Thinkpad Edge E545 FHD Display Upgrade

Hi All,

I recently bought an E545 with an AMD A10. but I'm not really that satisfied with the screen resolution. I knew what I was getting into - but at the price I paid it was a steal.

I would like to upgrade the screen to a Full HD (1920x1080) display - whilst there is no direct replacement for my model of laptop, I've done quite a lot of research and believe the following display to be compatible: AUO B156HW01.

My reasoning for beleiving this is:

• The screen is used in the Lenovo W530 - additionally there are models of the W530 that use the same 1366x768 LCD panel as the E545 (part number: 04W0430). This indicates that the screen is the same size i.e. depth and will fit in the chasis of the E545.
• According to this post: https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/11e-Window ... d-p/890981 two users have successfully installed the above screen in an E530. The E530 also has a model which uses the same LCD as the E545.
• The E530 uses exactly the same 40-pin LCD Cable (part number: 04W4124) as the E545. Additionally on both the E545 and the E530 the LCD cables are positioned on the left side of the display.

The only remaining question - is the output from the E545 capable of displaying full hd resolutions? The external monitor output and graphics chipset are certainly capable of 1080p - I just need specifics about the internals before I make my purchase.

I'm not concerned about warrenty as after speaking to Lenovo they confirmed that this will not void the warrenty unless a fault develops as a result of the screen upfgrade itself.

Also if there's anything I've overlooked feel free to mention...

 

Sounds like you did your homework and all that's left is to go for it and try. If all the part numbers, especially the LCD cable, match then in my opinion it seems like it would work.

If you don't want to yet risk buying the LCD, what if you took the E545 to a local PC repair shop to see if they've got a 1080p LCD in stock they can test with your PC to verify it works? You might have to compensate them for their time or you might find someone nice enough to test it out for you for free!

Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

 

Thanks,

I've ordered the screen and it will arrive tomorrow...

I'm a bit concerned that the cable will not work as the original screen is only single channel LVDS and the new one is dual. However the cable is the same part number as the cable from the E530 (and it's the only part available according to the service manual) - which has an option for a HD+ screen which is dual channel. So fingers crossed.

 

The aforementioned course of action is not something that I'd attempt on a ThinkPad.

Unless the pinouts are the same one has an excellent chance of blowing a fuse on the board, LCD itself or both.

Quite a few people have messed up their ThinkPads with generic screens ever since LED panels became the norm...

 

Yeah I'm almost positive the pin alignment is the same as the original.

Screen has arrived this morning - seller has sent me v1 of the display which is glossy, despite me specifically confirming with them that the screen was matte beforehand. I'm pretty annoyed to say the least. Anyway I'm far too much of an impatient person to send it back.

I'm going to install it later this afternoon - I'll post back here with the results.

 

Not good news - I attempted to install the panel and it didn't appear to turn on. I connected an external monitor and ran HWINFO - the display was recognised but I couldn't get an output.

Seems like if it was getting recognised but not lighting up - the screen is probably defective, right?

For now I've reattached the old screen and reassembled the laptop and all is working.

Anyone got any views on this?

 

Did you receive a genuine AUO panel would be my first question...

And yes, a screen that doesn't light up even for a split second does sound like a defective one.

Good luck.

 

It certainly looks genuine - got recognised as AOU screen in hwinfo, but I suppose that can be spoofed. Is there any sure fire way to tell?

The manufacture date is 2011 - which i found odd since it's meant to be brand new. Seems more likely it's a rip from an old system.

 

What does it say on the back of the LCD itself?

These panels were discontinued a while ago, so 2011 for a NOS screen could very well be true.

 

Just has a barcode and "Model no: B156HW01 v.1"

 

Hmm...no AUO stamp?

BTW, v1 should be a matte panel, not glossy.

http://www.panelook.com/B156HW01 V1_AUO_15.6_LCM_parameter_683.html

Sounds like a generic screen to me.

 

Oh yeah - I've contacted the seller and will be posting back to them today. Not happy at all as I've no way of knowing whether it's a dud screen or an issue with the upgrade.

 

If you don't mind getting a pre-owned screen from a trusted source, this would be my recommendation:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=117011

I've bought stuff from the gentleman in question many a times and was never disappointed.

Good luck.

 

Thanks - I may well get in contact with him regarding the screen. I'm going to wait until the end of the month now, when I have more funds available.

I posted the dodgy screen back to the seller, fully expecting to receive a replacement. Instead they refunded me the full amount including postage, they didn't confirm or deny the screen was faulty nor did they respond to my comments about it being potentially a fake.

When I reattempt this in a couple of weeks I'm slightly apprehensive about weakening the adhesive used to attach the LCD cable to the panel - does anyone know of anything I could use to stick the cable back down?

 

I've used a small strip of packaging tape. Strong enough for packages, strong enough for an LCD cable inside a screen assembly.

Sorry to hear about the seller and their shady practices. Its not the first time I've delt with a similar situation with a faulty LCD. Hope you get a good one.

 

Main thing is they refunded everything.. That's what matters if it didn't work in the end!

 

Correct but unfortunately he lost time dealing with this but that's the risk of being a pioneer sometimes. When you're the only that owns an AMD based ThinkPad Edge, getting answers to your questions usually means trying things out yourself. I used to own a Llano ThinkPad Edge E425 and being the only owner on this forum meant experimenting and trying somethings for out myself as there wasn't anyone with previous experience with this particular model.

I miss that laptop, it was a great one just needed a higher resolution or IPS display and maybe a backlit keyboard. It ran cool, had a very good keyboard and sturdy build. It also over clocked the APU really well and accepted the top of the line 45W TDP A8-3510MX without any issues.

Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

 

I certainly agree with that - it's been nigh on impossible to find anything of any use on the net. It's pretty much trial and error all the way, I wish laptop display upgrades were more of a done thing.

Another thing that annoys me is that Lenovo seems to project it's own name on all the EDIDs coming out of the bios - which means that you can't track down the schematics for things because you don't know the original model number.

 

I'm not certain about the newer models, but in HW Info on the older ones the first line displayed the Lenovo info, and the second one the actual manufacturer and model...

 

Yeah that is the case for some of the components, but not the motherboard for example... I'd like to examine the pinouts without completely dismantling the laptop - so having the schematics would help greatly.

You seem like somewhat of a connoisseur of ThinkPads... have you ever known one to come with a dual LVDS cable without the motherboard actually having all the pins connected. I'm just trying to gather as much info as possible before I reattempt this at the end of the month.

 

Well, ThinkPad schematics are considered to be proprietary information...so don't put much stock into obtaining them.

What you can find are the pinouts for the current LCD and the one that you're intent on installing and then compare these. It's somewhat of a PITA but likely the only route that you have available.

Thank you. I used to be one. Not anymore.

Two things here:

a) I've never worked on a machine similar to the one that you own, so take everything that I write with a grain of salt. Not to mention that the age and possibly Mad Cow Disease are both kicking in...

b) There was a W520 that I upgraded from HD (1366x768) panel to the FHD (1920x1080) panel, and the cable swap was not required. Both LCDs were stock, Lenovo-issued ones.

My *presumption* would be that the same would apply to your system. In the worst case scenario, you'll have to replace the LCD cable. As long as you stick with the genuine LCD you're not likely to blow anything.

Good luck.