Thinkpads Forum

Hi,

I have a TP 240X that's been having an intermittent screen flickering problem. It looks as though the internal vga cable may need to be reseated. Any idea how difficult it is to take the display apart to access this cable? I'm fairly good at working on computer hardware but if there are any tips on this particular model, please let me know.

Thanks!

It's fairly simple and straight forward. First remove power cord and battery. Then remove three screws of the keyboard on the back of the laptop. Remove the keyboard(it's your choice whether or not to disconnect the keyboard connector, I found it easier to work on the laptop when the keyboard is disconnected). Reseat the video cable and secure it with tape. Re-connect the keyboard and turn the computer on just to try it(don't let any metal part of the keyboard touch any circuit board on the laptop. Finally put everything back together.

Great, thanks.

So the end of the video cable that connects to the screen doesn't have to be reseated? Just the end that is on the keyboard side?

There are two ends to the video cable and as the previous reply indicated the connector under the keyboard is very easy to get to.
But it's generally very secure and I doubt there is enough room, between it and the bottom of the keyboard, to have come loose.
Getting to the two connectors behind the screen is a different matter altogether!
You'll have to remove the four screws with the plastic caps over them to remove the bezel. Don't put any inward pressure on the upper screen screws as their inner attachments break off very easily. Have some crazy glue ready!
Then pry out the bezel from the top, starting between the latches.
One ribbon cable goes into the inverter on the side and is a likely culprit. The other is taped so it shouldn't have moved.
After all that, I'd be surprised if the inverter or backlight isn't the real cause of your problem.
Tim S

An update on this post.

I removed the keyboard as described earlier in this thread and you're right, there isn't much room for the video cable connector to move. It seemed connected pretty well. I verified it was secure and reinstalled the keyboard but the screen flickering continued.

I then noticed that if I pressed down gently on the plastic trim around the actual screen just above the hinges, the flickering could be duplicated. Does this mean it's the connectors within the display assembly itself? If so, how difficult is it to access these connectors?

I really like my 240X and aside from the screen problems, it's in excellent condition and fits my needs perfectly. Therefore, I want to give it my best efforts for repair before I give up hope. Thanks.

IIRC there is nothing under the bottom part of the LCD bezel.
The ribbon cable goes through its hinge about a third of the way up behind the screen. Then it turns to the right and goes into the inverter which lies under the right side on the bezel, behind the logo and goes almost to the top. Chances are pushing anywhere on the bezel will duplicate the effect, because it puts pressure on the screen itself.
You'll have to remove the bezel and reseat the ribbon cable and the tube connector in the inverter. Or replace the inverter which is easy, or (less likely) the tube.
Tim S