e520 swap HD screen for FullHD

hi folks,

has anyone tried swapping the 720p display that comes with this model for a 1080p display?

there's a good tutorial for swapping the 720p screen here:

**TUTORIAL** LCD Replacement/Repair for Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E520 - YouTube

the maker of the tutorial said he'd tried a 1080p but it didn't work. on the dell forum, there's this thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-xps-studio-xps/554402-dell-xps-l501x-lcd-display-swap.html

...which shows a different fullHD capable cable was needed. i'm guessing this is the same deal with the e520. on page 32 of that thread is a picture of the new cable. anyone know if that cable looks like it would work on the e520? or have any input on this idea? the screen i would like to put in is the matte screen talked about on the earlier thread. its basically the dell xps 1080p screen but matte...


gary.

 

I think HD+ (1600x900) is better for a 15.6" display then a FullHD (1920x1080).

FullHD there a some very good displays from AUO.

• AUO B156HW1 V.4: Full-HD, LED, 1.920 x 1.080 Pixel, Glossy, 500:1, 95% NTSC 195 US-Dollar
• AUO B156HW1 V.7: Full-HD, LED, 1.920 x 1.080 Pixel, Matte, 500:1, 95% NTSC 195 US-Dollar

Maybe somebody know if there are some good HD+ displays with good color and contrast 500:1 (or better).

Perhaps it is possible to take a display used in T520?
Here is a review:
Review Lenovo Thinkpad T520 Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

 

Maybe someone can get hands on a LG LTN156KT02401 (FRU 93P5681), HD+ display, that Lenovo puts in L520 and T520. Test see above.

If this one works in E520, this will be very nice!

 

Hi,

Can i change 720p display with HD+ only plug and play and what model of LCD need to do that.

 

You can swap to a HD+ (1600x900) or FullHD (1920x1080) display like in Lenovo L520/T520 or W520. Both of them are very good compared to lame HD display in Lenovo E520.

Review FullHD display in Lenovo W520:
Review Lenovo ThinkPad W520 Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

But you may need an other Display-Ribbon-Cable (FullHD capable) that is used in L520/T520/W520. You can order this cable directly at Lenovo support. I will swap my dispay in a couple of weeks.

FRU's for HD+ / FullHD cable are 45M2859 Teflon and 45M2860 Coaxial.
FRU for HD Cable is 45M2857 Teflon and 45M2858 Coaxial.

You can order cable here:
http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/detail.page?LegacyDocID=MIGR-73348

Here a thread about the cable:
http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/SL-Series-ThinkPad-Laptops/HD-Matrix-on-SL510/td-p/422813

 

Does anyone know if there is an IPS screen yet that fits the E520? I dont care about the resolution personally, so much as better image quality than the standard TN panel.

Sorry to OP if this post is not wanted, if so I shall remove it.

 

Thanks for reply!!!
You replace of exactly model and work of 100%? and what screen recommend me? I think with 1920x1080 screen will be very small or wrong.

And the cable of E520 FRU is 04W1850 or this is not problem and can put HD+ cables.

 

No, there is no compatible IPS screen. But look at this AUO Display, it is very good ( http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Lenovo-ThinkPad-W520-Notebook.53220.0.html). So only if you allways want to look at your screen from a 90° angle, then you really need a IPS Display. I have one Lenovo X220 with IPS Display here, viewing angle are great, but colors not. Good TN+ displays like AUO have much better colors and contrast.

