M6600 Backlight Flicker

I have a Dell Precision M6600 that has been nothing but trouble. At first it would power off at random only while docked. I completely wiped the hard drive and reinstalled Windows, but the issue continued. Replacing the system board fixed that issue. Then the LCD screen backlight would flicker on and off randomly and rapidly. Updating the BIOS to latest (A07) and replacing the LCD panel did nothing to help. So the laptop was sent to the Dell Repair Depot. They replaced the LCD lid/cover and the keyboard (yes that's right). Of course this did not fix the issue. I asked for a system exchange and Dell agreed. I just received the replacement brand new laptop from Dell warranty.

This issue was reproducable outside of Windows. It was even visible while running the bootable Dell diagnostic, but would not generate an error code. It occured far more frequently on battery power then on AC power. But there were times where it could go hours without a flicker. I thought it could also be an ambient light sensor, but I cannot find any info that says the M6600 has one of those.

Has anyone else had issues with the screen or backlight flickering?

 

I just started experiancing the same issue. Ive had the M6600 for 2 weeks and i just started noticing it today. i noticed that if you increase the backlight intensity the flicker starts to become less of an issue. The keyboard seems to respond slowly noticed mostly when holding donw the delete key. Volume and screen intensity adjustment seem painfully slow at times as well.

what was your replacement process. Did you need to send it away or did the send the replacement first?

 

Also the two finger scroll using the touchpad sucks.

I will try a bios update and report back.

 

I dispatched the replacement parts myself through DOSD (I'm Dell certified). But I initiated the system exchange through a tech support chat session from support.dell.com. The new system was sent to me while I still had the old system. I shipped the old system out about a week after receiving the new one.

I agree. I've turned off all the touchpad gestures.

 

Called dell tech support yesterday. They recommended the replacement of the display and the CPU. I'm not sure how the CPU affects this. I dont think that the CPU would have an instruction set to manage LED intensity but im not an M6600 engineer. I got a call today and it looks like they will be out to do the repair today. Stay Tuned...

 

I take it neither of you have read the owners thread. If you have an LG panel it will flicker on lower brightness settings. They claim it is fixed with a revision A01 LG panel, but the real fix seems to be replacing the LG with an AUO panel which doesn't exhibit these same symptoms.

 

The Dell tech arrived on friday and replaced the CPU and Display. The CPU did nothing to improve the issue. Replacing the Display seem to fix the problem. I dont know what display was on the maching when I received it. Here are the details for the new display.

Monitor Name: LG Philips LP173WF1
Monitor Name (Manuf): 173WF1 [DELL P/N: VCV1F]
Serial Number: Unknown
Date Of Manufacture: Week: 0, Year: 2010
Monitor Hardware ID: Monitor\LGD02DA

And a note to Dell: Your tech was i bit loose and fast. When working on the laptop he seem to take little care in handling the laptop. When he removed the DVD casually let it fall from his handes to the desk. I had to recommend the use of the ESD strap. He said he uses it sometimes. He had an extra screw, i said you better find where it belongs. The trim covering the speakers is now wavy. There were other concerns. I have pics and some video from my phone.

The best one was when he went to put the heat sink back on the new CPU. He put the heat sink right on the CPU's shiny polished thermal pad. I ask if he intended to put some kind of thermal transfer silicone or simillar. His responce: "Dell didn't send me any". I think i asked him is he was kidding. He was serious. I nearly fell out of my chair. I really did laugh. Not because dell didn't send any, but because this guy totally intended to reassemble the unit without any heat transfer agant. I ask him to take it apart.
Ultimatly he dug through his bag and found some he said he uses on desktop PC's. And just prior to putting the heat sink back i had to ask that he clean the old compound from the underside of the sink. This is so fundemental and was astonished that he would even consider installing it without something to aid in the heat exchange.

 

Oh yes. Go read my story in the owners thread of a dell authorized tech scratching up our M6600 when replacing the screen. He used the upper palm rest and keyboard as a work bench.

The M6600 owner's thread has plenty of posts on the flickering issue. We have had two of the flickering M6600, both had the LG panels, and both did it at the lowest 3 backlight settings. The flickering was like an electric short, easily visible. I have not seen any flickering with the AUO panel. The dell lab in austin has our new (Jan 2012) M6600 with LG panel and it flickers. The engineer had LG reps come in, and they took it back to Korea to investigate it.

Dell replaced it for us with a M6600 with the AUO panel. No more flickering.

 

Last friday the laptop started acting up again. It was somewhat unrelated to the previous error however i thought I would update this thread.

The new display was starting to turn off and on. After a while it was off more than off. 3 second on 8 seconds off. So dell came out again to replace hte display, and mobo, and GPU. all seems to be working now. Thsi is the new monitor is: Monitor Name: LG Philips LP173WF1

 

It's on it's way out.. my Bosses did the same thing... then the next day it just never came on. same Laptop same time frame.