Fuse size in IBM ThinkPad T22 wallwart power supply

[Robert Macy]

The power supply that goes to the IBM ThinkPad T22 got wet!

arcing sounds, zsst! does not work now. Internally found a blown
pigtail fuse. plus, [and this does NOT bode well] blackened PCB areas
around AC mains traces.

The pigtail fuse does not appear to be simple physical caps going over
the 8AG type but solidly attached to the metal end caps. Plus, and
this ALWAYS happens, the value is UNDER the fuse body and is not
accessible. I'd like to simply put asimilarly rated fuse in parallel
to check if the problem is only the fuse, but don't know the amperage.

Anybody know the rating? The main unit is in the range of 16V 3.36A
so the fuse could be 1 to 2A, but the wire laying down inside looks
heavier. Maybe the fuse is in series with the output ? and is more
like 5 to 10A ??

Anybody have a manual, or URL to find out?

[Jamie]

Attach a 55 watt incandescent lamp across the open fuse and use that as
the test fuse.

And if you don't understand how that would work for you, you shouldn't
be doing none of this, at all.


Jamie

[Arfa Daily]

"Robert Macy" <robert...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:5e6496c4-6564-4753...@j20g2000vby.googlegroups.com...

It'll be a switcher. If it got wet, and the input fuse is blown, and the
board is blackened, it can probably be pretty much considered to be beyond
resurrection ...

I'd feel inclined to clean up the blackened bit as best you can, and then
hang a 1 amp fuse across the original. If that immediately blows, it's not
going to be worth wasting more time on.

Arfa

[Michael A. Terrell]

You can get new power supply on Ebay for $8.

<http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=IBM+ThinkPad+T22+power+supply&_sacat=See-All-Categories>


--
You can't have a sense of humor, if you have no sense.

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:34:12 -0700 (PDT), Robert Macy
<robert...@gmail.com> wrote:

>The power supply that goes to the IBM ThinkPad T22 got wet!

I don't think there's a fuse inside. Dry it out as best you can. Give
it about a week or two in a warm area. Then, try it again. Otherwise,
just buy another power supply on eBay.
<http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=thinkpad+t22+power+supply>
--
# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
# 831-336-2558
# http://802.11junk.com je...@cruzio.com
# http://www.LearnByDestroying.com AE6KS

[Robert Macy]

On Oct 31, 7:28 pm, "Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terr...@earthlink.net>
wrote:

> Robert Macy wrote:
>
> > The power supply that goes to the IBM ThinkPad T22 got wet!
>
> > arcing sounds, zsst! does not work now. Internally found a blown
> > pigtail fuse.  plus, [and this does NOT bode well] blackened PCB areas
> > around AC mains traces.
>
> > The pigtail fuse does not appear to be simple physical caps going over
> > the 8AG type but solidly attached to the metal end caps.  Plus, and
> > this ALWAYS happens, the value is UNDER the fuse body and is not
> > accessible.  I'd like to simply put asimilarly rated fuse in parallel
> > to check if the problem is only the fuse, but don't know the amperage.
>
> > Anybody know the rating?    The main unit is in the range of 16V 3.36A
> > so the fuse could be 1 to 2A, but the wire laying down inside looks
> > heavier.  Maybe the fuse is in series with the output ? and is more
> > like 5 to 10A ??
>
> > Anybody have a manual, or URL to find out?
>
>    You can get new power supply on Ebay for $8.
>

> <http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nk...>

>
> --
> You can't have a sense of humor, if you have no sense.

thank you for the URL. Any experience with any of these suppliers?

[Robert Macy]

On Oct 31, 8:19 pm, Jeff Liebermann <je...@cruzio.com> wrote:
> On Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:34:12 -0700 (PDT), Robert Macy
>

> <robert.a.m...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >The power supply that goes to the IBM ThinkPad T22 got wet!
>
> I don't think there's a fuse inside.  Dry it out as best you can. Give
> it about a week or two in a warm area.  Then, try it again. Otherwise,
> just buy another power supply on eBay.
> <http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=thinkpad+t22+power+supply>
> --
> # Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
> # 831-336-2558
> #http://802.11junk.com              je...@cruzio.com
> #http://www.LearnByDestroying.com              AE6KS

thank you for the URL, I'm not familiar with using eBay, especially
since I avoid eBay like the plague.

but this time, ....any experiences with any of these suppliers?

