garbled display t42

[irus]

the sxga+ screen on my 14.1 inch t42 looks garbled (bottom 1/4th of the screen). the external display is fine. sometimes this garbled portion also becomes ok but then reverts back to the same.

is this a video cable issue? what can be done to resolve this?

[ajkula66]

Check the cable for any kinks/bad connections, although my assumption would be that the LCD itself is on its way out.

Good luck.

[irus]

ajkula66 i assume that would involve disassembling the lcd panel? while im at it what else should i check? by saying lcd on its way out- which component could be failing? the panel and inverter look fine. is there some external point on which some pressure could be applied to check what component might be involved before actually opening it all up? thanks

[RealBlackStuff]

Ajkula66 told you exactly where to look.
Kinks can only happen in the LCD cable, especially the part that sticks out between the LCD and the bottom.
If you need to replace the cable, you'll need to disassemble the lid, as well as take the KB-bezel off.

[irus]

ok the keyboard bezel is off and i can see the video connector on the mobo while im typing this on the laptop. is it advisable to pul out the display capable and put it back in while its on ? i cant really see any kinks as of now. thankss

[Harryc]

Do not touch anything inside of the machine with the power plugged in or with the battery installed.

[irus]

ok great so where do i go from here. how do i earth this unit properly before moving forward?

[irus]

ok i just switched off the laptop unseated the video cable inspected it and there is no visible damage to it. ive reseated it and back online. what next? should i disassemble the lcd panel to check it? thanks

[irus]

so should i be ordering a display cable or buying a full lcd lid? will appreciate the ideas!

[scr71822]

This is when it is always nice to have an extra good LCD assemble lying around. You can quickly ascertain the problem then.

[irus]

sounds right. will a sxga+ lid coming off a t43 work seamlessly on a t42?

[ajkula66]

Yes, it will work just fine.

[irus]

ok ive been reading up on the issue and saw some similar desktop lcds being fixed by changing the bulging capacitors on the back of the lcd panel.

i suspect the capacitor supplying output to the lower part of the panel might be busted/bulging and this might be causing the problem mentioned in the OP but not sure.

here im sure about the health of the inverter and panel but not the circuit driving the panel or the display cable.

are there some similar capacitors on the lcd which can be replaced? ive not opened it yet so just curious about it, maybe someone who has opened it can post a pic or explain what the opened lcd panel looks like from the back and the circuit board or what is possible.

[Bruce Guttman]

There are no capacitors on the LCD itself. There are some chip capacitors on the Inverter (which you may want to look at). Inverters are relaively easy to replace.

The LCD has a flexible circuit that plugs in near the top. The flexible circuit board also has the LED "Thinklight". remember to put that back in position if you replace it.

I just pulled a T42 display apart and the yellow kapton covering has rubbed off in a few places exposing what may be a trace of some sort. I put kapton tape on top to cover the trace, but haven't had a chance to put the thing back together yet.

My display wasn't garbled like the OP; I had some really bad distortion in the image; I ssupect the video components on the System Board.

[irus]

hi bruce i got the chance to open this lcd lid and inspect from the inside just a while back and now it is put back together what you said is true there are no capacitors on the panel and my particular problem seems to be lcd panel related as the first reply to this topic stated. this will require the whole lid to be replaced it figures.

[irus]

update: after reassembling the lid the display has been working fine.