XGA to SXGA+ screen upgrade on HP NX6110 didn't quite work...

I bought a used LG Phillips SXGA+ 15" LCD screen (pulled from a HP NX6110) to replace the smashed LG Phillips XGA screen on the HP NX6110 I'm refurbishing. It didn't quite work: only every other column gets displayed, or something like that, a bit fuzzy too. I suspect that I need the monitor cable specific to the SXGA+ screens instead of the XGA cable I reused (which is marked as such). I flashed in the latest BIOS that added support for several new panels to no effect. WinXP recognizes the screen as 1400x1050 res. I'm also wondering if the higher res screen uses a different inverter?

Am I guessing right or is there something else I should look for?

 

Yeah i have feeling its the inverter. If XP recognizes the SXGA+ screen size properly then its probably the inverter thats causing the visual issue. It probably doesnt support SXGA+

 

could be a "power" problem. if these guys are correct a problem might come up when the power requirement of the lcd and the supported power of the inverter don´t match up.

http://www.designnews.com/article/CA473494.html

 

The inverter just lights up the CCFL bulb, it wouldn't cause the every-other-column display problem. If the SXGA+ screen uses a different bulb that has higher power requirements that could burn out the inverter so I'm a little concerned about that, but it's probably not a problem. Everything going to the panel gets routed through the screen cable so that's my primary suspect. Hopefully when the vendor gets in tomorrow he'll have some ideas.

 

Might be the culprit. Actually the techs here should know a little about such a problem. Some people here have stated that they are working as techs for some mayor companies. Probably this topic would be read a bit more in the aftermarkets section.

Anyway, i wish you good luck. Would be nice to see it working, and please keep us posted if you have found the problem.

best

 

I couldn't decide whether to post here or in Aftermarkets. I think I'll move it.

 

Don't move! How does the notebook recognize? I don't think a hardware issue. Have you run SiSoft?

 

It displays fine with an external monitor and the BIOS config/etc display on the LCD is distorted too. It's definitely a hardware problem.

 

I feel really stupid for my last post. If it displays fine for external then yea! It is the hardware. Good luck! I just can't see the cable being the issue.

 

I should have mentioned that in my original post. I'm guessing it's the cable for lack of any better ideas, and because it's labeled LCM-15.0XGA which seems very specific. (I should have mentioned that too...)

 

The vendor thinks the screen is simply bad so he's sending me a new one. He says that the SXGA+ screens use the same cables and inverters as the XGA screens. I was overthinking things. I can see where the problem with the current screen could have been missed if it wasn't tested at full res, where it's much more obvious than it is in textmode (BIOS startup, etc). Hopefully I'll get the new screen Wednesday.

 

I got the replacement screen Saturday and it failed in a completely different way, a black and white line pattern. It's a Chi Mei Optoelectronics screen, not a (superior) LG Phillips, but still. I put the first screen back in and it's still failing with the every-other-column problem. My senior electronics tech Dad looked everything over and he noticed that neither screen was shipped in an antistatic bag, just bubble wrap and packing peanuts. He said that this is Bad, something about MOSFETs finding such conditions objectionable especially when shipped cross-country. Does that sound right? Having two screens fail consistently in two distinct ways using the same cable and inverter does suggest broken screens?

 

Just my 2 cents - without seeing the laptop firsthand - but I really think it is the cable. I say this because I had a cable fail on me before and got similar symptoms. I replaced the cable and all was well. This was on a Dell laptop. Those ribbon cables have very small wires inside them, and it doesn't help that they are flexed all the time when you open and close the lid. Especially if handled not so well when plugging/unplugging, they can fail. I know that firsthand. It took me a while to figure out this one when it happened to me. I thought it was the video card, then the screen. Good thing that Dell cables are so easy to find all over ebay. Since a cable shouldn't be too expensive, try that - see if you can find one on ebay? And yes the two screens can fail different due to intermittent shorts or connections in a bad cable, especially if it is a cable that carries power. I hope this can help you

 

It does. The cable does carry power. Now that you've explained it that makes a LOT more sense than the panels getting zapped during shipping. I gave up and sent the panels back to the vendor this afternoon though (d'oh!). I'll wait and see if he says the panels test OK before I do anything else.

 

Try and get ahold of a spare cable, preferrably new - but used ones would probably be fine. I bought mine on ebay used for just a few bucks and it solved my problem. Good luck!

 

It helps to do the correct Google search:
NX6110 SXGA+ LCD cable
Obviously it makes sense to leave a few pins out of the XGA cable rather than make one cable that works with every screen...

I just ordered the correct cable from an eBay seller. Should get here mid next week. All this agony because HP wanted to save a few cents per frickin' cable.