SL510: brownish marks on/under screen?

[words1]

My SL510 is less than a year old, no problems until this week, when discoloration started appearing around the edges of the screen. It's definitely not on the surface. It's a sort of mottled light-brownish stain, started on the left edge and now has spread (!) to the bottom and right edge. It looks almost like a water stain, but no liquids have come within five feet of the computer. Any ideas? Could it be condensation from changes in room humidity? It's not pressure marks -- I'm very careful, and this seems to be spreading on its own.

Any ideas on how to remove it? At this point, I'd be happy to just hear from anyone else who's seen something like this.

[Harryc]

Do you live in a humid environment? It could very well be condensation. I don't know of a reliable way to remove stains inside an LCD. Even if you could get to the stain to clean it you'd make the problem worse by allowing dust to get inside. These things are assembled in clean rooms. If you want to post a picture of the issue we'll take a look. Could be a backlight issue too I suppose, but being only a year old I doubt it. Have you tried a warranty call to Lenovo?

[words1]

Gee, time flies. It's been more than a year, so it's not under warranty. How hard is it to replace it myself? I have the technical manual pdf.

While I'm at it, can one replace the matte screen with a glossy one? How would I find one?

Re humidity, there are two other notebooks and three LCD monitors within feet of where this sits, none of which show any signs of trouble.

Thanks.

[Harryc]

What's the machine type/model number from the sticker on the bottom of this laptop?. It will be a (7) digit alpha-numeric like 2467-3CU. Also PM me the serial number so parts can be looked up (do not post it on the open forum.)

[words1]

Type number is 2847-9XU.

Will pm serial #. Thanks!

[Harryc]

ThinkPad SL510 (2847-9XU)
T6570(2.1GHz), 3GB RAM, 320GB 7200rpm HD, 15.6in 1366x768 LCD, Intel 4500MHD, CDRW/DVDRW, Intel 802.11bgn wireless, Modem, 1Gb Ethernet, UltraNav, Camera, 6c Li-Ion, Win7 Pro 32

Your current LCD is FRU# 42T0650

NO problem going with glossy, just get an LCD that is compatible with that FRU#, and make sure the seller guarantees it to be compatible. .

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R4 ... Categories

[words1]

Great! Thanks very much. That's enormously helpful.

[words1]

I was about to ask for guidance on replacing the LCD (the manual is a bit vague) when I found this page:

http://www.lenovoservicetraining.com/ion/

which has detailed downloadable training videos covering every step. Amazing.

[words1]

The HMM has a note about screws, stating that screws should only be used once (i.e., implying that if you're replacing an FRU, you should use new screws). Is this a real concern if one is careful not to over-tighten, etc.?

[Harryc]

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=91579

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... 89&start=0

[words1]

Thanks -- I think I'll take a chance and be careful.

[words1]

FYI: The HMM tells you that you need to disassemble nearly the entire machine to change the LCD, but that's not necessary. All I did was take off the screen bezel, loosen the screen frame from the back cover, and undo the four screws holding the LCD in place. The camera can stay in place. The bit with the LCD cable is a bit tricky, but if you're careful, it's a lot easier than taking off the palm rest, keyboard, hinges, etc.

A glossy screen makes the color saturation much better, btw.

[brinsmaid]

I have this exact same issue on my SL510. I hardly ever used this PC. One day, I turned it on and there was a darker area on the screen all the way around the bezel. Its like a ring of shadows on my LCD. This doesn't show up on an external montor. It isn't a Windows issue because it happens even when the laptop is booting. I ordered a new LCD, but haven't installed it yet.

[words1]

Huh. It certainly sounds like at least some of the original screens were funky.

[brinsmaid]

words1: Can you describe in more detail the way you replaced your screen without doing the entire disassembly? Thanks.

[words1]

It's been a few months, so my memory of it isn't that sharp, but basically you just follow the instructions for replacing the screen in the hardware maintenance manual without doing all the steps they say you have to do first (removing the keyboard, etc.). As I recall you can start with the screen bezel.

There are Lenovo training videos online at http://www.lenovoservicetraining.com/io ... index.html that might help.

I'd say that the tricky part is getting the bezel off -- watch that video & be very gentle.