Repair 7

Indications of a Bad Backlight

If you have a television or computer monitor powered by a liquid crystal display (LCD), chances are it contains a backlight. A backlight is a form of illumination that is placed in the back of an electronic device to help produce a visible image. Since television and computer monitors can malfunction, knowing different backlight issues can help you figure out where the problem is occurring.

Screen Brightness

One of the major indications that your backlight has malfunctioned is if your computer screen appears dim or goes completely dark. Press your screens "Menu" button, navigate to the brightness and contrast levels, and adjust them to appropriate working levels to see if that fixes the problem. Another way to detect a malfunctioning backlight is if the screens background is still visible but words and images are faded or hard to see. A dark screen can mean your backlight has burned out, whereas a faded screen indicates the screen is near the end of its working life.

Flickering Screen

A flickering screen indicates that the backlight is about to blow. Like a regular light bulb that flickers before it goes out, the same thing tends to happen with a backlight. Screens can flicker in a variety of ways that include the movement of certain words or images, or a flicker of the whole screen.

Monitor Shutdown

A television or computer monitor that has a bad backlight tends to shut down automatically after only a few minutes of being powered on, or not turn on altogether. This is a safety mechanism of the monitor that prevents it from overheating when attempting to work with a malfunctioning backlight.

Backlight Inverter

The inverter is a small-computerized system that sends power to the backlight. Its a good idea to inspect the cables that run from the inverter to the backlight for tight connections and damage. Because the inverter and backlight are dependent on each other, a malfunctioning inverter could lead to severe problems with your backlight, such as flickering, and dim and blank screens.

Contrast Levels

A computer, television or other LCD screens uses contrast and brightness levels that you can manually adjust to help view the screens images more easily. A good indication that a backlight is malfunctioning or about to burn out is when your monitor doesnt respond to its brightness and contrast controls.