How to Replace Your Laptop's Backlight

Step 9: Reassembly

Reassembly is reverse of assembly - however, be sure to replace any foil tape you may have removed. The tape I removed from my screen lost it's sticky backing during removal - so, I replaced it with new tape. If the mfr spent money to have it there to begin with, it's probably worth replacing (after all, we're saving hundreds of dollars doing this ourselves).

Take care as not to have any mystery screws left over.

Comments

[Wolfrick]

You make a good point about the "mystery screws". A good use for a digital camera is to take progressive photos as you disassemble, with a macro setting or lens if you have it. Then, should a question arise, you can refer to the photos for help. I like using a bowl for keeping my screws as I work. I'm looking for a small stainless steel bowl to use, and I plan to epoxy a large magnet to the bottom to make the screws stay put even if the bowl gets bumped. Thanks for posting this!

[ebarber]

Earlier I saw an instructable for a loose screws magnetic Altoids round can.

[dudaott]

Wolfrick It's easy to make a quick sketch of the equipment your are disassembling too. It is a technical's usual practice to make sure things will go the right places again... I've learned it from a friend who's a CASIO technician, and show this to a Japanese teacher from CASIO JAPAN... The guy never thought it could work so well... Warmest Regards dudaott

[GanadoRH]

I think you'll prefer the already built stainless bowl, Wolfrick, from
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=90566
for $5US. Just what the doctor ordered for errant screws during a fixit project!

[airshipguy]

Even better, use a muffin tin. There are 12 or so individual small bowls that are permanently attached. You can use them in order of disassembly and use the bits in the reverse order as you reassemble. A strip of masking tape along the one edge of each bowls makes a quick and simple labeling system. I learned this simple trick from an airplane mechanic I used to work with. As we took inspection panels and other parts off the planes, you just placed the screws and other fasteners in the bowls. Available at any Wal-Mart, Target or grocery store.

[billotto]

I did this one on a Dell 5150 with a 15" UXGA screen. It can be very very tricky to get that reflector back into place because you've got the lamp in there and don't want to break it. Meanwhile, you need to slip it around the thick (quarter inch) glass behind the LCD so that the light shoots up through the glass. The lamp has high voltage so you want to make sure there are no exposed wires. Those silicone rubber end caps might be torn after you get the thing apart. Bottom line, it can be challenging and you need good eyes and careful fingers to get it all back together just right. I felt lucky to have been successful. I got my LCD out and on the back it said "DO NOT TOUCH WHITE TAPE --- SENSITIVE AREA." Unfortunately, I had touched that tape when I flipped the LCD over to the back. Fortunately, it does not seem to have been damaged. Look up CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent lamp) to find a supplier. You should not need to spend more than $15 + $7 shipping. But I would strongly recommend ordering new end caps and wire to make the job easier and safer. You'll still save at least $100 in labor.

[Win7Maniac]

Good tip.  The LCD doesn't seem to be damaged because if you took off the white tape, there is a thin ribbon cable there.  This cable contains millions of tiny wires (3 per pixel) and at one point, right before it goes into the LCD, becomes so packed the wires seem to come together into a rectangle (they're indistinguishable).  They don't want these to break or short.  However, if you're careful, I found this cable can survive quite a bit of bang. =P (I took apart one of those LCDs completely).
By the way, it's a diffusion panel, made of mostly plastic, not glass. xD
Ryan