Laptop LCD DIED!

[lennytiger]

Hi guys

I have two old IPC Starnote laptops (cheap english brand)

its a PIII with a 15" LCD both laptops my dad's and mine have dead LCDs...

If you shine a strong flashlight on to the screen you can see an image but it is too dark... these lappys are out of warranty and of the country from where they were purchased...

What could be the problem... I opened them up coz i'm fairly competent with electronics although totally unfamiliar with LCD technology...

It has a sharp controller and I can post pics i anyone needs

Help would be totally appreciated!

Thanks
Leonard :confused:

[seadave77]

Is it possible the backlight went out? I doubt it would be anything with the screen itself else you wouldn't see anything.

[moz_21]

Sounds like the backlight burned out. Should be a fairly easy fix, if you can find a bulb or whatever.

:edit:
seadave beat me to it

[Daewood]

my compaq does that sometimes and i just tap the case in a few places and it flickers on cause what it is is either a burnt out bulb or there is a short in the power to the backlight cause that is what mine is

[lennytiger]

anyone know where i can get bulbs from??? and any specific type???

[seadave77]

I googled this.

http://www.backlight4you.com/en/products/lamps/compatible/comp_nb.htm

Never heard of them though so use caution.

[Lancelot]

What also happens rarely is that the microswitch or read-relay that turns off the backlight when you close the lid is broken! So check that as well...

[lennytiger]

Lancelot do you know anything more about that???

It sounds like it could be a possible fault....
Thanks a bunch

[four4875]

yeah, its most definately backlight probles. if you wanna risk touchin a painful voltage at like 70V or more i tihnk, you could try seeing if theres power at the output of the inverter to the backlight itself with a multimeter. if there is its the bulb itself, if there isnt its the inverter. i know the bulb in a mac powerbook was a VERY think flourescent like, was really really fragile. i broke it trying to pull it out to play with it. it could be quite difficult to replace it without dmaging the lcd itself or the bulb. i remember there being like 5 layers of thin plastic then an acrylic like one to distribute the light over the entire screen, all had to be removed

[Big Smoke]

Those backlights are CCFL bulbs, aren't they?

[skou]

I have disassembled a LCD, and those are CCFLs. On my type of LCD, it wouldn't be all that difficult to change out, but it is going to be "fun."

The tubes are not much thicker than a pencil lead.

steve

[BUBBLE]

according to yur description it can be iether a problem in the fl tube itself or the fl inverter. So you'll have to check the both of them. To replace the buld try to find out a same length buld from another crached lcd where the bulb is good.
If that didn't workit out most probably it should be the fl inverter. The IPC brand is not very fammilar one to me but you can try any lcd bulb as far to my knowledge.

[Turbogeek314159]

The Solution is to Replace the Inverter. I've done a few of them in the past...

Please don't advertise your website here. -- David

[Turbogeek314159]

Open the Bezel (frame) of your monitor, On the bottom "boarder" of this enclosure is typically were you'll find the inverter (replace this) Should take roughly 5 min. tops (Entire repair)... Additonally, upon inspection of the inverter, you should notice an area burnt, or discolord (brown area..)

[diggingforgold]

Check the inverter before you go replacing the actual CCFL. The inverter should be the little circuit board somewhere very close to the LCD (usually below it). It should have wires leading into it from the motherboard and wires leading out of it to the CCFL. It's a high voltage component that is usually the first major thing to go on a laptop. It's easy to replace and isn't that difficult to find a cheap one on fleabay.