The inverter only powers the cfl tube. The LCD should function without it,
well it wouldn't light up but you could see something in the right light.
When people make LCD projectors out of these things you usually remove the
inverter board.

- Mike

"Iain E. Davis" wrote in message
...
I've been working on a Dell Inspiron 8100. The LCD was remaining
dark, after bootup, but I could get a clear picture on an external
CRT.

I determined the problem was mostly likely to be the CCFL tube, so I
ordered a replacement from JKL. The tube replacement went without a
hitch, and now the display lights up when booting.

However...the display is still unusable. I can see that output from
the video card is reaching the display, because as the computer
software boots, I can see the display change, for example when its at
the "windows xp loading screen" I can see vertical lines running the
full height of the screen approximately in the right place
(horizontally) for the progress meter that XP displays at that stage.

I checked to make sure the flex/ribbon cable had firm connections with
the LCD and the video card...without any appreciable improvement.

My working theory is that I need to replace the ribbon cable, that it
has developed a flaw.

Does the inverter simply serve the same role as a the ballast in a
traditional office or shop light? Or does it play other roles in the
LCD operation?

Iain