dollars on the LED display.

Good luck!

[Danny Manabat]

@Cunha

thanks for your reply.

yes, i was also considering the AFFS mod and comparing the expenses involved. there's an AFFS matte in ebay. it cost 188usd and its a drop-in upgrade.

there's a post by thinkrob about changing the X200 LCD using MVA but the last post showed problems with the cable connection. there was no conclusion to that topic. i hope thinkrob sees this post and share his conclusion on the upgrade work that he made.

thanks again for the info. it seems clearer that i should upgrade using the AFFS.

[ThinkRob]

there's a post by thinkrob about changing the X200 LCD using MVA but the last post showed problems with the cable connection. there was no conclusion to that topic. i hope thinkrob sees this post and share his conclusion on the upgrade work that he made.

*ahem* Sorry about that.

Yes, the Chi Mei MVA panel that I wrote about is electrically compatible, and yes, it should work if you make a harness.

Unfortunately, I screwed up when experimenting and blew out the panel's controller. You see, careless me didn't check that NC was *actually* NC and ground was *actually* ground, resulting in some very pretty blue smoke being produced by the controller board.

Live and learn, I suppose.

At any rate, I'd recommend the AFFS mod for most people. If you're looking for something a little unconventional you can try to find the Samsung PVA panel that I used previously. It is electrically-compatible, and is a drop-in replacement, same as the AFFS mod. Details are in my original post on the topic. If you want to know how that looks, ask emeraldgirl08; she's the current owner of the machine.

[Danny Manabat]

ThinkRob, thank you for the conclusion.

i guess i will be taking path of the AFFS mod. there 2 types. glossy and matte. i think mine is a glossy LCD and as mentioned, i feel some discomfort while viewing the X200 LCD. about an hour my eyes feel watery. how does it feel when using the AFFS glossy?

is the glossy type AFFS a bit yellow when white background is displayed, or is it bluish? what about the matte type AFFS?

anybody there can share their experience? i am choosing between buying the glossy or matte AFFS. thanks again. 'hope somebody responds to this.

[penartur]

is the glossy type AFFS a bit yellow when white background is displayed, or is it bluish? what about the matte type AFFS?

anybody there can share their experience? i am choosing between buying the glossy or matte AFFS. thanks again. 'hope somebody responds to this.

Glossy HV121WX4 is cold ("bluish") at least when compared to my Samsung *VA LTN121AP03.
Everybody seem to like matte HV121WX4, but it is rather expensive and rare when compared to glossy one. If you okay to spend $100 to $300 more just to get matte, go with it; else i'd recommend you to install glossy. Or you can try LTN121AP03, but it seems that colors and backlight uniformity are greatly varying through the different units; for example, ThinkRob i believe didn't have any problems with it, while my LTN121AP03 color reproduction is extremely unfaithful (e.g. showing light brown instead of yellow) and backlight is significantly brighter in the lower part of the screen.

[Danny Manabat]

penartur, thank you for sharing that.

yes the glossy AFFS is about 100usd cheaper than the matte version. i just don't want to make that mistake of buying the wrong one. and yes, i am looking for a bit "bluish" LCD which could be the "mild" one i am after. so your information is very much appreciated.

did you have the opportunity to view your glossy AFFS side by side with an X201. i assume al x201 are LED's. i thought that they are "bluish"/mild because they are LED and not LCD. any thoughts?

[penartur]

did you have the opportunity to view your glossy AFFS side by side with an X201. i assume al x201 are LED's. i thought that they are "bluish"/mild because they are LED and not LCD. any thoughts?

I've never had a X201. I used X200 with a stock CCFL-backlit screen for a month or so before i upgraded it to AFFS. The stock screen was just terrible, it makes no sense to compare color temperature of these two because there is no any color reproduction on a stock screen, colors are washing out even when one looks on screen at a straight angle. Stock and HV121WX4 AFFS are like earth and heaven; the same for stock and LTN121AP03 *VA.
The advantage of LTN121AP03 when compared to HV121WX4 is that it is matte, while glossy versions of HV121WX4 are really, extremely glossy. Disadvantages of LTN121AP03 are its color reproduction and backlight non-uniformity; that to say, it easily could be the problem of my specific unit, because it seems that ThinkRob did not experience the same problems.

[ThinkRob]

Disadvantages of LTN121AP03 are its color reproduction and backlight non-uniformity; that to say, it easily could be the problem of my specific unit, because it seems that ThinkRob did not experience the same problems.

I can confirm this. Or rather, I can confirm that I didn't experience backlight issues or grossly-wrong colors. I didn't calibrate my screen (I don't care too much about exact color reproduction), but seemed fine to my semi-trained eye. It did seem a little warmer than the screen that it replaced, but given that the panel that it replaced was pretty bad that's not saying much.