Yes, there is a pigtail fuse inside. just can't read the value on the
UNDERSIDE!

Don't even want to start taking it apart if the rest is dead.

[Robert Macy]

On Oct 31, 6:41 pm, Jamie

Forgot about using a lamp as a fuse replacement to limit the current.
Or heater for higher current

Didn't know they made 55W bulbs, found 60W and 40W and one that
switches 50-100-150, but no 55W

Hmmm....that's about 260 ohm HOT, when cold more like 26 ohms. so the
current will go somewhere between 5A down to 0.5A

still safer than putting in a 'penny'

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Tue, 1 Nov 2011 07:59:26 -0700 (PDT), Robert Macy
<robert...@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Oct 31, 8:19�pm, Jeff Liebermann <je...@cruzio.com> wrote:

>> <http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=thinkpad+t22+power+supply>

>thank you for the URL, I'm not familiar with using eBay, especially
>since I avoid eBay like the plague.
>but this time, ....any experiences with any of these suppliers?

I resell about 10 assorted laptop style power supplies per month. They
don't come from any specific vendor on eBay. In general, the quality
is identical to what you get from the OEM manufacturer. That's because
they are the same power supplies used by OEM. There may be
differences in labeling and inspection, but that's about all. I've had
no failures or quality problems that I can recall, but I have had some
overheating problems with "universal" supplies, that come with a
variety of tips to fit any laptop. In this case, the T22 power supply
uses the same voltage and tip as many HP and Compaq laptops, resulting
in huge production quantities, and very low prices. If you plan to
continue immersing your power supplies, I suggest purchasing a few
spares. Also, I suggest you get over your phobia of buying on eBay.
For what it's worth, I get better service from most of the small eBay
vendors, than I get from the major online vendors. If eBay and/or
Paypal have somehow offended you, try Amazon:
<http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dcomputers&field-keywords=laptop+t22+power+supply>

>Yes, there is a pigtail fuse inside. just can't read the value on the
>UNDERSIDE!

Then guess. Read the nameplate for the maximum 117VAC current.
Multiply that by 2 and you have the fuse rating. You could also
visually compare the visible fuse wire diameter with those from your
fuse collection. My power supply says 1.5A maximum at 117VAC. So, a
2A or 3A sounds about right.

>Don't even want to start taking it apart if the rest is dead.

If you're going to try and fix it, first dry it out thoroughly. That
doesn't mean blow some compressed air around the insides. It means
let it sit for days in a warm place to be sure everything has
evaporated. If the immersion was in potentially corrosive liquid, a
clean water wash will be needed. I've fixed several computers, that
were were partly immersed in a tub of rusty water for about a month,
by simply washing the guts, and letting them dry thoroughly. After a
blow dry, they wouldn't run. After a month to let everything
evaporate, all three recovered nicely.

If you plan to probe the insides, make sure you use a 117v isolation
transformer. Both ends of the 300v switching section are floating
above ground. If you don't know how to deal with such voltages and
careful grounding, then don't try to fix it. The life you save may be
your own.

However, for a $10 replacement cost, I wouldn't bother trying to fix
it.

--
Jeff Liebermann je...@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

[Michael A. Terrell]

Robert Macy wrote:
>
> On Oct 31, 7:28 pm, "Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terr...@earthlink.net>
> wrote:
> > Robert Macy wrote:
> >
> > > The power supply that goes to the IBM ThinkPad T22 got wet!
> >
> > > arcing sounds, zsst! does not work now. Internally found a blown
> > > pigtail fuse. plus, [and this does NOT bode well] blackened PCB areas
> > > around AC mains traces.
> >
> > > The pigtail fuse does not appear to be simple physical caps going over
> > > the 8AG type but solidly attached to the metal end caps. Plus, and
> > > this ALWAYS happens, the value is UNDER the fuse body and is not
> > > accessible. I'd like to simply put asimilarly rated fuse in parallel
> > > to check if the problem is only the fuse, but don't know the amperage.
> >
> > > Anybody know the rating? The main unit is in the range of 16V 3.36A
> > > so the fuse could be 1 to 2A, but the wire laying down inside looks
> > > heavier. Maybe the fuse is in series with the output ? and is more
> > > like 5 to 10A ??
> >
> > > Anybody have a manual, or URL to find out?
> >
> > You can get new power supply on Ebay for $8.
> >
> > <http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nk...>
>

> thank you for the URL. Any experience with any of these suppliers?

