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The following tutorial explains how you can replace the CCFL backlight bulb in a laptop LCD screen. As an example the author takes apart a HP Pavilion zt1000 laptop.
Listed below is a typical laptop disassembly. This is most likely not the exact model you will be servicing, however it is indicative of what you will find in most models. They are all relatively the same and we hope this tutorial will give you a basic idea on the scope of backlight replacement.
Step-by-step CCFL backlight replacement tutorial. Are you looking for a new CCFL bulb? You can find it here.
The disassembly and LCD screen removal steps will be the same for many different laptop models.
Before you attempt replacing the CCFL bulb, I would recommend testing your laptop with another working inverter board. It’s possible that your laptop backlight is not working because of failed inverter board.
UPDATE: Here’s another backlight lamp replacement guide that could be useful for all DIY-ers.
December 26th, 2008 at 1:11 am
first off merry christmas Laptop Tech
acer aspire 5610 screen just not as bright any more no flickering ,think it might be back light ,do they go dim or just black .
thanks
bob
December 14th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Asher,
Sounds like a problem with the LCD screen.
No, it’s not. Your problem is not related to the CCFL backlight lamp.
When backlight lamp goes bad, your screen goes dark.
From your description I assume that there is a problem with the LCD controller board. It means you’ll have to replace the whole LCD screen.
December 13th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
I have a very strange symptoms on my Toshiba Qosmio G25 laptop. It all started about 2 weeks ago. A vertical bar of flickering appeared in the middle of the LCD. First it was just flashing lines for a minute or so, and then everything went fine. Then the flickering on startup was much longer, and even after that a vertical bar of “haziness” at the same place was staying. Then it became more and more severe, a color vertical stripes persisted appearing on the same spot, distorting the image. In a week the width of that bar doubled, and in doesn’t clear anymore, in changes colors, shades, sometimes it turns into lines, sometimes it becomes semi-transparent and blurry, but most of the time it’s the dead area with some color distortions. The external monitor works 100% Ok. Is it safe to assume that the problem is *ONLY* CCFL backlight bulb or I should replace the whole LCD? I took some pics of the damage, but I don’t know where to post them.
November 8th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
how much does a light bulb cost
November 1st, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Where can you buy a bulb for an LCD display? i have a Toshiba x205 and the bulb busted after a hard fall… any good places you know of?
October 27th, 2008 at 11:08 am
I have an acer aspire 5610 15.4 in. screen. The screen briefly goes on at startup but only half the screen is lit. After that the screen is functioning, but totally dark. If I hold and release the button that tells the laptop it is closed, I can repeat the startup behavior. I am assuming its an inverter issue, but the fact that I can make the screen partially light up for a moment or two makes me doubt this a little. It works fine with external monitor. Do you have any ideas?
September 12th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Thai,
The inverter board is a power supply for the backlight lamp. When inverter board goes bad the backlight stops working but you still should see a very faint image on the screen. The external video should work fine.
In most cases you’ll find the inverter board attached below the LCD screen when you remove the display bezel.
How much would it cost? It depends on the laptop model and where you buy it. I would say somewhere between $20 and $60.
Check out the “Screen Inverter” category, you’ll find inverter replacement instructions for some HP/Compaq models in there.
September 12th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
what exactly is an inverter board? and how much would you estimate the cost to be in order to fix it?
September 12th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Thai,
Could be bad inverter board or bad CCFL (backlight) lamp inside the screen.
All backlight lamps are pretty standard but make sure to get the right size.
You will not find them in retail stores but you can purchase a new backlight lamp on ebay, you’ll find a link where to buy a new lamp in the post.
You can contact the seller and ask him witch lamp is compatible with your screen.
September 12th, 2008 at 9:15 am
I have a compaq presario whos backlight died on me a few days ago. So would the CCFL be compatible with my laptop if I were to purchase one and replace the backlight bulb myself? and are these bulbs sold in electronic stores such as best buy, circuit city, ect.?