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Recently the LCD screen on my Gateway Solo 5150 Laptop went black. I took it to a repair shop where they replaced the inverter board that supplies power to the LCD lamp. The unit worked very well for a couple of days and the problem re-appeared.

I took it back to the repair shop. They ordered a second inverter, and low and behold, that inverter also failed in about the same amount of time. It may be important to point out that both of the replacement inverters were used.

I am considering buying a new inverter, but I am concerned that I may have an additional problem(s) that could be contributing to the failure of the inverter. I don't want to buy a new board and have it go out as well.

Has anyone had this kind of a problem with the LCD display? Could something be causing the inverter to fail. Could the LCD display be contributing to the problem? Should I try another inverter or what approach should I take.

Thanks. Any help will be appreciated

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by mike1162

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For repeated inverter failures the likely culprits are the backlight lamp (CCFL) itself, a power problem feeding the inverter, or physical damage to the wiring/connector that causes arcing and kills replacement boards. Echoing , a motherboard-side supply fault can and does destroy inverters, but there are simple checks to isolate the real cause before buying another part.

A practical diagnostic checklist:

  1. Connect an external monitor. If the external image is normal the GPU is fine and the fault is confined to the LCD/backlight circuit.
  2. With the laptop powered on, shine a bright flashlight at the screen at a shallow angle. If you can faintly see the desktop, the LCD panel logic is OK and the backlight/inverter is at fault.
  3. Inspect the LVDS/backlight cable at the hinge for chafing, exposed wires, or burn marks. Hinge damage often causes intermittent shorts.
  4. Ask the shop to measure the DC supply into the inverter (with meter) and to check for spikes or unusual current draw when the backlight is switched on. Fluctuating or excessive current indicates a failing lamp or a regulator problem.
  5. Visually inspect the CCFL ends for blackening or the inverter for blown capacitors/charred traces. Blackened lamp ends or arcing are classic signs that a lamp is stressing inverters.
  6. If available, test with a new (not used) inverter and monitor draw. Used inverters can carry latent damage and give misleading results.

Practical advice: avoid buying more used inverters. Replace with a quality new inverter or have the shop replace the CCFL and test on the bench. Require a short warranty on parts and ask the shop to demonstrate stability (run it for an hour) before you leave. Check the AC adapter output too — a noisy adapter can induce voltage spikes.

Safety note: inverter/CCFL circuits use high voltage. If not experienced with HV, have a competent repair shop perform the measurements and lamp replacement. If new parts still fail, the fault is most likely on the motherboard/regulator and further board-level diagnosis is required.

Member Avatar for mike1162

hi this mike the pc guy (case1) i see what the problem might be with the laptop one thing is that the mother board is bad, that what shorting out the inverter because when they ship badd boards they only work for a few days be for the problem come back. (case 2) if that don't sove the problem try to open the laptop and check the video card and make sure that everything is plug in tight. because some time bad video cards can cause that kind of problem. (case#3) pc prosser might be over heating that make the mother board malfuctions and send the wrong volts to the inverter and board if still have problem reply

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