Flickering LCD - bad backlight?

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Kenn · #1 Post by **Kenn** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 12:46 am

This is happening on the 14". Apparently, touching the LCD (ie with a cloth to clean the screen) or picking up the laptop to move it around will sometimes cause the LCD backlight to flicker on and off very quickly 5-6 times. Sometimes it comes back on, sometimes it stays off until you jiggle the machine a little. The display remains ON, but the backlight is off (you can still see the display very faintly against the dark screen).

Jiggling the ribbon cable doesn't seem to do anything, so I don't think that's a problem with the connection at that point. Also, power settings are set to never turn off the monitor.

I figure it might be time for a display replacement, but just wanted to confirm in case someone here experienced the same thing.

Thanks!

sugo · #2 Post by **sugo** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 2:10 am

3VU here. Just tried cleaning the screen and moving it around. It doesn't seem to flicker at all.

Kenn, is that a problem from day one? Is connection to the inverter card solid?

Kenn · #3 Post by **Kenn** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 2:42 am

The behavior has just developed. I've been wiping the screen from day 1. It could very well be a loose inverter, but I wanted to take the temperature here to see if anyone has experienced the same thing or know what it is. I'll open up the screen bezel and make sure everything's tight before calling IBM (rings bells for that warranty ethics thread, but that's another story

) to make sure, but I really don't want to get a new screen for this system (neither of my thinkpads have dead pixels).

tommyj27 · #4 Post by **tommyj27** » Sun Mar 20, 2005 4:13 pm

bump.

was there ever any resolution to this problem? i've had my T42 2 days and the lcd just started flickering constantly, like a crt set to 60hz refresh. also, when i touch the screen (lightly) i notice an almost spiderweb-like effect shoot through the entire screen, it's very odd, i've never seen an lcd do that before. anyone got any clues or shall i just give ibm a call on it?

TIA

tommyj27 · #5 Post by **tommyj27** » Sun Mar 20, 2005 4:15 pm

if it's relevant, it is a 2378FVU, 14.1" SXGA w/ the Radeon 9600, no externa; display attached.

tommyj27 · #6 Post by **tommyj27** » Sun Mar 20, 2005 4:24 pm

and now it seems to have stopped, or at least lessened. it still seems to flicker a bit but it could just be me being picky. before it was really bad, like instant headache bad.

Kenn · #7 Post by **Kenn** » Sun Mar 20, 2005 8:03 pm

When this happened to my 14" 3VU, the backlight flickered on and off (you could just barely see the LCD image was still working even when the backlight was off), and eventually it gave up the ghost. Looks like it was a bad backlight. Had the 3-year onsite, IBM sent someone over 2 days later and replaced the screen (and gave me an extra LCD cover) within 30 minutes.

Unfortunately it sounds like you may be experiencing the same thing.

thinkpadhk · #8 Post by **thinkpadhk** » Sun Mar 20, 2005 8:33 pm

I seem to have a related problem.

My LCD is really sensitve to any slight bumps or movements. Even a slight tap of the laptop will cause the LCD to flicker a bit. If the table is a bit shaky, the vibrations from my typing will even cause minor flickers. Its as if a connection was loose or something.

Does anyone know what might be wrong with my LCD?

Marc_G · #9 Post by **Marc_G** » Sun Mar 20, 2005 9:44 pm

Probably a loose or damaged connector. I've seen both. If you are handy, you can follow directions in the hardware manual to reseat the connector at both ends. That may clear it up.

jparr · #10 Post by **jparr** » Sun Mar 20, 2005 11:08 pm

thinkpadhk wrote:I seem to have a related problem.

My LCD is really sensitve to any slight bumps or movements. Even a slight tap of the laptop will cause the LCD to flicker a bit. If the table is a bit shaky, the vibrations from my typing will even cause minor flickers. Its as if a connection was loose or something.

Does anyone know what might be wrong with my LCD?

That sounds exactly like my problem when it first started. Turned out to be a bad motherboard, still waiting for it to be fixed.

Flickering LCD - bad backlight?

Flickering LCD - bad backlight?

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