Blown Screens

[curtissh]

Background: About a year ago I bought a used X60t with the 1.83 core duo and the SXGA+ screen. I LOVE THAT MACHINE. I love it. To me, it's the pinnacle of laptops. I work in a large law-firm, and the firm has promised to make the X201t available to people (i.e., the firm will buy one of these instead of an T410) because of my feedback. Unfortunately, the X201t comes with the ridiculous 16:9 1280x800. Whoever thought of that for a tablet should be shot. I have no reason to upgrade . . . until:

Problem: My X60 became afflicted with the dreaded bottom 1/3 flicker. You can pinch the bezel and it goes away, but it comes back when you let up. I can use a binder clip to keep it from flickering, but it's a little awkward, and not exactly the large corporate law firm image.

Second Problem: So I buy another used X60 on ebay for $325 with an SXGA+ screen but the 1.66. So, I swap it out for the screen in my 1.83 (not a small challenge for a lawyer), and it works great . . . for about two weeks. THEN IT DEVELOPS THE SAME GOD FORSAKEN PROBLEM.

Question: So, here I am, asking you guys what you think I should do. I don't expect I'll get much money for these guys on ebay given the flickering screens. As near as I can tell, the 12" SXGA+ screens on ebay are super expensive (I bought three different ones, only to have all three cancel the order on me because they're out of stock). I'd also have to transfer the digitizer, which looks like a huge PITA. I could buy a new X200t for less. I love the 4:3 SXGA+. Am I just screwed? Am I going to have to go with an X201t? The firm won't upgrade me for a while, so it's going to cost me some out of pocket money. Is there away to fix these flippin' screens? It's clearly a mechanical problem (i.e., pressure in the right place fixes it).

Sorry for the long post. Very much interested in any feedback.

[Harryc]

If you just swapped out the screen the real problem may actually be the LCD cable. Where exactly do you 'pinch the bezel' to make the issue disappear?

[curtissh]

This isn't my machine, but it's exactly the same problem both of mine have. You'll see where to apply pressure (on the opposite side from the cable and inverter):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbB6cAUN ... re=related

[Harryc]

You have a defective LCD, so if it was a recent purchase see if you can return it.

[curtissh]

Yes. Two of them. Options for repair? Suggested alternative machine? Can I trust that other Lenovos aren't this sucky? I really loved this machine. The keyboard, size, resolution, battery life . . . everything ruled. But now I have two duds in a row, and I'm not exactly pleased about it.

Wait . . . you edited your post. Does this forum not reveal edits?

[Harryc]

Well, your options are to fix it or to get another tablet. I don't recommend tablets because I am not a tablet user. Someone else can do that for you.

[Mark@Lenovo]

curtissh,

I saw some of these symptoms when that system first came out - perhaps some of the earlier panels & cables might have been more likely to manifest the symptom. There were updates introduced and all service stock should be good.

These LCDs are in somewhat limited supply for the SXGA+ models.

Send me a PM with your contact details, the MT & Serial of these units (so I can check P/N and warrant status) and I'll see if I can offer some further advice.

Mark

[curtissh]

Thanks for any help. For what it's worth, this page is chock full of the flickering screen problem.

http://www.lenovoblogs.com/insidethebox ... ng-delays/

I guess I should have done by homework before buying two of these. I may be late to the party.

Here are the relevant comments excerpted (note that it sounds like there may be a couple problems):

—-

Then the big problem started with the screen. It sounds similar to problems I’ve seen other people report on various forums – the display rippling when applying even a slight amount of pressure (i.e. using the pen), and now the digitizer is only responsive half the time. It’s basically unusable in tablet mode right now.

—

Looking at gottabemobile.com, there are defnitely a fair few purchasers of the SXGA+ X60 tablet mentioning screen distortion/image loss after a few days of use.

Yesterday, one forum user reported that, disassembling the screen, he noticed a lack of support for the middle of the screen area (i.e. between the screen and the lid).

He handmade some rubber spacers and it solved the screen problems straight away.

This suggests that there could either be a design or assembly issue – understandable if these SXGA+ screens have been sourced in a hurry, I guess.

One thing that would be disappointing is if Lenovo know this to be the case, and are not being honest about the problem.

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Hi. Ok, most of them are “small” things, but considering the price of this machine (and the reputation of thinkpads in general) i think its pretty inacceptable.

1) The NavDial button is broken (browsing down is nearly impossible)
2) The SXGA+ screen has brown discolorations on the borders.
3) The ventitation and/or harddisk has problems, because after a short while of usage the whole machine vibrates like there was an earthquake (great when you work in tablet mode and hold the thing in your hands)
4) The pengarage is so poorly constructed that it takes somtimes ages to get the pen in – you have to try up to 10 times until it stays in there!
5) The chip inside the pen itself has detached somehow, so the inking feels now very “slippery”. It never hit anything nor fell down even an inch!
6) If the “resume system upon removing pen” function (wich would be really handy) works is absolutely random – mostly it doesn’t work.
7) If you put the pen on the screen it humms so loud, i can’t even use it in a library. (but I think they fixed that problem with a new bios)
BIGGEST PROBLEM: After 2 weeks of usage the screen started to flicker every time you touch it with the pen (or hand)m, rendering the whole notebook completly unusable.

maybe even some other little things i forgot to mention.