I've read in a german board, that cable is same in all 520 (e520, l520, w520, t520, sl520). You even can solder yourself the missing links/wires in HD cable, if you dont want to buy the HD+ cable. Look here:
HD+ Matrix on SL510 - Lenovo Community

Recomended displays are:

• FullHD AUO B156HW01-V4 (no glare, 1920x1080, very good contrast and color and view angle).
  Review: Review Lenovo ThinkPad W520 Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews
• HD+ LG LP156WD1-TLB2 (no glare, 1600x900, good contrast and color and view angle).
  Review1: Review Lenovo Thinkpad T520 Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews.
  Review2: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Lenovo-Thinkpad-T510-4349-4JG-Notebook.25722.0.html
• HD+ LTN156KT02401 (FRU 93P5681)

Yes, FullHD on 15,6" will have very small fonts. On other side you have a lot of space for documents (open office, cad, photoshop). HD+ is better i think for 15,6" Display. But FullHD AUO is very good, so if fonts are small for somebody, you can increase them in Windows7 Settings to 125%.

 

Thanks for the information!

Ive just received the E520 with 1366x768 matte, and the screen is indeed rather below average.

If the 1600x900 matte is better quality as well as higher res, I will get it.

Laptopscreen.com does not list any 1600x900's for the T520, only the W520 and T510

IBM-Lenovo THINKPAD T510 replacement Laptop LCD Screen from $59.99 Brand-new screens (never used).

IBM-Lenovo THINKPAD W520 replacement Laptop LCD Screen from $59.99 Brand-new screens (never used).

I will email him and ask which panels the 1600x900 above use.

Edit:

Received an immediate reply from laptopscreen.com so I may try the 1600 x 900.

Felix wrote:
Screen for your notebook is here: http://www.laptopscreen.com/English/model/IBM-Lenovo/THINKPAD~EDGE~E520/

Please, note that we do not recommend (nor support resolution upgrades)

Model # LP156WD1-TLB2 is here: http://www.laptopscreen.com/English/screen-part-number/LP156WD1(TL)(B2)/

 

I also recently bought an EC520 for my wife, but noticed the display is close to unacceptable. While it has the same ppi as the 1280x800 panel on my 6-year old Dell Inspiron6400, the image quality is much worse.

So I spent the last week trying to explore the possiblity of upgrading the panal, ideally to something like 1600x900. And I would like to share my limited finding here and see if it can contribute to the first success:

- The 1366x768 (so-called HD) panel on my E520 is an "AUO B156XW02 V3"; it requires a 40-pin 'LVDS single-channel 6-bit' cable. Unfortunately (according to another forum) anything above 1440x900 must be connected using a dual-channel cable as more pixels need to be transmitted at a time. This simply means upgrading the E520 panel is not a plug&play job. Some people have tried to plug a HD+ panel into E520 and only found that half the pixels were lit (because only half of the channels are connected). SO just a kind warning here: DO NOT buy the HD+ panel before you know how to get the right signal out of the master-board;

- The potentially usable 1600x900 (so-called HD+) panels I've found are "LP156WD1-TLB2" from LG and "B156RW01 V1" from AUO. According to their specs, they both require 40-pin 'LVDS dual-channel 6-bit' cables, and apart from the 8-pins that are not used in the single-channel connector, all other pins seem to have the same assignment (which is a good sign).

So now there are two remaining questions:

1) Does the E520 master-board actually supply 1600x900 signal to the LVDS cable? If not, there is no way to upgrade, but I may still consider replacing the lame panel with a better HD one;

2) The LDVS cable in E520 (FRU 04W1850) also carries signal for the camera/mic; presumably the cable at the masterboard-end should be 44-pin, then split into 40 to the LCD panel, and the other four to the camera/mic. 8 of the 40 pins should be 'not connected'. For a HD+ panel, we will need find a cable with all 44 pins connected. As E520 doesn't have a standard option of HD+, I don't think Lenovo actually make such cables. So is DIY the only way to get hold of such a cable?

Can anyone find the answers to these questions?

 

PM Kyocera maybe if you dont get a reply?

The camera is rubbish anyway, any cheap MS or Logitech one will do a proper job.

 

as i posted above, look here for picture of HD+ cable:
15.6 inch (1600 x 900) HD+ LED-backlight LCD service parts - ThinkPad L410, L510, L412, L512, SL410 and SL510

it should be the same in all 520 Lenovo laptops (e520, w520, t520, ...).

