Hey all, having some trouble with an oldie but goodie laptop, yeah its old but its actually great for traveling and does ALL we need on the road on vacations (email, surf web, etc).

Anyways it's in great shape and works awesome till today went to use it and heard all the normal bootup sounds for windows yet no display came on, noticed faintly in the background as if the unit was set at 96% darkness) I could see the desktop and icons, even the mouse moving around just for whatever reason that backlighting for the lcd will not go "on".

Is this like a light bulb (something I can fix check or replace)?

I have no trouble ripping into it but am not too sure what is wrong what the part would cost even or how hard it would be to fix, great little laptop tho so sure would LIKE to attempt to fix it.

Any suggestions as to what i might be able to do check or try to get it working again or what part my solo 9500 would need to get this working again and how much work/time it would take to do it?

Any exploded view howto's GREATLY appreciated.

Bill

That is the backlight. Needs a new one.

Just a quick search here:

http://www.google.com/search?sourcei...9500+backlight

As I was digging around I found a few places talking about inverters and backlights, by the way it went out so fast "could" it be the inverter? Or by going out so fast is that normal for a backlight to do?

http://www.lcdparts.net

seemed to have some decent prices $10 for a backlight, 59 for an inverter, guessing id try the bulb first then inverter if that didnt work...

I don't know myself.

Perhaps another member will have more ideas here.

Otherwise Google is the tool.

Backlights - normally CCFLs (cold cathode fluorescent lamps), have a typical operating lifespan of 30,000 hours - or nearly 3 1/2 years at 24 hours a day. So when the backlight flickers, fades, or fails altogether, it is usually the backlight inverter that has gone bad and not the backlight itself. I would go for a new inverter module.

Unless you really know what you doing, I would leave the replacement up to a qualified technician. Replacing the modules is actually pretty easy, once you get the case open - which can be very tricky. Things can go wrong and so this might be one of those times when having someone else who liable for any collateral damage do the work. And while in the shop, you should have them do a professional cleaning - always a good thing for proper cooling/ventilation.

Inverter modules typically cost between $80 - $100USD, so your $59 is a good price - make sure it is the exact replacement. Many are remanufactured and that is normally fine too. An experienced technician can replace the module and thoroughly clean the laptop in about 1 hour, so labor costs would not be bad - worth it for piece of mind, IMO - and may come with a warranty if you buy the module from them.