Pictures of X200AFFS-X200 equipped with Flexview screen

99.something percent of notebook displays are only 6-bit.   some displays dither internally but better ones don't.   from what i've seen in my own AFFS display, it's not dithered.   some gradients may show banding but it's usually rare.

 

I might try this. I have both X200 with aafs ccfl and x201. I just need to swap the lcd parts. I will report if it is working

 

Please do.

 

I'm also looking forward to hearing how it worked out!

 

I just want to make sure that 44C9909 is the right cable I need because my X200 does not has a camera but the x201 has.

Also anybody know the difference between 42W8009 or 42W8010?

I just need to get these 2 items before I can swap the lcd

 

44C9909 is the only CCFL cable available for the X200.   having a camera installed or not doesn't matter.   if you don't have a camera then you simply won't connect anything to that part of the cable.

42W8009 and 42W8010 are 100% functionally identical.   the only difference is the manufacturer.   buy either one.

 

thanks, I will get it from ebay....it will be a while before it actually arrives

 

HV121WX4-100 from ebay installed into the x200. Looks great and the mod was super easy. Buying a used $50 panel actually worked out great, my particular specimen is insanely nice, with very even backlight and no dead pixels whatsoever.

I also love the fact that panel is glossy, not a huge fan of antiglare screens.

 

Hello everyone!

Just thought I'd share my experience with swapping the panel on my X200. I used a HV121WX4-110 panel, bought on eBay.uk and shipped from China. The cost was 100USD and although the listing mentioned a refurbished panel I honestly believe that I received a brand new one. I had asked the seller to check for dead pixels and any general problems since these panels are covered by an ISO norm that allows up to 5 dead pixels. The panel is perfect and is definitely a step up from the previous display! Although my colours seem off compared to my Dell Mini 10 (which I use as a benchmark for colour since it has an amazing display) this panel is definitely brighter and the viewing angles are superb!

A few pointers that I'd like to share with you:

1) Safety first. And I can't stress this enough! As I was removing the resistive glass panel from the display, I chipped one of the corners slightly without noticing. This resulted in some very small glass shards falling on my work surface. Unfortunately they ended up lodged in my finger, and while it wasn't a big problem it sure is annoying to bleed when doing mods! So keep that in mind and be careful not to chip the glass panel!

2) Use a thin blade to cut through the adhesive tape that bonds the panel to the display. Ideally you'd want to use an X-acto knife or a surgical scalpel. I'd advise to only push the tool to the end of the tape and to avoid reaching the display panel as you may scratch it. An important observation is to do ALL four sides until the tape is completely defeated. Don't try doing 3 sides only and then try to lift the glass panel to work your way on the fourth side as this will bend your display's frame!

3) I kept the WACOM digitizer chip at the back, the display fitted just fine so if you are worried about removing it you might as well keep it on.

4) The 110 revision is a glossy one and it looks robust to scratches. I've already cleaned it once using a damp cloth and no scratches so far. As with all polymer surfaces, water works best. A mild solution of soap will cut through tough stains. Although isopropanol is said to be the best way of cleaning plastic surfaces, in my experience I have found water to be a better way, especially if you can use de-ionized water so that you don't leave marks on the screen from mineral deposits.

5) Probably something I should have mentioned earlier, test the display you are going to install BEFORE stripping anything off of it! If it is defective you can return it but if you mess it up and then you discover it's not okay, well then you're stuck with it!

That's all I can think of for now, I HIGHLY recommend this mod and I wish I had done it sooner! If someone can post a calibrated .icm profile that would be great as I can't get my colours right unfortunately.

My thanks to all who provided insight into this mod, it would not have been possible without them!

PS.: If you have noticed that small IC on the left of the display and you are wondering what it is... That's a magnet-activated switch for turning off the display when the lid is closed.

 

For calibrated ICC profile go here:
forum.thinkpads.com • View topic - HV121WX4-120 (Matte AFFS panel) on X200 (Pics inside)
Go down a few posts. The profile is for 120 panel but I've been using it with 110 panel with no problem. Colors are cooler than before, which is good.

 

I tried those links but I can't download them, I get "Sorry, you have reached your daily download limit. Please try again tomorrow or acquire a premium membership." I haven't even used this service before... That's for the AC .icm, the other one is reported as removed.

 

I just tried the AC file, work just fine. Try switching to another browser? Also, you did click on free download right?

 

Nothing with IE or FF, cleared cookies etc. still no luck. But hey, that's why I have 3G for Got the file, a bit blueish but nothing that a little tweaking won't fix!

Sorry for going OT, but I've always liked the X61 and the SXGA+ sounds sweet. What panel did you use in yours? Will it work on the X61T? Thanks!

