Possible to change out a Laptop LCD??

[filmore crashcart]

I hope this is the right forum for a response...... I recently picked up an old IBM Thinkpad 380xd with a 233 processor and 96megs of ram. Everything is in good shape except the DSTN screen which bugs me to no end. I know that some 380xd's had the TFT screen and that these screens can sometimes be had on Ebay.
Would it be possible to pick up one of these screens and change out this crappy DSTN? I can't find much info on this except that you can't upgrade a screen due the laptop's configuration for that particular screen. But if I kept to the same model, would it be a problem? Has anyone out there done this?

 

[Workin']

I would be surprised if you could swap the screens, mainly because it is likely that the mounting points for the LCD panel inside the bezel and the location of the power and video connections are different for the 2 panel types. At least that's how it is for the Toshiba lappies I've been tearing apart lately.

But you can check on IBM's web site, they have service manuals for lots of their old laptops available for free download as .pdf files. You just have to hunt around on their site to find them. Then you can see which parts might be interchangeable.

 

[filmore crashcart]

Thanks, I'll do that. I'm afraid your probably right and it would be difficult to impossible. I haven't owned a laptop for a long time and I had forgot how crude these screens are. They say their advantage is privacy in public places in that people can't read the screen from the side but I'd rather have a screen without all that blur. I might have to unload this one and go back onto Ebay for one with the right screen. Maybe on an outside chance, because all the 380xd's are the same dimension, I might be able to swap the screens out.

 

[zephyrprime]

If the pinout is the same, it might be possible. Ask the seller the number of pins and the type of connector that is used.