In this guide I will disassemble a laptop LCD screen in order to remove and replace the backlight lamp (CCFL).
Replacing the backlight lamp is not an easy task even for experienced technicians. If you do something wrong you will permanently damage the LCD screen and have to buy a new one. Proceed on your own risk and do not blame me. 
Some recommendations before you start:
1. Work in a clean room. You don’t want dust and lint inside your LCD screen.
2. Make notes, so you know how to assemble your screen back.
3. Take pictures.
4. Before you remove something, take a closer look at the part and memorize how it is assembled.
5. When you are assembling the screen, remove dust and lint with compressed air. Do not use cloth.
The backlight lamp (CCFL) is located inside the LCD screen, so we are going to take it apart. In this article I’m not going to explain how to remove LCD from a laptop, it’s been covered before.
Here some examples:
Removing LCD screen from a Dell laptop.
Taking apart IBM ThinkPad display panel.
Removing screen from Toshiba laptops.
Remove sticky tape and foil from the back of the screen and glue it somewhere so you can reuse it later, when you assemble the screen.
Removing tape from the backlight cables.
On my screen the green circuit board was glued to the plastic frame with a double sided tape. Carefully unglue the circuit board. Be very careful, do not flex or bend the circuit board.
The circuit board has been unglued.
Place the LCD screen on the side and start removing the metal frame witch secures the LCD to the plastic frame. There will be many latches on all sides of the frame, you can unlock them with a small screwdriver.
Continue separating the metal frame from the plastic base.
On the following picture you can see that frame, LCD with the circuit board and screen base have been separated. Be careful, do not touch internal components with your fingers. Handle all internal components by the sides.
Place the metal frame and LCD with the circuit board aside. You’ll need them only when you assemble everything back together.
There will be a few transparent layers inside. Carefully remove them from the screen base. Do not separate the layers, just put them aside together.
Keep everything organized, so you have no trouble assembling the screen.
Start removing the metal cover from the backlight lamp (CCFL).
The backlight cover has been removed.
The backlight lamp (CCFL) cables are routed through small plastic hooks.
Unroute the backlight lamp cables.
Now probably the hardest part in this disassembly process – removing the backlight lamp and reflector. The backlight lamp is secured inside the reflector so you have to remove both and then separate them.
Before you remove the backlight lamp and reflector take a closer look how it’s assembled and mounted to the screen base. Fitting the backlight and reflector back in place could be a very challenging task.
The reflector is glued to the screen base with a double sided tape.
After the reflector has been unattached from the screen base, you can start removing the backlight lamp. As you see on the picture, I marked the left side of the reflector with a red dot so I know where the red cable goes when I assemble everything back together.
The backlight lamp (CCFL) has been removed from the reflector.
In order to access the backlight lamp leads you’ll have to remove the rubber caps from both side of the lamp. I’m not sure if you can touch the backlight lamp with your fingers, so I would use rubber gloves.
Cabled on both sides of the backlight lamp are soldered to the backlight leads. In order to access the leads you’ll have to remove the black insulator on both side of the lamp.
Unsolder both cables from the old backlight lamp and solder them to a new one.
You can test the new backlight lamp (CCFL) before you install it back into the screen. Connect the backlight lamp into the inverter board and turn on the laptop. The backlight lamp should light up.
From my experience, on some laptops the backlight lamp will not light up until the video cable is connected to the LCD screen. In this case you’ll have to assemble the LCD screen and then test it.
You can search for a new CCFL backlight lamp here.
If you find this article useful, please consider making a donation to the author. Thank you!
December 14th, 2007 at 9:47 pm
Where id you get the lamp and how much?????
December 15th, 2007 at 12:27 am
Tony Virnoche,
I didn’t replace the CCFL while I was creating the LCD disassembly guide, I just took it apart as an example to show how you can access the backlight lamp.
If you are looking for a new backlight lamp I guess you can buy it through this site. They have a good selection of backlight lamps from $9.99 to $14.99
December 21st, 2007 at 11:23 am
Hi,
How can I test inverters in a lab?
I have one notebook with a dark display. How can I know what is bad: the inverter or the backlight?..of course before buying a brand new one.
Can I have a spare backlight just for testing inverters? Are all the inverters compatible with this spare backlight?…What about the connector and the output voltage?
December 21st, 2007 at 1:31 pm
Yes, you can. That’s exactly how I test the backlight problem. I have two test backlights with two different inverter connectors, I removed these backlight lamps from broken screens.
When I have to troubleshoot a laptop with backlight problem, I disconnect the screen from the inverter board and connect my known good backlight lamp instead. If my lamp lights up, most likely there is a problems with the customer’s LCD (backlight). If my test backlight lamp doesn’t work, most likely this problem is related to the inverter board (or video cable, motherboard).
This is the only reliable test I know.
I’ve been using my test backlight lamps for a long time with many different laptops and never had a problem. For example, may backlights are for 15″ LCD screens but I also use them for troubleshooting 17″ and 14″ laptops. So, from my experience, any backlight lamp should work fine you just have to have the same connector type for the inverter board.
I don’t know, I never cared about it.
January 12th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Before my screen went black, i had a big black “stain” on the bottom right corner, like something was burning. The screen was also flickering… and then it turned black….
I ordered a new inverter and tried it right away, but my screen is still black! I noticed that if i look at my screen from an angle with an external light, i can see the icons and everything which probably means that the screen isn’t dead.
Do you think that my problem is the backlight lamp?
thanks!
January 12th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
blackjak,
If you installed a known good inverter board and it didn’t fix the problem then most likely you have a problem with the backlight lamp (CCFL).
Your screen was flickering before it went out and usually when it happens it’s either bad inverter or failing backlight lamp.
Unfortunately, the only way diagnose the problem is testing the laptop with another working backlight lamp or LCD screen and see if it lights up.
Just in case you can try reconnecting the video cable on the motherboard, it’s possible that the connection got loose and the inverter board is not getting power from the motherboard.
Also, check the lid close switch (if you have any). Make sure it moves freely. When the lid close switch gets stuck inside the case, usually it happens when it’s dirty, it cuts off power from the inverter board. The laptop “thinks” that the display is closed because the lid close switch is pressed down, as a result the backlight is off.
January 20th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
anyone know what the problem is with an lcd that has light but lines int? i dont thint the backlight is faulty as it is bright screen, just lines and odd patterens
the monitor out works ok so i assume the video chip is aok
cheers
nate
January 20th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Nathan,
Do you see lines on the entire screen or just on a part of the screen? Can you see any image on the LCD screen at all?
It’s possible that connection between the video cable and LCD screen or motherboard is loose. Reseating connections on both ends of the video cable might help.
Check out this post: Laptop has bad video on the LCD screen. What is wrong?
January 20th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
i cannot see any image, the lines are severe
i posted a pic at
http://www.healthmarketingstra.....v8000.html
the lines are rather severe, and it sometimes brighens up to a white screen
January 31st, 2008 at 12:14 pm
hi guys……i have a mx35s329 purchased in december 2004. luckily it hasn’t given any major problems unitl now.
recently i have observed some screen flicker. the screen sometimes blacks out…….but if i press firmly just beside the “control” key on the left side of the laptop the display comes back on. tapping the computer gently on the right palm rest also brings the display back on. i am thinking its some kind of loose connection, but do not know which wire.
there is a problem with the key board too. some of the keys don’t work. i recently replaced the key board, but broke the clip while inserting the ribbon of the new keyboard. do you guys know if the key board clip can be replaced.
past service history includes a FL inverter replacement and ac adapter replacement.
i have had no problems with respect to heating shut downs, charging the battery, dc connector pin and system crashes.
hope you guys can help out.
