Thinkpads Forum

hi.
i bought from ebay a Bluetooth Module for my thinkpad w500, after adding it i turn on the laptop, no light indicators turn on(HD activity, POWER, BATTERY) and the screen appears to work but without any backlight(almost completely black, i can barley see the thinkpad logo).
the system is booting and working fine(i have connected it to my tv with VGA and pressed the Fn+F7).
the weird part is that the WIRELESS light indicator is WORKING.
windows did not recognise the BT module. even when i pressed the Fn+F5 to turn it on.
i have double checked and the BT module is attached firmly and all the cables for the inverter(that the little board beneath the lcd panel?) are connected.
when i try to remove the BT module, and start the laptop without it, the symptoms are the SAME.no indicators, no screen.External VGA is working fine.and i got the WIFI light.

Does anyone has any idea what could be the problem?
Thanks in advanced.

I'd guess that one of the following has happened, in order of likelihood;

1.) The LCD cable has come loose from the inverter
2.) The LCD cable has come loose from the back of the LCD panel itself
3.) The LCD cable has come loose from the system board
4.) The bluetooth module was defective and blew a fuse on the system board
5.) Same as #4 but some other component on the system board blew and the system board will need to be replaced.
6.) The LCD cable was damaged and needs replacement
7.) The inverter was damaged and needs replacement

Most repair shops cannot change fuses. (they are surface mounted components soldered with high-temperature solder). I don't know for sure about W500, but on many models, the bluetooth module (inside the LCD assembly) the bluetooth is on the same fuse as the inverter. I would need to see your machine to be sure, but the fuse seems likely. Was the bluetooth module a real lenovo part? I ask because I recently had a T61 with a similar problem. The bluetooth was "compatible". I changed the fuse, installed a real bluetooth card and the problem went away.

The Bluetooth connects to a thin orange-brown cable. The main LCD cable, that split and connect to the inverter. All of them are in screen assembly.
Tommorow I'll open the bezel again, look into it and take a photo. Right now I'm backing up my computer just in case...
I really hope it's just the inverter. If so it will be much easier to repair. Won't it?
I'm guessing that the part is original, cause When I bought it in eBay it's was marked as "original and new".
But tomorrow I will check it closley.
Never had problem with parts before...

I have seen several machines that had blown fuses and I've never seen the LCDs go out in the inverter, buit the inverter is certainly cheaper and easier to fix. Also, it is easy to damage the cable where it splits off for the bluetooth. Look for little nicks at the inside corners where it turns.

I took Some pictures:
W500 with the LCD bezel removed.on the left the BT module, on the right the LCD inverter:


BT Module closeup:


BT Module closeup back side:


BT Module Connector:


LCD Inverter connector:


After a closer look i can see that the BT module is damaged. a small crack crossing the screw hole from one side to the other, and a small crack on the electronic print:





and a look from the side you can see its bent:

Have you any resolution to this issue?

I have a W500 with an eerily similar issue (only after changing the CCFL). What I found after fiddling with the cable connecting to the inverter, if I have it loose enough I get a backlight but no indicator lights (aside from the wifi light, that stays on), but if I snap the connector together firmly the indicator lights come back on and the backlight goes out.

Strange, huh?

Replacing the LCD inverter didn't worked, had to take it to the lab. They said the board is damaged and had to be replaced.

It's annoying, the lenovo thinkpad are much more sensitive than the IBM thinkpads.
I want to sell the damaged board for parts on eBay.
Any idea how much should I ask for it?
Thanks.

Boards that don't work for any reason don't sell for much, because you cannot tell what is wrong without seeing and testing them. Very few people buy. If I noticed the item, I would probably bid up to about $50, but pass if it went higher. Actually, the most sensitive machine I have seen for this sort of problem is the T60. You could blow the fuse by installing a screen without correct info in the LCD configuration chip, but the backlight fuse has always been the "fast blow" type.

hello,
the same problem with lenovo R61, no leds on the inverter´s panel, no BT in hardware manager, no back lights of lcd panel. solved. inverter, lcd and flat cable checked on other laptop, OK. I checked all fuses (polyswitches) on motherboard, F8 is common for BT and LCD flat cable and was wrong, shunted , now ok.