HomeIn this tutorial I’ll explain how to remove LCD screen and replace inverter board in an Acer Aspire 5100 laptop. This tutorial will work for many other Acer laptops with the same body.
In my previous article I was taking an Acer Aspire 5100 apart.
OK, let’s get inside the display assembly.
First of all, turn off the laptop, unplug AC adapter and remove the battery.
The screen bezel has four screws hidden under for seals. Two rubber seals on the top of the bezel and two plastic seals on the bottom.
You can remove all four screw seals with a sharp object as it shown on the picture below. Glue removed seals somewhere on the bezel so they don’t get lost.
Remove four screws found under seals.
Start remove the screen bezel with your fingers. Proceed slowly while removing the bezel.
Continue removing the screen bezel.
The bezel has been removed.
The inverter board is mounted below the LCD screen. If you are replacing the inverter board, you’ll have to separate the top cover from the LCD screen first.
Remove four screws. Two of them securing display hinges and other two securing the inverter board.
Carefully separate the display cover from the screen and access the LCD cable connector.
You’ll have to unplug the LCD cable from the screen.
First, unglue the clear sticky tape securing the connection.
Second, unplug the LCD cable from the connector on the screen.
Now you can access the inverter board witch is still connected to the laptop by cables on both sides.
Carefully unplug cables from both sides of the inverter board.
Remove the screen inverter board and replace it with a new inverter.
Here’s how you can remove the LCD screen.
Simply remove four screws securing the LCD screen to the display hinge. Remove four more screws from the other side of the screen.
Now you can remove and replace the LCD screen with a new LCD screen.
Static electricity can kill your laptop. I recommend wearing an anti-static wrist strap while working with internal parts of your laptop.
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June 30th, 2009 at 3:18 am
I changed my LP171WP5 lcd as above and now works fine but there are 3 blue vertical lines when i turn on the laptop.. what is the problem? what can i do??
June 30th, 2009 at 2:49 am
i replaced my acer 5100 screen as it was cracked and only half the screen works. the new screen is very dim and i can not change the contrast. i also replaced the invertor same problem still.
June 25th, 2009 at 3:29 am
Wonderful site. Thanks for hosting it!
Question: Dell Inspiron 1150. On third inverter card. First lasted 3.5 years. Screen went faint a year ago; got a new one, stuck it in – happiness. Screen started flickering about a month ago. Went faint again – ordered new inverter. Popped it in last night; immediate happiness — for exactly 54 minutes!!
Screen lights up for a second or two when you unseat the inverter and reseat it. Or rock the connector back and forth. Did that last year, too. And with the two I currently have now. But it won’t hold an image.
I had not moved the laptop at all on the latest repair. Did it at a table, and never moved it. Seems to be a connector problem but at the same time doesn’t seem to be, as it’s just a flash of happiness now after 54 minutes of it. Could it be the connector cable from the inverter to the screen (the larger one?)
June 24th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Unhomme,
Not a very clear description. Are you getting any video at all or not?
If there is no video at all, check the memory module. Could be bad memory. Try removing memory modules one by one and test the laptop with each memory module separately.
June 24th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Paul,
Why did you replace the screen? Was it broken or had no back light? Maybe the problem wasn’t related to the screen?
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:49 am
i replaced the scrren of my acer 5100 laptop it wrks on a another monitor but screen is vey dim just able to see the icon i got a new invertor say problem. I tried in increase the brightness still no change what do i need to do or did i miss something so simple while replacing the screen and invertor??
June 15th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
I have two problems that are in a way connected.
First, my user interface is gone completely in my Acer Aspire 5100 notebook. No keypad, no key board, no mouse, no touchpad. Everything is blank, even in bios.
Second, in order to have a look at the hardware possibilities I need to get to the motherboard, and all comes off well except a screw located just under the heat sink – cannot get to it unless I remove the copper heat sink attached to the CPU. I cannot get the heat sink off of the CPU – could it just be some sticky paste holding it and I am not pulling enough???
Does anybody have any input on either of these issues? Thanks.
June 12th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Hey I just wanted to put down one of my issues with my screen here and see if anyone knows anything about it. Anyways I have a Acer Aspire 5100 and my screen has a problem. On the very right side of the screen there is random colored bars that go up and down all the way right there for about 1/2 of a centimeter. And it stops after that. Then about 2.5 inches from the rights side of the screen their is one blue bar that goes up and down just like the other bars that are on the right side of the screen. There is only one there though. Sorry if I am not describing well enough. I can better I just don’t have much time to put this down right now. Please help.
June 8th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
I just held a light behind the screen to see if I could see anything when I turned the laptop on. All I saw was a bunch of lines flash and that was it. What does this mean? Thanks
June 8th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Yes, the old screen did light up….up untill the end when it got too cracked…the crack kinda spidered. And I looked at the connections and it doesnt look as though any pins are bent.
June 8th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Shannon,
Did the cracked screen light up before the repair?
If for some reason you removed memory modules while replacing the screen make sure they are seated correctly.
Also, take a look inside the video cable connector on the motherboard. I hope you didn’t bent pins inside the connector.
