Dim Screen

[sjs1717]

Hi everyone I need to do work on a Dell Latitude d505 the screen is dim so.........inverter?backlight? then the next question becomes parts from where and what am I going to be spending? It's a relatives laptop and for some reason it has been "dropped" into my lap without asking if I have the resources to do it.

I am grateful in advance for any help.


Steve
We're doing this stuff for the wealth and fame right?

 

[goombawaho]

Plug the external video output into another monitor to see if that output is working correctly. That should rule out the video card itself if it works okay externally. Then it would be the LCD itself, the inverter or it could be the cable.

Personally, I wouldn't fool with it too much. I took my laptop apart for a "no video" issue and I ended up replacing both the video cable and then the inverter. I mistakenly diagnosed the issue as a bad cable (and it might have been), but it wasn't fixed until I replaced the inverter too.

Laptops are harder to diagnose than desktops and when you decide to replace something, it's a lot of work to take things apart and not screw anything up and get it back together.

Fortunately, in my case, IBM had excellent instructions for dismantling the laptop. If Dell doesn't have very good diagrams/instructions, you may want to have a professional do it. I've used the following company and they do a great job for a reasonable price. You ship it to them and for a diagnostic fee, they tell you what's wrong and then apply that diagnostic fee if you want to go ahead with the repairs.

http://www.notebook-laptop-repair.com/

 

[wahnula]

sjs1717

http://www.lcdparts.net

has everything you could possibly need plus tutorials and how-to-do-it guides for most of what they sell. They are also very knowledgeable and a good source for information, they are the first folks I call when I have LCD problems.

Tony

"Buy what you like, or you'll be forced to like what you buy"...me

 

[ATLMatt]

Is it dim or is it unlighted? Does plugging it in make any difference?

You probably checked this already, but the power mode the laptop is running in could be an issue. If it is set to a power saving mode the screen could simply be dimmed via software. Also most laptops give you a keyboard shortcut, for example FN+Home, that will turn up the brightness. If that and setting the power mode to Max Performance doesn't help, they probably need to send it in for repair...

You could certainly replace or repair the screen if need be, but if something goes wrong it isn't worth having a ticked off relative, my 2c.