I've bought about a dozen laptop power supplies on Ebay, but can't
remember the vendors names. They work well on the computers I bought
them for.

[Robert Macy]

On Nov 1, 8:52 am, Jeff Liebermann <je...@cruzio.com> wrote:
> On Tue, 1 Nov 2011 07:59:26 -0700 (PDT), Robert Macy
>

> <robert.a.m...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >On Oct 31, 8:19 pm, Jeff Liebermann <je...@cruzio.com> wrote:
> >> <http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=thinkpad+t22+power+supply>
> >thank you for the URL, I'm not familiar with using eBay, especially
> >since I avoid eBay like the plague.
> >but this time, ....any experiences with any of these suppliers?
>
> I resell about 10 assorted laptop style power supplies per month. They
> don't come from any specific vendor on eBay.  In general, the quality
> is identical to what you get from the OEM manufacturer. That's because
> they are the same power supplies used by OEM.  There may be
> differences in labeling and inspection, but that's about all. I've had
> no failures or quality problems that I can recall, but I have had some
> overheating problems with "universal" supplies, that come with a
> variety of tips to fit any laptop.  In this case, the T22 power supply
> uses the same voltage and tip as many HP and Compaq laptops, resulting
> in huge production quantities, and very low prices.  If you plan to
> continue immersing your power supplies, I suggest purchasing a few
> spares.  Also, I suggest you get over your phobia of buying on eBay.
> For what it's worth, I get better service from most of the small eBay
> vendors, than I get from the major online vendors.  If eBay and/or
> Paypal have somehow offended you, try Amazon:

> <http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dcomputers&f...>

> Santa Cruz CA 95060http://802.11junk.com
> Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

Jeff,

You're talking to a guy that spent 3 hours to fix an $8 hair dryer!

Any chance there's a schematic loating around?

PS: I did go buy it on eBay, we'll see how well that works out.

[Robert Macy]

On Oct 31, 7:28 pm, "Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terr...@earthlink.net>
wrote:

> Robert Macy wrote:
>
> > The power supply that goes to the IBM ThinkPad T22 got wet!
>
> > arcing sounds, zsst! does not work now. Internally found a blown
> > pigtail fuse.  plus, [and this does NOT bode well] blackened PCB areas
> > around AC mains traces.
>
> > The pigtail fuse does not appear to be simple physical caps going over
> > the 8AG type but solidly attached to the metal end caps.  Plus, and
> > this ALWAYS happens, the value is UNDER the fuse body and is not
> > accessible.  I'd like to simply put asimilarly rated fuse in parallel
> > to check if the problem is only the fuse, but don't know the amperage.
>
> > Anybody know the rating?    The main unit is in the range of 16V 3.36A
> > so the fuse could be 1 to 2A, but the wire laying down inside looks
> > heavier.  Maybe the fuse is in series with the output ? and is more
> > like 5 to 10A ??
>
> > Anybody have a manual, or URL to find out?
>
>    You can get new power supply on Ebay for $8.
>

> <http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nk...>

>
> --
> You can't have a sense of humor, if you have no sense.

Thank you, that's the FIRST time I've bought on eBay.

Cost 8.95 total cost, very prompt arrival with their expenditure for
shipping 3.28 !! labeled made in China, does NOT have the AC plugged
in LED, but at these prices, I can live without it.

Seems to work, the laptop display is still defunct.

[Robert Macy]

On Nov 1, 8:52 am, Jeff Liebermann <je...@cruzio.com> wrote:

> On Tue, 1 Nov 2011 07:59:26 -0700 (PDT), Robert Macy
>

> <robert.a.m...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >On Oct 31, 8:19 pm, Jeff Liebermann <je...@cruzio.com> wrote:
> >> <http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=thinkpad+t22+power+supply>
> >thank you for the URL, I'm not familiar with using eBay, especially
> >since I avoid eBay like the plague.
> >but this time, ....any experiences with any of these suppliers?
>
> I resell about 10 assorted laptop style power supplies per month. They
> don't come from any specific vendor on eBay.  In general, the quality
> is identical to what you get from the OEM manufacturer. That's because
> they are the same power supplies used by OEM.  There may be
> differences in labeling and inspection, but that's about all. I've had
> no failures or quality problems that I can recall, but I have had some
> overheating problems with "universal" supplies, that come with a
> variety of tips to fit any laptop.  In this case, the T22 power supply
> uses the same voltage and tip as many HP and Compaq laptops, resulting
> in huge production quantities, and very low prices.  If you plan to
> continue immersing your power supplies, I suggest purchasing a few
> spares.  Also, I suggest you get over your phobia of buying on eBay.
> For what it's worth, I get better service from most of the small eBay
> vendors, than I get from the major online vendors.  If eBay and/or
> Paypal have somehow offended you, try Amazon:

