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lcd indicator lights + screen not switching off (inverter?)
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kernel_mustard
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2007 10:37 am
- Location: London
lcd indicator lights + screen not switching off (inverter?)
Hello everyone, first post, first thinkpad!
I recently purchased an x60s without warrenty from the internet.
The fingerprint reader wasnt working but was fixed by opening the laptop and connecting the wire back to the motherboard. The chassis was bent but after searching this site found a fix by unscrewing the rescrewing several screws under the laptop.
Three problems remain with my computer, can you help?
1) There are 10 LED indicator lights beneith the lcd. Only the far left three are working.
2) The lcd backlight does not switch off when I close the lid. Yes I can tell!
3) The 8 cell battery is a litttle wobbly. Anybody else have this, maybe its nothing to worry about, or maybe a defective battery.
I phoned IBM support and obviously they said they wouldnt touch the machine. Luckily Ray was very friendly and said the indicator lights required a new inverter. Does anybody know if this inverter would also fix my lcd not switching off as I didnt know i had this poblem when I was on the phone. I can live without the indicator lights but I'd like the screen to swtich off and therefore I will only risk installing a new converter if it will fix my lcd backlight issue also.
Look foward to a reply, Cheers
I recently purchased an x60s without warrenty from the internet.
The fingerprint reader wasnt working but was fixed by opening the laptop and connecting the wire back to the motherboard. The chassis was bent but after searching this site found a fix by unscrewing the rescrewing several screws under the laptop.
Three problems remain with my computer, can you help?
1) There are 10 LED indicator lights beneith the lcd. Only the far left three are working.
2) The lcd backlight does not switch off when I close the lid. Yes I can tell!
3) The 8 cell battery is a litttle wobbly. Anybody else have this, maybe its nothing to worry about, or maybe a defective battery.
I phoned IBM support and obviously they said they wouldnt touch the machine. Luckily Ray was very friendly and said the indicator lights required a new inverter. Does anybody know if this inverter would also fix my lcd not switching off as I didnt know i had this poblem when I was on the phone. I can live without the indicator lights but I'd like the screen to swtich off and therefore I will only risk installing a new converter if it will fix my lcd backlight issue also.
Look foward to a reply, Cheers
There is a very small magnet built into the LCD bezel which activates a small reed switch located just to the right of where the LCD cable leaves the base. Perhaps the switch is positioned improperly or perhaps the magnet is missing.
If you remove the keyboard bezel, you will see a small "branch" of the LCD cable shooting off to the right and back. The small circuit board (3mm x 4mm) at the tip of this branch, which holds the switch, should be in its "slot" and should be secured via adhesive to the top back of the base.
The magnet is mounted to the inside of the LCD bezel, but can be seen as a small shiny piece of metal if you lift the left edge of the "clear plate" (the decal with the indicator icons).
Look a Item 7 on Page 81 of the following:
ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mo ... 847_01.pdf
Note: You can use the "+" in Adobe PDF Reader to magnify the drawing until you see all the details clearly.
Good luck!
If you remove the keyboard bezel, you will see a small "branch" of the LCD cable shooting off to the right and back. The small circuit board (3mm x 4mm) at the tip of this branch, which holds the switch, should be in its "slot" and should be secured via adhesive to the top back of the base.
The magnet is mounted to the inside of the LCD bezel, but can be seen as a small shiny piece of metal if you lift the left edge of the "clear plate" (the decal with the indicator icons).
Look a Item 7 on Page 81 of the following:
ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mo ... 847_01.pdf
Note: You can use the "+" in Adobe PDF Reader to magnify the drawing until you see all the details clearly.
Good luck!
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kernel_mustard
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2007 10:37 am
- Location: London
Thanks, I have checked the position of the cable and it is in the correct place. Perhaps there is no maginet, but i dont want to remove the lcd bezel in fear of the circle stickers that cover the screws not being secure when re applied.
Does anyone know a command that can manualy switch the screen off?
