Pictures of X200AFFS-X200 equipped with Flexview screen

You don't have that problem when you only make 4:3 notebooks. Everybody else already makes 16:10 and 16:9, so one producer doing 4:3 wouldn't be that scary...

Besides that: often the motherboards are so small that they use wires to get the connectors on the outside of the case. A T61P 4:3 motherboard also fits in a 15" T60 for example.

Also: they already did make the 4:3 T61, so it seems it's not that hard to do...

Count in all the different lids / bezels / motherboards they already make and it's not hard to imagine that a few more wouldn't be that hard. They could also drop the 14" widescreen, since that one doesn't make sense at all. It's wider as a 15" 4:3, almost as deep as a 15" 4:3 (protruding battery!!), yet you get a lot less screen... And 1440x900 versus 1400x1050 is a big loss.

That guy from Lenovoblogs said they would need minimal 15,000 orders to get a special screen. Well, if they make the T400 successor 4:3 with a 1400x1050 AFFS+ panel... they sell those 15K easily.

 

oh okay, thanks erik that cleared a lot of things up for me/

 

so far we could only come up with 776 people...

http://forum.lenovo.com/t5/General-Discussion/Survey-Your-Ideal-Business-Laptop/td-p/133360

sadly, there probably aren't as many people interested as you may think.

no problem.

 

Yes, because not many people dig trough the internet to find those forums, etc.

If Lenovo would make the T400 succesor 4:3 Flexview only, they would sell plenty of them. Once the word gets out of the screens, they will sell more.

Now they ONLY offer crappy screens. If they would ONLY offer premium screens, they get to that 15K mark easily. The point is that Lenovo simply doesn't want it.

Another indication of that is that they don't offer the X200(s) with the AFFS screen. They have the parts, but they just don't want to sell it, it seems.

I mean; come on; Dell gets away with selling 24" IPS monitors for more then double of what a TN would cost. They sell enough of them. There is certainly a market for it.

And for the price argument of widescreen: fine, cut of a 15.4" panel into a 4:3 panel and I'll pay the last $10 for the trash. Lol.

 

I'm just hoping when OLED comes out we will be able to install them in the T500... boy would I love to get rid of default screen, the contrast is aweful! even my 3year old acer has a nicer screen. Oh, I LOVE my IPS desktop panel... if I could get that on a laptop, I'd buy it, I almost wouldn't care about the cost.

 

any chance there might be some compatible screens for the x3xx series?

 

Well, there's the HV133WX1 screen. 13.3", LED backlit, wide viewing angle, etc... It's used in the Fujitsu T5010 tablet. I don't have the resource to find out whether it works with the X301 or not though. If you want to give it a try, go ahead.

 

Are nits ratings highly subjective like contrast ratio?
I have an "old" Dell 2405FPW monitor that uses CCFL backlighting. It is rated at 500 nits, yet sitting next to my macbook pro 300 nit LED screen, they are identically bright to my eyes.

My issue is that I want to do the mod in this thread, but I'm concerned 200 nit is not bright enough for me. I know 200 nit was a touch too dim for my tastes on my old W500 with an LG wsxga+ screen, and yes I'm only talking about when watching videos.

 

Brightness (nits) and contrast ratio have very objective definitions. You can measure both with a colorimeter. Marketing claims about those values, however, are usually not very trustworthy.

I assume that you are using both the 2405FPW and your macbook at maximum brightness. Right? CCFL degrade over time, so I guess by now your 2405FPW is not doing anything close to 500 nits at maximum brightness.

 

i'm a professional industrial designer and spend 80+ hours per week in front of color- and temperature-calibrated displays.   i never run them brighter than 150 nits indoors.   typically my systems are around 120 nits since that's the industry-standard in luminance (and causes me less eye strain throughout the work day).

the standards are as follows:
- D65 (6500°K) color temp
- 120 cd/m² (nits) luminance
- 2.2 gamma

the only time 500 nits would be useful is outdoors to counteract sunlight overpowering the display.   indoors, there's no need to run a display that bright.   the only result will be eye strain and headaches.