> <http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dcomputers&f...>

> Santa Cruz CA 95060http://802.11junk.com
> Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

Bought one of those SMPS on eBay, first time to use eBay. total cost
8.95, arrived fast and they paid 3.28 to ship! labeled China, has no
LED plug in indicator, but that's ok.

The laptop boots up, beeps because the date is set to 1981 [can't see
the screen, backlight is OUT, just know the significance of the beep]
Conclusion SMPS works, laptop basically works. just no screen!

So following the T22 manual dissassembled down to the LCD screen,
could not see anything that looked like liquid and dried salts, so
don't know what's still wrong. Flushed with distilled water anywy and
will let dry. Will see later if that brings it back.

Is the 'inverter card' the ps for the backlight? is it touchy and
blows easily?

If I can find a way to remove the cap covers over the screws without
destroying the cap covers, I'll take out the invreter board and look
at it to see if any obvious damage. Or ohm out the terminals on the
main switching transistor to see if it got toasted. Any ideas?

[Baron]

Robert Macy Inscribed thus:

Plug an external monitor into the machine. See if you have video output.

--
Best Regards:
Baron.

[mike]

Flushed WHAT with distilled water?

Does the display work on an external monitor?
Make sure you don't have the display turned off.
Make sure the cmos battery is good and that you've
reset the BIOS defaults. With dumpster laptops of unknown
provenance, I've seen BIOS parameter corruption cause all
manner of weird symptoms.
Had one laptop that refused to do anything until I unsoldered
the cmos battery then put it back.

>
> Is the 'inverter card' the ps for the backlight? is it touchy and
> blows easily?

Not unless you flush the high voltage transformer with water.
But the inverter and lamp are the weakest links.

>
> If I can find a way to remove the cap covers over the screws without
> destroying the cap covers, I'll take out the invreter board and look
> at it to see if any obvious damage. Or ohm out the terminals on the
> main switching transistor to see if it got toasted. Any ideas?

Depending on the inverter topology, you may not be able to ohm out the
transistors. You'd be looking at the transformer.

It takes a lot of volts to strike a fluorescent backlight. I the lamp
cracks, it doesn't strike and limit the voltage. Increased voltage
can arc the HV transformer or spike the fets. Even if the engineer
were conscientious and protected against that, the bean counters
might have been more concerned with saving two cents than limiting a
secondary failure mode.
End result is that a new inverter might fail if the lamp is bad.
Testing the lamp first is safest, but there's no easy way to do that
with tools in your toolbox. Substituting another lamp works, but
there are connector compatibility issues.
Risk is gonna vary considerably by vendor and specific design.

As an aside...at a garage sale, I found a device that emits RF
used to test fluorescent lamps. I thought this would solve the lamp
testing problem. Tested it on a lamp removed from a display and
it worked great.
After thinking about it, I got very concerned about
the RF blowing up the column drivers while I was testing
a lamp still inside the LCD assembly, so never tried it.

Check the DC into the inverter first.
I've seen pinched display cables.
Also had one laptop that had a display power fuse on the motherboard
near the graphics chip. Looked like a SMT cap. Took me a while to
realize it was a fuse.

The inverter puts out high voltage. There might be enough charge
left on the capacitance of the lamp and the series capacitor to make
a wet spot on your chair. The voltage probably won't hurt you, but
the stuff you bang into or trip over while trying to get away might.
40 years ago, I scratched a cornea on an antenna wire I flipped up
while flying out the back of a TV set. ;-)

[Arfa Daily]

"Robert Macy" <robert...@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:e272b350-4346-486d...@p9g2000vbb.googlegroups.com...

