Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-55WL - Lines on screen, possible hardware issue

>>>picture on the TV is perfect.>>>

Then it's likely either the LCD, its inverter board or its mainboard connection, not the graphics adapter.Jack E/NJ

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After the lines all disappear, what happens when you close the lid and immediately lift it back up again? Jack E/NJ

JackE said:

After the lines all disappear, what happens when you close the lid and immediately lift it back up again? Jack E/NJ

Sorry I never got back about this, I did test this and it does not cause the display to change. It does eventually fix itself, but open/closing the lid doesn't make that happen any faster. I also tried a battery reset (30 seconds pressing the reset button with a paper clip without power, wait 5 minutes, plug back in) but that also made no difference.

First we stopped using it for a month or so, then it stopped doing it at all for a while, then it was doing it but my daughter was off school for the summer so she didn't want to send it in and be without her "fun" computer. Now that she's back in school I'd like to get it fixed. Do I have to send it in for service?

The Acer service center in Germany can check the device for free and then you can choose whether or not to fix the device. However, there seems to be a problem with the edp cable. Can you check these two points?

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/7r/964xf3x5eiki.jpg

Wow, thanks for such a quick response! I'm comfortable poking around inside the system but want to make sure I don't invalidate the warranty. Is it OK for me to open the system?

Before you go poking around inside, does HDMI out to a TV screen show the same behavior? Jack E/NJ

I suggest you contact Acer technical support in Germany and ask how the international warranty works. However, I believe they will not accept, because the international warranty would only be valid if you were traveling outside the home country of the device, ie you should live in the United States. Also, as I informed you before, the Acer service center in Germany usually do a free device check as well.

Check out colleague jacke's suggestion as well.

OK, I will try the HDMI hookup next time it happens. I bought it on an American military base in Germany with an aftermarket warranty through the store, so I'm talking to them now about what they'd like me to do if it needs repair. I'd just as soon fix it myself, but I want to make sure I don't shut myself out of (3rd-party) warranty repair in the future.

Still working on warranty service with my aftermarket warranty people. Just as a data point, I did hook it up via HDMI and the picture on the TV is perfect.

>>>picture on the TV is perfect.>>>

Then it's likely either the LCD, its inverter board or its mainboard connection, not the graphics adapter.Jack E/NJ

What did the tech support say? Haven't fixed the problem yet?

I went straight to the store warranty people and got tied up in paperwork for 3 weeks, I'm going to call them tomorrow and try to straighten it out. Sorely tempted to at least try the cable as suggested above first, though...

ETA: another data point, today it was almost totally black, got better over time until the last inch or so, then stopped and wouldn't totally fix itself. Let it go to sleep, then when it woke back up, was almost totally black again.

>>>tempted to at least try the cable as suggested above first>>>

Goferit! Just don't bust anything.

Jack E/NJ

The good news: I heard back from the warranty people and apparently they're just sending a check -- not sure exactly how much, but I think it's like a prorated replacement cost. I fully expect to be able to repair this for a lot less than that, even if the panel or inverter needs to be replaced.

The slightly less good news: I started trying to open the system and it looks like the mainboard connection is not in an "easy" place to get to, so I'll have to remove the entire lower housing. I assume once I do that, getting to the display-side connection will be easier? I'm going to look for a guide, but if anybody has a link the recommend handy, I'd appreciate it.

ETA: notebookcheck's review says you just take off the 2 "user access" panels first, then remove all the rest of the screws and pry with a spudger. I want to be careful not to damage any clips but it sounds relatively straightforward.

@egydiocoelho -- the cable you show in the pic above, is it supposed to disconnect by pulling out away from the board, or sliding it along the board towards the corner?

https://youtu.be/Ph2ibK79zd8

Check this videos:

https://youtu.be/HoO9q_svwz0

From a couple Youtube videos about replacing the panel (with a higher refresh rate model) it looks like the whole display side is held together entirely with clips, so I guess I just jam a spudger in there and hope for the best. And it looks like the display-side connection will be accessible only after removing the (clipped in) frame from the front, then unscrewing the panel and popping it out completely. Is that correct?

Yes my friend!

OK that second video is super helpful and gives a lot of great detail. It might be a few days before I have the time but I'll definitely try this and reseat both ends of the cable.

If that doesn't do the trick, that means it's the inverter board or the panel itself, right? Wouldn't inverter board failure be limited to problems with the backlight? In the pics I posted, you can see that there's a sort of vertical stripe effect where the last "good" row of pixels is kind of repeated or superimposed over the rows below them. The effect is also visible in this pic from a few days ago, showing the problem has gotten a lot worse:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/cf/gjzk3t0rq6pu.jpg

Probably! In this case, I believe only by replacing the display.