iBook Clamshell SE dim screen

[adric22]

this guy:laptoplcdparts

I highly recommend him. I get ALL my replacement tubes through him. Not a broken tube in the 30 or so orders I have gotten from him. He sends them in a pvc pipe secure and makes sure the tubes have enough protection.

Okay, thanks. I'll keep him in mind. I don't suppose you'd know the correct length for the ibook clamshell?

I'm still going to investigate the LED thing. I have several clamshells so it won't be catastrophic if I wind up destroying the LCD as a learning experience. Also, this particular one has a vertical line down part of the screen too. So I'd say that makes it ripe for experimentation. When I get some time this thanksgiving weekend, I'll take the LCD apart and have a look at how tough it would be to get some LEDs in there.

As for needing two backlight tubes, I'm not sure about that. I found a website somewhere detailing the backlight replacement on a clamshell with pictures. Unfortunately, the pictures aren't good enough for me to make a determination about LEDs. Stilll, it only showed a single tube being replaced.

 

[tomlee59]

Yes, the clamshell has only one tube.

When considering how to design a suitable LED-based replacement, you'll probably want to use surface-mount LEDs, and enough of them so that the space between them is "small," to improve uniformity across the length of the "tube." How small is small enough? That's part of your homework to discover.

 

[maruchi]

I have a similar problem with my grey Clamshell SE. For a while, the screen would get very dim but when pressed around the keyboard part, it would get bright again. Recently it stays dim and only once did I get it to light up. I can't use it this way...everything else works fine. Would it be the inverter doing that? How can I open up the screen in order to check it out?

 

[coius]

that sounds like a bad cable issue. It makes me think that a cable has been knicked and has been having trouble passing current. I would start with the cable, and then work to the inverter. Does the screen turn off randomly if you let it sit?

If it does, the inverter is the issue. if it only gets dark/light when you press on it, especially under the keyboard, it sounds like a cable issue. Try opening it up and check the cable going to/from the inverter. It's not exactly simple on the iBook Clamshells, but it's certainly do-able. You may need to remove some screws and such, but if you don't go about mucking with the rest of it, you will be fine.

iirc, the inverter is in the screen, so this makes me think that when you press on the keyboard area, it should not be affecting the inverter (since it's in the Lid/screen)

Still, try the cable.

 

[maruchi]

Thanks. Everyday it got harder to bring it back. Now it's just dim... I'll search for a tutorial on how to open it and what the inverter looks like. Any suggestions?

 

[H3NRY]

For testing inverters, rather than measuring the voltage with the gadget powered up, take the inverter out and measure the resistance of the transformer(s), which is the part that fails 90% of the time. The primary, which will be connected to V+ and an FET should measure between half an Ohm and a couple of Ohms. A good high Voltage side will measure 700-1000 Ohms in most cases. If the transformer coil looks partly burnt, it's toast.

Occasionally an FET will short. In this case, the FET and surrounding parts on the PCB will usually look burnt, and it will take the transformer with it.

An identical computer with a cracked LCD is usually a cheap source for a replacement inverter. For desktop monitors with 4 or 6 fluorescent tubes and transformers, only one transformer may be bad, so one donor display can fix several.

 

[phreakout]

dudejediknight,

Try going to www.ifixit.com. They should have both the replacement part and the steps on how to install the part. So far, they have been very helpful to me.

73s de Phreakout. :rambo:

 

[Mycatisbigfoot]

I am scared on this one, My I-book that I am going to be geting may have the same problem I am just hoping it may be somthing like a lose wire tho, hoping that it is tho,

If not I am going to get all new parts for my ibook