[SOLVED] Dell Inspiron B130 display: need clarifications

rocconator · 01-26-2009, 09:25 PM

Hi all,

The display on my Inspiron B130 does something weird: when I turn the laptop on, there's a strong red tint for about 3 seconds then the screen goes black permanently. Several times I powered off then on. then 3 seconds red tint then blank again. I plugged an external monitor and it worked fine.

I'm not an expert user so please bear with me. I think I need to change one of three things: backlight, inverter, or LCD. And from reading other threads it looks very unlikely that it's the LCD.

I called Dell and they said I had to change the LCD and quoted $500. They also said:

1) that the B130 doesn't have an inverter
2) that the backlight is part of the LCD on this model and you can't change the backlight only

I found both backlight and inverter for cheap ($10-$25) on eBay and other places.

Is it possible that there's no inverter and no independent backlight?

Did Dell lie to squeeze some cash out of me?

Which of the two should I change, based on the whole red tint then blank situation?

Thanks a lot guys

**TriggerFinger** · 01-27-2009, 11:27 AM

Backlight is part of the LCD assembly. You can replace it alright but very very difficult for those doing it the first time. Inverter AFAIK is independent... may be different for your model but in others, easy to replace.

The red tint could be an LCD issue more than anything else. Replacing the LCD would be a good start.

rbalaji · 01-27-2009, 04:09 PM

Your best best may be to use an LCD repair shop that guarantees that your problem will be solved or you don't pay anything (except return shipping on the laptop). I used www.moniserv.com for one of my laptops and the results are good so far. As for Dell telling you that the LCD does not have an inverter, that is just plain wrong. I don't know of any way to drive a backlight (CCFL) without an inverter. Usually CCFL's require about 500 to 1000V A/C and the inverter essentially converts the DC running around inside the laptop into this A/C just to keep the CCFL going. I am not sure whether LCD's with LED backlights have an inverter, but this is very new technology and LED's are supposed to last much longer than CCFL's, so I assume your B130 is not LED-backlit.

rocconator · 02-10-2009, 07:56 PM

Belated thanks for the clarification. So these guys only work on backlights and inverters, and won't change the LCD if need be, am I understanding this right?

Since I still get a red image for 2 seconds at startup, what are the chances I do in fact need to replace the LCD?

**TriggerFinger** · 02-10-2009, 08:41 PM

If you need to replace the LCD, I think your neighborhood computer repair shop can help you with that. In fact you can DIY if you know how or if you have the service manual to guide you.

rocconator · 02-10-2009, 09:29 PM

Thanks, I'll give it a shot - I do need to get the diagnosis right and that's not something I can do myself

rbalaji · 02-12-2009, 03:59 PM

LCD's are quite robust and don't need replacement unless they are physically damaged (by a fall or something like that). In most cases, it is the inverter or the backlight.

rocconator · 02-12-2009, 04:28 PM

Thanks Balaji, yep I was under that impression after googling around for a good 30 min. I was already immensely disappointed at Dell's poor products and customer service; now that they tried screw me over, I'm positive I'll never buy anything from them again. That's just bad business. Yeah they're cheap but that's about it.

rbalaji · 02-12-2009, 06:41 PM

You are welcome, and good luck.

01-26-2009, 09:25 PM	#1 (permalink)
rocconator Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 4 OS: XP	[SOLVED] Dell Inspiron B130 display: need clarifications Hi all, The display on my Inspiron B130 does something weird: when I turn the laptop on, there's a strong red tint for about 3 seconds then the screen goes black permanently. Several times I powered off then on. then 3 seconds red tint then blank again. I plugged an external monitor and it worked fine. I'm not an expert user so please bear with me. I think I need to change one of three things: backlight, inverter, or LCD. And from reading other threads it looks very unlikely that it's the LCD. I called Dell and they said I had to change the LCD and quoted $500. They also said: 1) that the B130 doesn't have an inverter 2) that the backlight is part of the LCD on this model and you can't change the backlight only I found both backlight and inverter for cheap ($10-$25) on eBay and other places. Is it possible that there's no inverter and no independent backlight? Did Dell lie to squeeze some cash out of me? Which of the two should I change, based on the whole red tint then blank situation? Thanks a lot guys

