Inspiron 5150 display too dim to see

Question

The display on my Inspiron 5150 is too dim to see anymore.  I have hooked the laptop up to an external monitor and the display on the external monitor is ok, so I guess it is the display on the laptop.  Is this something that I can replace without spending a fortune??? This machine is not under warranty.

MokumRon · Answer

I have the same problem, My Inspiron 5150 is now just over 2 years old and the display is getting dimmer and dimmer. Is there anything that can be done without replacing the LCD display?

bh1974 · Answer

ejn ~ Thanks for your reply ~ I didn't know there was such a thing as an LCD specialist ~ where do I find one of those?  bh

ejn63 · Answer

Yes, the backlight can be replaced and/or the inverter rebuilt. Cost: about $100-150 with an LCD specialist.

ejn63 · Answer

Do a google search for LCD repair - there are dozens of them.

MokumRon · Answer

Thanks for the info!

ajrich · Answer

I bought an invertor from ebay and replaced it myself and it was a lot cheaper and very easy to do.  Screen looks great.

bh1974 · Answer

aj ~ thanks for the reply ~ what is the invertor? are they all the same or do I need to look for one specifically for the inspiron 5150?  ~ i have replaced cards and such in my pc's before but never worked on my laptop ~ can you tell me a little more about what you did and how I should replace the invertor ~ sounds like a good idea to me, thanks ~ bh

ajrich · Answer

I found a service manual searching on dell's website that tells how to take apart the laptop step by step.  It was a good idea because it gave me a chance to also blow all the dust and dirt out of the insides.  I just went to ebay and searched for the dell 5150 15' invertor.  Make sure the picture of the invertor matches up with the one you have.  They are usually located at the bottom of the screen under the trim bezel.  That is about all there is to it.

ejn63 · Answer

When the display goes black, it's about 80% it's the bulb and 20% the inverter - be sure you know it's the inverter before you buy one. It may be better to have your inverter rebuilt than to buy a used one - you have no way to know how many hours are on a used one, which may last only a short time before it fails.

ajrich · Answer

Many computer techs have told me that it is the other way around about 20% flourescent tube and 80% the invertor.  My invertor that i got was brand new.

ejn63 · Answer

No, you got lucky that it was the inverter - it's far more likely the bulb than the inverter.

bh1974 · Answer

EJ and AJ ~ Thanks for all your replies ~ I feel much more informed now and at least now I know that it is probably either the backlight or the invertor and either way it sounds like something that I will be able to get fixed ~ I had considered just getting a new laptop as other people had told me that I would probably have to have a new monitor and that might cost me big bucks. Thanks again for all your help. bh

Shenandoah64 · Answer

My Inspiron 1545 monitor screen is too dim except when I am running on battery only. Then it looks fine. Plugged into power, it is too dim. The Function and F4 & F5 buttons don't help the dimness/brightness.

Does this sound like an inverter/bulb issue?

Thank you!

Locked Topics – Laptops General

Was this post helpful?