Does anyone know a way of switching off their screen without shutting the lid, ie, hold a maginet somewhere. This way i can test to see if its the maginet not working or if indeed it is the inverters problem.
Does anyone know a command that can manualy switch the screen off?
Does anyone know a way of switching off their screen without shutting the lid, ie, hold a maginet somewhere. This way i can test to see if its the maginet not working or if indeed it is the inverters problem.
Fn+F3 can be configured to turn off the LCD display. See this:
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-62736
To test the switch:
Place a very small magnet near the small hole in the keyboard bezel, just to the right of the LCD cable.
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-62736
To test the switch:
Place a very small magnet near the small hole in the keyboard bezel, just to the right of the LCD cable.
-
BillMorrow
- *Senior* Admin

- Posts: 7673
- Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2004 9:40 pm
- Location: San Francisco -> Florida -> Georgia
- Contact:
wait..
i have a question..
how do you buy a VERY RECENT model thinkpad without any warranty..?
none at all..?
not even the ability to return it as defective..?
i have a question..
how do you buy a VERY RECENT model thinkpad without any warranty..?
none at all..?
not even the ability to return it as defective..?
Bill Morrow, kept by parrots
& cockatoos
Sysop - forum.thinkpads.com
*
She was not what you would call refined,
She was not what you would call unrefined,
She was the type of person who kept a parrot.
~~~Mark Twain~~~
Sysop - forum.thinkpads.com
*
She was not what you would call refined,
She was not what you would call unrefined,
She was the type of person who kept a parrot.
~~~Mark Twain~~~
-
kernel_mustard
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2007 10:37 am
- Location: London
Correct. No warrenty. But I didnt buy it from Lenovo/IBM.
I purchased it online fom USA (ebay) I live in UK. The exchange rate was really good and considering computer stuff it 30% more to buy here I decided to go for it. I got an x60s, 2GB ram, blue tooth, fingerprint, atheros WLAN, Sierra WAN, 8 cell, X6 with multi burner, 65w charger for £1300. Would be £2200 if bought from UK lenovo. Some lights dont work and the screen doesnt switch off auto and no warrenty though.
Description said it came with 6 months IBM warrenty but it didnt.
DO NOT BUY FROM THINKPAD WORLD.
I purchased it online fom USA (ebay) I live in UK. The exchange rate was really good and considering computer stuff it 30% more to buy here I decided to go for it. I got an x60s, 2GB ram, blue tooth, fingerprint, atheros WLAN, Sierra WAN, 8 cell, X6 with multi burner, 65w charger for £1300. Would be £2200 if bought from UK lenovo. Some lights dont work and the screen doesnt switch off auto and no warrenty though.
Description said it came with 6 months IBM warrenty but it didnt.
DO NOT BUY FROM THINKPAD WORLD.
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kernel_mustard
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2007 10:37 am
- Location: London
-
rkawakami
- Admin Emeritus

- Posts: 10327
- Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2006 1:26 am
- Location: San Jose, CA 95120 USA
- Contact:
No, the inverter should not have anything to do with turning off the display. It does provide the voltage needed to light the backlight, but control over turning it on or off is elsewhere. As suggested earlier, your problem could be a missing magnet or a broken/misaligned/disconnected reed switch. Also, you should be able to manually turn off the backlight using the Fn+F3 key combination, at least that's what works on earlier systems.
Ray Kawakami
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.
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kernel_mustard
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2007 10:37 am
- Location: London
Is the maginet positioned on the inverter card?
To access the inverter card does one ignore the manual which suggest you take apart pretty much the entire laptop or does one just remove the 9 screws from the lcd bezel?
edit: also does anybody know the part numbers for the stickers that cover these screws as IBM in the uk dont know what they are!
Cheers
To access the inverter card does one ignore the manual which suggest you take apart pretty much the entire laptop or does one just remove the 9 screws from the lcd bezel?
edit: also does anybody know the part numbers for the stickers that cover these screws as IBM in the uk dont know what they are!
Cheers
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