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LCD Backlight
Replacement
Computer-Mark
can now repair most LCD screen failures.
The most common LCD or "Liquid
Crystal Display" screen failure is the backlight or
the inverter unit. Most of the cost of an LCD screen
is the liquid crystal substrate panel which is also
the least likely to fail under normal use. This is
good news since the two most expensive parts of a
laptop computer are the LCD screen and the
Motherboard. The backlight
accounts for around 70% of LCD screen failures and
is the least expensive to repair. Most backlight
replacement procedures on laptop computers are under
$100.00 but some LCD screens require substantially
more time and materials but rarely exceed $150.00
for all parts and labor. Many external LCD monitors
can be repaired for less because they are usually
easier to disassemble and reassemble. If the
inverter unit is the failure the replacement parts
are substantially more expensive while the labor
is much less (as a general rule) and depending on
the make and model will usually land in the same
neighborhood as backlight replacement. This doesn't
mean there aren't any exceptions as some models
(especially external models). some build the
inverter onto the power supply board or use a single
board for power supply, inverter, and driver
circuits and are likely to cost the most in parts
related to backlight issues. If the LCD substrate is
physically damaged, cracked, dented, or otherwise
subjected to trauma, the entire assembly will almost
always require replacement. For laptop computers a
replacement display can cost anywhere between
$250.00 and $750.00 plus the labor to install it, but some special wide
screens of certain brands can be as much as $1500.00
plus the labor to install it. Do note that the majority of
laptop replacement LCD screens hover in the $400.00
to $500.00 range. We recommend that you contact us to
get an estimate before scrapping your laptop. Also
bear in mind that almost all laptops can be
connected to an external monitor. For external LCD
monitors if the screen is damaged physically you may
as well take it to your local recycling center and
toss it, since external displays have come down so
much in cost.
LCD
vs. CRT
LCD "Liquid Crystal Display"
screens are quickly becoming more popular in the
computer world today. Originally the LCD screen was
primarily limited to laptop computers mostly
due to the high cost in comparison to CRT or
"Cathode Ray Tube" type of screen, but LCD screens
are now less than a third of the price compared to
just five years ago!
CRT
monitors are less desirable than LCD monitors for
many reasons:
-
The
biggest reason is the amount of desk space they
occupy.
-
CRT
monitors use more than 10 times as much power as
LCD screens during use.
-
CRT
screens are built using more than 20 times the
amount of environmentally
hazardous materials.
-
If a CRT
screen is left on without a screensaver images
will burn into the screen permanently
-
CRT
screens are known to generate various forms of
radiation.
-
Many
people claim working for long periods of time
with CRT screens cause stress and eye fatigue
when LCD screens do not have the same effect.
-
A CRT
screen flashes at the refresh rate (50 to 85
times per second). This has been known to
trigger epilepsy seizures in some individuals.
-
CRT
screens contain dangerous voltages (starting at
15,000 Volts and as high as 75,000 Volts) which
is also the reason they attract so much dust.
Some
advantages of LCD screens:
-
They are
lightweight and take up very little desk space
-
They are
efficient and consume very little power
-
Images
will never burn into the screen.
-
LCD
backlights flash between 50,000 and 500,000
times per second and the screen does not flash
at the refresh rate making them far less likely
to trigger epilepsy seizures or cause fatigue.
-
The
highest voltage in an LCD is less than 2000
Volts and is only used to start the backlight
which runs at typically 800 Volts and is limited
to extremely low current.
Some
disadvantages of LCD screens:
-
Slow
response time (barely noticeable in high speed
gaming and high speed cameras)
-
Less
reliable, backlights typically have 20,000 to
35,000 hour life expectancy.
-
More
expensive, LCD panels are typically more than
twice as expensive inch for inch.
-
LCD
screens are substantially more delicate and can
be easily damaged.
Some
advantages of CRT screens:
-
Fast
response time
-
Long life
expectancy
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