January 31st, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Nathan,
sounds like a problem wiht the LCD screen.
You’ll find more tips for troubleshooting bad images on LCD in this post:
Laptop has bad video on the LCD screen. What is wrong?
By the way, did you test the laptop with an external monitor? Video on the external monitor is fine?
January 31st, 2008 at 9:44 pm
gautham,
It’s possible that connection between the video cable and the motherboard is loose. You can try reconnecting the video cable.
Take a look at the step 7 in this disassembly guide for a Satellite M35X laptop. You’ll see the video cable just above the keyboard, on the right side. Unplug the video cable from the motherboard and then carefully plug back in. Be careful with the connector on the motherboard, there are a lot of pins inside.
February 9th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Forgive me if you mentioned this elsewhere or another reader already asked but when testing the backlight as you do on this post and troubleshooting-laptop-with-backlight-failure must you use the backlight specific to the model you are working on or can you use any backlight? We have plenty of working, spare backlights available at the shop where I work but not necessarily all of the models we use regularly.
Thanks
February 13th, 2008 at 5:29 am
Seramar,
I think for test purposes you can use any working backlight lamp.
I have only two working backlights with different connectors for the inverter board and I use these backlights all the time. I’ve been using my lamps with many different laptops (with different LCD sizes) and never had any problem.
February 24th, 2008 at 6:40 am
Very helpful website. A good resource for end users and no doubt some professionals as well.
February 29th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
thank you! the warranty on my son’s computer ran out in nov.
using your directions he replaced the backlight lamp.
March 12th, 2008 at 12:43 am
Excllent Guide to Replace the FLOROSENT LAMP.
Thanx a lot……..
March 12th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Can you tell me, where to look for the CCFL backlight. Apparently no one in Bangalore, kolkata, India stores these backlights.
March 18th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
i recently replace my backlight, but in the process i dirty up the optical layer that spread the backlight, can i clean it, if i can how.. and if i can’t where can i get a new optical layer.
March 19th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Very comprehensive guide… I’m thinking about changing my ccfl too, although it hasn’t conked out yet, but it has become rather dim over time.
Thx to this guide I might give it a try.
March 20th, 2008 at 3:49 am
Since Toshiba claimed they can just change whole LCD instead of backlight bulb and asking US$ 702, you see right US$ 702 for LCD panel…SO i have nothing to loose other than try above replacement which gave me courage to do so..Thank you very much for nice detailed work and demo done above…with my best regards
March 21st, 2008 at 11:05 pm
[...] How to replace laptop backlight lamp (CCFL) [...]
March 24th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
thank you for the instruciton how to replace the backlight of my laptop, it help me a lot, i appreciate that.
March 26th, 2008 at 5:13 am
do you know at what voltage the backlight lamp works?
March 27th, 2008 at 5:56 am
Hello there,
I have a problem with my laptop, the back light seems likes is not getting electricity from the inverter.
I bought a new CCFL lamp and connected to the Inverter output. When I turn on my computer the lamp turno on for like half a second and then it turn off, and it did that like 3 times, and after that it never turn on again.
So my question will be, is the back light turn on all the time when you connect a new one?
And with the monitor connected, is the lamp turn on always?
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:18 am
That helped me to replace backlight for my old laptop. Thanks a lot.
April 10th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
I’ve already removed the ccfl but cannot find where to buy a new one. I have a Toshiba satelite bought in 2005.
April 13th, 2008 at 8:21 am
How can I find out the part number for a lamp for Fulitsu Lifebook C2210? This is a 15 inch screen and has a Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp. The part number for the screen is LTM15C460F (or CP121857-02)……Thanks
April 13th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Hello. Looks like you’d be the one to ask about this.
I’ve only looked at your bit on how to replace a ccfl
and to reach it to do so. My problem however is that
everything seems to be working great I just can’t see
anything on the screen that is working because obviously
the bulbs out. I took everything apart and ordered a new
lamp on EBAY but after soldering and testing it as you show,
the damn thing isn’t doing anything. The laptop is a Gateway
4542GP. And it is my parents. I used it for a week and it’s
my ass if I don’t fix this sucker! How can I test the bulb W/O
the inverter? I don’t have a voltmeter well it’s not working
itself so I’m kinda screwed as far as testing that right? The
voltage required for the bulb is A/C right? Please Help!!!!!!!
April 15th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Anthony,
Search on Google for companies selling CCFL lamps for laptops, here’s one: lcdparts.net
After that contact them and explain what you are looking for. Most likely they will help you to find CCFL for your screen.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Steve Yaroscak IV,
Can you see a very dim image on the screen? Any image at all? Did you try replacing inverter before replacing backlight lamp?
When the backlight stops working I usually follow these steps:
1. Check the lid close switch to make sure it’s not stuck inside the laptop case cutting off power from the inverter board.
2. Reseat cables on both ends of the inverter board.
3. Replace inverter board.
4. Finally replace the LCD screen. I do not replace CCFL lamps for my customers, I do it only on my own laptops. It’s very time consuming repair.
April 26th, 2008 at 1:05 am
I have a LCD which is built and looks exactly like the one above. (do they all look the same?????)
My problem is that I have a horizontal line running across the screen.
I dismantled the LDC, but it seems that the LCD has leaked (?) at the edge where these lines appear. Can this be correct ? I can send you some pictures if I have your mail id.
Any help appreciated.
Thanks.
April 26th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Dexter,
I don’t think that you cannot fix it. If the LCD screen has been damaged you’ll have to replace the whole screen.
May 2nd, 2008 at 9:59 am
I should be very grateful if you could inform me as to whether cold cathode fluorescent lights (CCFLs) used as LCD backlights use a radioactive material which emits beta particles to start the ionization of the gas unlike the hot fluorescent lamps where the cathode is explicitly heated in order to excite the electrons causing their emission.
This question is prompted by the Wikipedia article on CCFLs which stated that CCFLs may contain a source of beta radiation in order to start the ionization process.
As our computer monitor is placed on the only table in the house, use of the table for other purposes means that I have to face the back of the monitor where the backlight can be seen through the grill.
Looking forward to your response,
Yours faithfully,
Julia Howard
May 5th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
i have a similiar problem with my screen where i need to use a flashlight to see the screen . i havent gotten as far as replacing the inverter or the bulb. My question is that whenever i open the lid i hear a little buzzing sound from the base of the screen . could that be a bad connection could it be the bulb trying to turn on ?or have i just never noticed this sound before? its very low.
May 7th, 2008 at 9:12 am
I have the same problem as blackjack (posted on 2008 jan 12) on a Dell D510m. Besides the flickering and dim lcd problems, I also noticed that the bottom left corner of my screen started BURNING/MELTING and caused some pixels to turn black, while the baclight was working at maximum brightness. When the backlight went completely off, I replaced the inverter and the problem remained. But having disassembled the bezel, I could finally notice SPARKS coming from inside the ccfl casing.
Before going further in my repair process, does anyone know if a faulty CCFL can cause overheating, or is it just a bad connector, and can it cause the inverter to die ?
Thanks for the guide.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
update.
