Thinkpads Forum

Hi, could anyone have an idea of help?

I own an old 600E that I wanted to upgrade processor and memory and in fact I did, but in the process I damaged something in the display system that even with an external display I can work with it, there is nothing at the laptop display itself. What I did for trying to solve the problem was:

1.- I tried if the small switch that detects if the display is opened or closed is OK. It seems to be OK.
2.- I bought and changed the set of the two cables that connects the display with the laptop.
3.- I bought and changed the inverter card
4.- I bought and changed the CCFL light.
5.- Of course I tried the FnF5 key combination that changes the display from internal to external.

Same result, OK external, nothing in laptop display.

Is there anything I missed? Or, even better, is there any way that I could find what is the real problem? I didn't like to do more "blind tries" and on the other hand, I'd like to still use this small laptop with the 600MHz and 512Mb I put on it that, by the way work very well.

On the other hand its price is so low that I feel it doesn't pays the cost of sending to any service, official or similar, even the shipment cost of sending it to and back would be higher than the laptop itself.

I have some experience in hardware and not very afraid of opening and working with it, what I'm afraid is of damaging it even more, or of damaging the 600X of a friend of mine that is working in trying to do more interchange of pieces.

Any idea of help that I could try with my 600E ?

regards.

Either the LCD itself is bad or the connector on the mobo went out. I've had both issues on various 600s I've rebuilt.

Main question is:

is there any way to detect the problem using a "normal" tester equipement, ie: voltimeter/ohmeter?

For instance: would it be possible to use the AC voltimeter in the inverter card output? I know there should be a high voltage there, but being also high frequency, would it be possible to use it there? Or measure CCFL conductivity using the ohmeter? or.....

Regards.

If it's not too much work, try the LCD lid from your friend's 600X. They are probably identical.
Or try your LCD lid on his 600X.

RealBlackStuff, your suggestion is the first thing I thought to do, BUT, as I feel I damaged the display cables of my 600E when opening or closing it (the keyboard, in particular the right hand one I feel), I am very scared of damaging my friend's one.... that is the reason for, even not being too much work (only less than a douzaine of screws) I would try to avoid to do such a test....

Hi, I'm resufling this thread because I finally tried what was the first intention and RealBlackStuff also suggested, to take the display of the 600X of my friend (as she tols me he will never use it again) and connect to my 600 with dead screen.

And... I forgot to look if Mr. Murphy was around.... and it was....

I simply took out keyboard of both (by the way I damaged the connector of the microphone/loudspeaker cable of one of them....) and also the display of both of them (simply unscrewing them and unplugging the two connectors) and put the 600X one in my 600, unluckly it didn't work.

So I took back the 600X to its original place, the 600X and.... MURPHY !!!! it doesn't work either now....

May I have damaged the disply with this simply swap? Might it be the problem in the any of the MB circuits to which the display connects? The disply open/close sensor seems to be OK.

Any idea of how to proceed now?

regards.

Hey Fje

Really sorry to hear of your continuing problems with the 600 and your friend's one now as well.

To remove the possibility that the different LCD cables on the two models have caused electronic damage, fortunately the 600E and 600X LCD cables have the same FRU 22L1891.

The first thing I'd do is to try both 600's with the LCD cables disconnected and connected to and external monitor. By disconnecting the internal cable, it should by default switch to external monitor (basing this on the fact that T2x, T30 and T4x do this).
Does either 600 now display on the external screen? If not it's difficult to say what the problem is with either laptop.

If it does, then I'd do as AlphaK mentioned, and resolder the LCD connector on the motherboard(s). This is not for the average person to do since it's very easy to make solder bridges between the pins so please don't do it unless you are good at soldering and have access to liquid flux to reduce the bridging problem.

To be honest other than that I don't have much else to suggest.

PM sent

Nick, thanks for your answer.

Situation is: both laptops work with an external monitor with the display connected, so the problem is not related to the graphics circuitery.

IMHO what could occur is as follows.

1.- When I first damaged my 600E display, I probably did something that damaged something in the "display side" of the things.
2.- When I later on tried to re-connect the 600E display to the 600E, most probably it damaged something the display is connected to. I don't feel it is the graphics card because the external monitor works OK, maybe it was the "SUB Card" (that, btw, I don't know what it is intended for).
3.- I changed all the display components and the SUB card too, but mightbe the problem of 1 and 2 made again to damage some components, SUB Card included.
4.- When I moved the 600X display to the 600E, if the SUB card was damaged, it probably damaged again something in the display, making it not to work and possibly to become so damaged that
5.- When I moved back the 600X display to the 600X again it doesn't work again.

So, just now I don't know what parts are working and which ones aren't. I have 3 SUB cards, 3 display cables, 3 inverter cards, 2 screens and 3 CFCL lights. Question could be: Is there any way to check which ones of them are working, and which aren't, avoiding to damage more pieces and, if possible, avoiding to send the full laptops that probably would not be worth the cost of sending both ways the two laptops?

Thanks so much and kind regards.

Mmmm, a whole lot of bits and no working 600........maybe best to put them all in a box and the box into a cupboard and just go to the beach for a few weeks

Maybe it would be a good idea, but both 600 (E and X) are working, only their screens aren't, so I would use them with external monitor for internet downloading and printer server, for instance and, if the case arise, will try in the future to find out what in .... .... is really broken and, if possible to have them fully working.

If any one has any idea or answer to my questions of steps that culd be done, I would be very gratefull for suggestions.

regards.

OK so if it's the screen only then you need to start off with a known good screen and use it to test each part of your screens to find the faulty bits.

As you say though, it would also be good to test the motherboard connectors so you'd need a known good motherboard to test the screens on.

It's a bit like which comes first, the chicken or the egg? Also where would Mr Murphy's Law fit in?