R40 Freezes when screen is moved

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ThinkpadUser302 · #1 Post by **ThinkpadUser302** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 1:58 pm

I have been trying to troubleshoot my R40 for awhile now. I orginally got a keyboard error when booting, so i replaced the keyboard. But the machine would still freeze up when i booted it. Sometimes it booted fine other times it would sit on the IBM screen. The PC doctor diagnostics seem to run fine on all tests that i did.

After rebooting many times i realized that when i moved the screen it sometimes unfroze, at least temporarily. So i have maybe narrowed it down to the screen and a loose connection, if i tilted the screen just right and kept some pressure on the screen things worked for awhile.

Has anyone else had this issue? Does a screen replacement seem reasonable? Is there a part inside the screen that I could replace? I hate to spend more on a screen, without some better diagnostics?

Thanks

phool@round · #2 Post by **phool@round** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 2:29 pm

I don't think it's the screen but the video ribbon cable. To trouble shoot the cable and it's connections it's a matter of unplugging and replugging in the cable at the system board and then at the back of the LCD. To do that you'll have to take the front bezel off and also disconnect the screen from the lid.

Click on this link and you'll download the Hardware Maintenance Manual for the R40: Manual.

If those connections don't resolve your freezing then your probably in the market for a new video ribbon cable. The HMM will have the FRU/PN for your model.

ThinkpadUser302 · #3 Post by **ThinkpadUser302** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 7:29 pm

Thanks for your suggestion about the cable. I looked it up and it is available from IBM for 54.99. Are there any other parts stores that might carry that cable?

Thanks

#4 Post by **rkawakami** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 7:45 pm

If you Google the part number (FRU) you should probably find several online sellers of laptop parts. As always, eBay is also another supply source, as well as here in the Martketplace forum.

phool@round · #5 Post by **phool@round** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 7:46 pm

Always check fleabay first. Try Hammerhead Tech. They may have a cable and if they do it will be reasonable and in perfect condition.

Edit: Too late in get'n the gun out of the holster again.....

Ray's right, check our Marketplace as well, a very excellent source for parts priced just right......

jamiphar · #6 Post by **jamiphar** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:45 pm

ThinkpadUser302 wrote:...........

Does the whole laptop freeze, or is it just the LCD image? My A20p had a bad LCD a while ago, and the bottom 1/3 would freeze on whatever was being displayed at the time. I could get it back to normal by flexing the LCD, though.

Have you tried it with an external monitor attached? If it works fine on a monitor while the LCD freezes, I would think it's the LCD.

ThinkpadUser302 · #7 Post by **ThinkpadUser302** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 3:16 pm

Well the cursor/pointer will not move and seems stuck until I move and press on the screen in the lower right hand side. It is not just one part of the screen that is a problem. I have started to disassemble the machine, removed the hard drive and now just boot from the PC Doctor CD. While i am running the diagnostics sometimes the screen freezes (the cursor will not move). Even though i replaced the keyboard, sometimes pressing on the connector where the keyboard plugs into the motherboard does the trick. The diagnostics seem to show everything is working, so i am still puzzled.

jamiphar · #8 Post by **jamiphar** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 3:37 pm

It could also be the video chip, especially if pressing on the motherboard changes the image. A good way to find out is to test it with a monitor. If you get the same thing on the monitor that you get on the LCD, then the video chip is probably the culprit. If the monitor remains clear, but the LCD gets distorted, then your LCD or LCD cable is bad.

I haven't seen that kind of distortion caused by an LCD cable. Both of the times I've seen it (on my A20p and on a customer's Toshiba), it has required an LCD replacement. That doesn't mean that it can't be the cable, but I would personally suspect the LCD.

ThinkpadUser302 · #9 Post by **ThinkpadUser302** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 7:51 pm

ok, i tried the external monitor and it does the same thing. Unless I have the thinkpad screen adjusted perfectly (and I mean perfectly) neither the thinkpad screen (or external monitor) reacts to the keyboard input. So does this still sound like the video chip? That is a replacement chip on the motherboard?

ajkula66 · #10 Post by **ajkula66** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:10 pm

That sounds like a new motherboard...or re-flowing the solder of the existing video chip, which is one messy job.

Good luck, because you'll need it either way.

jamiphar · #11 Post by **jamiphar** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:20 pm

What George said. He beat me to it.

PM coming about resoldering.

R40 Freezes when screen is moved

R40 Freezes when screen is moved

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