IBM 240 Screen Cable problem?

[glgermain]

My screen often goes wacky (multiple colors vibrating). If I move the panel or touch the back of the hinge, it clears up. I assume there is a cable connecting the monitor to the main part of the computer that is bad or loose. Anyone have any suggestions for fixing this?

[AlphaKilo470]

That does sound like the symptom of a bad cable connection. What you can do is open up the laptop, look at the cable for the display and if it looks good, unplug it and plug it back in after clenaing the connectors on the wire, but be very careful with that. You can find out how to take apart the ThinkPAd by downloading the hardware maintenence manual off of IBM's website. Before doing any of that however, you should give IBM tech support a call though. If the price of repair is resonable, and you can live without your THinkPad for a few days, that might be a better option, as it is less risky.

[phr]

That is a chronic problem with 240's. There was a secret warranty repair program for a while but it's ended. My own 240 is useless because of this problem. I got a replacement system board off ebay that I might try installing, but there's really no other cure, if replacing the cable itself doesn't work. The connector is extremely tiny and difficult to work on. it's on the motherboard under the keyboard and if you open the keyboard and press down on the connector, it should work better as long as you keep pressing with your finger. Otherwise you can use an external monitor. I ended up getting an x40 which is a more modern replacement for the 240.

[glgermain]

Yea, I figured since it is doing the same thing on two computers it must be a common problem. I don't understand why the system board needs to be replaced. Is it not a cable but an actual defective connector? Mine is not that bad - just pushing on the outside of the case seems to get things working fine. Good to know that it's the connection under the keyboad that is causing the problem. Thanks.

[whizkid]

If the connector gets physical stress, the problem could be caused by intermittent failed solder joints on that connector. It may be possible to fix this for a while by just re-flowing those joints.

You have to be very careful not to melt the connector though!

And also, after a few times, the pads on the circuit board will separate from the board and then only a new board will do the job. (Or if you're insane, you could replace each wire with a tiny strand and... oh never mind.)

[ragefury32]

Umm...The problem also exist on the LCD end as well. It seems that 2 rather fragile clasps grip on to the LCD line on that end. If the clasps becomes loose your video signals will get cut off. If you really want to fix it, you pretty much have to disassemble the LCD unit, rebuild it, and use plenty of electrical tape to secure/isolate the connector on that end. Most people focus on the system board end, but the problems happen on either side. Oh yeah, replace frayed LCD cables, and make sure the plastic LCD cable connector in the hinge is not causing undue stress to the assembly.