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My 2006 ThinkPad screen went dark mid-dentist paperwork yesterday
Was pulling a patient's chart on my old T60 in the back office. Screen just flickered once then went totally black. External monitor still worked so I knew the laptop wasn't dead. Turns out the inverter board had a cracked solder joint. Hit it with a hot air station for 30 seconds at home. Fired right back up like nothing happened. Anybody else keep a soldering iron around for their vintage gear?
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the_mason2mo ago
Wait, are you sure it was the inverter board and not the backlight fuse? I've fixed a bunch of T60s and the fuse is way more common to blow than a cracked solder joint on the inverter. Usually you can just bridge it with a little blob of solder or a tiny wire. But hey, if your method worked then that's what matters. I keep a Hakko station on my desk for all my old gear, especially the IBM stuff from that era. They're tanks but they definitely need love after 15 years.
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ninas702mo ago
Fuse is definitely the first thing to check most of the time. I've had a few T60s where the solder joint just gave up from all the heat cycling but you're right that the fuse is more common. Either way a little hot air or a dab of solder and they're back in business.
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