[ltp] Replacing the backlight of the thinkpad LCD

[Richard Neill]

cupaxe wrote:
> Hello everyone,
> 
> Thank you so much for all your helpful suggestions and tips so far. On
> your suggestion, I purchased and replaced the inverter with the same
> exact model number (second hand though) from eBay. Unfortunately for
> me, it didn't solve the problem.

That's a shame. It was a good chance, but not a certainty.

> 
> The display starts off fine, bright and clear. At random times during
> the boot, it just goes completely blank and has to be rebooted for it
> to appear again. The exact time from the start of the reboot when it
> goes blank is different for every reboot.

Just to check: I presume that these are various numbers of seconds, 
rather than minutes?

> Do you all still think it is an inverter problem? 

If you've already replaced the inverter, then it probably isn't an 
inverter problem, and you need a new backlight.


If not, then is it a
> backlight problem? I then need to replace the backlight which seems to
> be very complicated from the looks for it. I still haven't removed the
> LCD from the casing so I don't even know what lies behind it and how I
> can get to the backlight. Looking forward to all your guidance and
> suggestions.

There's a good howto here:
http://www.laptoprepair101.com/laptop/2007/12/09/replace-laptop-backlight-ccfl-lamp/

Note: CCFLs contain mercury, which is moderately toxic. Try not to break 
the backlight. If you do, ventilate the area carefully before you return 
  to it.

Richard