My problem was due to a soldering defect from the manufacturer. I suppose that the high voltage combined with a tight environment started to weaken the rubber pin around the cathode. Once the rubber pin altered, the problem intensified so that it caused some plastic parts to melt, especially one of the corners of the thick reflector layer, and weakened the CCFL glass/electrode (heat effect probably). Hopefully, the LCD matrix wasn’t affected.
This is a fire hazard Dell and all CCFL based manufacturers should reconsider seriously !
May 9th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
I just replaced a CCFL for my laptop, an Acer Travelmate. I bought a new LCD because mine was dropped by my younger brother and cracked in several places. I got a good deal, but as it turns out, good deals come with a price. The LCD had a burnt out backlight.
I skipped almost all of these steps because I live in a house with pets and children. Not wanting to contaminate the inside slices I took out the backlight from my old LCD, just tore the whole damn thing apart. It was a 2″ wide assembly that ran across the bottom of the LCD.
I then proceeded to bend the metal of the new one (very risky, I know, but if I didn’t take it out this way it would’ve never worked again, something would have broke).
I used 2 eye glass screwdrivers to get the bottom layer set into the unit so that it could provide proper light to the whole thing.
Bent the metal back into place, plugged everything in, works like a charm. It is a tad too bright in the left/right corners but I’m not worried about it as it works and that’s what matters more then anything.
I also wouldn’t recommend ANYONE DO IT THIS WAY. DO IT THE RIGHT WAY UNLESS YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE NO CHOICE.
May 12th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
what is the normal cost to repair the back light if I took it in for repair
May 16th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
What is the VOLTAGE GOING to the Pink and White Cables AFTER the Inverter? If I had a power supply to test the bulb directly what would i use?
May 18th, 2008 at 11:20 am
George,
Check out these instructions for testing laptop inverters.
May 19th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
I have tried replacng the LCD still got the dark screen and went ahead replaced inverter itself and the inverter with the cables, still have the dark screen..What is the las step? I have replaced the LCD but did not work..Do you think it is the main signal cable????
June 6th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Ahmet,
You said that you replace the inverter with the cables. Did you mean the video cable?
First of all, I assume that all new parts you installed are in a good working condition. If you replaced the LCD screen, inverter and video cable but still experience the same problem (very dark image on the screen), apparently that’s related to the motherboard. I don’t know what else can cause this problem. I’ve seen that before but it’s not very common. In most cases replacing the inverter board and LCD screen after that fixes the issue.
By the way, check the lid close switch – a small button located close to one of the hinges. Make sure the close switch moves freely and is not stuck inside the laptop case. When you press on the lid close switch it cuts off power from the inverter board (and backlight lamp). A dirty switch may stuck inside the laptop case and because of that the laptop “thinks” that the switch is pressed down. In this case there is no power coming to the inverter/backlight lamp and the screen remains very dark even after the laptop is turned on.
June 16th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
I have replaced the inverter with its own cables not the video cable. I meant the inverter board and the cables that go into the inverter.
When I replaced the LCD, unfortunately I purchased the wrong model but it did still work. the cables weren’t the same as in the new lcd but the screen did show that black screen again.
I haven’t tried to change the video cable itself. Now it is the turn to replace the CCFL tube but it looks complicated. And after you said it may be the motherboard, I even thought that it is not worth the time I put into repairing it. I should have just sold the damn thing and got a new cheap laptop. well, well…we’ll see if I can do this tube replacement..
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:58 pm
I just replaced the inverter and still have the dark screen, very faint image. Before I tackle the backlight replacement I have a quick question, I bought the laptop as a gift and immediately had to wipe Vista and installed Windows XP, could I be having a driver related problem? The screen went dark just a couple of months after I changed the OS.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:29 pm
M Neher,
No, this is not a driver related problem. This problem could be related to the backlight lamp, video cable or motherboard.
Check out this post: Troubleshooting laptop with backlight failure
You may find some useful information in there.
By the way, you can find a new backlight here for around $15. You can find one with wires already attached to it, so you can plug it into the inverter and test before you open up the LCD screen.
July 1st, 2008 at 1:23 am
I am interested in replacing my 15.4″ WXGA with any of the following: WSXGA, WXGA+ or WUXGA
my question is, are lcd connections to the inverter and the motherboard standardized? are the lcd panels themselves standardized as well, i.e. are all 15.4″ laptop panels created with equal dimensions?
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Hi, I just got a free laptop that isn;t working, it boots and runs fine with external monitor, but the laptop monitor remains dark and there is a LOT of heat where the LCD cable plugs into the motherboard. The screen flickers once when initially powered on and thats it. Bought a new LCD cable, and it does the same thing. Does this sound like a backlight, LCD inverter, or a motherboard problem?
Thanks for your help and the great article!
July 10th, 2008 at 1:40 am
I have replaced both an inverter and the screen with a working backlight, still see a dim screen. Spent hours stripping the laptop and checking for any lose cables to no avail. Anyone any ideas?
PACKARD BELL E6310? My only guess could be the inverter which i bought of ebay is faulty or the videocable is faulty or even the motherboard….please help anyone
August 7th, 2008 at 9:10 am
hi, i dropped my asus f3sc and it broke at the hinge. i was too stubborn and continued to use it till one day, the grease dried up cos it had been exposed to the open air for far too long, then when i was opening my notebook, a couple of the wires connecting the LCD to the base came out and i lost my screen… just the backlight because the webcam still works. i can still see images when i turn it on but i have to tilt it towards light… cant do any bios operations anymore, etc. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP ME>>> I NEED HEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLPPPPPPP. how do i fix it???????
August 15th, 2008 at 8:33 am
I have a Toshiba 5205-S503 with a LCD backlight bulb that out. I attempted to replace the BLB but I basically destroyed those little rubber connectors that cover the solder connections. I attempted to cover the solder connections with one wrap of black electrical tape and reinstalled. The monitor worked beautifullly for about 20 seconds, then there was a high pitched sound and the monitor went out again. I figure maybe it the connecting wires got shorted. I have an extra back light bulb. Any suggestions for how to reinstall without those tiny little rubber booties? Thanks!
August 17th, 2008 at 7:38 am
If you are talking about the black rubber booties, that is simply heat shrink tubing which you can buy at an electronics store, or a home improvent store.
August 31st, 2008 at 8:06 am
Jim,
That heat shrink tubing did the trick! Thanks so much for your tip. It enabled me to repair my LCD screen with a new $8.00 back light bulb instead of hundreds of dollars for a new LCD screen.
September 29th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Thanks for the write ups. My Gateway 7405 GX screen went black. I followed your instructions and got it working again. I was not able to test different parts without buying them but it was a small investment. I started with the inverter, 15.00 off ebay, didn’t fix it. Next I bought a inverter harness, only because it was cheap (4.00 shipped) and I was hopeful, didn’t fix it. So I figured it had to be the ccfl bulb. I didn’t want to tear into it until I had one so I ordered one again from ebay (20.00). I tore into it and when I finally got the bulb out I found one of the wires broken at the solder joint. I fixed it, tested it and it worked. 40.00 is a cheap investment considering what a repair company would have charged me plus the wait and I was still able to use my laptop by just plugging in another monitor. Changing the bulb is not for the faint of heart or unskilled. I consider myself pretty good and it was tedious!
Thanks Again!