June 8th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
I have an Acer 3690 laptop and just replaced the lcd screen according to your instructions. But, when I turn on the laptop i hear the fan, but nothing comes up on the screen. Also, I dont hear any noise, like windows loading up. The only reason I replaced the screen is cause the other one was cracked. I have even tried to hook up an external monitor and nothing, but that doesnt supprise me because even before I changed out the screen I had problems getting the laptop to come up on an external monitor. What can I do to fix this problem? Did I get a bad new lcd screen, or what? I am worried about that because I ordered it off of ebay. Thanks, Shannon
June 7th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
My acer 5050-5430 is switching on but the screen do not have a light when I place a flash light when I heard vista welcome, I can see images. How much would it costs for me to replace and have the lights fixed?(if it is the problem)
May 28th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Brett,
If your old screen lights up most likely your new screen is defective. Apparently it has a defective backligth lamp.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:40 am
I used this guide to replace my Acer Aspire 5580 screen. On boot, the screen is extremely dim. This problem has never occurred before for this laptop. I opened the case up again and wiggled all the connections and made sure they were firmly in place….while doing so, the screen ripped out two of the lower corner screw bores :S Anyways, I assume this is an inverter issue, but I’m not sure? I saw someone mention something about touching things with your fingers….doesn’t the inverter use very high voltage? How safe is it to wiggle live connections and pins?
I tested my old screen with the inverter and it lights up fine….does this mean that my new lcd screen that I bought has a bad back light?
May 18th, 2009 at 11:31 am
Realy strange. I have replaced broken LCD screen and new inverter. I found there another problem. Screen doesn’t light properly. LCD inverter making problems. When I turn on laptop screen doesn’t light up. I found solution, when I slightly touch on inverter connection (metal pins on the plug where going input inverter cable) screen light up and keeping lighting. When I switch off and disconnect power adapter and again connect, screen has again same problem. I have to still touch to the connector if I want to light up screen. I think it’s problem of cable, maybe it’s somewhere broken but I’m not sure and a little bit confused from that. I tried to move with cable, ones I had effect but no more. Had someone similar problem? Is it short circuit what making screen light up?
May 16th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Well, I spoke too soon. The inverter card seemed to have fix the problem temporarily. After a few more hours of use, the screen began flickering and went out.
Now I’m back to square one, if I wiggle the little sensor that turns the screen off when the lid is closed, the screen flickers a bit.
Should I replace the backlight lamp now? If so, where can I purchase it?
Thanks,
Justin
May 15th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Followup on Comments #95 and #96
I purchased an inverter from eBay for $8.99.
Shipped pretty quick for being overseas. Easy install, fixed my problem right away. Thanks for the help!
May 8th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
My laptop screen is very dim at times and recently started to shut down after I started it but the screen shows dim spots on the left side. Is my screen getting ready to go?
May 6th, 2009 at 4:57 am
I checked all connections and it works through VGA port…………I now notice that one of the screen brackets has broken at the right bottom……..would this be part of the problem?
May 6th, 2009 at 1:56 am
My laptop was spoiled by water from left side of USB port and other sockets, when the laptop was running but i closed the lid.
I tured it off immediately but started it again after a while. It couldn’t work, but the battery light on. I tried again one day later, as it booted, the battery light and AC light blinked (without AC connecting). Nothing appeared on the screen and the system stopped work. The laptop after the spill, worked 4-5 times with proper booting and stuff but shut off after 30-40 mins and now it dosent boot at all:( What can I do now? HELP! Thanks advance.
May 5th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
coliex,
It’s not easy. You’ll have to disassemble the LCD. Here’s how I was able to fix a laptop LCD screen with water damage.
You can permanently damage the LCD screen while cleaning it, so be ready to buy a new one if needed.
May 5th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
I have a15.4‘ LCD because of water damage. However I have water within the part that labeled LCD (between the frame and the background). Any ideas of how to get rid of that water? Thanks!
May 5th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Jason,
Check connections between the video cable and LCD screen. Will it work with an external monitor attached to the VGA port?
May 5th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Justin,
Sounds like you have either bad inverter or backligth lamp. Which one is failing? I don’t know. They both fail the same way.
If you have to guess, go with the inverter first.
Here’s how you can test the inverter using a known good backligth lamp.
You’ll have to replace the whole top cover assembly.
May 5th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Excellent guide! I have a 3100 model and it is exactly the same. Thank you very much for the detailed pictures!
I have an issue I am trying to resolve that is similar to many posts I have read here. My screen has been going on and off recently. Most of the time it stays off. But, if I wiggle then sensor that turns the screen off when the lid is closed I can see feint images of the screen and sometimes it even comes back on. This isn’t a permanent fix though.
I have taken the casing apart and wiggled all the screen cables around and made sure they were tight. After closing the case up and turning the laptop back on, it has been working fine (almost an hour so far).
My question is, if the screen goes black again, what part should I replace? Is it the inverter, or the backlight? I am a newbie when it comes to parts.
I have another small issue that I just want to ask to see if anyone knows an answer. The silver casing to the left of the mousepad where my left hand rests while typing has worn off. I have a big black circle there now, lol. Is it possible to replace that casing piece and does anyone know where I can buy one?
Thanks in advance,
Justin
May 5th, 2009 at 11:18 am
I am having issues replacing My Acer 5050 screen, I was able to fit a new screen which I bought according to the instructions but nothing shows up when I turn on the laptop….I then replaced the old half bled one and it doesnt work anymore now???
April 20th, 2009 at 12:08 am
Charlene,
Can you test the laptop with an external monitor. Will it do the same on the external screen or the problem appears only on the laptop screen?
Have you tried reinstalling the video driver?
I just noticed that you posted another comment:
If the flickering appears only on the laptop screen but not on the external monitor, your problem could be related to the screen or video cable. I’m not sure which one is failing, I have to see the flickering.
Here’s what I do in cases like that.
I disassemble the display panel so I can access the video cable. After that turn on the laptop and touch/move the video cable. If moving the cable affects video on the screen, most likely the problem is related to the cable.
April 19th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Do you have any more details to actually replacing only the backlight? I was thinking of ordering one on Ebay and would love some more details on how to replace it as they sell some with or without ends???
Thanks
April 18th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
More information: Sorry, the blue highlight does not show on the external monitor, but it continues to show intermittently the LCD screen.