Replacing a backlight in a laptop

[yoo992]

Not the screen, the backlight. It costs 20x more to replace the entire screen vs the backlight.

I can still see everything on the screen, but there is no light! If i look really closely at my screen, I can see that everything is still functional.

Thus, I figure it is my backlight. I know that switching it out is a very delicate process.

Any tips

 

[cboucher]

It may not be the backlight, but rather the inverter board that drives the backlight. Those are much easier to replace and probably cheaper, too.

 

[Legodude522]

I second that, it's the inverter. Much easier done. I've replaced some myself.

 

[foothead]

Check the inverter with a multimeter before you just replace it. I have seen the backlight itself go out before.

 

[Legodude522]

Check the inverter with a multimeter before you just replace it. I have seen the backlight itself go out before.

Last I checked, they are high voltage so be careful when doing so.

 

[sniperviper21]

yall should tell him where the inverter is....

 

[foothead]

Last I checked, they are high voltage so be careful when doing so.

This is why you are testing continuity, not voltage. You do this with everything powered off.

Sniperviper, its usually in the LCD lid, but I have seen it above the keyboard before, in the main part of the laptop. It's a little circuit with wires going into it and coming out.

 

[sniperviper21]

ya, but i mean, yall should havet told him where it could be instead of just saying to change the inverter

 

[Legodude522]

This is why you are testing continuity, not voltage. You do this with everything powered off.

I didn't get the memo.

I've got the blisters on my fingers to prove it.

 

[foothead]

I didn't get the memo.

I've got the blisters on my fingers to prove it.

?! You don't know how to test continuity?