I buy from eBay all the time. I often find that components that I can't
source from my regular mainstream suppliers, are readily available from eBay
shops. Sometimes, you wait a few days when the 'shop' is in China or
Singapore or wherever, but it's worth living with that to be able to get the
bits. I can honestly say that I've never had a problem with any item that
I've bought. A couple of weeks back, my HP printer was showing that the
yellow ink had run out - again - and was refusing to print in colour as a
result. The cartridges are about 7 UKP a pop, and there are six of the
buggers. The 'high capacity' black, which still contains pitifully little
ink, is even more expensive. A few months back, I needed a couple of
colours, and the local store had run out of them both, so I did what I have
never dared do before, and bought a couple of no-brand compatibles from a
printer ink shop in the town. They weren't actually very much cheaper than
the real thing, but I have to say that they did work ok.

So when the yellow ran out again last week, I decided to have a look on
eBay. I found a UK shop located up in the northeast, selling a kit of 12 -
yes that's twelve! - cartridges, for 7.99 UKP total (!!) with free postage
!! I had to read it several times. Not only is this two complete sets, the
colour ones are 18 ml content, and the black is a 45 ml. The blurb says that
they are guaranteed for 12 months, and are fitted with the 'high capacity'
identifier chip.

I ordered them at 2am. By 8am, they were showing as 'shipped', and they
arrived in the post first thing the next morning. Each cartridge is
individually vacuum wrapped. For sure, there is a lot of Chinese writing on
the packets, so I guess that's where they come from, but hey, who cares ?
Not me, that's for sure. Anyway, I put the yellow in, and the machine
accepted it without question, and has indeed registered it correctly as a
high capacity cartridge. So far, it has performed faultlessly. The dark
magenta started to issue warnings that it was getting low today, so I guess
that will be the next one to go in.

I think that as long as you are sensible with eBay dealings, and take note
of the feedback that's been given to a seller by his customers, there's no
need to fear using it, at all.

Arfa

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:45:42 -0800 (PST), Robert Macy
<robert...@gmail.com> wrote:

>The laptop boots up, beeps because the date is set to 1981 [can't see
>the screen, backlight is OUT, just know the significance of the beep]
>Conclusion SMPS works, laptop basically works. just no screen!

Plug in an external monitor into the "VGA" connector.

>So following the T22 manual dissassembled down to the LCD screen,
>could not see anything that looked like liquid and dried salts, so
>don't know what's still wrong. Flushed with distilled water anywy and
>will let dry. Will see later if that brings it back.

Sigh. When the laptop recovers from the baptism, turn it on, and
shine a flashlight on the screen. Can you see the image of whatever
it's booting? You may need to move the flashlight around to see the
image. If it's visible, it's probably the inverter. However, if it
comes on with an orange glow, it's the CCFL lamps in the LCD panel.

>Is the 'inverter card' the ps for the backlight?

Yep. Google for "Thinkpad T22 LCD Inverter".
<www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=thinkpad+t22+lcd+inverter>
About $6.00

>is it touchy and blows easily?

Yep. If you short it out with salt water and it can blow up. High
voltage does funny things to sensitive electronics.

>If I can find a way to remove the cap covers over the screws without
>destroying the cap covers,

The screw covers are made from sheet plastic and held in with rubber
cement. Pound a very small flat screwdriver between the screw cover
and the plastic frame, and pry upward.

>I'll take out the invreter board and look
>at it to see if any obvious damage. Or ohm out the terminals on the
>main switching transistor to see if it got toasted. Any ideas?

Find an AC voltmeter and measure the output voltage. For laptops, my
guess(tm) is about 500-800 VAC. Please remember that you have but one
life to give for your laptop.

Incidentally, the fan is often a problem on such Thinkpad laptops.

--
Jeff Liebermann je...@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com

Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

[Robert Macy]

On Nov 17, 10:55 pm, Jeff Liebermann <je...@cruzio.com> wrote:
> On Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:45:42 -0800 (PST), Robert Macy
>

> Santa Cruz CA 95060http://802.11junk.com
> Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

Jeff,

Thank you for the URL to eBay. The inverter PCB was identically
labeled to the one I removed and only cost $5, however, upon re-
assembly the screen is still dark.


Where it stands now:

The Laptop when connected to an external monitor, a C500 Multisync,
came right up recognized the new monitor put in drivers and was
displaying normally. Conclusion, the HD, the CPU works! so all is not
lost.

