Studio Display has faded to half brightness

[mikaelrules]

My 17" LCD has just faded to 1/2 brightness and the power LED is blinking two short and one long which according to Apple's website, indicates a backlight failure.

Should I bother having this sent to the service center, or has my LCD really just reached the end of its life?

[El CaMOTe]

Mikael,

Now you can get a Phoenix (China brand) 19 inch LCD with DVI input and built in speakers for under 20,000 pesos.

Find out how much to fix it locally, if they can handle it. Then check eBay if there are any auctions for the backlight spare for this type of Apple LCD.

Google it also and see if there are any forum/chat sites talking about this Apple LCD problem.

Do keep us informed about your findings, am sure some PhilMUG owners with Apple LCDs would be very interested.

Best of luck,

[Dinkydoo]

Hi Mikael,

One of our 17" Apple Displays also had the same problem and our Apple care took care of it. The problem is with the Backlight Inverter which is responsible in controling the lights of your LCD.

If your monitor is still under Apple care, then you can have the Backlight Inverter replaced for free. Otherwise you may have to spend around P5000 for the part and install it yourself. You may want to check this site for more information on the installation.

[mikaelrules]

Unfortunately the display is almost 3 years old so there's no more warranty. I'll be taking it to Power Mac tommorow and see what they can do.

[El CaMOTe]

You know this makes me think that CRT old technology is still the way to go. Related to this, I still have an old (10+ yrs.) 29 inch Sony TV that is still going strong.

Thing is, how come the laptop CRTs are more robust, well at least all my laptops that i owned and resold are still working with no dead pixels as of now ?? bought my first one though in 1999.

Aside from the dread of dead pixels right smack in your display, that backlight is the next problem LCD owners have to deal with. Now comes, this problem of Mike's 17" Apple LCD, and that probably is about the circuitry controlling the backlight lamps from what that link says.

$ 999.00 which went down to $699.00 for a 17 inch apple LCD is still a lot of money to plunk down for something that will not last more than 3 years !

Oh well, good luck Mikaelrules (Mike) and keep us in the loop.

Cheers

[carlo ledesma]

So technically, how long do Powerbook screens last? I'd hate for mine to go...

Sana man lang umabot sa Powerbook G5.

[Dinkydoo]

Originally posted by carlo ledesma
So technically, how long do Powerbook screens last? I'd hate for mine to go...

Sana man lang umabot sa Powerbook G5.

well... i have changed my Powerbook screen twice within the span of two years. It's a good thing i have Apple Care. Problems for my PB's screen were on white-spots. So if you see a hint of white-spots on your PB's screen, time to visit your Apple Service centre for a replacement.

[elbert]

Mikael, if it's just the backlight, then it really is just a bulb (like a tiny fluorescent). You can buy one yourself for around $12 to $15 only.

Or, you could use this as an excuse to get a new Cinema Display. While you're at it, get a Powermac G5 to match. :evil:

How's your arm?

[mikaelrules]

Well, the LCD will be going to PowerMac later and they'll check what's wrong.

My arm is doing ok, I expect it to be fully healed up by May.