LCD screen cable
A laptop LCD cable also known as video cable, display cable or screen cable. This cable transfers data signal from the motherboard and video card to the LCD screen. Also, most video cables supply high voltage DC power to the screen inverter.
On the picture you can see a typical laptop video cable. The cable has three ends with three connectors. One end plugs into the connector on the back of the LCD screen, the second end plugs into the inverter board, the third end plugs into the connector on the motherboard or video card.
The top part of the cable runs inside the laptop display panel between the LCD screen and display cover.
The bottom part of the cable could be found either under the keyboard or keyboard bezel.
In order to remove and replace the LCD cable, it will be necessary to disassemble the whole laptop.
LCD CABLE RELATED PROBLEMS
1. The image on the screen appears normal until you move the display up or down. When you move the display, the images on the entire screen starts to flicker, disappear or change collors. As soon as you stop moving the display, the image gets back to normal.
2. The LCD screen lights up but there is no image at all. The entire screen is blank. An external monitor connected to the laptop VGA port works fine, there is no problems with the external video output at all.
3. Image on the entire LCD screen is garbled. An external monitor works fine.
In many cases the video cable failures are very similar to the LCD screen failures.
November 26th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Bob,
I really doubt that you can use the laptop screen as an external monitor.
November 24th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
I have a laptop screen from a laptop that was scrapped for parts. Is there any type of converter cable that could be used to attach the ribbon cable from the monitor to some other video signal like hooking it up to a VGA or DVI cable?
I was thinking of mounting it on the side of an XBOX 360 or PC tower.
November 18th, 2009 at 6:24 am
Hi Repair Guy,
Yes, once I open the lid, it will clear up after about 10 – 15 minutes. It only happens if the lid was closed.
Thanks so much for your thoughts. I was hoping it was the cable, it seemed like it might be loose, pinched or possibly deteriorating. It didn’t seem like a screen issue to me, but I’ve no experience with that.
I’ll try your suggestion and will report back. Crossing my fingers. =) Thanks so much!
November 18th, 2009 at 12:04 am
Nora,
Does it mean that after a while the screen starts working properly?
Maybe the video cable is not making good connection with the motherboard. Try reseating the video cable connector on the motherboard, it’s under the keyboard cover, close to the left hinge.
November 16th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Hi there Repair Guy! This really is a great site, I’ve learned a lot here. Read the whole thread and my symptoms aren’t quite the same as those listed here, but have a gut feeling it’s a bad cable, and was hoping to ask your opinion? I know you can’t say for certain without actually looking at the machine, but a best guess is all I’m looking for.
I recently repaired my left hinge, replacing them both, and have done everything I can do short of actually opening the case. This is my only home computer and it works, for now. Somehow it doesn’t seem like pulling it apart too often would be good for it and I can’t afford a new display bezel again at the moment. So, I’m hoping to not have to open it before I do so to fix it, if at all possible.
I’ve read everything I can find on symptoms of screen and cable failure respectively and tried any troubleshooting techniques I can think of. I’ll be as specific as possible:
HP dv9000 series
Symptoms do not translate through the VGA adapter to stand-alone monitor, so is not mobo/video chip.
Happens only after closing the lid and upon re-opening, every time, whether from Hibernate or Start Up.
When closing lid to Hibernate, upon re-opening the background is my wallpaper, not the Login screen.
Walking across the floor with it open makes a flash of same symptoms run across the screen
Closing the monitor partway does not make symptoms reappear, but opening it causes a jittery screen once lid reaches 90 degrees.
On start up, begins from the BIOS Post and takes about 15 minutes to clear.
Again, none of this happens when conditions are replicated on Laptop while viewing from the VGA port on separate monitor, and don’t happen unless the lid is closed
Symptoms:
Screen image squashed to the right 3/4s of the display, with horizontal streaks like scan lines, offset a few pixels from the main squashed image. No funky colors, the horizontal streaks are black and white and shift like static or snow, sometimes freezing for a second. I ran a scanner and they shifted faster.
When rebooting, the black of the screen seems to continually brighten until it’s a light grey, until the Login screen comes up.
When the image clears up, everything is normal. Lightly jiggling or torquing the screen does not make it happen.
Money is an issue here, so while I’d love to buy both a screen and a cable, I can’t afford that. Frankly I’d be happier buying just a cable, so I’m hoping that’s my problem. My gut feeling tells me it is, but I don’t have any experience with bad displays. In your experience, do you think I could get lucky and it’s just the display cable?
November 13th, 2009 at 8:23 am
hello ..y need the electronic diagran of this lcd cable for aspire ione ..input-output descripcion for ani one wire .tencks
October 17th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Miguel,
If the these dots appear only on the laptop screen and not on the external monitor, it could be:
1. Bad video cable.
2. LCD failure.
For some reason I think that you have a faulty video cable. Try replacing the video cable first, if it doesn’t help, could be bad LCD screen.