 

Sick screen.
That's one hell of a viewing angle.

 

anybody can confirm that the LED can be modded also on X200S or X301. I did X200s and I like it but I want to know if I can do it also on LED models

TIA

 

god, have we been over this so many times. short answer is no. long answer is READ THE THREAD

 

There's no need to be rude.

 

my apologies. had too much coffee or something.

 

Okay, a little update.
Lenovo now offers the WXGA LED screen in the X200. If the cable they use with the screen is the standard one, meaning the connector points upward rather than downward as is the case with the LCD cable for X200s with WXGA+ screen, then it is possible to transplant the LED AFFS screen to the X200. The part number of the LED AFFS screen is either HV121WX5 or HV121WX6. Unfortunately, I'm not made of money so I can't experiment with this. If somebody else want to take the lead, feel free to do so. Others and myself would be very interested to see what you find.

 

This may be very good news...

I've installed a WX4 on my X200 but I have another X200 that I was going to do a panel swap on too.

I'm a bit confused though. Are you saying that the LED-backlit panels could be retrofit to existing X200 machines now that a suitable cable is (apparently) available, or will it require one of the "new" X200 system boards to support LED-backlighting?

Also, is there any reason why a HX121WX1-100 panel will not work as well as a WX5 or WX6?

And where are you seeing an X200 with WXGA+ panel? I can't find it for sale on either .ca or .com

 

x200s has a wxga+ panel in certain configurations

 

Let me clarify, the LCD cable for CCFL and LED screens are inherently different. You can't use one for both types of screens. Thus Lenovo will undoubtedly use a different cable for the LED-variant of X200. I have not tested the compatibility of this new cable with the LED AFFS screen.
What gives you the idea that you need a different motherboard to support LED screen in X200? (Not trying to be condescending here, just curious).
Also, read my post again. I never mention a X200 with WXGA+ LED screen, only WXGA screen.
The HX121WX1-100 panel may work. Again, I have not tested this.
I have only tested putting the LED AFFS in X200t, because it works beautifully, since the cable is the standard type of cable with the connector pointing up.

 

So basically someone with an x200 LED screen needs to open their screen up and show us what type of cable it comes with and then we'll know? The LED screens on ebay look to be about $200 give or take, which in my opinion is extremely worth it.

 

Precisely. I just need somebody to open up their LED-variant X200 and show me the LCD cable. If they're careful they won't void their warranty, so no worries about that. Unless you actually damage something or replace non-OEM part, there's no need to worry about voiding warranty.

 

Why doesn't someone just find out the part number for the new cable and buy it so that we can see what it looks like? This might be a lot easier compared with trying to find a new X200 owner to open their notebook up and snap a photo...

 

Tried that already, but there's only two part numbers listed for the LCD cable on the Lenovo parts list, one for WXGA screen (doesn't mention CCFL or LED) and one for WXGA+ screen. To get a definite answer I need a real picture of the cable.

 

I looked at that too. The new LED-backlit panel doesn't appear to be listed either. I wonder when the new part numbers will be listed...

 

I check the service parts list every week and it's been two months already since they started offering X200 models with LED screen. I doubt they'll update any time soon. Another possibility is that they somehow are using the same cable for both CCFL and LED screens. It's very unlikely that's the case since from some of the LCD cables I've seen for LED and CCFL screen, they're fundamentally different. But hey, maybe I haven't seen enough LCD cables yet

 

check again.   the latest HMM from october lists cables for WXGA CCFL, WXGA LED, and WXGA+ LED.   i haven't seen the new WXGA LED LVDS cable yet but the WXGA upper assemblies only differ in panels, cables, and inverters.   everything else is the same and the parts drawings didn't change (which normally would given a drastic change in shape to help techs, installers, and the parts department).   while that doesn't guarantee the LVDS cable is routed correctly, it's a very good start.

i'd buy a WXGA LED X200s to try this but am finding the EMT panel on the X200T quite useful right now.   besides, i have a good hunch that the X210 will still be 16:10 and want to wait for its release before buying another system.

