2023- is there FHD IPS panel upgrade for T520

[JayNYC]

July 2023.... is there a known good FHD 1920 x 1080 IPS panel upgrade kit for the T520?
Matte, 100% sRGB, etc.

[ajkula66]

I don't have the answer, but am interested in finding out myself...

[axur-delmeria]

I wonder if an FHD board for the T420 + 15.6" IPS FHD eDP screen from a T540p/560/570 would work. Those stock screens probably aren't sRGB, but if the LVDS-eDP board works, then there are more options...

[TPFanatic]

You can sort of do that with the T420/30 kit. The T420/30 adapter is based on the T420s/30s adapter, which utilizes an FFC/FPC (flexible flat cable) to connect directly, pin-to-pin, with the T420s/30s's LVDS connector on the motherboard. On T420s/30s, the LVDS connector's pin sequence is inverted from the pin sequence on the LCD. Accordingly, the T420s/30s adapter kit is built around this inverted pin sequence. When they modified the T420s/30s kit for T420/30, they made one alteration to the adapter board that is to replace the FPC terminus with a standard IPEX terminus, same hardware as the end of a 40 pin LCD cable, BUT retaining the inverted pin arrangement. That's why the T420/30 kits ship with a custom LCD cable to plug into the T420/30 motherboard, with an inverted pin arrangement to accommodate the inverted pin arrangement on the adapter. If you try plugging this adapter into any normal OEM factory LCD cable, it will blow up the adapter (but the ThinkPad will survive if you catch it fast enough). My T530 and I ate two adapters this way.

Lucky for us: they sell a special one for W520/30, without the inverted pin arrangement. Check it out here. https://www.aliexpress.com/i/2251832771802050.html You can see that instead of the 90 degree angle between input and output cables characteristic of the T420/30 and T420s/30s adapters, the IPEX terminals are opposed, and there is no pin arrangement inversion.

If you REALLY want to use a T420(s)/30(s) adapter, you can use some FPC/IPEX extender cables and boards to invert the sequence yourself. This is how I put the QHD adapters into W530 which I ramble about in this thread: https://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=134601 This is irrelevant if you just buy the non-inverted FHD adapter intended for W520/30.

But just as relevant to the FHD adapter is the physical mods you must do to accomodate the eDP 15.6" LCDs, which I made a handy guide for here: https://imgur.com/WBp5bKV Then you ALSO have to figure out how to mount the generally physically smaller eDP 15.6" LCD, which is a little shorter, narrower, and slimmer. I bought some foam tape from the department store and adhered it as soft bracing around the edges of the lid, and I just sit the LCD inside it, then hold it on entirely with the LCD bezel.

I built two W530s with QHD and they both still work fine*, only problem being that the QHD LCD is not properly supported by the QHD adapter so it displays at a weird sub-50fps framerate. Totally useless for videogames, tolerable for Blu Ray, and acceptable for desktop use. There should be no problems with FHD.

These are the LCD part #s that the adapter maker tested with their FHD kit:
AUO B156HAN01.2
SAMSUNG LTN156HL01-102 LTN156HL01-101

For whatever reason the adapter kits have a single panel's EDID stored within them, that they report to the laptop, then we just gamble that whatever LCD we plug in is close-enough to the adapter's EDID that it works. I theorize it should be possible to reprogram the adapter to simply pass-through the LCD's actual EDID, or flash any EDID desired to the adapter's EERPOM, so it can then be used with other panels. These adapters are actually quite nifty gadgets, and proprietary. I don't blame them for keeping secrets, they are surely very lucrative.

*update: Hahaha I spoke too soon, my W530's mod just broke itself after 6 months and the LCD is displaying garbage. The adapter is still functional (reinstalled in the T420, works perfect), it's unclear if the failure is in the LCD or in my extension cabling. Most likely I'll downgrade back to the B156HW01 V.4. Do note that the color calibrator and OEM software, if equipped, does NOT function with any LCD other than the OEM B156HW01 V.4.

[JayNYC]

Thank you @TPFanatic. Wish there was a simpler "almost guaranteed to work" kit dedicated for the T520....

[JayNYC]

checking back 18 months later... January 2025-- is there a known easy panel replacement for T520 FHD SRGB Matte?

[astral]

I've noticed that the eBay seller "ThinkPad Grocery" now ships T420/T430 (non-s) adapters that have the standard pinout and will work in other laptops. I've successfully used one inside a Latitude E6420 and an E6430, and it will no doubt work in other laptops as well as long as you have a compatible dual-channel LVDS cable and LCD. If the T520's stock LCDs are the older thick style panels, you'll have to get a little bit creative with mounting the replacement.

[TPFanatic]

Wonderful news astral!! The community has learned from my reverse engineering the madness. i can die happy now

edit: actually could you post a link to that, because i looked at ThinkPad Grocery's store and I don't see it

[astral]

It's this one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/373067745138

As always, your mileage may vary. I've bought three adapters from this same listing. The first was in around July 2023 and I got one of the ones with the non-standard pinout. The second one, ordered March 2024 was the new version that works in the Latitudes I've tested with. I bought another one in October of last year and it was the same newer version.