October 9th, 2008 at 10:19 am
i got all the part how to replace the backlight. However i forgot the type of tape that use for my Dell Inspiron laptop. Is it a copper tape or a normal tape ?
November 10th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Hello I am Brazilian know little English but always seek the information which emerged in informatics and with that you solved my problem. thank you so
November 12th, 2008 at 4:14 am
I have an IBM ThinkPag T40. The backlight went off about 3 seconds after boot. Using a flashlight I could see the dark screen content. I logged in. Using a Linux command I turned the LCD screen off (like screen off on idle). Then moving the mouse the screen became alive again, just for a few seconds before the screen went dark again. I can repeatedly “activate” the backlight for a few seconds by turning it off and then on again. But it always stays on only for a few seconds. If I reduce my screen backlight intensity (reduce brightness of screen), then the screen stays on longer.
I wanted to determine if it is the inverter or the CCFL backlight that is bad. I open my ThinkPad and a second laptop I have at home. Then I connected the ThinkPad inverter to the CCFL cable of my other laptop. The CCFL backlight stayed on on my other laptop indefinitely, i.e. for ever. I thereby determined that the broken part is the CCFL lamp, and that the inverter is good.
I hope this comment helps someone else with the same problem who wants to determine if the inverter or the CCFL backlight bulp is bad.
November 12th, 2008 at 6:16 am
I have replaced the inverter on my Tecra A1. Twice. The screen is still dark. Where is the switch located? Sorry for the dumb question. Your website has been very helpful in the repair of this laptop. Thanks.
November 16th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Hi. Very good explanation on how to replace de CCFL backlight.
BUT … I broke the panel.
WARNING !!!. This is a very difficult procedure. When you reassemble the panel, the pieces will not fit easily.
My suggestion: practice with a broken panel first.
If you are not very skilled (you need excellent eyesight too) consider buying a refurbished panel.
November 18th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Hello,
great instructions, but was this for Dell E1705 or 9400? the screen wiring/areas looks the same. I have a E1705 with backlights going bad, I read on line saying for this type of screen it contains two CCFLs, so I bought two of them, but has not yet taken it apart to replace them as I have not seen anywhere how to replace both bulbs. Any help is appreciated.
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:35 pm
i wondered if the ONLY way to take the wires out of the old backlight, and put it in the new backlight, is to solder the black insulator? Thanks for the help.
December 5th, 2008 at 3:00 am
I really enjoyed your repair tips on laptop and I have a question for you. I have this lab top, kind of old one but very good one. it is dell insipiron. it takes a long time to work when I hock it to the power adaptor. it is not the adaptor, it is the main power board inside. I pust the power button and it starts then seconds later, it shouts down again. some time it works after a number of shutting down but very often that it does not work. any ideas. thanks
December 7th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Waleed,
Do you have to move or adjust the power adapter inside the power connector in order to make it work? I’m thinking maybe you have a problem with the power jack and it has to be resoldered?
December 9th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
This is a very detailed SWI on screen repair. I really appreciate you taking the time to document this….Many thanks.
December 15th, 2008 at 11:38 am
Hello, I was wondering if you could help me with information on where to buy a backlight for a Toshiba Portege M200.
Site or store will help greatly!
please email me back.
-backpacks.
December 26th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Thanks for all of the tips.
I managed to replace the tube in my 12 LCD TV which failed.
I scrounged a tube from a ten year old laptop which has seen its day. Tube was about a cm too long but works well enough with the end poking out from the wire slots.
I managed the job without the screen separations. Just removed the narrow metal shield behind the tube and got the replacement in with a little effort.
December 27th, 2008 at 2:53 am
Just wanted to say that this website is awesome. wish i found it years (and several laptops) ago.
December 27th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Thanks for helpfull tips. My son’s t43 had the black (very dim) screen. I diagnosed (guessed) it was the back light. I ordered one from lcdparts.com and when I went to checkout I found I had a free $20 credit from Paypal for some promotion or something. With S&H the parts cost was $19.97. Got the parts for FREE! + 3 cents profit. Thank you Paypal.
Seriously, this was a pretty complicated hardware job. The hardest part was getting all the tape off. Also 30 or 40 very tiny screws and a very confusing mess of arranging all the various layers, brackets and plugs in there. And of course the extremely fragile looking bulb about the size (and strength) of stick of dry spahgetti. Plus I am not very good at soldering.
Anyway I got it done. And it actually worked. Hey your screen is useless as it is so what do you have to lose? $20?
Tool notes; In addition to a soldering iron usefull tools are a jewelers screwdriver set, tweezers, guitar pick (for prying without marking) and a magnifying glass.
Job note; I didn’t worry about fingerprints or dust or touching stuff. On the reassembly I left off all of the tape and several of the screws. Just because they are ‘engineers’ does not mean they know what they are doing. After all, that soldered in (not pluged in) bulb is not considered a FRU (field replaceable unit) by the geniuses who designed it.
I guess we know better!
Good luck!
December 27th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Oh one other thing. On the t43 you can leave the screen lid attached to the keyboard base. You just remove the screws holding down the bezel and then pry the bezel off. Then you can remove the lcd assembly and start disecting it till you get to the bulb.
December 28th, 2008 at 6:59 am
I replaced the back light and inverter in my T40. Not for the faint of heart. Turns out I didn’t need to replace the bulb–just a bad (broken) connection. I broke the cable to the little light on the top of the panel—never use it. I hope to get a few more hours out of the old T40–everyone tells me I should get an Apple. Thanks.
January 14th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
Thanks for such a helpful and amazing site. I’m currently juggling 2 Ibm a31p Thinkpads that are dying a slow and painful (esp. for me!) death and your knowledge has given me a lot of insight of where to go from here.
Happy New Year and keep up the good work!!!
BENJY
January 15th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
What is the lowest, mid, and highest I could expect to pay someone to replace a backlight for me.
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Please can some hi tech dude help….
I have dark screen on an acer aspire 2920, I have tested back light and inverter and vga cable and cant see any damage to pins on the motherboard, it’s not the switch as it’s magnetic and I tested this, can I solder form the dc socket or motherboard to power the inverter with a new cable ?????
January 26th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
jakk,
Could be bad motherboard.
January 28th, 2009 at 9:08 am
I have an HP Pavillion zv6000 laptop and my daughter rubbed a magnet on the LCD screen. The screen is now black and you can faintly see the image of what you are working on. I am able to get video when I hook up the laptop to a monitor. Can you tell me what went bad and needs to be replaced, the LCD screen or the inverter board?
January 30th, 2009 at 11:39 am
My laptop display comes on initially but pretty consistantly turns of within a second or two, and I can repeat it with shut&open of the lid. I opened the lcd and pulled out the inverter and the backlight and fixed a wire that seems to have broken (I think it may have been on the verge and while I am trying to open the lcd it may have lost its last leg). So I thought my problem is that loose connection and so fixed the broken wire, and connected the inverter and backlight (just outside – without actually mounting them back in their place within lcd), it didn’t turn on at first, but then I connected the video cable, and sure enough the backlight came on this time, and also stayed on (I waited over a minute to make sure it stays). So, there I was all excited that I fixed the backlight with just a wire patch, but then after I mounted everything in place and tested, I am back to it turning off promptly within couple of seconds.