01-27-2009, 11:27 AM	#2 (permalink)
TriggerFinger Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: USA Posts: 11,851 OS: Vista SP1, XP SP3, PCLinuxOS2007	Re: Dell Inspiron B130 display: need clarifications Backlight is part of the LCD assembly. You can replace it alright but very very difficult for those doing it the first time. Inverter AFAIK is independent... may be different for your model but in others, easy to replace. The red tint could be an LCD issue more than anything else. Replacing the LCD would be a good start. __________________ DBAN - Memtest86+ - BartPE - Linux LiveCD - ImgBurn - HDD Diags - Disk Copy HOW TO BURN AN ISO FILE

01-27-2009, 04:09 PM	#3 (permalink)
rbalaji Tech, Microsoft Support Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 1,193 OS: Windows XP SP3	Re: Dell Inspiron B130 display: need clarifications Your best best may be to use an LCD repair shop that guarantees that your problem will be solved or you don't pay anything (except return shipping on the laptop). I used www.moniserv.com for one of my laptops and the results are good so far. As for Dell telling you that the LCD does not have an inverter, that is just plain wrong. I don't know of any way to drive a backlight (CCFL) without an inverter. Usually CCFL's require about 500 to 1000V A/C and the inverter essentially converts the DC running around inside the laptop into this A/C just to keep the CCFL going. I am not sure whether LCD's with LED backlights have an inverter, but this is very new technology and LED's are supposed to last much longer than CCFL's, so I assume your B130 is not LED-backlit. __________________ Balaji Ramanathan Computers - You can't live with them, you can't live without them!

02-10-2009, 07:56 PM	#4 (permalink)
rocconator Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 4 OS: XP	Re: Dell Inspiron B130 display: need clarifications Belated thanks for the clarification. So these guys only work on backlights and inverters, and won't change the LCD if need be, am I understanding this right? Since I still get a red image for 2 seconds at startup, what are the chances I do in fact need to replace the LCD?

02-10-2009, 08:41 PM	#5 (permalink)
TriggerFinger Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: USA Posts: 11,851 OS: Vista SP1, XP SP3, PCLinuxOS2007	Re: Dell Inspiron B130 display: need clarifications If you need to replace the LCD, I think your neighborhood computer repair shop can help you with that. In fact you can DIY if you know how or if you have the service manual to guide you. __________________ DBAN - Memtest86+ - BartPE - Linux LiveCD - ImgBurn - HDD Diags - Disk Copy HOW TO BURN AN ISO FILE

02-10-2009, 09:29 PM	#6 (permalink)
rocconator Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 4 OS: XP	Re: Dell Inspiron B130 display: need clarifications Thanks, I'll give it a shot - I do need to get the diagnosis right and that's not something I can do myself

02-12-2009, 03:59 PM	#7 (permalink)
rbalaji Tech, Microsoft Support Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 1,193 OS: Windows XP SP3	Re: [SOLVED] Dell Inspiron B130 display: need clarifications LCD's are quite robust and don't need replacement unless they are physically damaged (by a fall or something like that). In most cases, it is the inverter or the backlight. __________________ Balaji Ramanathan Computers - You can't live with them, you can't live without them!

02-12-2009, 04:28 PM	#8 (permalink)
rocconator Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 4 OS: XP	Re: [SOLVED] Dell Inspiron B130 display: need clarifications Thanks Balaji, yep I was under that impression after googling around for a good 30 min. I was already immensely disappointed at Dell's poor products and customer service; now that they tried screw me over, I'm positive I'll never buy anything from them again. That's just bad business. Yeah they're cheap but that's about it.

02-12-2009, 06:41 PM	#9 (permalink)
rbalaji Tech, Microsoft Support Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 1,193 OS: Windows XP SP3	Re: [SOLVED] Dell Inspiron B130 display: need clarifications You are welcome, and good luck. __________________ Balaji Ramanathan Computers - You can't live with them, you can't live without them!