Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Main => Monitor/Video Forum => Topic started by: paigeoliver on December 04, 2004, 04:15:21 pm

Title: Laptop screen, super dim
Post by: paigeoliver on December 04, 2004, 04:15:21 pm

The screen on my thinkpad (A20M) went super super dim today. I can just barely see that it is indeed displaying an image. The brightness control seems to be having no effect in either direction.

Any suggestions? I have no problem opening the sucker up to try stuff.

Title: Re: Laptop screen, super dim
Post by: SirPeale on December 04, 2004, 04:45:40 pm

Florescent (sp) bulb likely blew.

Title: Re: Laptop screen, super dim
Post by: dabone on December 05, 2004, 01:54:58 am

Usually it's the inverter board that provides the voltage to the backlight that fails.


Do a ebay search for your model laptop and inverter board. Most of the times they
can be found pretty cheap. (And they are very easy to replace in 99% of the laptops)


Later,
dabone

Title: Re: Laptop screen, super dim
Post by: paigeoliver on December 05, 2004, 02:28:04 am

I am stupid and managed to break the whole dang thing (for some reason I thought I could plug the screen in on the thing while it was running, probably because you can do it with regular computers).

Well, needless to say, it won't even turn on now.

Title: Re: Laptop screen, super dim
Post by: StephenH on December 05, 2004, 03:32:25 am

Probably the Flourescent Lamp, or the inverter board went bad.  There are some companies that repair bad LCD Backlights.  Also, you may want to contact IBM and see who they recommed for repair.

Title: Re: Laptop screen, super dim
Post by: paigeoliver on December 05, 2004, 07:27:12 pm

Being that I think I shorted out the mobo I am thinking this is all just a moot point now.

Maybe I can snag a same model on ebay with all the parts missing, seems to be really common for some reason.