The USB port did NOT work for a very long time but multiple insertions
seem to have awakened that port. Hmmmm, wonder if it is still
'corroded' connectors to the buillt in display.

Anyway, I tried a flashlight near the LCD screen and could see
nothing, no changings, like I expected something to be viewable.
Maybe stronger light?. not sure the screen is being updated at all.


Culmination, so far is my first two experiences with eBay have been
excellent. Prompt shipment, with tracking numbers, sadly, USPS
screwed up badly and I did not receive the $5 Inverter PCB for almost
a month! Plus, the shipping company had to resend at their expense!
just not right.

Any suggestions for the next step?

[Winston]

Robert Macy wrote:

(...)

> Any suggestions for the next step?

How far did you get with:
*Also see p. 54 for LCD troubleshooting tips.*
http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles_pdf/62p9631.pdf

?

--Winston

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:28:06 -0800 (PST), Robert Macy
<robert...@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Nov 17, 10:55 pm, Jeff Liebermann <je...@cruzio.com> wrote:

>> Find an AC voltmeter and measure the output voltage.  For laptops, my
>> guess(tm) is about 500-800 VAC.  Please remember that you have but one
>> life to give for your laptop.

>Thank you for the URL to eBay. The inverter PCB was identically
>labeled to the one I removed and only cost $5, however, upon re-
>assembly the screen is still dark.

Measure the inverter output voltage as above.

Make sure you don't have the keyboard video switch set for
external monitor only. On the T22 it's Fn-F7. Hold down
the Fn button, and tap the F7 button *ONCE*. Anything on
the screen? If not, tap the F7 button again.

Check the CMOS setup and make sure that the default display
is the internal LCD display, and not the external.

I've received blown LCD inverters in the past. That's why I
always buy two inverters. That's the risks of buying used
parts extracted from allegedly working units.

Remove the keyboard and look for the video connector. It's
a big fat cable coming from the left hinge and ending up on
the motherboard. Make sure the connector is properly seated.

Check the backlighting display settings in the Thinkpad
hardware manager application (I forgot what it's called).
On some versions, it's possible to set the display brightness
(also known as backlighting) to zero.

I have spare displays, but I don't think that's an option for
you to try.

>Anyway, I tried a flashlight near the LCD screen and could see
>nothing, no changings, like I expected something to be viewable.
>Maybe stronger light?. not sure the screen is being updated at all.

It's difficult to see. Humor me and start over. Shut off the
laptop. Remove the AC power supply. Unplug the battery. Go away
for about 15 minutes to make sure everything is reset. Do *NOT*
attach the external monitor. Put everything back and turn on the
machine. Do NOT play with Fn-F7. Now, try the flashlight trick.

>Culmination, so far is my first two experiences with eBay have been
>excellent. Prompt shipment, with tracking numbers, sadly, USPS
>screwed up badly and I did not receive the $5 Inverter PCB for almost
>a month! Plus, the shipping company had to resend at their expense!
>just not right.

I've had plenty of problems with USPS over the years. The other
carriers are usually much better. Be sure to complain to the USPS and
mention that they only have online delivery notification, not
tracking, making it difficult to find lost packages.

--
# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
# 831-336-2558

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:02:59 -0800, Jeff Liebermann <je...@cruzio.com>
wrote:

>Remove the keyboard and look for the video connector. It's
>a big fat cable coming from the left hinge and ending up on
>the motherboard. Make sure the connector is properly seated.

Oops. Wrong description. It's a flat ribbon cable with the connector
located about 1" from the rear center of the laptop on the
motherboard.

[Robert Macy]

On Dec 15, 9:12 pm, Jeff Liebermann <je...@cruzio.com> wrote:
> On Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:02:59 -0800, Jeff Liebermann <je...@cruzio.com>
> wrote:
>
> >Remove the keyboard and look for the video connector.  It's
> >a big fat cable coming from the left hinge and ending up on
> >the motherboard.  Make sure the connector is properly seated.
>
> Oops.  Wrong description.  It's a flat ribbon cable with the connector
> located about 1" from the rear center of the laptop on the
> motherboard.
>
> --
> # Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
> # 831-336-2558

> #http://802.11junk.com              je...@cruzio.com
> #http://www.LearnByDestroying.com              AE6KS

FINALLY!! I verified that the LCD screen is validly changing pixels,
all I need is the backlight.

