1400 LCD panel swap - is it paricularly hard?

I have an issue where my replacement 1400 has an AUO screen while my original had an SEC... since the replacement does fix some of the problems of the original I am considering the panel swap.

Disregarding warranty and permission issues, how hard is it physically swap the panels? Is it just prying a few plastic pieces off and pulling a connector or is it a particularly difficult thing to do?

Bear in mind I am a Tech (Dell certified actually - but more importantly worked on many desktops for years - just the laptops I haven't clocked a lot of time on) so this is for someone who is reasonably save with electronics and tools... Basically is there anything more tricky about the 1400 screen than the majority of laptops out there or would it be pretty much average difficulty?

 

I was actually debating the same thing and contacted Dell about it and they were reluctant that I do it myself. Once I told I am an engineer and should be able to do it they sent me a basic procedure for LCD replacement on Vostro that I am attaching. So use it at your own risk. I decided to live with the screen for now as I was it seems to invlove quite a bit dis-assembly (key boards etc.)

If you do please let me know how hard it is as I at the moment decided to live with the screen I have (CMO) but am not too happy with it as it kind of feels un even and has some light bleed on the bottom. Which type of screen do you have? and is Samsung screen quite a bit better?
Btw, I have the standard screen.

 

I have an AUO WXGA TL screen... it's in a laptop that is replacing my other 1400 which has an SEC screen which has no graininess, however is not as bright...

It sucks because I get the feeling that no matter which one I go with I will have remorse (one brighter, one no grain).

Thanks for the PDF I will look at it...

 

You are a tech right but not a Dell technician, because if ever your a dell tech you can access their tools and you can see there a tool where in you can disassemble the lcd and the lcd panel.

 

I am a tech in that I have been taking apart PCs since I was litterally 7 (back in the PC jr days), it's my main line of work, it's also my main hobby as well as my main area of study, I can do anything to a desktop blindfolded and upside down...

Laptops are a bit foreign to me mainly due to their increased fragility.

Up until a month ago I was a Dell certified tech but my license expired, my employer is slacking in getting me renewed so my access to the site is off for right now.

BTW the Dell certs are a total joke - no offense to anyone who is one but yeah... total joke. Mostly they teach you how to operate things like screw drivers and levers on heatsinks, you don't have to know anything about how technology works to become a field tech. So watch out for the tech that comes to your house to replace parts, he is probably just following a diagram just like you would except maybe he has the benefit of having broken that exact piece before and knowing not to do it quite like that again.

 

Basing on the PDF file that iafzal3 attached its quite easy on the replacement of the LCD. It just have a few connections that you need to remove. I'm just wondering how he get hold of that pdf file because that is an Dell internal property and are not supposed to be given to others not unless your connected to Dell. This is for Dell Confidential - Internal Use only.

 

Well yeah your correct on that. There certs are not really that reliable because you are not really trained on how to do it in a lab where you can have a hands on, they are just diagrams that they master, well it still helps. I myself is also a Dell certified Tech from desktops to portables.

 

Yeah well that got leaked obviously

Anyhow it doesn't look hard at all except I seem to recall someone telling me that the antenna wires are very easy to break and that does make me nervous...

I originally thought you had to remove the actual panel from the casing to swap out but this does take that risk out of it.

I think I need to go check out a few stores with laptops then side by side my current options to really decide... the risk involved with swapping parts as well as the potential of ending up regretting my decision (grainy versus not as bright) are really eating at me.

 

Then I am sure you know what I mean by their tech certs... I mean the A+ was WAY harder than this stuff and that was a breeze...

Of course no offense intended either way.

 

I was sent this by Dell tech support to help me install the LCD myself as i was asking them instead of sending it in for 10 days for replacement. They did not mention it cannot be shared. Because of the antenna wires and possibility of damaging something else in the process I have decided to not change the screen for the moment. Maybe I will change my mind next week if Davender tells me it was walk in the park : )

 

lol, yeah its way easier compare to A+, before you can even open up 2 pages so that you can just view the training manual from the other page and go back to certification window so that you can check for the answers but now they are a little bit strict. We can no longer open 2 pages but we still have other resources where in we can check for the possible answers.

 

It was a walk in the park...

Now you do it and tell me if I was right

 

Hmmm I suppose I will have to go through that during my upcoming recert...

The part I actually found hardest about the tests were the questions where there were more than 1 right answer or it was just ambiguos... and that accounted for a good 30% of the questions.

I recall one asking something along the lines of (in a system that had only IDE devices), "Before removing the motherboard you should: a: remove the HD b: remove the CD ROM drive c Remove both the HD and CD ROM Drive D: Remove all IDE Devices E: Make sure you have completed the standard safety procedures.

I got that one wrong... I don't remember what the "right" answer was...

 

Joking aside if you do decided to do it then do post about your experience.
thx!

 

Hehehe.... yeah most of the question specially for desktops have those kind of questions and you need to select more than 1 answer and if ever you miss it then that will not be counted and we are only allowed to take the same cert for at least 3 times because if we failed 3 times then we cannot take that cert again forever. That cert will be greyed out from the list of certifications.

 

Guyz, you can check this forum, this is for training manuals from DCSE. http://www.notebookreview.com/google_ads.html?sz=160x600