Replaced T61 motherboard, LCD still does not work!

Question

The LCD on my Thinkpad T61 recently died.  I started by ordering a new inverter, since that was a possible cheap fix for the problem.  When the first replacement inverter did not work, I tried another one, and the LCD still did not work.  Because the laptop outputted fine to an external monitor, I was led to believe (from reading many forum posts online) that the issue may either be with my Nvidia 140M graphics card or with a fuse on the motherboard delivering power to the internal LCD.  When I held a flashlight to the LCD, I could not see anything at all (not even a faint display, as would be the case with a bad backlight).
In an attempt to rectify both of those problems, I ordered a brand new system board.  The replacement motherboard had Intel graphics instead of NVidia graphics.  After I swapped everything in and turned on the computer, the LCD screen briefly worked, but none of the status LEDs on the inverter board worked (except for the Wi-Fi light on the far left).  After I turned off the computer and turned it back on, the internal LCD stopped working again.
If I hold up a flashlight to the LCD, I can see a faint image when I boot up.  However, once the computer boots into Windows, this faint image disappears even if I shine a bright light at the LCD.  This leads me to believe that something may be wrong with the backlight.  [u]However, would a bad backlight alone also cause most of the lights on the inverter board to not work?  Currently, only the LED for Wi-Fi on the far left works.  I'm skeptical that the problem is with the inverter board, since I've tried THREE different inverters (the original one that came with my computer and 2 replacements I bought on eBay).  I've inspected the LVDS cable and it does not seem to be damaged.  I've also double and triple-checked all of the LCD connections to ensure that they are firmly in place.
What else could be possibly causing the problem here?  I was very much encouraged when the LCD worked for a few minutes after I swapped the motherboard, but after that it never worked at full brightness again.

Answer 1

I think you've gone way overboard fixing this thing. A simple display swap from a working unit would have told you which direction to go to look for the cause, and I'd hate to think what you spent on a new system board...  and with so much cheap used parts available, you probably could have done this alot cheaper, and faster.
If you were local I'd offer to help you diagnose this, but if you have one of the common screens and you deside you want to replace it, I may have one, or be able to find you one.
Either way, good luck and I hope you get this thing fixed after all you've put into it.
Good luck
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