TM8100 Screen is GARBLED (lines, ghosting, distortion..) - Page 2

how are things by now mate?

I finally mustered the balls yesterday to open up my 8104WLMI to clean the dust and of slight curiosity! I unscrewed shed loads of screws and it still would not come off until I saw another post on this Acer forum where it mentioned removing the keyboard, removing that was a major hassle though, I had to remove it in different manner described, but no matter I just wished I had only removed the keyboard, it's the easiest way to gain access to the fan.
The trouble was that my screen did not work after I had reassembled it and had a crappy night's sleep, until I saw the pictures here. This time I made sure the part you highlighted "SNUG" was actually snug in mine as well, and it worked just fine.
Thanks for the pictures here, and good luck with your trouble.

This is a much needed thread that needs to stay alive. I along with many others are having similar problems with a flickering display on the tm1800 series. I dismantled mine a while back and took pics but it seems as though the thread was deleted or something. I disagree with the repair shop theory though I don't think I think it's just a plain ol short but have yet to find out where.

I found my original thread with all the dismantled pictures of the tm8104 hope this helps some one and maybe it should be stickied

http://www.notebookforums.com/thread106939.html

i hope this thread is still alive!! i been searching for people who'v had the same problem for months and gave up until now!..it started after i picked up the laptop while it was powered up at an odd angle but i hav to warn you guys..we need to get this problem fixed fast the longer you leave it the worse it gets..i left mine for a while and now the problem has worsened..

so from the beginning..when it was only the screen malfunctioning..flexing the lower part of the laptop seemed to work..or picking it up n readjusting it(worked perfectly on an external moniter)..so at first i thought that it was just a loose connection so i took apart everything (had nothing to lose warranty was over)..put it all bak together again and it worked perfectly for a few days..no lines/garbling..but then things deterioated...first the screen stopped working all together..but worked fine hooked up to an external still so i jus used it like that..but then after a couple weeks later the laptop itself shut down on its own from time to time as if sumone jus pulled the plug..i thought it might hav been me not tightening the fit between the power board and the mainboard properly..but no improvement..things were put bak together once again but the problem persisted...

now the horror...one day i pressed the power button...nothing happens!..the power light one the button flashed for a split second..it sounded like things were starting up for a fraction of a second..lights flash and a click sound as if the HDD was struggling to power up..so i reckon it might be a power board problem..this happened almost 4 months ago now..wuld buy a new one but this one spec wise still holds its own against sum n i rely dun hav the money..laptops become a pretty expensive paperweight jus FYI the model i got is the TM8103..

if anyone has any idea where to buy a new power board in the UK please help!!

I feel your pain buddy I think I have figured out the problem though but can't offer a solution.

This is a hunch so don't quote me. I think the graphics chip which is located under the keyboard and above the touch pad might not have been soldered very good from the factory. Which to me would explain why when you press on it just as I do it fixes it temporarily. When I get the time I'm going to come up with a solution and then i'll repost.

I've got a very similar problem on my TM8100. Light blue stripes have appeared blurring all my image. The problem temporarily solves by pressing hard on the botton right of the laptop, under the ctrl-arrow keys. I've already tried to open the case, but I couldn't reach the area. Any insight about what's causing this issue?

I have the same problem on my 8104. Started seeing garbled lines on LCD, worked fine if i flexed the bottom case. It works fine if I hook it up to a external monitor.

Now the LCD went out all togeather but display on CRT works fine.

EXCEPT now I notice my battery light flashes green, my battery status does not update, and even with the battery detached it is orange indicating charging.

It must be the maniboard going out.

I cant wait to see how much this will cost.

I can maybe add some to this thread. I have a Ferrari 4005 and was experiencing the same problems. The pcb card you describe is also what the dvi-out port is mounted on. On my computer, the VGA port works, but not the DVI, plus I was getting the greyed-out LCD screen -- intermittantly at first, then it got to the point where it wouldn't work at all. I have an EZ-Dock, so I can still get the DVI and VGA to work with it, because the docking port hooks directly into the mainboard. I ordered a new card from Capitol Data but they said the motherboard has been discontinued. So I have a desktop Ferrari. Anyone have a source for a mainboard? (The card I ordered didn't fix the problem).

Before I spent much money on that laptop, I'd just go ahead and get a new one...but damn, it's not that old. I've had a garbled screen a couple of times which I believed to be driver/software related. A reboot cleared it up. I would definitely call the .ca guys.

Hello Guys,

I have an Acer Travelmate 8104Wlmi that was bought in 2005. It worked fine until one day started doing the garbling/flickering you are mentioning in the thread. I also think that is something related to the GPU not being soldered correctly to the mobo. There is a guy that actually does something called "Reballing" on PS3 that is basically removing all the solding and putting it back again. Do you think it will work? (I installed new LCD cable, new LCD panel, new HDD, new memory and new keyboard). So the computer is basically new but it still has this problem with VGA output. I also tried an external monitor but the garbling continues, even in the new monitor. Can somebody help me out or let me know if you were able to solve the problem, and how?

Might (good chance) work. Go for it - you have nothing to lose

cheers ...

Has anyone just tried an inverter swap??? Its cheap

the 8100 has the same problem as the Ferrari 4000. there are 2 boards, the mainboard and power board. the join together under the keyboard, middle right of it. place pressure there and the video will get better or worse. if that happens, that connection is worn and either the mainboard or power board should be replaced. sometimes both

I hope I can bring this thread alive. 
I have the same problem with my Acer Ferrari 4000. I have some pictures. I have had this problem for 2 years now and multiple laptops since then. But my goal is to get this laptop to work. The D-Sub (VGA) works perfectly fine but the built in screen flickers and becomes garbled. The DVI also doesn't work, I have reflown both the motherboard and power board. Still the same issue.

 

 

 

Looking like just a bad screen to me

cheers ...

I'm pretty sure its not a bad screen. If one half fades off it'll show old information and the other half will show Windows.