We Do Laptop Screen Repairs!
We have done many laptop screen repairs over the years in our Sittingbourne workshop and perhaps you’re here because you’d like us to repair your laptop screen. If that’s the case and you don’t want to read all the technical bits, click this link: Get a laptop screen repair quote from us ASAP.
However, if you’d like to find out more about our screen repair process, by all means – read on.
Different Types Of Laptop Screens
Laptop screens come in many different sizes, resolutions, refresh-rates and mounting options. They also have different connectors and may have either a matte or glossy finish. They can be backlit by LED or OLED (and CCFL for really old screens) and they may or may not have touch functionality. For touch-screens, some have a separate digitizer (clear touch-enabled glass) that goes over the actual screen or the digitizer may be permanently attached as part of the screen assembly.
Broken Laptop Screen in our Sittingbourne workshop
Same Laptops – Different Screens
Laptop screen part numbers can vary even on the same model of laptop! Sometimes you may have a situation where the manufacturer has stopped using a particular screen halfway through the production run and then all of a sudden you’ve got a different screen with maybe a different connector on the same model line of laptops. Or sometimes the same model of laptop may have different options; for example, a better resolution screen for a higher price.
Because of these issues we always prefer to get the laptop in our workshop first, so we can determine the exact screen we need before quoting the customer a price and ordering the part.
Before Removing The Screen
Once we get a laptop in for a screen repair work, the first order of business is removing its bottom panel so we can access and disconnect the internal battery. Disconnecting the laptop’s main battery (and charger) before you start any work is very important! Taking shortcuts like removing or installing the screen without first disconnecting the battery can damage the motherboard.
In some cases we will be able to remove the screen without removing the entire display assembly from the base of the laptop but in a lot of cases we have to remove it from its hinges completely in order to properly get to the bottom part of the bezel (near the hinges).
Removing The Screen Bezel
Once we’ve got the display assembly off we then have to remove the bezel. The bezel is the plastic frame surrounding the front of the screen. Back in the ‘old days’ we used to have bezels held in with screws and plastic clips but now pretty much all of them are held together with plastic clips and double-sided adhesive.
If the screen is good; let’s say we’re trying to replace a bad screen cable or reconnect a partially disconnected screen cable we have to be very careful when removing the bezel because we could actually damage the screen while doing so. If the screen is already damaged it doesn’t really matter because in that case the part we are trying to save is the bezel. Here we could use a little bit of hot air to help soften the double-sided adhesive holding the bezel onto the screen and once we are able to unclip the bezel we can then get to work on removing the screen.
Removing The LCD Panel (Screen)
Many older laptops would have screws holding the screens in place and they used to have hinge brackets or screw holes on the side of the screen to accommodate mounting the screen into the lid of the laptop (or onto hinge brackets).
These days screens are usually secured using a special double-sided adhesive which is a ‘stretch-release’ type of tape. This clever tape usually has a small tab at the end of it near the hinges or sometimes near the top of the screen. You can grab hold of the tab using tweezers or long-nose pliers (or your fingertips if the tab is long enough to pinch) and pull the stretch release tape at a low angle; slowly and gently, with even pulling pressure so as not to break the tape.
There are usually two pieces of tape (one either side of the screen panel) but you may find some larger screens with additional tape in the middle. This stretch-release tape can’t be re-used and we highly recommend replacing it with new, similar stretch-release tape, rather than standard VHB (very high bond) double-sided tape, to allow for easier removal without damaging the screen should you need to get to the back of it in future (e.g. to reconnect a loose LVDS screen connector).
Finding The Right Screen For Your Laptop
Once the screen has been removed from the lid we can then find the part number on the back of the screen. If the LCD panel is screw-mounted, we need to check the screw bracket placements to ensure we get one with the brackets in the right place and with the correct number of holes in the brackets. We will verify if it’s connected via a 30-pin or 40-pin LVDS (Low-Voltage Differential Signalling) connector and whether that connector is on the on the front or the back of the panel (and where on the panel the connector is located (i.e. left side or right side etc).
The part number will usually be printed on a sticker on the back of the LCD panel. With the correct part number in hand we are then able to go online and find a suitable replacement screen from our suppliers. Once we have a price we can then let the customer know how much the job is going to be. We much prefer to find out exactly what screen is needed based on the part number on the back of the screen instead of giving the customer vague estimates over the phone.
So in conclusion, if you’re looking for laptop screen repairs in Sittingbourne, we would be happy to help. Get in touch so we can give you a quote!