 

rather than relying on a calibration file for a different panel, you can do it yourself in windows 7:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/len...st-your-thinkpad-display-fix-windows-7-a.html

 

Hello Erik von Supermodder! Tried that, but I can NEVER get the gray bars to go neutral, there's always a hint of red or green... Maybe I'll grab a Spyder 3 myself and see what's what...

 

hardware calibration is always best.   even two of the same model panels made on the same day can calibrate differently.

i just picked up an X301 and the display calibrated differently every time i tried.   i'm currently using the windows 7 calibrator as it seems to work best with TN panels.   hardware calibration, in my opinion, is best left to IPS and AFFS displays.

 

The panel is originally from the X61T, so yes, it will work with the X61T, the panel is Hv121p01-101.

 

Thanks for that, it's a little hard to choose between a X200T and a X61T SXGA+ but if you can view two pages side-by-side then we have a winner!

Edit: How does the SXGA+ of your X61 compare to the AFFS+ of your X200? I guess you have never used it in portrait orientation but since a new SXGA+ panel is over 200 USD I'd like to know if it's good for using in a tablet. Thanks!

 

my X200T is a pre-production unit with an S-IPS panel rather than AFFS+.   my X61sxga+ system is unquestionably better in terms of display quality.

i used to own an SXGA+ X61T so yes, i have used that panel in portrait orientation.   it looks great no matter what orientation you have it.

you can view two pages side-by-side with either system but 1280x800 is a limiting factor.   if that's important then you might as well start considering external displays.   SXGA+ isn't much better in that regard.

 

Thanks for the info, I always thought that with 1400x1050 in landscape mode you'd be able to at least have two full pages side-by-side in fullscreen. I have tried it in my Dell Mini with a 1366x768 display and the width seems okay but you are right, 34 extra pixels isn't much of a real estate difference... Are the AFFS+ displays of the X200T as good as your SXGA+ ? I am between the two at the moment.

 

the SXGA+ panel is AFFS where the WXGA panel is AFFS+.   the WXGA panel is better but not by a noticeable amount.

building an X61/s with AFFS is a HUGE endeavor and requires a lot of cutting, taping, fabrication, and a custom BIOS.   building an X200/X201/i/s with AFFS+ is a matter of installing different parts.   given the choice, i would go with the X200 unless you have the time and resources to build the X61.

 

Oh I am well aware of the effort involved in that sort of modification, thanks to you of course. But if I attempt to do that it will be on a X61t. Now you might ask why not get it with the SXGA+ in the first place and the answer would be "Because there aren't any on eBay UK..."

 

that mod would be easy.   depending on the model you start with, you may just need the panel and bezel.

 

Just want to chime in that I also used a X61T before, and in portrait mode you can read a pdf document at 100% zoom, which is almost like read from a paper The high DPI also adds to the sharpness of the document and makes it easier to read.
In landscape mode I can put two documents side by side at around 80% zoom, which is still readable.
Overall, it's perfect for productivity work. Highly recommended. And as erik said, it's a manageable mod too.

 

Thanks for the info guys, it seems like the ideal machine for my needs but there is that LE1700 that has drawn my attention. Pretty hard to get one of these for less than 600GBP but we'll see, at least the prices of the X61T keep going down and there are always a few SXGA+ displays China-side waiting to be transplanated...

As an update to my mod I have to say that I have NEVER EVER seen such deep and black blacks in a display before, I can only imagine how brilliant IPS panels must be... I don't know how the matte versions of the HV121WX4 look but you won't regret having the glossy version if you decide on that one.

 

I did it. My X201 finally has AFFS screen. I replaced the screen, inverter, and cable. Not as easy as I thought but I am happy with the result

 

Congrats handai that looks really superb! This gives hope to all of us with LED screen !

 

This the back of original LED screen. I still hope that I can upgrade to LED AFFS instead

 

Very nicely done. Looks like you got the matte version?

 

@handai - great job!   glad that parts list worked out.

LED AFFS+ is possible but requires soldering wires to jump the LVDS cable to various locations on the LCD's main board.   it's up there in difficulty with the X61 mod.

 

I got the glossy version (110). So far I am very happy with the result

 

I ended up going a different route: rather than replace the (abysmal) TN panel in my X200 with the popular Boe-Hydis AFFS+ panel, I installed what I believe is a Samsung PVA panel.

It was a drop-in replacement, and it provides a *gorgeous* display. It was also about $50 cheaper than the cheapest new HV121WX4 that I could find.

Full details are in this thread over at ThinkPads.com

 

The width of the LED AFFS connector is the same as the width of the major portion of that LCD cable. As you can see, the LED connector of the original LED screen requires an expansion in width of the LCD cable at the connector's end. There's no way to fit it in without some modding required, as erik said above.