—

I’m from Canada, and I’m happy to report that these shipping issues haven’t appeared — I got mine within a couple of weeks of ordering it. I can’t comment on the accuracy of the ESD, though, as there is no online tracking system up here…. *sob*

Imagine my horror, then, when I encountered the screen seizure. I am writing this with a binder clip attached to the edge of my screen (with some protective cloth, naturally) — if you apply pressure on the right location, you can temporarily restore normal functionality to the screen. But, as you might imagine, clips are much harder to use in tablet mode….

Basically, I’m torn. I don’t really want to send it in, as it will probably sit there for a couple of weeks. (from what I’ve heard….) But more importantly, if this is such a widespread problem, and if they’re just going to replace my screen with an identical part, it’s probably going to break again. And then what will I do, when the warranty wears off? I went with this laptop in part because of the “legendary IBM quality” — my only other laptop experience was with a Toshiba — equally legendary quality, but legendary in a less positive manner. I’m just hoping that Lenovo can somehow deliver……

—

I too have the dreaded x60 “screen flicker” issue. Lenovo wants to send me a box to return it to them so they can repair it. Based on the comments here I am going to sit tight. I got my unit within 1.5 weeks from China and I doubt that I’d get my unit back in a timely manner. This is lame.

—

My main issue with the Lenovo is that the screen is pretty dull. I bought the system because I understood that it was a great system for seeing the screen outside (I live in sunny San Diego), it is anything but. In fact it cannot be seen outside, and seems to be half as bright as a standard good quality flat panel. Putting it next to my Viewsonic VP2130b is like looking at an old burnt out 12″ thinkpad. The screen has a patina effect, it seems to show all the pen marks and even a couple of scratch lines (even though it has only been touched by the pen which is part of it.)

I was expecting a bright excellent display, and my main machine for the next couple of years certainly isn’t something to write home about.

On Sunday, I turned on my 4 week old system and the Hard Drive was dead. Ouch, and very disappointing. Called support and after trying to reseat it, was told it was dead. IBM got out a new hard drive (received Tuesday) and found that the support tech ordered me the wrong drive. Additionally, it was a USED and repaired drive. My system is a 100Gig 7200rpm, i was shipped a used and repaired 100Gig 5400. Just straightened it out and was told that the ‘fine print’ says that they will repair the drive by substituting a repaired drive.

—

Thanks for your response, it has helped me make up my mind. Sadly, I’m going back to HP for my tablet hardware.

My experience with the indoor/outdoor display mirrors yours. I live in sunny Colorado, and the less than impressive outdoor experience combined with the tendency of the multi-touch screen to show wear and attract dirt has led me to the conclusion that the Thinkpad is no longer the gold standard in laptops.

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Hi All,
I have also encountered the screen flicker issue with the x60t. I encountered it a few weeks after using my tablet everyday both in normal laptop mode and tablet mode. I called lenovo and they were very helpful in getting it fixed. I wasn’t on hold for very long, they shipped me a box the next day. I shipped it back and it was fixed in about 2 weeks. I did have to call and check on it after a week, at which point they told me they were waiting on a part and would escalate the request.

I have the SXGA+ model (6366AJU) so I don’t know if it’s specific to this model. Overall, I am very happy with my purchase and this is a great machine.

That said, I recently noticed the flicker has returned. I am very upset about this. It is only when I grab the tablet by the top of the screen so I will be more gentle with moving the screen and see if it helps but like last time I’m sure it will just get worse and worse until I have to send it in.

Is lenovo doing something about this? I don’t want to have to send my tablet in every other month to get it fixed for the same issue…

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I’ve had the same screen problem as others, which is still recurring after the repair. In my case the repair was delayed an extra couple weeks by confusion about the screen resolution (they initially replaced the sxga+ screen by an xga screen, then spent another week of so confused about why that wasn’t OK). I’ve had it back for a few days now, and had the problem recur once. The machine also came back with a couple new problems (e.g., occasionally it reports a key stuck on, rendering the keyboard unusable; and the repair people stripped the head of one of the screws completely smooth for some reason).

I liked this machine a lot–the screen in particulary is wonderfully sharp–but after over a month without a usable laptop I’m ready to give up.

—

I also have experienced the screen flicker issue. The Lenovo customer rep I spoke with recommended that I take my x60t to a Lenovo certified repair shop. He recommended the repair shop because I informed that I am currently a medical student and have all of my school stuff on this laptop.

It took about a week for the laptop to be fixed. But, when I returned home and turned on the laptop, the repair shop had replaced my sxga+ screen with a xga screen. I was furious and immediately called the repair shop. They basically told me that this was out of their hands now because they replaced it with a part number that matched the description they had in their database.

