Inspiron 6400 Backlight Problem

Hi all, new to these forums, hopefully i can get this issue resolved.

I have an inspiron 6400 that is touching two years old now. A couple months back i powered the machine up however the lcd display did not light up. On closer inspection i found the screen was displaying as it should be, it was just not lit up. After a bit of searching i came to conclusion this was going to be a repair job and would just leave it at the time.

A few weeks later i started the machine up and the screen lit up as normal and there were no problems. Obviously i was pleased with this as it meant it didnt need an actual repair! I concluded that the problem must have been not with the actual inverter or bulb but with whatever mechanism is triggered when the screen is lifted up.

However my laptop has started doing the same thing again, i assume (or hope) the trigger mechanism is just jammed again however i cant for the life of me figure out where it is!

Any help/advice would be great.

Thank You.

 

Does the light come on and off as you tilt the screen back and forth?

 

No, the light stays off no matter what i do with it. The image is there, i can shine a torch on the screen and see it, but it wont light up.

 

That sounds like a busted backlight which could be due to a faulty inverter. If your notebook is out of warranty, you could try taking it to a local computer store to get checked-out. If it's just the inverter, they should be able to fix that for you for $60-70 from what I know. If still in warranty, contact Dell to see what they can do about it. My laptop's backlight gave out as well but I decided to get an external monitor that I was thinking of buying anyway. It worked for a bit after going out but then died for good. Now it only pops up briefly during the Dell splash screen at boot-up.

 

i have a same problem with my hp laptop but hopefully i have resolved this by viewing great comments of these forums. ok now come to solution..... it happens mostly due to the inverter problem but in most cases inverter is not faulty only its cables get loosed so my magical suggestion is for all who has same problem is that just......... i said just rub the part of the laptop where inverter lies down in the laptop that is just below the display screen.... of your laptop..... just rub that part with a little force two or three times and then see the magic.......

 

I would definitely check to see if it is under warranty first: http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/my_systems_info/details?c=us&l=en&s=gen

If it's not in warranty, you have a few options:

Take it to a local shop and have them replace it.

Dell actually has an out of warranty repair option as well:
http://support.dell.com/support/top...are/en/expired_warranty?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

Do it yourself. It's not terribly difficult to replace a backlight. You might be able to get the backlight itself, either through Dell Spare Parts, or another vendor. You can also get a hinge up replacement from eBay.

If you are handy, you could replace the CCFL with LEDs (pretty involved, but cool project) : http://www.hackaday.com/2007/01/09/led-lcd-backlight-replacement/

 

I agree with jason. Check with your warranty status. If under warranty, have Dell fix it. Make sure when you send in your laptop, you take out everything (i.e. battery, optical drive, and even memory) you never know...

If out of warranty, you need to determine if it is the inverter or backlight. Needless to say the inverter is way cheaper. My wife's Inspiron 8600 had the same problem so I went to ebay. Do an Ebay search for "Inspiron 6400 inverter" and you should see a bunch of 'em.

Be sure that the part number is exactly what you need.

 

yeah this is also the same problem with my 6400

as i have had it for getting on four years now and has never missed a beat this really troubles me.

it seems the same as your problem eldudebro as it gotten to the point where the backlight flickers off after being turned on and no position can get it back on again even though i can faintly see the screen.

so your advice could be very helpful and it could be jamming or like electric tool said the inverter and ill see if it can be fixed.

many thanks