I checked at Google.
How To Repair A Dim Laptop Display??
buono
Jan 11th 2006
edited
I have had this a couple of times in the last few months. A friend leaves a laptop with me and says "It's quite old, the display seems to have gone".
The display is actually visible but is extremely faint.
I am sure I saw a Make How-To recently on this subject but have spent 20 minutes looking for it so I am opening myself to your mercy!
Can anyone help?
aplumb
Jan 11th 2006
What's the make and model of laptop?
Have you opened it up yet? When you do, start taking pictures and posting them to something like Flickr for folks to peruse.
super_J_dynamite
Jan 11th 2006
edited
I didn't see that howto, but it's probably the CCFL tube or the inverter, since those are the two major components that make a laptop screen illuminate. If it's the CCFL tube you can probably just swap in another one of the same length. If it's the inverter, that's not as easily repaired, but you may not be totally borked. The original equipment inverter will probably be expensive, but you may be able to swap in an inverter designed to run the CCFL tubes that are popular with the case modders. I did this when I converted a laptop screen into cabinet lighting.
pftb
Jan 12th 2006
how about just poping it open and adding some board mount LEDs to the same spot where the backlight tube is?, just wire them to the battery with a small switch or something
buono
Jan 12th 2006
Thanks so far.
I have turned it on, you can see a faint apparition of what should be on screen, so it looks like a laptop in power saving mode or something.
It is a Dell Inspiron 8000, looks about 2/3 years old (the type that had optional colour coded panels).
I will post some shots to flickr as soon as I can.
Was I wrong about the How-To?
vonSlatt
Jan 12th 2006
I think the <a href="
http://www.hackaday.com/entry/1234000523065961/">howto you saw</a> was over on hackaday.com, but it's for monitors not laptops.
Chances are one of two things is wrong:
<ul>
<li>The inverter is bad</li>
<li>The cold-cathode flourescent tube is broken</li>
</ul>
If it's the former, you can get a replacement ('prolly < $100) and install it. If it's the later you have a tougher task. The CCF's are not replacable but I've done it. You'll have to search around for a source for a bulb that's close in size, I scavenged one from an older laptop. IIRC I trimed of some of the LCD panel shielding and attached the new bulb with duck tape. Oh, BTW - there's mercury in them thar bulbs, take appropriate precautions.
Here's a <a href="
http://home.comcast.net/~stonent/screenfix.htm">bulb replacement howto</a> courtesey of google. ;-)
Jake.
<a href="
http://www.vonslatt.com">My Crazy Projects</a>
super_J_dynamite
Jan 12th 2006
edited
Actually, I would think it's the other way around -- the CCFL is the easy part to replace, and the inverter is the hard part. A laptop inverter usually has all kind of other stuff integrated on the board and is proprietary to that model of laptop. The CCFL tube you can get from a case mod shop for a few bucks, and it's been my experience that after after some surgery the CCFL tube can just be plucked off the side of the LCD/diffuser/CCFL assembly. Pop in another one of the same length and you're good to go.
I also found <a href="
http://www.inventgeek.com/Projects/shorts/lcdfix.aspx">this howto</a> on repairing LCD backlights.
buono
Jan 13th 2006
Nice.
I found another page that went through replacing the tube. So, how do I tell if it is one or the other, or is it a matter of picking one and trying it?
Thanks for your help so far.
buono
Jan 13th 2006
Well, ordered an inverter for $25 so I'll see if that fixes it.
Many thanks for your help, everyone.