Anyone can help me figure whats up with this backlight working fine when its outside the mounting, but turning off within a couple of seconds when its in the mounting? I don’t believe its lose connection because of its consistancy, so Is there some safety shutoff or something thats getting triggered only when its fully assembled? thanks in advance for the help.
February 2nd, 2009 at 10:44 pm
eknetizen,
Maybe it’s just a bad inverter board? It looks like you didn’t test the backlight lamp and inverter outside the case for a long time. I think one minute is not enough to jump to a conclusion that it works fine outside the case.
February 3rd, 2009 at 7:16 am
I have a dell vostro 1000 and part of my screen has dimmed (bottom left corner, making it very hard to view anything in that area) whereas the rest of my screen is fine and crystal clear. Is this a screen inverter problem or a backlight lamp problem? or something else entirely?
February 3rd, 2009 at 9:03 am
EDIT from post #78 as i cannot edit that post specifically
the dimness has now turned into a red dimness from top to bottom on the left hand side of my laptop, im starting to think its the backlight lamp thats at fault but could someone confirm it (based on information ive given)
February 7th, 2009 at 9:20 am
Your instructions were very helpful. They enabled me to replace the the backlight on my son’s Dell laptop. Thanks a lot.
February 9th, 2009 at 9:21 am
Question:
I have a HP Pavilion zv 6000
my back light comes on for 1 min and statrs to flashing off & on then goes dark. Does a replacement LCD screen come with the back light built in it ? Wll this fix the problem? Replacing the LCD screen looks less complicated.
Thanks
KG
February 12th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
hey, im haveing problems becuase i was trying to charge my laptop and i dropped it and busted the part you charge the laptop at how would I fix that?
February 18th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Tried it, purchased the lamp $14, disassembled LCD panel, unsolder-ed/re-soldered lamp, but while reassembling the sandwich the LCD fell apart and ripped a fragile ribbon cable, that became unrepairable… proving to me the whole repair process is worthless… The odds of a successful repair are 50/50 at best, which was my impression before beginning the repair process.
The FRU should be the LCD panel assembly. If Dell will not sell it as a FRU, then phuck Dell, I’ll purchase future laptops from another vendor…
Of all our Laptops at our small company, I’ve had three different Dell laptop that have lamp failures vs. none from laptops purchased from Sony, HP & Toshiba. Currently Dell’s QC of Laptops & Desktop has nosed dived… Dell is no longer my current computer vendor…
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:13 pm
First, this website is great. Very informative and having the pictures to walk through the process is great. Thanks for the help.
I had the famous flickering screen which ultimately left me with nothing visible on screen but visible with a flashlight. I’m able to use my TV’s S-video connection to see the computer, but I was trying to repair it myself. I started with the inverter, but that didn’t do anything. When I opened up the LCD screen to change the backlight bulb, I noticed that one of the wires that runs from the bulb into the inverter was completely charred and black. Obviously, I’m assuming this is the culprit behind my problem. I purchased a replacement lamp & wire harness off ebay (bad idea?) and was just testing it before I closed everything up, and was disappointed to see that the new bulb doesn’t light up either. I even tried my old inverter and had no luck. Any ideas what to do next?
My laptop is so old that I’m really just looking to salvage files off of the hard drive, but to complicate matters, I seem to have gotten a virus that won’t let me get past the loading of windows. (says something about RUNDLL Error “The specified module could not be found.) I was going to try and boot in safe mode, but I can’t see safe mode on my TV with the S-video connection. Doesn’t seem to work. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!
February 25th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
This repair DOES work. but you need to work slowly and carefully…
Also on some LCDs (samsung for example) you can remove
the lamp without removing the header board first.. That makes it a whole lot easier and less risky.
February 26th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
Jeremy,
In some laptops the backlight will light up only when the video cable is plugged into the LCD screen. So, plug the video cable into the screen but do not connect the cable coming from the backlight lamp. Plug in the new backlight lamp instead. Will it light up this way.
There is an easier way to access files on the hard drive. Remove the hard drive and install it into an external USB enclosure ($10-20 in a local computer store). You’ll see an example here:
Accessing notebook hard drive using USB enclosure
After that connect this enclosure to any other working computer and the drive will pop up in My Computer. Access and back up all personal files.
February 27th, 2009 at 10:26 am
I have a question for you that I hope you can answer or help me with.I have a Gateway 7326GZ Laptop with wireless,3.06Ghz processor and 512 memory.I purchased this unit used,it had a problem with the dc power jack and made a repair to it.It worked for awhile but soon died again.I decided that enough was enough so I purchased a new motherboard online, when I installed it and applied power to it ,it seemed to work properly but then I noticed if I were to power down and then turn it back on from the power button it would not power up.Disgusted I removed all power , powered it up again 30 to 45 minutes later and it worked .This is still the case ,if I leave the batter in it it will not start either.I sent the board back and during the transit they sent me another board.nice people. I installed it and still have the same problem, any ideas? Please help
February 27th, 2009 at 11:06 am
Larry Fostano,
Hmmmm.., that’s a very strange failure. Sounds like a problem with the motherboard, but you experiencing the same problem with two different boards, apparently it’s not the board.
Did you test the power adapter? Make sure it outputs correct voltage.
Can you test the board outside the laptop case? All you need is motherboard, CPU, memory. Connect all together outside the laptop case, plug it the AC adapter and test again. Does it still fail?
February 28th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Hi,
I really appreciate that someone did put all this work into making these guide – compared to how many laptops are sold, there is going to be lots of need, and especially in the future with more dying CCFLs.
Question: What actually results in light leakage from the sides, i.e. why is black sometimes not homogenously black at the sides? From what i see in you dissassemblies, there are no reflectors or any sort in the sides or top, so where is this primary misallignment issue happening that makes these leakages occur?
Would it be possible to readjust by disassembling the LCD? This would seriously be a really interesting article i think
February 28th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
Troels Østeraa,
I’m not sure what’s causing that light leakage.
The backlight lamp is mounted inside the reflector. I’m removing the backlight lamp from the reflector on the picture 18. The reflector is attached to a 2 mm thick glass sheet and the light travels through that sheet. Apparently, in your case the reflector is not making good contact with the glass sheet on both sides. This is just a guess.
I don’t know. I’ve never done it myself.
March 5th, 2009 at 1:28 am
thanks alots……..
nice sharing and supports
March 7th, 2009 at 3:49 am
Can anybody how distinguish which end is the (+)positive and (-)negative end of the CCFL lamp???
The CCFL lamp I have is the 2.0mmx370mm; and both end has no marking in them to help specify which is the (+)positive and (-)negative end.
Which end is for the shorter wire???
I would highly appreciated in advance.
March 10th, 2009 at 10:29 am
I recently (last summer) bought a sony vaio cr320e laptop. It fell off of my couch and started displaying what seems to be the symptoms of a broken backlight (i.e. see the screen working but the whole thing is dark). I have looked all over the web for sony components so I can replace it myself without spending 500 dollars at the store where I bought it. I was wondering if you can buy a generic ccfl of the same size and diameter as what is installed and have it still work; or is the ccfl manufacturer specific. It appears to me that the real control is in the inverter and the ccfl just puts off light from the voltage produced. any help is greatly appreciated.
March 12th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Is this for all laptops? I have an Inspiron 9100 and I am not sure if it is the same. I’d appreciate it if someone would reply ASAP. Thanks.
