Lenovo screen replacement

My Lenovo 3000 N100 (Model 0768-A52) laptop sustained a fall from table height and landed on its edge with no protection but a canvas bag. Now the screen has light green and brick-red pixels sprinkled everywhere.

1) Is there any way to fix this short of a new LCD panel? Assuming that the answer to this is “Of course not, you idiot!” I have some more questions:

2) As near as I can tell from Lenovo documentation, my screen seems to be a 15.4-in. WSXGA+ Glare panel (Part #13N7150 or #13N7152). (This is the only one I can find that includes the model number suffix “A5x”) This seems to be a top-of-the-line panel, usually selling for $400US, and my PC is a low end $600 model. Is there any way I can find out what screen my laptop actually has? I was very pleased with it, and, if it’s the lower priced WXGA screen, that would be fine with me.

3) I'm confused about this because the WSXGA+ has 1680X1050 resolution, and my screen will only go up to 1280X800. Do laptops ever not allow the maximum resolution of their display?

4) Lenovo lists the manufacturers of the replacement screens as LPL and CMO. Any ideas about which would be better?

5) Does anybody have any tips about buying and installing a replacement? (I’ve found the WSXGA online for as little as $195 + $15 S&H, and I would pay that much, since I’ve invested in software, RAM, etc.) Lenovo says it has to be done by a certified technician, but the procedure in their manual seems pretty straight-forward, and I would be willing to try it. Any tips, help, advice, etc, will be greatly appreciated, even if you chew me out about letting it fall

Thanks for your patience.

Doug

P.S. I started to post this in the Lenovo forum, but there didn’t seem to be much hardware discussion there—it’s fine with me to move it if necessary.

 

1) Doubt it.

2) You can open up your Device Manager, go to Monitors, select Plug and Play Monitor properties, hit the Details tab and choose hardware ids.

3) WSXGA+ has 1680 x 1050. You said yourself you have a budget model, so you probably have WXGA, which only goes up to 1280 x 800.

4) I think the general consensus is that LPL is the better screen.

5) Technician stuff is crap. They just don't want you complaining when you screw things up, so if you can take care of it yourself, go ahead (Just don't complain to them if you screw it up XD).

I'd usually purchase from ebay; I'd usually purchase something with some sort of short warranty, just to ensure that it doesn't come DoA. Usually most parts from ebay work fine if they survive shipping.

You can definitely use a higher resolution screen if the laptop had options for such a part.

 

Your screen is not a WSXGA, you have a WXGA screen.WXGA is 1280 x 800 resolution.
Also, a replacement screen is not going to cost $400.

Here is a link to the screen you would want to purchase:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-IBM-LENOVO-3000-N100-15-4-WXGA-GLOSSY-LCD-SCREEN-A_W0QQitemZ310032001066QQcmdZViewItem

If you want to find the exact specifications of your screen, simply remove the plastic cover which encase the screen. Then remove the back cover, and you will be able to see the back of the lcd panel. You will see a sticker on the back of the lcd which tells you the manufatcurer, part number, serial number and so forth.
However, your system is not very old, so it could be still under warranty.
If your laptop is under warranty, I would contact lenovo for a screen replacement. This way you can replace your screen for much less than if you bought a new one and replaced it yourself.

K-TRON

 

Thanks very much Commander Wolf and K-TRON !!
I can't believe I got such thorough and informative responses so quick !!
This is a GREAT forum.
I'm beginning to feel better already
I'll keep checking back for any other information and let you know how this works out.

This laptop went out of warranty about two months ago. They don't seem to list the WXGA in their parts information for this model, but I feel sure it's the right one and that I can confirm it using the information you've provided me.

Thanks again,

Doug

 

When I opened this laptop up this morning, it had miraculously fixed itself. While I was standing there muttering expletives (Holy moly macaroli, etc), it reverted back to its unfixed mode: thousands of green and red pixels where they shouldn't be, looking especially crappy on the aeroglass opening screen.

I started applying tension to the screen frame and it was fixed again. Gently bowing in the lid, in the middle, worked, but it soon reverted. Grasping the sides with thumbs at the upper corners and squeezing the outside of the lid with the fingers seems to have the longest lasting effect.

There wasn't really any discernible bending or distortion of the frame after the fall, but it had new, very minor light leaks at the ends of the screen and they're gone now. I think I've got the lid bowed in more than it was when new, and it's still not completely fixed. It's almost like some shim or spacer was knocked out of place by the impact, but there's none shone in the parts blowup.

I think I'll eventually get the right combination of bending to fix this without having to take the panel out, but if anybody thinks there are spacers or shims that could be out of place, please let me know!

Thanks again,

Doug

P.S. Now, I'm glad I put off taking the panel out and ordering a new one. This may be the first time that procrastination has saved me time and money

 

Wow, thats pretty cool. I would make some thin metal or plastic spacers and use hot glue or something to attach them. If you can get it fixed for free and maybe only spend 2 hours, that beats buying a new screen for like $250.

I hope you are able to find that sweet spot where it works.

K-TRON

 

It's been working fine all afternoon--it just freaks out a little when I open or close it, and a little pressure in the right places fixes it. I don't think I'll even need to remove the bezel, etc.

I appreciate your support.

Doug