I have ordered one for 15 Euro (+tax +shipping). Will arrive in 1-2 weeks.

Here is HD+ cable (number 7):

 

Thanks guys for your replies.

I agree from looking at the LCD assembly in these pictures the cables look very similar. But I had a closer look at the "LCD unit" section of the "Removing and replacing a FRU" chapter in the "SL410, L410, SL510, and L510" HMM and "E520" HMM; and I suspect the motherboard-end of the cable might be different. I do hope I will be proven wrong though.

Here is a picture for E520:


Here is the picture for "SL410, L410, SL510, and L510":

 

there is teflon and coaxial cable available. maybe this is the difference. i have ordered the teflon cable, but not received yet.

 

Hi kyocera,

Hope you are right. Please update us when the cable is received. Much appreciated.

bmoon

 

i have canceled my order, because the connector is the same on teflon/coax cable for SL510 - so both will not fit to E520.

So maybe cable from a W520/T520 will fit...?
I think i will keep my display, as it is good enough for my needs. But a HD+ display were so nice for E520...

If cable from another Lenovo notebook doesnt fit, only way is to solder the additional 8 wires by hand.

 

Thanks for your update, kyocera. I looked at some pictures of T520 cables; they look a bit similar to E520 ones, but I am not convinced they are the same.

 

Lenovo has recently released ThinkPad EDGE E430/E530, and E530 apparently has an option of HD+ screen (1600x900). This is still a pretty new model and I've not found the FRU information yet, but there is a good hope that the LCD cable in E530 is compatible with E520 and might be used to upgrad E520's screen to HD+ or even FHD!

 

I called up Lenovo Australia since I couldn't configure the E530 with a HD+ screen even though the introduction page says it is an option. The sales rep said nicer screens aren't available on cheaper model Thinkpads like the Edge series. But first he tried explaining it away as a wireless antenna option so he doesn't have much credibility in my eyes.

 

I think the cable will be diferent and on this model.
LCD service parts - ThinkPad Edge E530, E530c, and E535

 

So did you guys figure out whether it's possible to get any HD+ or FullHD display on the E520? Here in the US you can't even order the HD+ option for the new E530. I don't mind the smaller font since I've used to my old Compaq's 15.4" 1680x1050 display.

 

From reading this thread a few times, it seems like you can't upgrade past the 1366x768 because of the cable peculiarities because it's: single channel, and also carries mic/webcam data, can't be replaced easily:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/thi...0-e520-swap-hd-screen-fullhd.html#post8365439

However, someone has found out a way of soldering a standard cable (where this cable is from, I'm not sure):
HD+ Matrix on SL510 - Lenovo Community

For technically unskilled.. probably easier just to buy a better laptop next time .

 

HD+ or FullHD for E530 was a 'mistake' on lenovo's official site, and it is not the first time they have advertised for something they dont have.

Even E530 do support HD+, it is still in doubt whether its cable can be used for E520.

For now the only possibility is still soldering the missing wires manually.

 

I've read that post too, but my english is not good enough to fully understand what this guru has said. It seems he didn't need another cable. It's just the original cable for the laptop; in addtion 8 wires were soldered from the motherboard to the display panel to connect the missing pins.

It should not be hard to find out the mapping of the missing pins. The main difficulty is to find suitable wires that are thin enough to fit in, yet durable enough to survive frequent screen movement.

 

I found new E530 has an option of 1600x900 HD+ LCD in Australia.
ThinkPad Edge E530 | 15" Laptop | Learn | Lenovo | Australia (AU)

In addition,
http://download.lenovo.com/parts/ThinkPad/E530_FRU_BOM_V2.pdf
This file include parts numbers of both HD and HD+(1600x900) LCDs.
However, only one parts number of LCD cable is listed.

Maybe it is possible to do FHD upgrading to E530, and E430, E435, E535.

