Help!! Vaio Z2 Backlight issue!

My VAIO Z2 Screen has been cracked. I found a new replacement 1080p screen and replaced with the cracked LCD. However I am getting no backlight. On this forum, many users have reported bad fuse was the cause and by bypassing the fuse and bridging the jumpers they were able to get their backlight back. (The old cracked screen also had no backlight)

Well, I am having trouble locating the bad fuse. I have no prior knowledge in electricity nor components.

So I have disassembled the unit (What a Pain in the !) and took the picture of the motherboard, near the LVDS. I would appreciate if anyone point out to me where the dead fuse may be. I am not sure whether this is possible just by looking at the photos.
I have purchased multimeter but..I am not sure how to spot a dead fuse- what should I be looking for?

Here is the link to the pictures: ImageShack Album - 5 images

Thanks in advance!!

 

Make sure power is removed from laptop. Set your multimeter for continuity check. Anything near the LVDS (actually it's displayport) connector with the marker starting with F test both ends for continuity (multimeter should beep). If you don't get continuity that's your bad fuse. If your multimeter doesn't have continuity mode then just select impedence mode. A healthy fuse will give you zero or between 0 and 1 ohms. A blown fuse will register nothing (or in some cases very high ohms). Hope this helps.

 

PM replied.
http://i44.tinypic.com/15d7wn4.jpg

 

Thank you all for your help!!

I'll post with some results!

 

Hi.

One more question- Do I solder without removing the fuse? (Solder above the fuse?) Is there specific way that I should solder?

 

You must remove the previous fuse.

If you have access to solder tools, you can use vacuum suckers that are heated at the end to suck up the solder and remove the blown fuse.

There is no way to solder the new fuse without removing the old one.

Also, as usual, be careful, and use a fine-tip solder tool to apply the solder.

EDIT : Wait, having looked at the photos, they seem like SMT. How are you going to solder this?

 

SMT? What's that. I've followed what ngvuanh said and checked with multimeter. It says it's dead.

Are you saying it isn't a fuse??

 

It looks like a surface-mount component, looking at the size.

It's a different method of soldering, you could try with thin lead solder and fine-tip iron, but it will probably be very hard; nearly impossible to get the fuse to work at the right place without creating new contacts with nearby components.

A surface mount component is soldered in a.. Let's say a baking oven. It toasts and melts the "solder paste", which can be applied in delicate amounts.

Are you sure the others didn't say anything about this?

 

No- no one mentioned this. I haven't started soldering so that's good.

I am surprised Z1 and Z2 is made differently then. After reading this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/622168-vpc-z13-lcd-panel-upgrade-big-problem.html

I figured Z1 and Z2 components must be same.

Here are some additional pictures in case anyone needs more detail. I've circled in red where ngvuanh and I thought it was a dead fuse: ImageShack Album - 3 images

Is there no way to fix the backlight issue?

 

In fact can you confirm whether the picture on the bottom (where ngvuanh has circled in red) is also SMT? http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/622168-vpc-z13-lcd-panel-upgrade-big-problem.html

Edit: comparing my photo and Z1 photo, the fuse seem very similar in size and appearance wise.

 

It means he simply soldered over the blown fuse. I guess that could be an option, do as he did and bridge the solder over the blown fuse(i.e. put solder over the fuse itself as to create a new electrical connection to bypass the blown fuse).

That should work.

--
Edit : Yes, that is also an SMT component.

 

Thanks for your tip Ryan!

I'll post with results later this night.

Keep my fingers crossed.

 

Good luck.

 

Thanks to everyone's help I got my backlight working again. Thank you very much. However, I've lost 64gb SSD somehow. The display says ssd 1 failed.
I've deleted the fail SSD and tried to recreate a new one, but it kept giving me error that there is no drive to create new raid 0.

This must be some sort of an hardware error. I am not left without operating system and PMD won't boot into Windows DVD.

Anyone got a clue?

 

If anyone know how to access raid configuration during the boot that'd helpful

 

First set it to show in BIOS and press Ctrl+I when the status screen appears (after VAIO logo).

 

The status wont show- I have enabled in bios but it won't display anything during the boot.

 

I remember seeing on Z1 that the raid utility wouldn't show if only one drive was connected.

 

I suppose this can due to bad connection then.

Sigh, guess I have to live with what I got.

 

^Rip it back apart and see if something isn't connected right? How'd you blow that fuse anyhow? Did you replace the panel with power somehow connected???