Video Flicker

Video Flicker

Always remove AC and battery power before working on this laptop. Failure to heed this warning can cause damage to your laptop!

The video transfer board, video cable and the upper case half all move around with LCD lid motion. The motherboard, which is what the video board plugs into, does not move with the upper case and is securely held in place by the lower case half. So the connectors between the video transfer board and the motherboard are under a great deal of stress. This causes some internal electrical contact problems that end up making the LCD flicker and over time this can lead to the video board connectors having failed electrical solder joints.

If you remove the keyboard and the plastic snap-on cover (located behind the keyboard) that covers the video transfer board, you can see this action. The video board has three screws that secure it to the upper and lower case. When tightly screwed down the video board is forced to move with the upper case. After time the three connectors on the bottom side of the video board work free from the mating connectors on the motherboard. A simple pressing down on the video board will reseat the connectors. But the stresses are still there and at some point the solder connections (normally the video board fails) break and allow the connectors to stay locked together, but the laptop display is dead or messed up. Resoldering the contacts often solves the video problem if you have no video to the LCD.

Reducing the tension on the LCD hinges is also a good thing if the LCD lid is hard to open and close. There are screws on the two LCD hinges that control the tension, but they are located on the back side of the hinge and to adjust them you must disassemble the LCD lid. You can also put a small drop or two of WD40 on the hinge to help it move freely - if you get the LCD lid too loose then it will "flop" over backwards when opened ---- then you MUST adjust the screws.

To completely cure the video flicker problem

Do not use the procedure if the video to the LCD has failed. Repair the video board and/or motherboard first.

1) Remove AC power and Battery.

2) Open palmrest by lifting the two front retainers and lift the front of the palmrest.

3) Lift the keyboard forward, but do not disconnect the ribbon cables.

4) Using a small flat bladed screwdriver or dull knife gently pry the plastic cover over the power switch up. There are four slots along the front edge that are exposed when the keyboard is out of place. Twist gently at each of the four slots until the cover is free and remove it. The video transfer board is the board with the status LCD and power switch.

5) Remove the video transfer board by unscrewing the three screws that secure it into place and lifting it up and let it dangle. Do not disconnect any of the video cables. Do not leave any dropped screws inside the laptop or short circuits will occur when you power the laptop up.

6) With the video transfer board up and out of the way use a pair of diagonal cutters to cut off the two outer screw retaining stud nuts that are part of the main case. This is the female threaded part of the main case and completely remove the "ear" so that the video board do not contact the case at either end. Make sure to remove any dropped metal (if any) that falls into the case

DO NOT CUT the video trasfer board or it may be destroyed

7) With the plastic "ears" removed the outer two screws are no longer necessary and may be discarded. To replace the support that was provided by the screws use a tube of "Household GOOP" or other silicone RTV rubber (non-conductive type) to form two 1/2" (12 mm) blobs on the motherboard in locations that will be near the ends of the video transfer board when it is pressed into place. DO NOT allow the rubber blobs to flow into the three connectors when you press the video board back into place. Locate the RTV away from the connectors.

8) Press the video board down and into place. Secure with only the center screw.

9) Reassemble the laptop and test for proper operation. Allow the RTV to cure overnight or 24 hours before normal use can begin.