Netvista X40 goes headless
After seven months of trouble-free operation, our (second hand) IBM Netvista X40 computer (an all-in-one corporate desktop system aged about five years) decided to retire, at least partially.
The system itself is still fully functional, but the display remains black as, well, very very dark grey. Not very good because, unlike a laptop, this box has no VGA-out. It is therefore destined to remain headless, unless I manage to find a suitable (low-profile) video card for its PCI slot. In which case I’ll have to buy a new monitor as well.
Considering all symptoms, and the age of the beast, I suspect the display lamp (CCFL tube) simply broke down. An inspection of all the components remained — however fun to perform — without results.
Of course, I could try to either replace the CCFL tube or the display panel altogether (a 09N2671). The latter would set me back at least $75 + international shipping costs.
Plan B is to modify the system into a silent, low-power, always-on server. Given the compact motherboard and tiny power supply, it could easily be wall-mounted on a wooden plate, close to modem and router.
I just have to be careful not to break the implicit SLA with the girlfriend 
June 30th, 2006 at 11:48
Some more info… The LCD panel is part # 09N2671, but 89P8138 and 22P2284 are compatible. The power inverter is called 09N3268.
Overview of components is available at http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-4JGQAM .
July 10th, 2006 at 19:02
We are experiencing the same issue with the display – did changing the inverter work?
July 11th, 2006 at 14:05
I haven’t got a replacement inverter at the moment…
I can’t even open it because it requires a special screwdriver (small, six-sided).
In the mean time I have inserted a PCI video card, and the system is now running with a separate monitor.
If I make any progress, I’ll post about it here.
July 19th, 2006 at 20:26
I have 2 Netvista All-in-one units and the Inverter on one died about 3 years ago under warranty. A replacment inverter has provided another 3 years of continued daily operation… you can almost bank on the inverter fixing your problem if you see that for a split second at boot up you get some text and that the monitor is actually dark grey and not gone black after all.
X40 #2 located at my parents hose crapped out with same symptoms yesterday… SO I too am seeking a source for this par that I suspect will be hard to find. I’ll post here if I fond anything… please to same if you find a good source
July 21st, 2006 at 14:33
Thanks John, I will. I’ve seen X40 dispalay panels with inverter included on eBay, but the inverters separate are indeed hard to find.
You talk about seeing text at bootup (for a split second), but I don’t see that… My screen is also very very dark, so I call it black
Altough I can see the login screen graphics after a while, given the right lighting conditions.
But, first onto: findig a very very tiny Torx screwdriver, I guess.
July 26th, 2006 at 22:33
Yes, I just scored a pair of partly functional X40’s off ebay $46USD that should have one good inverter . On your hunt for the Torx screwdriver, I think you are seeking a ‘Tamper resistant Torx’ #8 (or maybe#10). It’s got an IBM part #19K3624. The screws have a nub on the middle so the driver has to have a center hollow.
July 27th, 2006 at 13:06
Ah, thanks.
July 29th, 2006 at 5:11
The scrap PC’s I bought off ebay arrived and it appears that one of the two Inverters is functional, so the investment was worthwhile. It is TDK part number TAD439 EAO2439 Rev6. Neither of these machines required the Torx driver to remove (unlike the machine I’m working on right now), just tiny little phillips head screws. I’ve got an email into the tech support at TDK components division to determine if there is a source of the TDK part or a universal replacment from the current model line up . It will probably be a week before I travel to my parents home to install the replacement so I’ll have to presume that its going to work.
July 31st, 2006 at 20:38
Thanks for keeping me updated. Did you make any pictures by any chance? It intrigues me that some inverters are fixed with Torx screws, and others with normal ones.
August 7th, 2006 at 21:27
Sorry I didn’t have camera with me to take photos . . . Did replace LCD inverter with used spare. This resolved the problem and the machine has returned to service. $76USD plus 45 mins assembly/disassembly was the total investment.
August 9th, 2006 at 15:09
Too bad I live in Europe; cheap eBay items can be quite expensive if they have to be shipped intercontinentally…
August 10th, 2006 at 0:53
hi guys
I have the same problem with the inverter.
I took an inverter from a broken laptop and powered one lamp of four — works well enough to set up bios and make it boot. I don’t really need the display.