 

Awesome find! I'm going to look into this again as it would be nice to have HD+ resolution in my e425 (if at all possible).

Sent from my SPH-M580 using Tapatalk

 

hi everyone,

i checked the end (mainboard side) of my e525 (same to e520) lcd cable and unfortunately, there are not 8 pins left to solder the second channel to. on the screen side of the cable you can see the missing wires of the second lvds channel however. so in my opinion there is no way of pulling this upgrade off. it seems like the second channel is simply not supported.
if some can proof me wrong, please do so...

take care

 

hi k1x,

many thanks for this crutial detail. could you let me know what your graphics card is (intel hd3000 or others)? Just wondering if the second channel is supported by a different graphics card.

It would also be very useful if you happen to have taken any pictures of the cable.

cheers,
bmoon

 

I tried to swap a lcd of my E535 into FHD one, but to fail. The cable seemed to have 40 pins and 40 various color codes.
The panel set initially was probably LP156WH4 (TL)(P1). (I forgot to write it down, so not absolutely sure.) The FHD panel is
LP156WF1 TL F3 . Maybe I should have bought E530 HD+ model from Australia. Maybe just buying E530 from anywhere could have another result. Maybe BIOS level denial occrred. Maybe the cable is not for LCDs finer than 1366x768. In other words, there may exist another cable for E530 (of HD+). I have no idea.

 

I bent and cracked my $20's screeen and would like to do the same upgrade discussed in this thread on my Lenovo E420.
Has anyone upgraded the Lenovo E420 screen to a 1080p or better screen?

If so, can you post the parts, vendor, and procure or a link?
Thanks

 

E420 should use the same LCD cable as E520. So it is unlikely that you can just swap the LCD panel with a higher-resolution one. The best you could do, is to replace it with a better-quality one.

 

So far this is quite an interesting thread. And very instructive with good advice.
I would like to see it work out with an upgrade of the screen of the Thinkpad Edge 520.
I got enthusiastic when on the site of laptopscreen.com it seemed as if al the video-signal connectors of Lenovo displays were the same.

Though from the information of the Lenovo-website it is pretty clear that there is a very different LCD-cable for the display.
Below is the Edge 520:
15.6-inch HD (1366x768) LED-backlight LCD Service Parts - ThinkPad Edge E520, E525

And this is (e.g.) L520 with a 1600x900 display.
15.6 inch (1600 x 900) HD+ LED-backlight LCD service parts - ThinkPad L420, L421 and L520

In a way it makes sense, that if you don’t offer a HD+screen in a range of laptops, there is no need for a cable that would make it possible.

But it would be interesting to know if the LCD-cable from the L520 could be connected to the motherboard of the Edge 520. This means also completely dismantling the laptop.

 

Here is an picture of E520's cable (FRU 04W1850):


Here is the L520's (FRU 04W1730)


They look rather different to me.

We still don't know whether the motherboard of E520 can actually produce HD+ signal. so this may be the first thing to find out.

 

Right, we don't know if the motherboard internal video cable connector will output the correct HD+ signal but we do know the motherboard will output higher resolutions as much as the display connected to it will natively support too (external 1080p or higher via HDMI or VGA). It's a gamble indeed.

Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2

 

Here is the E530 lcd cable. Do you think it could fit our notebook?
I've seen the E530 HD+ lcd for sale on the eBay.

 

up...
If neither soldering is an option, then the E530 cable is our only hope. Do you think it could fit? Here's a photo: ThinkPad Edge E530 cable

 

hi every user of E520,
I find Edge E520 Schematics in this site:
http://support.karat-service.net/lenovo-thinkpad-edge-e520-ecs-557s-schematics/

i have not expertise to know pin definition in this schematics ,
but i find a bad news that only SIS302LV has function to suppot HD+ after i try to compare datasheet of chip SIS301LV and SIS 302LV.

http://www.datasheetarchive.com/301LV-datasheet.html