What's wrong with my computer screen?

[Sylvestre]

Hey guys,

I just bought a new screen for my Dell Inspirion 6000 because the old one was cracked.  I installed the screen and then when I go turn it on, 1/5 of the screen is missing as shown in the picture below.  I bought it off Ebay (From America) and the man I spoke said he tested it and it was working perfectly fine when he sent it.  I have no idea why it is doing this, but when I put pressure on the right side where it is black, a small rectangular part of it changes colors and then the remaining part stays black.  Do you guys know why this is happening?

Edit/ NOTE: I used the photo booth application so the picture is flipped.

Thanks

Jason

[knossos]

From my personal experience with LCD monitor repairs, this is typically caused by damage to the LCD panel's PCB or an improperly seated/damaged cable.  Reseat the connector and look for any damage to the cable or PCB.

[Admin]

It's a common problem with LCDs for Dell.

There are two causes. The first is as knossos said, a unproperly seated LCD cable connector, or damaged connector.

The other cause is that the LCD is failing. It'll start with just a few vertical lines and slow get worse and worse. Dell usually takes the LCDs back and replaces them for free, even if you don't have a warranty - but only if you push them for it. Dell also ships 'refurbished' LCDs that have lines and other problems with them, which could be what you got. Or maybe just reseating the connector will resolve your issue . . .

[Sylvestre]

Thanks guys for the replies.  First I'll try reseating the connections.

There are two causes. The first is as knossos said, a unproperly seated LCD cable connector, or damaged connector.

A small part broke off on my 30 pin connector that I think is just for securing.  Could that make a difference?

Dell also ships 'refurbished' LCDs that have lines and other problems with them, which could be what you got. Or maybe just reseating the connector will resolve your issue . . .

I bought this from a Ebay seller who said he checked the screen before shipping and it was perfectly fine.

The other cause is that the LCD is failing. It'll start with just a few vertical lines and slow get worse and worse. Dell usually takes the LCDs back and replaces them for free, even if you don't have a warranty - but only if you push them for it.

I will try that if I am unable to solve the problem.

[knossos]

A small part broke off on my 30 pin connector that I think is just for securing.  Could that make a difference?

It very likely could, particularly if it is on the same side of the cable that the screen is having problems on.

I bought this from a EBay seller who said he checked the screen before shipping and it was perfectly fine.

We all know everything on EBay matches the stated condition exactly .

The other cause is that the LCD is failing. It'll start with just a few vertical lines and slow get worse and worse. Dell usually takes the LCDs back and replaces them for free, even if you don't have a warranty - but only if you push them for it.

A lot of times the LCDs failing like this is a heat related issue.  The specs on Dell LCDs usually have a max temp of around 100-110 deg F which they can easily reach in a 75-85 degree room under normal operating conditions.  In fact  at work I'm currently working on a heat mod for our monitors to reduce heat related issues and failure rates.

If the problem is a heat related issue, even if the LCD had been tested prior it was probably tested on the bench without a case allowing the heat to dissipate easier.

If the problem isn't as pronounced on power up and the bar worsens after warming up then I would definitely cite heat-related issues.

[Sylvestre]

It very likely could, particularly if it is on the same side of the cable that the screen is having problems on.

Even when I secure the connection with my hand it still has issues on the right side.

A lot of times the LCDs failing like this is a heat related issue.  The specs on Dell LCDs usually have a max temp of around 100-110 deg F which they can easily reach in a 75-85 degree room under normal operating conditions.  In fact  at work I'm currently working on a heat mod for our monitors to reduce heat related issues and failure rates.

If the problem is a heat related issue, even if the LCD had been tested prior it was probably tested on the bench without a case allowing the heat to dissipate easier.

If the problem isn't as pronounced on power up and the bar worsens after warming up then I would definitely cite heat-related issues.

I have tested the screen when it is outside the casing and it still has the same symptoms.


I think it may have to do with the circuit at the top of the screen because once when I put pressure on the right place part of the screen came back, but there was still a thick black line.

Also the thick black line has changed a few colors.

[Admin]

Although not very likely, the problem could also be your video card or LCD inverter. The only way to know for sure would be to try a different screen on the same laptop, or the same screen on a different laptop.

Also the thick black line has changed a few colors.

That's a very common symptom of the Dell vertical line problem. It'll start from light blue and shift it's way to dark red, then finally entirely dead pixels.

I think you got a bad LCD dude . . .

[Sylvestre]

Ok.  I messaged the seller telling him about my situation and asking him for a return.  He says it could be because I don't have the proper lcd cable and inverter (Admin you may be correct).  Could this be the issue?  Or is he just trying to convince me to buy another product from him.  Here's something he said in the message:

"No problem you may return it but i assure you it works fine. It just needs compatible inverter and lcd cable. The wuxga model is very rare and will not work with the more common lcd cable and inverter for wxga lcd. I mentioned that in the listing."

Everything properly fitted.  Also here is what it said in my owners manual

Type (active-matrix TFT) 15.4-inch WXGA, WSXGA+, and WUXGA

[Admin]

I don't know very much about LCD screens, but I would *guess* that if the cable was incompatible, it either wouldn't even connect or at least it wouldn't work . . . To have it 80% work seems odd.

when I put pressure on the right side where it is black, a small rectangular part of it changes colors and then the remaining part stays black.

That just doesn't sound like a problem from an incompatible cable . . .

I understand you installed a WUXGA LCD into the Dell 6000? What was the previous LCD type? Google has a lot of WUXGA Inspiron 6000 links:
https://encrypted.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=Dell+Inspirion+6000+wuxga

According to a Dell rep:

You should be able to switch those LCD screens around on the systems without a problem. The inverters are, from the best of my knowledge, built into any of the LCD screens.

[Sylvestre]

I don't know very much about LCD screens, but I would *guess* that if the cable was incompatible, it either wouldn't even connect or at least it wouldn't work . . . To have it 80% work seems odd.

Yeah I feel the same way.  I contacted the seller with the model number of my screen.  Hopefully, he'll honestly tell me if I need an inverter (I dont think that's the issue).  Otherwise, I can just return it to him.

Thanks

[knossos]

IMO it's not the inverter.  The inverter powers the LCD backlight(s) which extend the full width of the LCD.  If the inverter was not functioning correctly one or all of the backlights wouldn't light.  If none of the backlighting was working you would have no display at all and if only one of the backlights failed, the image would be dimmed, not out completely.  Also a search on Google shows that Dell WUXGA screens only have a single backlight.

[Sylvestre]

Ok I think I'm going to return it to him.  Thanks for the help guys.

[tyler555]

With my experience in repairing lcd a commonly over looked issue is damage to ribbon cables and the cord connecting the computer to the screen especially in laptops where wear is common in both of these, I would check the these even what appears to be a fold or wrinkle can wreak havoc within the cable