LCD replacement question

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Sevdog

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I recently had a customer drop off a Dell Inspiron E1705 who wanted the screen replaced. It was not dropped, stepped on, or physically damaged in any way but it just had a no image on the screen. I could faintly see the windows logo when I booted it if I was shining a light on the screen. I wanted to rule out the inverter so I hooked up a spare backlight and it powered on. Also, I successfully hooked up an external monitor. Satisfied that the problem was the LCD screen, I ordered a replacement. When I connected the replacement and powered up everything looked good but something did not seem right. I could see everthing but it just didnt seem bright. I compared it to other laptops that I had available and there was a noticable difference in the brightness. I adjusted the brightness using Fn-F8 and the brightest setting still didnt cut it. I also noticed at the bottom of the screen that there was a very bright band of light across the bottom where the backlight is but everything above it was darker. I knew that the customer was not going to be happy. So the question that I've been leading up to is this. Could the dimness be related to the inverter or does this sound like a problem with the LCD? Could it be due to the fact that I installed a "compatible" lcd screen and not the exact manufacturer/model that was originally in the laptop?
 
It sure sounds to me like the replacement display is inferior to the original, and the light dispersion (if that's the correct term) isn't nearly as uniform.

Is it possible that the Fn-F8 key only adjusts the brightness up to some preset threshold, controlled by the other power settings of the computer? I don't know if that's how they work, but I'd check any other settings/utilities that control power or screen brightness.
 
Last edited:
To correct myself, it was Fn + arrow key that adjusted brightness. I did look into the power management and display settings but could find no other way to control brightness.
 
Some of these LCDs are pulls, so it depends on what you expected to get. But regardless I'd check the inverter connections and make sure nothing is loose plugged in backwards then DOA the screen with wherever you got it.
 
What are the chances that the problem is the actual inverter rather than the connections? Or does the fact that the backlight is lit, whether totally bright or not, tell me that the inverter is good?
 
Sevdog said:
What are the chances that the problem is the actual inverter rather than the connections? Or does the fact that the backlight is lit, whether totally bright or not, tell me that the inverter is good?
Click to expand...

Usually a half lit screen is a bad or faulty LCD. On some Macs I work on there are upper and lower pairs of inverter connections which leaving a set or pair unplugged will show uneven light distribution, but that many connections are always on desktop Macs as opposed to laptops. Inverter issues are either completely out or full on full off. You did try another LCD correct? Even if was a broken LCD that you popped in for test purposes should have shown you something provided the backlight was consistent it should have had an even backlight dispersal across the entire LCD.
 
I didnt try another LCD as I dont have an extra available. I only have the original LCD that has no picture and this one. I did try a spare backlight that I had and it was lit. I believe that my question is answered though in that it isnt the inverter if I am getting a picture. I called the company that I bought the screen from and they are sending a replacement overnight. Thanks guys!
 
I will let you know. I purchased this LCD from Screentek. I ordered an LCD for another Dell that had a cracked screen and it should arrive today. Screentek was very responsive to my problems with the first LCD so I am hopeful that everything works out and I have a goto place for my LCDs. The weird thing about Screentek is that I found 3 different prices for the same LCD by searching 3 different ways. Searching by laptop model on their website got me a $225 price. Searching on their website by the model # on the back of the LCD got me around $170. Searching via Google and getting to their website via the link on Google gets you a special price which was around $115. All of them are the exact same LDC screen.
 
OK...received the replacement LCD today and will be putting it in this evening. Also received the LDC for the other Dell, which I installed, and it works great. Will let you know how the replacement goes.
 
Replacement LCD Update

Installed the replacement LCD on the Dell Inspiron E1705. This was also a compatible LDC and not the exact model that was installed in the laptop originally. The replacement works great. The display was dim when I installed it but when I adjusted the brightness with the Fn + arrow key I was able to get it to a nice level of bright. Customer will be happy and based on the two LCD purchases that I have made this week from ScreenTek, I am happy that I have found an LCD vendor with good prices and very good customer service. If you order from these guys check out my previous post about different prices with different searches.
 
The levels of brightness worked perfect with no jumping around. Each touch incrementally brightened the display.

This was a 17" screen and I opted for the 1 year extended warranty.

121.00 LCD
18.15 Extended Warranty
15.00 Shipping
______
154.15 Total

I purchased a 15.4" Dell LCD as well. That cost $120 total with the extended warranty.
 
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