[Danny Manabat]

i think i would be getting the AFFS matte. cost is usd 188 +25 shipping. i'd like to take the cautious route in upgrading the X200 LCD. i love the x200 - except the screen. i have to tilt the LCD a bit outward to minimize eye strain.

would it be right to say that the AFFS matte is also bluish? or, do i need the spyder software to calibrate colors?

[Cunha]

I don't want to add confusion to this thread, but LTN121AP03 is described as having an LED backlight, is this true? If so, is it directly compatible with the LED thinkpads and needs cable and inverter for the CCFL's or am I just mistaken?

[ZaZ]

I didn't think my HV121WX4 was all that glossy, at least compared to other glossy screens I've seen. The glare could be a bit annoying, particularly if there was a light source overhead or behind, but mostly it looked pretty good. Mine had no bluish tint and looked very good out of the box.

[Danny Manabat]

FredGarvin thanks for sharing your experience. true for me, its a bit annoying when the light source is behind you ... that's when i would tilt the screen backward.

i have to admit i'm having second thoughts about buying the glossy AFFS, although i haven't bought the LCD yet.

how does it look if you make the background white - like ... say open a blank ms word document and do not maximize the window. does the white background of the document look really white or is it bluish?

[ThinkRob]

I don't want to add confusion to this thread, but LTN121AP03 is described as having an LED backlight, is this true? If so, is it directly compatible with the LED thinkpads and needs cable and inverter for the CCFL's or am I just mistaken?

The PVA panel that I found and installed in my X200 had a CCFL backlight.

[penartur]

I don't want to add confusion to this thread, but LTN121AP03 is described as having an LED backlight, is this true? If so, is it directly compatible with the LED thinkpads and needs cable and inverter for the CCFL's or am I just mistaken?

My bad, i mistaken LTN121AP02 (which is compatible with X200 and which i'm using) with LTN121AP03.

[ZaZ]

FredGarvin thanks for sharing your experience. true for me, its a bit annoying when the light source is behind you ... that's when i would tilt the screen backward.

i have to admit i'm having second thoughts about buying the glossy AFFS, although i haven't bought the LCD yet.

how does it look if you make the background white - like ... say open a blank ms word document and do not maximize the window. does the white background of the document look really white or is it bluish?

I sold my X200 with the AFFS mod last year and moved onto the X200t with the Hydis AFFS+. If I recall correctly erik, one of the mods here, said the CFFL Hydis LCD like from a modded X200 or X201 and I think he had the matte version, was more color accurate than the Hydis LED screen in his X200t, which is the same as mine. He'd be the one to know more than I. Perhaps erik can clarify this if he sees it. I honestly don't recall and I'm generally not one to calibrate unless it really needs it. Harry posted some matte HV121WX4-120 LCDs that are available on eBay for $200 here. At that price, they usually don't last long. The nice part is the digitizer and touch surface are already removed. It's a major pain in the rear to remove them.

[emtee3511]

Danny Manabat -- "how does it look if you make the background white - like ... say open a blank ms word document and do not maximize the window. does the white background of the document look really white or is it bluish?"

Harryc put a Hydis glossy on my X200 for me -- http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=94132

I love this screen -- the colors are bright and crisp -- I checked white on a blank ms word, and I don't notice "bluish" -- just a nice, bright white --

[Danny Manabat]

i took the plunge and bought the AFFS matte. 'waiting for its arrival.

emtee3511 thank you for the info ...

[Danny Manabat]

the AFFS matte screen arrived yesterday morning, later that night i was able to replace the LCD.

the LCD is LTD121EWVB PN 42T0481 FRU 42T0482 from Toshiba M a t s u s h i t a, made in china.

installation took about an hour. i was not in a hurry, i did not want to make any mistakes or else i could break some parts. overall, i would say it wasn't hard - although it was not that easy for me. i have done about 3 or 4 LCD replacement work, the first 2 was with my old 240X.

yup, the screen is much better. although i would not say it amazed me. gone was the wash-out LCD. i have a clear screen, white is really white. since i am not really into comparing different screens, i wouldn't know. i just have to observe if my eyes are strained like the original LCD.

i have read somewhere that i need to disable a program or two, from starting up ... i have to find that post. also, if anybody knows if i need to re-calibrate - can you please share the settings file from your X200?

[ThinkRob]

the AFFS matte screen arrived yesterday morning, later that night i was able to replace the LCD.

the LCD is LTD121EWVB PN 42T0481 FRU 42T0482 from Toshiba M a t s u s h i t a, made in china.

I'm confused by this -- that panel isn't an AFFS one AFAICT -- do you mean that the LTD121EWVB is the one you replaced?

[Danny Manabat]

Oops, sorry ThinkRob.

-- do you mean that the LTD121EWVB is the one you replaced?

Yes, I replaced the LTD121EWVB with the AFFS matte. 'Hope that clarifies.

[ThinkRob]

Yes, I replaced the LTD121EWVB with the AFFS matte. 'Hope that clarifies.

Ah. Got it. No need to apologize, the confusion was on my part.