 

no, the LED cables are 40-pin where the CCFL cables are 20-pin.   plus, inverters are vastly different.

45M3027 is just an inventory part number.   it doesn't specify your specific FRU number until the parts database is updated with your specific MTM/SN combo.

what needs to be known is the manufacturer's part number of the WXGA LED panel and its corresponding datasheet.   software like everest can look this up without needing to disassemble the lid assembly.   but, you'd need a system in your hands to use everest.

 

sorry, i deleted the post you were replying to because your last post already answered it...

FRU numbers 42T0711 and 44C9991 are both available to order from Lenovo for $269 and $42.50 respectively. Anyone want to place an order?

There are actually 4 different WXGA LED panel FRUs listed in the HMM but only the 42T0711 one comes up as valid when trying to order parts.

 

there's no need to buy a 42T0711 panel.   having the 44C9991 cable in-hand with a multimeter would be good enough for me.

 

Thanks for the pointer erik. I found the part number for the LCD cable for LED-variant X200, which is 44C9991 in the HMM. I was looking at the service parts list before, and it certainly wasn't in there.
And yes, you're right. Knowing the LED LCD model would work too, without disassemble the whole laptop. I forgot about that. That is of course if the panel Lenovo used isn't some special-ordered panel, like the WXGA+ panel (I say it's special order because there's no other manufacturer that uses it as far as I know).
If I'm not mistaken, I'll have to take the inverter out as well, since the LED panel doesn't need an inverter to get power.

 

while you don't need an inverter, the HMM does list an "LED board" with FRU # 45M2812 under #8 where the inverter is listed.   this will more than likely be necessary.

getting the 44C9991 cable in-hand would answer 99% of your questions though.   the last question would be in how the cable is pinned out and if it matches the LED AFFS+ panel you'd be installing.

if the above parts work, there's really no reason to buy a new X200/X200s to make this mod happen.   existing WXGA systems could theoretically be updated as they sit for only the cost of the WXGA AFFS+ LED panel, LVDS cable, and LED board -- assuming, of course, that the LVDS cable is both routed and pinned out correctly.

 

I think the LED board here refers to the LED indicators on the front of the laptop. Normally this is coupled with the inverter, but if we don't need an inverter, then we can just leave it alone, and there shouldn't be any need to replace this board.
I do have the Samsung PVA panel left over from the AFFS+ LED transplant to the X200t, and this should work fine as a testbed first.
Unfortunately, I most likely won't go further with this. Such a project would be time consuming, and I can't dedicate more time to these kinds of thing as I used to be able to. Plus, I'm quite happy with the CCFL AFFS screen already, so there's no urgent need for me to upgrade to the LED version. I'll see what the X210 brings to the table and if it's enticing, I'll perform the LED mod on it (assuming that it works).

 

right.   to clarify: i don't know whether or not the system will boot without the LED board plugged in.   so, it's more than likely necessary.

 

I just did the swap on my X200. The results were even better than expected. Viewing angles, brightness and black levels were a marked improvement. The change-out was painless if not a little intimidating. To anyone trying this for the first time - go slowly and don't force anything.

I purchased an HV121WX4-110 on ebay from a seller "derrick.ny" who was mentioned over on thinkpads.com. I think I paid a bit more than average, but he removed the writing surface and digitizer before shipment at my request. I can highly recommend him. He was very responsive and shipped quickly. The shipment itself took forever (almost a month) as the panel was sent directly from Hong Kong. I can't fault him for this, though.

I think my X200 is pretty much the perfect laptop now. Of course, an SSD would be nice...

 

What's the status of the LED swap? Can we even buy an LED AFFS screen on ebay or somewhere?