Measure voltage. If the tube is OFF, is that the firing voltage?
trying to get the tube to arc? sounds about right. 400 to 600 Vac
firing voltage then goes down to the 20V 1A range.

Would you verify that there is NO polarity to the fluorescent tubes
supply?

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:54:55 -0800 (PST), Robert Macy
<robert...@gmail.com> wrote:

>FINALLY!! I verified that the LCD screen is validly changing pixels,
>all I need is the backlight.

Ok. The panel is good. That leaves the LCD inverter and/or the CCFL
backlighting tubes.

>Measure voltage. If the tube is OFF, is that the firing voltage?
>trying to get the tube to arc? sounds about right. 400 to 600 Vac
>firing voltage then goes down to the 20V 1A range.

Could you please re-write that in English? It's not clear if you
measured anything, what you measured, how you measured it, and what
numbers were seen.

>Would you verify that there is NO polarity to the fluorescent tubes
>supply?

The CCFL lamp wires are not polarized.

However, the connector from the CCFL tubes is sometimes polarized. It
is possible to plug in backwards. It will sorta fit, but not be
seated correctly, resulting in no connection. My guess(tm) is is what
you've done. Unplug the cable from the CCFL lamps and LOOK AT THEM
carefully. Match it with the socket on the inverter. Hopefully, that
will fix it.

--
# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
# 831-336-2558

[Robert Macy]

On Dec 16, 3:46 pm, Jeff Liebermann <je...@cruzio.com> wrote:
> On Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:54:55 -0800 (PST), Robert Macy
>

> <robert.a.m...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >FINALLY!!  I verified that the LCD screen is validly changing pixels,
> >all I need is the backlight.
>
> Ok.  The panel is good.  That leaves the LCD inverter and/or the CCFL
> backlighting tubes.
>
> >Measure voltage.  If the tube is OFF, is that the firing voltage?
> >trying to get the tube to arc? sounds about right.  400 to 600 Vac
> >firing voltage then goes down to the 20V 1A range.
>
> Could you please re-write that in English?  It's not clear if you
> measured anything, what you measured, how you measured it, and what
> numbers were seen.
>
> >Would you verify that there is NO polarity to the fluorescent tubes
> >supply?
>
> The CCFL lamp wires are not polarized.
>
> However, the connector from the CCFL tubes is sometimes polarized.  It
> is possible to plug in backwards.  It will sorta fit, but not be
> seated correctly, resulting in no connection.  My guess(tm) is is what
> you've done.  Unplug the cable from the CCFL lamps and LOOK AT THEM
> carefully.  Match it with the socket on the inverter.  Hopefully, that
> will fix it.
>
> --
> # Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
> # 831-336-2558

> #http://802.11junk.com              je...@cruzio.com
> #http://www.LearnByDestroying.com              AE6KS

Is there any possibility that the Lamp would work, the inverter would
work, but some 'controller' is toast?

Looking at the corrosion pattern on the inverter PCB, it looked like
the high voltage could have gained access back to the multi-pin
connector, which [to me] translates to "any IC driver wired to that
connector is likely to have been fired." Yet those same drivers are
probably on the system board. which may, or may not, affect the system
operation.

> >Measure voltage.  If the tube is OFF, is that the firing voltage?
> >trying to get the tube to arc? sounds about right.  400 to 600 Vac
> >firing voltage then goes down to the 20V 1A range.
>
> Could you please re-write that in English?  It's not clear if you
> measured anything, what you measured, how you measured it, and what
> numbers were seen.

Oops, English is my native language, just doesn't often show.

Years ago, one of my clients made OCR electronics, my first design for
them was to design reliable fluorescent tube power source *and* make
certain the light pattern across a sheet of paper was uniform. To
'fire' the tube took any where from 400 to 600 Vac and once fired [the
tube is now filled with conducting plasma] the operating voltage drops
to 20-30 Vac at 1/2A, or so.

My [confusing] words were more of memories, than statements. I did
not, have not, no real way to do so yet, measure any voltages around
the Laptop.

Is the 'seating' of the connectors really that critical on the
Laptop? I mean those connectors are cheap, low insertion force,
miniaturized molex thingies that I find hard to believe provide
reliable connection at all. But, are they really likely to be the
problem, more than the likelihood of a non-operating component?

Regards,
Robert