March 13th, 2009 at 6:43 am
good helping this site for like me (laptop technitions)
March 16th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
For you people doing this, make sure you preserve the rubber insulators and install them cleanly on the new tube the same way they were on the old one.
The reason for this is the backlamps and their wires have a couple THOUSAND volts pumping through them and you need good insulation to hold back the lightning. A couple wraps of electrical tape will NOT work.
The small black plasticy insulation over the solder is heat shrink tubing, available at an electronics supply store.
The fat rubbery molded slip-on pieces that go over the heat shrink are silicone, rated for thousands of volts, and are the REAL insulators. Be gentle with these, do not cut or damage them.
Monisys sells a kit that contains the foil tape and extra silicone boots if you accidentally wreck them. Just be patient and careful.
March 19th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
What’s your take on this, I have a Presario V2000 no backlight. So I ordered a inverter wasn’t the right model, screw holes were in the wrong place but I hooked it up and it didn’t work. Ordered from another company got one with the exact numbers as the one taken out, the light flashes only on the end with the pink wire for a split sec. and that’s it so it doesn’t work, the company sends out another one and it doesn’t do anything. So I ordered a new light, it didn’t fix the problem, then I ordered a new cable and that didn’t fix it either. I can see the system boot and everything in the LCD and with a external monitor connected. I even tried a few other lights I have. and with the one inverter they all do the same thing flash or nothing. Also the 2 with the exact part number have a blue LED that lights up after getting to the windows boot screen. Logic is telling me I have 4 bad inverters, I just don’t want to believe my luck is that bad. could it be some type of voltage issue with the lights?
March 26th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
I replaced the inverter and the CCFL on my hp pavilion zv5000.
Now, the screen is still dark, except for a light band across the bottom, lighting up the “tray” area.
Does this suggest an error in installing or reassembling the LCD?
April 1st, 2009 at 6:19 pm
have the same prob as 99, everything worked like the guide says except its bright at the bottom and dims towards the top. Im going to try to redo it and make a better connection to the 2mm thick glass(?) and see what happens but does anyone know if maybe there’s another reason…thanks again for this guide and thanks in advance for a solution….please help im sure someone will come up with this problem also
April 4th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
KDL,
What was the original problem? Why did you replace both parts at the same time? Will it fail the same way even if you install the old inverter back into the laptop?
April 6th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
so i have a toshiba a105 series and im trying to replace my backlight i was going through the tutorial step by step nearing the disassembly of the backlight all i needed to do is take the screen out of its frame. but i read a little further and said that soldering is needed. i was hoping that this isnt true for my model sincei dont have a soldering kit available.
April 7th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
James wrote:
so i have a toshiba a105 series and im trying to replace my backlight i was going through the tutorial step by step nearing the disassembly of the backlight all i needed to do is take the screen out of its frame. but i read a little further and said that soldering is needed. i was hoping that this isnt true for my model sincei dont have a soldering kit available.
James, It depends where and how you got the new backlight. I try to get mine with the pink and black cables already soldered on, sometimes I have to take one from a cracked LCD that has a working backlight.
Most online dealers will send you just the lamp, no pick & black cables, so in that case you would have to solder. You’d also have to solder if the cable connectors don’t match (which very rarely happens).
A 15-watt soldering gun costs only $10 at Radio Shack.
April 7th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
alright thanks. yeah the backlight that i got didnt come with any cables it was only the bulb. thanks for the tip.
April 9th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Hi !
What’s the steps after resoldering the new backlight wires to assemble back the lcd. Do you mount the backlight housing first before you put back the meatl frame and the LCD Glass/ white board / Please advise.
Thanks you.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
rsaranglao,
Yes, first you install the backlight lamp back into the housing and after that you install all glass layers.
Don’t you remember how you took it apart?
April 11th, 2009 at 12:57 am
so i have a question. i reinstalled my new backlight and everything seems fine. but now my screen has a slight blue hue to it which im assuming that it is the light. i was wondering if there is anything like a break in period in which maybe the light will being to turn white so i dont have a blue hue anymore?
April 12th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
james,
I’m not sure what’s going on. I don’t think your problem is related to the backlight lamp you just installed. If it works, it works.
Maybe the video cable is not making good connection with the motherboard? Try reconnecting the cable.
April 27th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
How do I determine if the LCD, bulb or invertor is the problem in a Dell Inspiron 3800? The LCD comes on at startup and stays on for about 5minutes and then starts to have like a rippling effect starting the upper right corner working diagonally across and then will go black, works on a monitor fine, and always comes on at startup. What is your best guess or recommendation?
Thanks
April 27th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
Son1,
Your description doesn’t sound like a problem with the inverter board or backlight lamp. When the inverter board or backlight lamp fails, the light turns off on the entire screen at the same time. I think you have a problem with the LCD screen.
April 30th, 2009 at 8:08 am
I have a Gateway 7330GZ, sometimes my screen goes out when I am using it. Then if I move screen it will come on, sometimes I have to find just the right position to keep it on. Could this be something loose, broken wire or dirt? Thanks Steve
May 10th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
[...] Replacing a CCFL seems very complicated while replacing the LCD inverter is trivial, at least on this particular ThinkPad model. According to Google the most common cause of backlight problems is the inverter. To confirm that this was the case I ripped the LCD panel out of my old ThinkPad A20m and connected it to the inverter in the R32. I figured that if the R32’s CCFL was broken the A20m’s LCD panel would light up when I plugged it in. It didn’t light up but I did see the same very dark Thinkpad logo during the BIOS initalization so I concluded that the inverter was the problem. After a quick search on EBay I found a new inverter for $30 including shipping to Sweden. The disassembled ThinkPad A20m (left) and R32 (right) The inverter is located below the panel The new inverter [...]
May 10th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
hi,
may i ask how can i determine which part of the lcd that must be replaced? Actually, the screen is a bit faded and cannot show jpeg files clearly (right now its like viewing negatives from a film) BUT surprisingly, I can still use it for emails and other written stuffs.
Any idea what part that needs to be replaced? I’ve asked a technician about it but said I have to replace the lcd already which would cost me. And in addition, I dont trust any technician these days…
Btw, Im using an ASUS x51r with a defective lcd right now. and can still read things well except in viewing photos.
May 14th, 2009 at 6:09 am
Any idea how you would replace a led backlit screen?
May 16th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
Thank you. This tutorial was a huge help. I was working on a friends laptop that had a screen with heavy damage (imagine a laptop that looked like it had been hit with a baseball bat) but lit up just fine. I had a replacement screen that was in perfect shape, but was really dim. Using this I was able to switch the backlights and get his computer working.
May 21st, 2009 at 3:03 am
arrrgghhh… I took my tosh satellite sp10-304 to bits to try and fix a problem with the wireless switch and when i put it back together it would not work so dismantled it again to make sure that all was connected properly and yes call me stupid but somehow the processor was not seated correctly and a couple of pins were bent… I straightened these out and seated it and put the laptop back together. all worked apart from screen was really dark – ok so i thought new inverter – £15 off eBay and it still did not fix it – ok so I thought back light – took a m40x equium to bits and tested the light on the sp10-304 – not working – so I think ok I either have 3 inverters and 2 back lights that don’t work or something else is wrong.
I tested all three inverters and one backlight on another laptop and all is fine so I am now guessing I need a new graphics cable for a tosh satellite sp10-304 as I believe that there is nothing going from the MB to the inverter and as it states some backlights will not work unless the graphics cables are connected… or would it be something else?