 

I no longer have the time tinkering with these things any more. Feel free to try it yourself if you're interested.
Also, if the LED AFFS screen is not available, you can use the Samsung PVA screen as used in the X200 tablet. It's still a marked improvement over the original TN screen.

 

i recently bought an x200s with the led-backlit wxga+ screen. the angles are intolerable.

i'm going to return it and get an x200s with the led-backlit wxga screen. once i receive it, i'll post some pictures of its insides for you guys.

hopefully i can install an HV121WX6-100 in there!

cheers!

 

That would be great. Thanks!

 

Please keep us updated!

 

I'm also bugged by the angles on my X200s, but I don't want to give up the WXGA+ resolution.

Anyone know of an FFS LCD with an WXGA+ or comparable resolution that may swap in?

 

WXGA is the max these AFFS panel goes. You either sacrifice high resolution or screen quality, your choice.

 

it's the max resolution for the 12.1" wide format, correct?

because that sxga+ for the x60s and x61s has me wondering. but maybe they just can't push it in the wide format?

i'm bummed about going from wxga+ to wxga. but i used to work on an x60s (xga), so wxga is a welcomed upgrade.

 

Correct. For the 16:10 format, the max resolution is WXGA. However, BOE-Hydis has shown that they are capable of making a high resolution AFFS panel, which is the SXGA+ panel in 4:3 format. They just don't want to pursue this market any more, I guess. Also, the maximum size they make these panels is 13.3" (also in WXGA resolution).

 

ok then! thanks for the reply!

i'm considering these boe-hydis screens:
1. HX121WX1-100 (appears to be rare)
2. HV121WX6-100 ($215, widely available)
3. HV121WX5-100 ($215, widely available)

my research tells me that the HX121WX1 is the best screen, followed by HV121WX6, then HV121WX5. would you agree with this statement?

are there other screens i should consider? does anyone make a good va or ips in this format?

i really appreciate the discussion!

 

I have no idea why a lot of people keeps on mentioning the HX121WX1 screen. It's even lower resolution than the HV121WX6, and the interface is most likely not even similar to that of normal LED screens.
Samsung does produce the PVA screen for use in the X200 tablet. The contrast rating is better than the AFFS screen, but the viewing angle isn't as great, and it's a little bit yellowy.

 

so do you think i should try the HV121WX6?

 

Yes, that's the best one you can try.

 

according to the spec sheets, the HX121WX1 and HV121WX6 are identical, except:

(1) HX121WX1 has "Anti-Reflection polarizer product for sunlight readability"
(2) HX121WX1 has marginally better viewing angles (90 versus 89)
(3) HX121WX1 has 700:1 contrast, whereas HV121WX6 has 500:1
(4) HX121WX1 has 300 cd/m^2, whereas HV121WX6 has 220 cd/m^2
(5) HX121WX1 is a bit heavier and a bit thicker

it looks like resolution and power consumption are identical between the panels. the spec sheets also show the exact same connector and pin-out.

i'm looking at these specific uris:
http://www.beck-oled-lcd-tft-display.de/display-datenblatt/typ/boe/HX121WX1-100.pdf
http://www.distronik.de/HV121WX6-100.pdf

 

Couple of points:
1) 89 degree vs. 90 degree is not even something to consider as an advantage. It's basically the same.
2) There are HV121WX6 screens out there specifically made for different manufacturers with brightness of 300nit or more.
3) The contrast rating is actually 600:1 for the HX121WX1 according to the BOE-Hydis website.

But, as always, feel free to experiment. I don't have a definitive answer that the HX121WX1 screen won't work. This screen is used in some HP tablets, I'm told. You can try searching for those.

 

well the HX121WX1 looks like it's hard to source. i'll try the HV121WX6.

i'm excited!

--

oh man, this guy is crazy. he says he took off a ccfl-backlit screen and installed an led-backlit screen.

http://www.51nb.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=866098