Chapter 2: Laptops, Part II

Question 1

Of the 3 display options (LCD, LED, OLED), which one uses an inverter opposed to a DC backlight?

Answer 1

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) uses an inverter, while LED & OLED utilize DC backlights

Question 2

What is the job of a screen inverter?

Answer 2

A screen inverter’s job is to convert DC voltage from the motherboard into AC voltage to be sent to the backlight

Question 3

LCD displays don’t utilize an inverter like LED & OLED, what do they use?

Answer 3

The LCD is usually lit by a CCFL (basically a bulb)

Question 4

A customers screen is black, how can you determine as to whether it’s a broken display or broken backlight/inverter?

Answer 4

You can verify if a backlight/inverter is broken by shining a light (flashlight) directly into the screen (best in a dark room), if you can make out the OS, this means the display is getting video signal and the problem is the inverter/backlight

Question 5

You want to remove the webcam/microphone within a laptop, how do you access it for removal?

Answer 5

Remove the bezel from the display, the webcam module (which has a microphone built-in) should now be visible, disconnect it from its plug-in with a shim/prying tool