Replacing a Dell LCD with a Thinkpad LCD

Hey guys,

I hope I am in the right forum for this question. My Dell Vostro 1500 with WSXGA+ LCD is broken so I want to replace it. On ebay there is not very much choice and I found a very nice broken Thinkpad T61p that has some parts I want and has the right resolution and has a matte display which I really liked to have (before I had a glossy one).
I found out that the connectors for the LCDs are the same, maybe also the producer (LG).

So I was googling and found out that there is sth. called EDID and some Laptops have blacklisted EDIDs, so that only the original LCDs will work.

Does anyone have experience in changing LCDs in Dell laptops? Do you think I can try the Thinkpad LCD on my Vostro?

Greetz and thanks in advance!

 

I believe you can use the D830's WUXGA in the Vostro 1500 (I'm looking to upgrade my WXGA to WUXGA). I thought some T61p are 4:3 and some are 16:10, make sure you get the 15.4" and the 16:10 version.

From my T60, ThinkPad ribbon connector may not be long enough and it has a funky piece of plastic that holds it inside the housing. I've swapped enough screens in the Vostro 1500/Inspiron 1520, and the LVDS connector connects directly into the GPU if you have the Nvidia chips or the connector on the motherboard if you have the Intel GPU.

 

Thanks for you answer.

It is a 16:10 and you are right, the LVDS goes directly to the nvdia GPU.

The Display of the Vostro looks like this: http://img.alibaba.com/photo/341676659/laptop_lcd_panel_LP154WE2.jpg
and of the T61p looks like this: http://i.ebayimg.com/06/!ByGK%284gBmk~$%28KGrHqN,!ikEw5hrnFyzBMQUYSNuqQ~~_35.JPG

So I think they are very similiar, the connectors are at the same location.

But I do not really get your point, do you think there will be a problem?

Edit: Problem solved, overbidden. :-D
But generally i'd very happy to know if there can be some EDID problems

 

It's looking like the Thinkpad display is a Samsung panel while the Vostro display is LG. If they're compatible, the quality of the replacement screen probably won't be as good.

BTW you may be able to upgrade to WUXGA 1920x1200. Part number is LP154WU1 and it was used in the D830 + Studio 1535. I've seen this screen and the quality was decent. Can't 100% guarantee compatibility though. (Edit: oh, heh, this was already mentioned)

 

Vostro had a variety of screen suppliers (I can confirm AUO, Samsung and LG). Typically ThinkPad screens aren't the greatest quality (viewing angles, brightness, overall grainy), notable exception is the IPS screen found on the x220.