Travelmate 5720g - No display on LCD panel, external monitor OK, OK on another machine!

steeevc

Hi,

 

I hope someone can help! Last night my 5720g decided not to power up the LCD so I had to use the DVI output to get a picture. I've managed to test both the panel and inverter (and cable) in another 5720 today and they work OK.

 

I don't have any aritfacts or corruption on the external display, it all seems fine.

 

Could it be the x1700 graphics card playing up, or could it be some other (non-replaceable) circuitry that has gone wrong?

 

I don't get a second monitor available in Windows - it's simply like I haven't plugged the LCD panel in. I've checked to make sure it's firmly in place and i've checked to make sure the 'lid switch' is not stuck (by setting power options to go in to standby upon lid closure). Also, like I said previously, the screen works on another machine.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Oh - I did get the screen to fire up once but the backlight didn't switch on (again, inverter tested OK on another machine). 

 

Many thanks!

 

Regards,
Steve.

 

 

 

ScottyC

Quick question, if you restart the unit do you have display while the unit is loading? In other words, do you see the Acer logo, the loading screen etc?

 

steeevc

Hi,

 

No - nothing at all. Although admittedly I haven't tried an actual restart, only a power-off and then back on again. Bit tricky to do without a display tho

 

I have had it fire up the screen without the backlight a few times since posting the original message, but usually I don't get anything on the display at all.

 

As it happens there is a 5720g on ebay at the moment, if it doesn't go for silly money I might buy it just to see if I can swap out the graphics card and/or motherboard and then I'll be able to work out exactly where the fault is. If it's the cardthen it might be worth trying to get a cheap card to put in there and have a fully working laptop again, otherwise i'll probably just transplant the motherboard.

 

Thanks.

 

(I noticed a mistake in my original reply, I said I'd had the screen fire up with the backlight, but I meant without, sorry!)

JackE

Hmmmm? Sounds familiar, eh Scotty? I'll let you do the honors here. 8^)

 

Jack E/NJ

st3ph3nnity

I read this hours ago...surely,this guy is looking for an answer...if you can answer the query why not answer it ?

ScottyC

Here's a list of why he might not have wanted to answer it, all of which are completely VALID reasons.

 

1. He was tired.

2. He didn't feel like it.

3. He doesn't care.

4. His hands are sore.

5. He doesn't want to hijack my answer (which is appreciated).

 

Don't forget that nobody here is being paid to answer these questions aside from Acer-Tommy and the rest. No matter why he didn't want to answer doesn't give you the right to question him.

 

And finally, to answer the question....

If an external display works but the internal does not, and you are not able to see the Acer loading screen, this rules out Windows as a culprit and we can safely assume the issue is hardware related. More than likely the LCD cable that connect the graphics adapter to the LCD panel itself is disconnected, but it's also possible (however unlikely) that the graphics card itself is faulty. Regardless I can tell you with 100% certainty that this problem cannot be resolved without physically repairing the unit.

 

At this point you have a few options.

1. If you are in warranty, you can contact Acer to arrange a repair. This usually takes about a week to complete and it's 100% recommended if you are not comforatable disassembling the unit or paying a tech to do it for you.

2. Bring the unit to a local technician for diagnostics and repair. Keep in mind that this can be costly and usually techs will just send the unit to the manufacturer regardless. Assuming you are in warranty you would be paying for nothing and if you're out you're looking at paying the 200 - 250 dollar out of warranty repair fee plus any additional expenses the tech adds on.

3. Remove the plastic casing from your unit and check the cable yourself. I can honestly say that if you are not used to such things it would be best to go with one of the first two options, despite the fact that this is a very easy procedure. It is very easy to cause damage to the LCD panel connectors if you're not VERY careful.

 

Truth be told this problem falls into the category of "less severe".

I hope this helps, take care and good luck. And do keep in mind that we are all just people who happen to be kind enough to donate our time to helping others simply because we are able and want to lend a helping hand. If someone helps you I would highly suggest hitting the kudos button. This not only shows that you care, but that you truly do appreciate the help you received.

steeevc

Hi Scotty,

 

Thank you for your detailed reply.

 

I've actually had the whole screen, inverter and cable out and plugged in to a different 5720 (actually the non-G model, with Intel graphics, but the connector was the same thankfully). The screen worked correctly in that one, and fired up straight away.

 

I also swapped the screens over and his screen did not work in mine with his cable and inverter.

 

I replaced the panel about 2 months ago as the other half knocked it off the arm of the chair and it landed on its lid. I replaced it with the same LCD model and it has worked absolutely fine since then, can I assume that this new problem is just a coincidence?

 

So by the sounds of things it's most likely to be the graphics card then, or perhaps the connector on the board/dry joint/etc?

 

Thanks for your time on this one. I'm well out of warranty so I will try and get a 5720G board, or failing that a cheap ATI X2500. I'd rather not sell it for spares just yet as it's a fairly decent little machine, I even put a T9300 in it some time back so it's quite quick

 

 

ScottyC

I would first like to say that I am glad to have been able to assist, and I hope you are able to repair your unit without having to sell it for parts. I know that can be frustrating.

 

I would also like to say that my perious comment was not meant to offend anyone, and if anyone else is offended I sincerely do apologize.

I would like to invite you to read around the forum and you'll see plenty of people making snide remarks and demanding answers. I know very well that you had not intended to offend me, nor were you trying to offend anyone else in your post. In fact, I wasn't at all offended, I was merely reminding everyone of a point that I make throughout the forum. I invite you to check my past posts to verify this. The point that I was trying to make is that nobody here is required to do anything and that people should appreciate the help they get. Even if someone has an answer it doesn't mean that they are required to provide it and if that person chooses to help then they are doing so only because they are kind enough to do so. I hadn't meant to upset you or anyone else with my comment and what I had replied was no more offensive (or at least not meant to be) than what you had written.

 

 

Regards,

ScottyC

 

[edited for privacy]

Phil-3

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