Busted backlight / inverter..

**Giuliano** · 01-04-2006, 09:46 PM

Argh!

I was bench-testing my system, and I think I busted either the LCD panel inverter or the CCFL backlight...

I powered the system on, the LCD panel lit up and worked, and then it went dark.

I'm hoping it's just the inverter - that's cheap to replace..

The LCD, at $500, isn't.

**greenman100** · 01-04-2006, 09:55 PM

I have inverters....

**Giuliano** · 01-04-2006, 10:01 PM

Originally Posted by greenman100

I have inverters....

Thanks.. I'm going to bring it back tomorrow to the shop I bought it from, and have them test it.

If it's the inverter, they have replacements for $25, I think.. or free under warranty, maybe.

**triton199** · 01-04-2006, 10:53 PM

you could LED mod the screen, not too hard if you know a bit of electronics, not too hard to make it look good as well, plus is it a xenarc? because i have heard that they tend to look a little more yellow than other lcds, leds would probably change that, plus it would cut your current draw for the screen almost in half

**Giuliano** · 01-04-2006, 10:57 PM

I know quite a bit of electronics, but I'm not going to try to mod this thing... it was already clearer, sharper and brighter than anything else I've seen in this size.

It's not a Xenarc or Liliput or anything off the shelf.. it's a brightness-enhanced 8.4" 800x600 LVDS LCD panel from eVisionDisplays, a local shop.

As I said, it's better to take it back to them to diagnose.. for the price, they damn well better be able to find the problem.

**greenman100** · 01-04-2006, 11:15 PM

Originally Posted by triton199

you could LED mod the screen, not too hard if you know a bit of electronics, not too hard to make it look good as well, plus is it a xenarc? because i have heard that they tend to look a little more yellow than other lcds, leds would probably change that, plus it would cut your current draw for the screen almost in half

are you serious?

no way you can get the mcd needed

**Motorcity** · 01-04-2006, 11:23 PM

Originally Posted by greenman100

are you serious?

no way you can get the mcd needed

sure you can. just use a **** load of 6k mcd leds.

**greenman100** · 01-04-2006, 11:30 PM

Originally Posted by Motorcity

sure you can. just use a **** load of 6k mcd leds.

O RLY?

**coucouillu** · 01-05-2006, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by greenman100

are you serious?

no way you can get the mcd needed

http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/show...38&postcount=3

**Giuliano** · 01-06-2006, 10:55 AM

Well, I dropped the LCD panel off this morning for diagnosis at eVisionDisplays.

They're going to have an engineer check it out and get back to me.

It's got to be either the inverter or the lamp itself, and the inverter is easy to replace... the backlight is not so easy to replace..

If it turns out that it's the lamp itself, and they can't replace it, I might either have to try replacing it myself (assuming I can find an identical replacement lamp), or fork over the money ($500) to buy a replacement LCD assembly.

If I have to buy a replacment LCD, then I basically have two choices:

Buy a replacement of the same LCD panel from eVD.
Buy a Optrex 8.4" 1024x768 LVDS LCD panel instead.

The trouble with the Optrex LCD is that it's physically too tall to fit in the dash space of my WRX - to make it fit, I would have to remove and re-design either the A/C vents above it, or replace the A/C controls below it.

Replacing the A/C controls below was something I had thought of earlier, but it would basically mean I would have to come up with a servo and circuit assembly that would replace the A/C controls, and be computer controlled by the PC.

Oh well.. First things first, have to wait and see how my LCD is..