May 21st, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Hello.
Thanks for the great tutorial. I noticed that you dismantle the entire lcd itself. My lcd works perfectly fine except that i have a crack that seems to be on the outermost layer which i think is called a polarizing filter. Is there anywhere that i may get a replacement for a vaio FZ11Z?
Many Thanks
May 21st, 2009 at 12:04 pm
MOHAMMED NAGDEE,
I guess you’ll have to replace the whole screen.
June 1st, 2009 at 8:37 am
thanks very much for puting this information on the web
i new my backlight was faulty but didnot know how to take the screen apart
so i went on the web
and typed laptop backlight help
and to my suprise found your help
computer working great
thanks many thanks
June 4th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
I replaced the whole screen and it is still dark… i can faintly see the image but the inverter is not lighting up the back light… i am guessing there is a problem with the board… can this be fixed? whats going on? any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.. thanks
June 5th, 2009 at 1:35 am
UTAH:
Afraid you will have to replace the “inverter” which is the small, slender circuit board which fits under the lcd screen and is accessible from the front of the display by simply removing the trim around the display front. There are instructions here.
One other thing, though: laptops often have magnetic switches which sense when the lid is open or closed. If this switch fails, or the magnet comes loose or somehow becomes weak, the screen will be blanked, or made to go black, by the computer; there is no need to wear out the screen and the battery, by running the screen when the lid is closed.
You will probably find a check box somewhere in your power or other setup menus which will allow you to turn this feature on or off. Turn it off and see if the problem is still there. If that doesn’t help, the above advice stands.
good luck
Larry
June 6th, 2009 at 9:37 am
Hello,
Can someone tell me whats wrong with my computer. My processor works but there is no picture on the lcd.
June 7th, 2009 at 9:07 am
Sam,
First of all, you have to test your laptop with an external monitor. Do you have picture on the external monitor?
June 7th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Thanks.. I have replaced the inverter in the screen. i know it works as it has been tested, the same with the backlight…i have two sp10-304 laptops with exactly the same problem… inverters work as do backlights… image is getting onto screen but really dark… its doing my head in….
June 7th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Hi I have tried setting power to never turn off etc… but cannot seem to find anything that will allow me to disable the lid close switch…. could you advise…thanks
June 8th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
This procedure requires extra care. The backlight lamp of most LCD’s (I think) contain mercury, which is toxic.
June 9th, 2009 at 4:40 am
Just tested the magnetic switch with a magnet – it goes into hibernation fine but still restarts with dark screen, so if its not the switch, inverter or backlight is my board screwed?
June 9th, 2009 at 6:16 am
Hi thanks for ll the great help. I have a packard easy note laptop and screen has gone dark but it still can be seen to be working in correct light. Im going to go about replacing the backlight now. I just want to know if i can use any correct size backlight or are they specific to each model of laptop. In short will any backlight work in any laptop
July 5th, 2009 at 4:38 am
Hi Larry,
Thanks for posting the procedure.
I did this to a Gateway laptop with a 15.25 Samsung
screen. As you previously stated:”Replacing the backlight lamp is not an easy task even for experienced technicians” is absolutely true.
This is a very sophisticated repair procedure.
Anyway, the Gateway is back up and running like new.
I chickened out and didn’t un-glue the circuit board as you did but then found it to be that much harder to get the lamp reassembled and reseated but I guess luck was with me that day.
It can be done however, patience, patience, patience!.
I would recommend people buy (2) CCFL tubes when ordering, you’ll only have to pay shipping once.
I had to pay for it twice because I clumsily broke one just after I had soldered it (bummed!)
Thank you again!
Fred
July 12th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Hey folks,
My e1705 died last Sunday – was happily watching a video, then there was a fizzle, and then a black backlit screen. I took the whole thing apart, messed with it, gave up and put it back together – then it started working, for whatever reason.
Today (1 week later) it did the same thing again – black screen. I took it apart as the first few instructions show to ensure it wasn’t a loose cable causing the problm, and there’s definitely a glow from the backlight when turned on or fn-f8′ed, but no picture again. Hooking it up to an external monitor allows it to work fine, so it’s not the graphics card (although it was throwing me all sorts of errors until I reinstalled my drivers).
Could anybody confirm that this is an inverter problem? If not, I might just ditch this terrible laptop model and go find something new…
July 16th, 2009 at 12:44 am
Hi,
Thanks for posting the tutorial.
I have just changed the CCFL of an IBMThink Pad R50e for a dark screen as outlined in the tutorial. When I re fixed the LCD Display found that only about 2in of the screen at the base is lighted. The upper part of the screen is still dark. I can see the window screen there but unable to use the screen.
What could have gone wrong in my case?
July 31st, 2009 at 1:01 am
Hi
I have Lenovo 3000 n100 Laptop and my screen was just working fine but one day it was like black, and I just can see a very very very hard to see ghost image on lcd, but when the computer starts it glows fully and in between when I press the Function + f7 key to toggle between LCD and Monitor(which I have connected to laptop for my work) it glows up and in few seconds go away. I am not facing any red tint or hue. what can be the problem??
My external monitor works great with laptop.
I am not gtting what can be the problem. please advise me
Thanks
August 4th, 2009 at 7:03 am
Thanks a ton! I’ve repaired my old Thinkpad T42p yesterday. But for your manual, I don’t think I would ever dare to go that deep.
There are a couple of problems (which have nothing to do with this post), but maye sharing my experience will be helpful for others.
Well, now the screen is kind of blueish/greenish, which I believe is due to poor quality of the lamp itself. I mean it’s temperature is not the same as the original lamp used to have when it was new. So I adjusted screen color settings and now everything looks pretty. Maybe that’ll change over the time. We’ll see. Luckily it’s adjustable. I am not going to edit photoes professionally or anything, so… works for me.
It also seems that I slightly damaged the screen – it now has some very faint blotchiness, size of a quarter, in one part of the screen, but you really have to know where it is to be able to see it.
I also lost 1 screw, although I tried to clean up the area before unscrewing anything. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any spare ones, as I do this kind of repairs maybe once every 3 years. But without this screw, it’ll be fine, I’m sure.
All-in-all, my T(erminator) is alive again and that’s pretty cool!
August 5th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
hi everyone,
i’m having an issue with my fujitsu siemens v3505. basically, the thing was dropped and the backlight lightbulb got smashed. i managed to replace the backlight (HUGE kudos to cj2600) and i suppose i re-assembled it correctly. however, even though the screen works fine now, i’m getting a constant, high-pitched noise coming from the lcd inverter/reflector area (regardless of whether the laptop is plugged in or runs on battery) and the computer slowed down, slightly but noticeably. now, i have no idea what might be the issue – btw, the replacement lightbulb is roughly the same size and circumference as the original one (a few millimetres longer, if anything). would anyone have any ideas as to what to look at/check etc? i’d be really grateful.
cheers
August 8th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
jacopucci,
What if you disconnect the video cable from the motherboard and turn on the laptop with an external monitor? Disconnecting the cable will eliminate the display.
If you are getting the same high pitched noise when the display is disconnected, it’s not related to the backlight lamp replacement.
What if you reduce the LCD screen brightness? Will the high-pitched noise go away?
I really doubt that this is related to the backlight lamp replacement. At least I don’t know who these two issues can be connected to each other.
