FAQ's

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions by our customers:

Q: What are the symptoms of a failed CCFL backlight?

A: If your display is simply not illuminating and it has not been subject to damage such as dropping it, is very likely that your CCFL is to blame. Typical symptoms of an aging or failed lamp include flickering, low light out put, pinkish hue to the screen, momentary flash on at start up and then out or simply inconsistency, on and off of LCD display.

Q: How do I figure out if I need to replace my backlight?

A: If you have experienced any of the above mentioned symptoms it is probably a good idea to change out your backlight. As CCFL lamps age they require more and more voltage to stay lit. This puts a tremendous strain on the inverter that powers the lamp. Failure to change out an aging or failing lamp can result in a much more expensive repair. While lamps are very inexpensive, new power inverters for laptops generally start at about $75- $100, and even more for monitors that require multiple lamps.

Q: Is the problem with my Inverter or the CCFL lamp?

A: Typically a new lamp fixes 95% of all of these types of display failures. In the rare instance that the inverter is also bad you will still want to change the lamp as it is most likely the cause of the inverter failure in the first place.

Q: Should the inverter be changed out at the same time as the lamp?

A: Some individuals simply choose to do so to eliminate all doubt, but from experience this is definitely an unnecessary expense. As mentioned previously, the lamp is almost always your failure point and from experience the inverter is simply an unnecessary replacement cost.

Q: How do I know which lamp to order?

A: We always suggest that you extract the original lamp from your unit and take careful measurements before ordering. Just because your laptop is a specific model, for example a Dell Inspiron 1420 does not mean that there might not be some variance as to the LCD manufacturer. Additionally, this model may be available in multiple screen sizes such as 14.1 standard or widescreen (both require different lamps), or even 15.1, 15.4, 17 etc... Check out our tutorial section for more information on how to correctly measure your lamp. We have also compiled a detailed database here on the site as well for your reference.

Q: Are your lamps compatable with my equipment?

A: Absolutely, Our lamps in all instances are of much higher quality than the original OEM lamps installed during manufacturing. Because we use much higher quality glass, electrodes and phosphors our lamps typically will require a much lower strike and running voltage making them compatible with all devices and insuring a much longer life expectancy.

Q: Why did my lamp go out, my laptop is only a year old?

A: Today’s competitive market place and high volume LCD manufacturing has resulted in the use of cheaper and cheaper CCFL lamps that in some instances barely cover the manufacturers one year warranty period. Besides, the manufacturers are in the business of selling new panels, not making sure that they last so long as to cut into future profits.

Q: What is the typical life of a CCFL lamp?

A: The typical rated life of a CCFL backlight is 20,000 to 40,000 hours. When used in LCD applications such as laptops you should expect between 1 and 3 years of use from most manufacturers, depending on how much use the unit gets.

Q: What makes your lamps better than others available?

A: While some good things are available from the Chinese and Taiwanese markets, typically CCFL's are not amongst them. These Manufacturers quite simply manufacture lamps for novelty purposes and some uneducated distributors sell them and represent them as OEM quality lamps. These lamps can fail anywhere from several weeks, several months (most common) and some even last a year. The inconsistency is not relevant only to life, but also lamp color due to poor phosphors and overall light output due to impure gases and pressurization. The quality and reliability of our lamps is unparalleled in the industry. We utilize only the highest quality borosilicate glass strains, proprietary electrode configurations, specialized processes including proprietary emissive coatings for optimum performance, and only the purest of phosphors and gases available.

Our high tech facility is unlike any other manufacturing facility in the world. Plazmo Industries has cemented itself as the leader in technical competence, quality, delivery, performance and providing an unparalleled total overall value to our customers.