 

A job well done, congratulations indeed handai! Might I chime in with something important... I tried to clean my transplanted screen today, which has no protective surface like the original TN display of the X200. My findings may surprise you...
I used to clean my old panel with water and it took care of even the toughest stains. And I guess that was because I wasn't cleaning the actual LCD front layer but rather the matte protective layer that is put in place by the manufacturer. Unfortunately once you remove the digitizer you are left with the bare LCD panel. So what do you do?..

Water does not work, it makes such a mess that you'll think you've trashed it! Isopropanol 99.99% pure does not work, same problem, only to a lesser degree. I tried cotton cloths, microfibre cloths, lens tissues, nothing. All I could see was that the panel refused to let dirt particles go, they just clinged to it and not on my cleaning cloths.

So I ended up with a screen covered in a dark grey brown grime and I couldn't figure out what to try... And then it dawned on me! You know how sticky tape holds the universe together? Well now you can use it to clean your AFFS panel as well!

Seriously guys the only way to clean this thing is either sticky tape OR a much better solution, a LINT ROLLER! My screen is now as good as new, it's as clean as when I had the digitizer panel removed. Give it a go, you won't be disappointed! Obviously this is a solution only for these panels, you can still clean your other displays that have their protective layers in place with just water. To date, the easiest clean is my 2710p, that digitizer layer is wonderful.

 

I clean mine with a $5 LCD cleaning liquid bought from ShaggyMac. No problem at all.

 

Sounds good, could you give a list of the ingredients, ie. what's the active cleaning agent? What cloth do you use?

 

Can you provide some more specifics of what you did and what is required?

 

it's as simple as buying the parts i listed in this post and replacing them on your system.   if you're starting with an X201 you can use your LCD housing, bezel, hinges, etc.   if you have an X201s with the WXGA+ panel then you'll need to replace everything in the upper LCD assembly.

 

It would be extremely helpful and kind it someone here could write a little guide (and maybe a few pictures) of of how to change the lcd cable.

I would like to buy the x201 and do the affs screen mod. To do this i need a little help with the lcd connector. The screen replacement and inverter replacement should be covered in the lenovo mainteinance manual right?

 

guides are already available.   everything you need can be found in the following links:

LCD bezel removal/replacement

inverter card removal/replacement

LCD panel, brackets, and cable removal/replacement

service training videos

hardware maintenance manual

 

Looking at the first post I realise that the screen you have *might* have an additional layer on top of the actual LCD panel since you bought it without the digitizer layer/Wacom controller. I bought mine with those in place and I have removed the digitizer layer, I assume that what's under it could be the thin polyimide film that holds the liquid crystals in place, hope I don't pull that off during cleaning...

 

No, it's just an anti-reflective coating, which is in all panels. There's no extra layer between the glass in front and the LCD itself. About the cleaning liquid, you can look up Optimist Prime from ShaggyMac. I used a microfiber cloth along with the solution to clean my LCD.

 

I have a newbie question: How to remove the screw caps in step 1? Just use a flat tip screwdriver to pry them open?

Thanks!

Sean

 

i use a new razorblade to pop off screw covers.   you have to be both careful and competent to do this and i take no responsibility if you scratch something or cut yourself.

you could also try a spudger.   google it if you aren't familiar with them.

a small screwdriver tends to leave a gouge in the cap where you pried.   of course, new caps can be found online if you need them.   they're all over ebay.

 

Sorry, I totally missed your post with the part numbers. Seems fairly straightforward. $20 each for the cable and inverter on eBay, plus whatever the panel costs (wow, lots listed for only $110 shipped).

I was pretty sad when the X201 came out and there didn't seem to be any possibility of switching the screen. The only thing that stopped me from originally buying an X200 and performing this mod is the lack of a touchpad. A suitable X201 config is only $1k... tempting.

 

I used to be a trackpadder too. Not that I'm now in love with the trackpoint, but now that I've been using it for I while, I'm at least decent with it. If I had wanted to get the X201 with the trackpad, I could have done so, but it wasn't worth twice as much to me to have one.

 

I will be more than happy to help if any of you need any assistance in replacing your screen. If you have X201, all you need is the inverter, cable, and new screen.

Changing the cable is not that hard. You just need to take off the keyboard and unscrew the cable (2 bolts by the motherboard)

 

As you are the screen mod guru, I have the following reflections and questions on the topic of Thinkpad IPS/AFFS screen mods.

HP's 17" dreamcolor 2 (IPS?) display looks amazing.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/6470413-post2237.html

As it seems possible to buy the screen separately, what are the odds of getting it work in a Thinkpad W700 or W701?

In best case scenario it would be a drop-in replacement?

In a worst case scenario, connectors, inverters and panel EDID would need to be fixed?

 

having never seen the bare display panel of the HP, i don't know.   i suggest starting a new thread since it's off-topic per this discussion.

 

just wondering, is this the same screen used in the x200 tablet ccfl screen?