Problems with my display...

[elladi]

I have a t30 (2366) which accidentaly got get dropped ....it fell lightly on to carpeting...but after that the display went black...every so often it will go back on or if I adjust the angle of the screen, or if I tap it gently it wil go on...right now I have an external moniter attached which is fine....It seems that something is just loose...but although Ihave experience opening up pc's I have never tried a laptop....does anyone have any idea what could be loose and could direct me how to get to it....any help would be appreciated...

Adina

[rkawakami]

It's possible that a cable has come loose. It's also possible that it's more involved than that. You can download a copy of the Hardware Maintenance Manual (HMM) for the T30 directly from IBM's site at:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-42308

It's in Adobe Acrobat format so you will need to have Reader installed on your system. It contains fairly detailed procedures on how to take apart the laptop along with part numbers should you need to find replacements. Since a fall triggered the lack of video, hopefully it will only be something simple like a loose connector. Depending upon the exact nature of your problem, it could be the signal cable to the LCD (page 95), the inverter card (page 115) or the backlight (page 149)

Is there an image on the LCD panel that is viewable when a flashlight is directed at it? If so, that means the signal cable is probably okay and that the problem is no backlight (inverter or backlight not working). The inverter is easy and cheap to replace. The backlight is another story. That usually requires you replace the entire LCD panel. How do you tell the difference? You can't unless you have a high-voltage meter. By the way, look on page 13 of the HMM for the shock warning about the inverter. If you have a 'halo' around the edges of the screen in a dark room, then the inverter and backlight are fine and the problem might be that the connector on page 95 is loose (or the other end inside the lid).

edit: Another thing that it might be (but probably not based upon your description of angling the display)... The lid closure switch will also control the backlight. If you are running Windows and have the Power Option set to not doing anything when the lid of the computer is closed, pushing the switch down WILL still turn off the backlight. If, however, your lid closure setting under Power Option has been set to 'standby' or 'hibernate', and your system doesn't do those things when the video flickers on and off, then the switch is not your problem.

[elladi]

I dont think it is the backlight or inverter since I do see the halo on the screen...I am hoping it is the signal cable to the lcd...I will try it tonight thanks for the help and I will let you know what happens...

Adina