I guess you can use almost any inverter in its place, although some of them might be not powerful enough.
the pinout for the TAD439 is as follows:
yellow – 12V
black – ground
green – brightness
black – ground
red – ON
hope this helps. another idea I guess would be to solder several white extra-bright LEDs to a rail and insert it instead of the lamp.
there are some auctions on e-bay selling two-channel inverters.
August 10th, 2006 at 1:00
btw, on my board two parts look suspiciously dark. I guess they might be burnt. they are called CR7 and CR8. the same parts for another channel (CR3 and CR2) seem fine.
you don’t really need a funny screwdriver to open the cover. I used pliers to move it and then unscrewed with a hand. put normal screws there instead.
September 21st, 2006 at 12:03
[...] I managed to acquire two things, which were sure to enable me to fix the broken Netvista X40 desktop: [...]
December 28th, 2006 at 4:14
Thanks to all of you for comments, it has been very helpfull, not even in IBM could I get so much info!!!
January 16th, 2007 at 21:52
We repair a lot of these units. The problem with a dark screen (no LCD backlight) is a blown fuse on the inverter board. If you look at the board to the right of the white plug, you will see two fuses marked “FL”. It is generally the lower fuse (looking froom the top of the screen) that blows. The “FL” marking is by LittelFuse and denotes that the fuse is I think a 3A fuse. We just buy them at the local electronics store by giving them the part number “FL”. If you can solder surface mount stuff (or know someone who does) then this repair is worth about $1 (the cost of the fuse).
January 24th, 2007 at 6:47
I had the same problem with my 9 year old netvista 2179. my problem turned out to be a dead harddrive though
February 1st, 2007 at 23:29
I have a netvista running pictures of customers who’ve bought cars at our car dealership, and one morning i came in and the computer was running, i could see the “shadow” of the pictures slideshow but was not ‘backlit.’ I ordered another netvista on ebay and after installing the TDK inverter card it still did the same thing… then I decided to move my “guts” to the PC i got from ebay and still the same result!! HELP! I’m about to scream. When the systems posts, i see IBM and it’s backlit perfectly, and after post it turns off the backlight and boots up dark…. what do i gotta do to get the system up and working again?
February 2nd, 2007 at 11:40
Did you test the netvista that you got off eBay? Maybe it was broken too, when you received it?
If it wasn’t, the you’re in the same situation as I am…
February 4th, 2007 at 3:02
Hey Aaron, that’s great information. I just checked the fuses on my board (same symptoms as everyone else) and one fuse is blown. Can you be more specific about the fuse specifications? I’ve searched the LittelFuse website but I can’t find a match. Does your local electronics store have a website and do you know the catalog number for that fuse? I’ll keep searching. Thanks.
February 4th, 2007 at 11:07
Temporarily wired in a 3A 3AG fuse in a fuseholder – display fixed! Thanks again, Aaron, great work!
February 20th, 2007 at 15:06
Does the FL fuse varies in other inverter? I cant find the FL use. Any screenshots please? Thanks.
March 5th, 2007 at 17:18
Here’s a topic on my forum with a good description of the fuses and a picture of the board:
http://www.aaroncake.net/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5926
March 5th, 2007 at 20:49
Thanks Aaron!
March 20th, 2007 at 22:08
Thanks a lot for sharing Aaron. Got it! Great info.
May 10th, 2007 at 6:17
Thanks Aaron! I was looking for a fuse, but didn’t know they came in surface mount. Not only did I learn something new, but I fixed the NetVista I found in the GARBAGE today! Yeah!
I tested the fuse and it was bad, so I soldered a small copper filament to short it. Should I buy a real fuse or keep it like this? The right side of the screen is a little over bright when black, and the bright control doesn’t seem to work.
Thanks so much! I’m going to hook this bad boy up to my network, TV and stereo to use it as an A/V server.
Psyched Mike
September 22nd, 2007 at 1:36
I’ve been given a NetVista 2179700 and it is a really nice little computer.
I would like to up the memory from 64mb, but….HOW IN THE WORLD DO YOU GET TO THE MOTHERBOARD IN THIS COMPUTER?!!!
October 15th, 2007 at 9:00
Richard, just browse the Lenovo.com website. You’ll eventually find the manual for your Netvista (or a similar model). In it, it is described very clearly which screws to remove in order to disassemble the system.
July 27th, 2010 at 17:55
My problem is exactly the opposite, the BIOS won’t start correctly and I’ve tried everything to fix it but no results whatsoever.
Anybody knows how I can “save” the screen?