I published some disassembly guides for Acer Aspire 5100 (and other models) at http://www.InsideMyLaptop.com
It’s a different model but still could be similar. Read through the guide and you’ll get the idea how to take it apart. Good luck!
October 14th, 2009 at 1:33 am
Hi I have an Acer Aspire 5634WLMi with 2 years. Got a problem on the monitor (15.4-inch LCD CrystalBite).
It slowly started a year ago (at that time still had warranty but underestimated the problem and now it expired). In all the black images(movies, photos) began to appear some green fluorescent dots that looks like they are living (in English I think is called flickering spots, jaggies?!) which then disappear and come back. I did not care at first because both appeared to disappear. Over time there have appeared more, followed by purple dots now. These purple dots are never in black image but sometimes they are the shadow of the black image. But in videos with very dark black only come green dots (always flickering). In all the other colors there is no problem, for example I am writing this in Word and the blue and white of this image is not green. It is however in my opinion a little blurry, I do not know. The letters are black (with a slight green Halo) but it seems that they aren’t standing still and shake a little. The most strange is that on the desktop there is a pattern of green dots on the bottom left and a purple on the upper corner that are often there but sometimes also move around. In fact there was not so long ago a time when I got a perfect image. I began to think that the laptop went to very warm, open a part, cleaned the fan and reduce the processor speed by changing the temperature of the device. After a while it disappeared. But this improvement lasted only 1 day. Then it began all over again. I have also tried to connect the computer to another monitor and had a perfect image, so it seems that it is not the graphics. On the Internet I found many of these reports that the cable that goes from the graphicscard to the monitor is damaged and that a simple substitution leads to full restoration of the notebook. Anyway before attempting to open the laptop (I’ve been watching some videos of how to do) like to have another opinion from someone who realizes this. I already took him ah repair but wanted 250 euro to replace the monitor with dead pixels (which I think is wrong they are not all dead, and until very squiggly and alternate location). For 250euros rather buy a new though economically not good for me. When the computer has a completely black image is all green. For example when the screensaver comes with the ball moving from one place to another.
Do you think it’s the cable or the lcd?And how can i test it?because opening the laptop seems to be pretty difficult,can I try to do something with the monitor cable just getting the lcd of?What would you do?
Thank you very much!
October 13th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Don,
The connector is broken on the LCD? I doubt that you can find this connector.
October 13th, 2009 at 4:39 am
I have a dell d800 laptop and the connector on the back of the LCD for the video cable is broken off. I need to find a replacement connector. This is a 30 pin connector. Could you guide me in the right direction to find this replacement part?
October 1st, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Eddie,
There are many different plugs, it depends on the screen manufacturer and laptop model. I don’t know all of them.
September 29th, 2009 at 4:29 am
Hi,
Would you please list all types of data plugs available on LCD panels,
I know for instance there is a 30 pin plug and a 20 pin plug, but lately I came into a new LCD with even a smaller plug.
Thanks
September 22nd, 2009 at 11:40 am
michelle,
It’s hard to tell without looking at the laptop. Could be bad LCD screen (more likley) or bad video cable (less likely).
September 21st, 2009 at 4:06 pm
I have a Dell Inspirion 1525 laptop having problems with 3/4 of screen blank with a few lines running hortizonly. It doesn’t appear to have any areas that look like the display has been broken. Can still get on the internet on the area that is okay which is about 3-4 inches wide. What to do or is something fried.
Help please
September 8th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
neta,
Not really. Just lift it up.
You’ll find disassembly instructions for Satellite M45 at http://www.irisvista.com/tech/
September 8th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Kato,
1. Make sure both memory modules are properly connected. Try reseating memory modules.
2. Did you remove the CPU while cleaning the laptop? If you did, make sure the CPU is seated correctly and the CPU socket is locked.
In order to boot the laptop with video on an external monitor you need three parts: motherboard, CPU and memory.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:54 pm
I have a Acer Aspire 5100..
worked all fine until i figured out that i should clean its inside..
i took the whole laptop apart, and even unplugged the monitor.
when i took everything together again i can turn it on, i hear fans and see LED’s.. but the monitor is black, no reaction at all.. no light or anyhing.. it doesn’t work with an external monotor either
August 28th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
I have a toshiba m45 s169 and I am having troubles disconnecting video cable from motherboard. How should I do it? Any tricks? pls help, I don’t know how to go about it, thanks. I
August 8th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Jay,
The piece of tape is only securing the connection. It should work even without the tape.
The cable connector goes all the way down into the connector on the LCD screen. There is no trick. Try reconnecting the cable again.
Can you get video on the external monitor connected to the VGA port?
August 8th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Is there a trick to connecting the video cable to the screen? I just replaced an lcd but it isnt working. It is lit but there is no picture. How far into the connector should the cable go? It looks like the piece of tape is what holds the connection together.