Maybe the backlight lamp is not compatible with the inverter somehow and drawing too much power creating the noise. This is just a guess.
As I said, try reducing the screen brightness and see if the noise goes away.
August 9th, 2009 at 8:08 am
cj2600,
thanks for your reply, i really appreciate it.
i tried changing brightness levels, but the buzz persisted, changed its tone slightly but at a constant volume.
so i opened the display once again and had another close look at what’s going on inside. i took everything apart up to the point of having a bare lightbulb connected to inverter. at that point, the lightbulb was silent and the inverter was buzzing quietly (it was not the noise that i was looking for, definitely), which i suppose is a normal thing. i started re-assembling the screen, turning the computer on after every step and it turns out that the lightbulb starts buzzing only after i place it in the reflector. btw, the solders are well isolated with caps and tape.
i’m rather puzzled now – what would you make of it? would it be just a matter of fitting the bulb in the reflector? would you be able to give any tips on that, as i have no clue what might have gone wrong?
re computer slowdown, maybe you’re right – it might just be subjective perception (hadn’t used the laptop for a while, so maybe i forgot how slow it was in the first place, lol).
also, i’ll try and dig up the parameters of the inverter and the lightbulb – still, when i was ordering the lightbulb from sparesweb.com, it said that the voltage is dependent on length alone and differences between 2-10mm were irrelevant (the ratio is roughly 1w per 100mm).
cheers
August 9th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
jacopucci,
I’m puzzled too. I’m not sure, is it some kind of resonance buzz? Maybe the backlight lamp doesn’t fit into the reflector as it should and it’s touching the reflector?
You might consider buying a brand new LCD screen. You can find it here for less than $80.
August 13th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
hi, you were right about the resonance, spot-on – it turned out that the lightbulb i was fitting didn’t have o-rings on it (why the hell would they sell it like that? =/), so getting a new, proper one (with cables and plug) fixed the problem. and well, i was all cheery and all, re-assembled everything only to eventually discover that the screen wouldn’t light up again, most likely due to what seems to be an inverter failure =(. it never ends! i think i’ve lost my patience and gonna follow your advice about buying a new screen, cause all this screwing/unscrewing/fitting/taping and all has already cost me so much time i really don’t won’t to risk losing any more playing around with those components. eh.
August 30th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
[...] can try replacing just the backlight lamp without replacing the screen, but it’s not easy and should be done only by an experienced [...]
September 1st, 2009 at 10:43 am
Hi,
I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart! I saved myself over $300 in repair costs on my HP MX3560 Laptop. I purchased the lamp on ebay, and received it 3 days after payment. I pulled this page up and followed it step by step.
I just want to say that this is very tedious work. If you do not have a quiet place to work with a lot of patience please do not atempt until you do. My lamp was an exact match but the little silicone boots that cover the soldering were larger than my original. After carefully trimming then down to size I had no problem putting it all back together.
Good luck to everyone. If you get frustrated just take a break and come back. You will be a lot more focused.
September 19th, 2009 at 7:28 am
No offense, but some of you should leave this repair to the pros.
September 20th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Rhonda,
Agree 100%. It’s not easy. Not everyone can get it done successfully.
September 28th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Thanks for the infomation and picture it saved me a lot of money
October 2nd, 2009 at 7:10 am
Thanks a lot…It gives me enough confidence ..It’s just wonderful job,Lovely pictures that clearly understanding
each and every steps.Though it is tough job but u made it
excellent way..
Keep it up..
Again Thanks a lot.
October 3rd, 2009 at 10:59 am
Thanks for the info. replacement was successful. A few comments – I have a HP DV5000 which is similar to your pics.
As far as touching components, this is only an issue related to static shock. It is best to use a grounding strap when working with any electronics. Static can damage semiconductors. It may not blow them out, but cause them to fail early so watch out. It is caused by your body friction against rough surfaces but dissipates quickly. If you don’t use a grounding strap, try touching a pipe or a chassis frame or something to discharge first before handling components. Holding things by the edges is a good practice but difficult to rely on when trying not to shock electronics.
A fluorescent bulb is OK to touch. It is Halogens that need to be clean because oils left on the surface of the bub can create thermal stress points and shatter the bulb as they get very hot.
My assembly used quite a lot of industrial adhesive tapes but nothing was glued. These can be carefully peeled back but they are sometimes unusable afterward. You can replace them with metal furnace tape and carton packing tapes if necessary.
It is a good idea to replace the inverter at the same time. Although this should not be necessary, mine failed shortly after I replaced the back light bulb. If it is old, the inverter is already weakened. They are inexpensive and will save trouble in the long run.
October 17th, 2009 at 6:24 am
I broke the “Wire” that goes to the Back lite. It dose not look like a copper wire. It looks like it is fabric. What should I do to repair it?
October 28th, 2009 at 8:58 am
Thanks for the guide!
As many have mentioned, this isn’t an easy task, make sure you have plenty of room to work, and all the tools you’ll need. For a few of the screws, you’ll need a phillips #000 and be careful not to strip them out.
I just finished replacing my backlight lamp only to discover it was the inverter after all… If you’ll excuse me I’m going to go slam my face against the wall for a while.
October 29th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Regarding the radioactivity question, I am not sure, and was actually hoping someone else would answer, but it would not surprise me if these ccfls are indeed radioactive. They snap apart easily, so this is reason enough for us to not repair them. CHANGING A CCFL IS A DIFFICULT REPAIR. I do not suggest it. Hardest part: keeping the order of all those sheets straight.
October 29th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
Jason Taylor,
I agree with your.
I made this guide almost 2 years ago when one laptop screen would easily cost you $250-300.
These days you can buy some new LCD screens for $70-80. If you can afford that just replace the whole LCD screen.
Replacing the backlight lamp is more fun project.
October 29th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
Ima Tool,
If you not sure which one is causing the problem, the inverter board or backlight lamp, go with the inverter replacement first.
October 31st, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Hello, I need just a little advice. I have an HP DV5 1011ea and the screen has always been dim on it’s maximum brightness setting compared to my other laptops. I think all DV5 1011ea laptops have this brightness problem and I was wondering if it could be fixed by replacing the backlight? It’s annoying me since I can barely use the laptop properly in daylight even inside the house. Any advice? I was wondering that maybe the screen doesn’t let so much backlight go through it also and if I change both the backlight and LCD scree, would it be of much help? Thanks for any advice!
November 2nd, 2009 at 3:07 pm
I have an IBM Thinkpad. The screen is showing a big black “BLOB” that moves. You can read whats on the screen, if you can read around the “BLOB”. Any idea what’s wrong?? I need to find out the problem before it can be fixed & who can needs to fix it.
Thanks, Ed
November 2nd, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Arvind,
Have you checked settings in the power management software. Maybe the LCD screen brightness is not set to 100%.
In some laptops you can chance the LCD screen brightness in the BIOS settings. Not sure about your laptop, so go through the BIOS menu.
Have you tried increasing the LCD screen brightness using the keyboard keys? I believe for HP laptop you hold down the Fn key and at the same time press on F10 to increase the brightness.
I don’t think that this is backlight related problem. Sounds more like wrong settings for the LCD screen brightness.
Also, check the latest BIOS update. Maybe it’s a known issue and you can fix it by updating the BIOS.
November 3rd, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Ed,
Strange failure. Maybe you got some kind of virus?
What if you boot in Safe Mode, the moving blob is still there?