I then had to call Lenovo in hopes they could straighten it out. The only solution I was given was that I had to spend another $2000.00 dollars to buy a new one and when I received the new one to send back the old one and I would eventually be credited the amount.

How am I suddenly held accountable for a faulty screen and and incompetent Lenovo service center??? Not giving me any other choice, I had to buy a new one. Now I am a struggling student out of $4000.00 and I have no laptop. Also, Lenovo now has had my laptop in their possession longer then I have had it.

I eventually received my new laptop and was credited the $2000.00 back.

I had the new laptop for about a week before the screen flicker started to happen again and I just had to deal with it until this year ended. I have now sent the laptop to Lenovo’s depot and am awaiting the repair. I babied my second tablet because of the fear of having the flickering screen returning.

It will probably take 2 weeks, and the laptop screen will probably break again. This is definitely grounds for a recall. I purchased this laptop because of the name IBM has created for itself. Although, after this horrific experience, I am going to inform all of my fellow classmates, future colleagues, and my father who owns a business that uses ibm as their main supplier for computers to never purchase another product from ibm or lenovo.

—

Any updates on the screen flicker issue. I got mine about two weeks ago and now it started to flicker. Not that funny.

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I also have the screen flicker problem. Originally I ordered my x60 tablet with 1400×1050 screen a couple of months ago. Within a week it had a power problem and wouldnt start up consistantly. I sent it nack and recievend a repaired unit after a couple of weeks. Only a few days later (after some light pen use) the screen started to flicker in the bottom third. Light pressure to the bottom of the left hand side of the screen proved to be a temporary fix but after a few more days it became unusable. I sent the tablet back again and it was then a further MONTH AND A HALF before I recieved it back. For the first month i was told by IBM support that they had no idea when they would get new screens in. After a month I escelated the support call to a complaint (which means it gets handed to Lenovo rather than the IBM support team) and after a week recieved a very old thinkpad (not a tablet) to use in the mean time in the post. I finally got my new unit back last week. I just sat down to do some work and the screen problem has occured again. I am pretty frustrated now. I think i will be asking for a refund but i dont think there are any other machines with the same spec. For anyone thinking about getting this machine… dont. If you have to then steer clear of the high res option. I only recieved mine back last week (end of may 2007) so this problem has NOT been resolved by lenovo.
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# James says:
July 25th, 2007 11:08 am

Just a small tip for those with screen flickering problems. It seems like this is unlikely to be permanantly fixed by lenovo unless they choose to use a different screen (do they make them themselves?). It seems like it is caused by a loose connection inside the screen itself. I have had this problem repeatedly and already sent my machine back once. In the end the only way to resolve the issuse was to remove the screen from the housing and insert a rubber spacer (made of of a rubber band and insulation tape) about two inces from the top of the screen and one inch from the left hand side. This has recified the flicker temporarly. This will probably void your warranty though. I just needed a working laptop urgently.
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# Andrew says:
October 9th, 2007 6:07 am

I too have the flickering screen problem, it hasn’t become consistent yet, but there is a spot on the lower left hand portion of hte screen that is sensitive to the touch, this is very bad for using it in tablet mode, and I don’t have the freedom to be without the tablet for the period required to repair it. Maybe this has to do with the fact that it’s closest to the fan duct? Anyways the right side seems unaffected, so for those of you who have problems with it try setting hte screen rotation to counter-clockwise (if you can, I don’t remember)

Anyways, what I wanted to ask is ifanyone can provide a link as to start a service request, while I can’t part iwth it yet, when I come up with a temporary solution I and many other people would like to know how to make use of the warranty, as the website is very difficult to navigate, what with the remnants of ibm’s warranty service combined with lenovo’s frontend.
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# Ron Cenfetelli says:
December 18th, 2007 12:02 am

I bought an X60 last summer and soon had the dreaded screen flicker on my SXGA screen. I sent in in for repair in September. It came back a month later with the screen working but the tablet digitizer disabled, a faulty battery and another issue that I can’t recall at the moment. Back for repair for another month. I received my repaired tablet in November. Only a few weeks later, the flicker has returned.

I rely heavily on my laptop. I’ve owned Thinpads since the 90′s. This is my last time purchasing one. My own time spent managing this issue, transferring applications and files, etc. would be worth at least one if not a few laptops. I’m incredibly frustrated by this entire experience. I pay a premium for Thinkpads expecting solid performance, engineering and reliability. I can accept one failure (fool me once), but to hit me again with the exact same issue, that’s a crime.

At least it will make a good case discussion in poor service and a failing brand for my MBA students.

Ron
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# Rob says:
March 2nd, 2008 1:36 pm

Flickering problem with my X60 tablet too.
But it only happens once in a while if my power supply is not in. Once I plug it back in, it’s perfect… i don’t need to move the screen or pinch the screen in any way… Lenovo replaced the screen once but it didn’t do any good.

Piece of crap.. not much use of a laptop if i’m going to need to carry a 200 feet extension cord.
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# TG says:
June 28th, 2008 10:06 am

Well…Screen Flicker (1/3 of screen…tapping on lower left makes it go away) here as well:

6366-AJU