SCreen on Powerbook Duo 230

[Strimkind]

So, having been able to play with the duo more. I have noticed that the screen has vertical lines that 'flow', half the screen one way, and half the other way. It also leaves a ghost image across the screen often until something else is done over that spot.

Is there any way to remedy this?

 

[Bunsen]

Squeeze the screen bezel around the sides ie pinch the front and back together. Try different spots, and different amounts of force. If the screen comes good, you have a loose LCD cable connector. You shouldn't have to squeeze hard to see the difference.

 

[Strimkind]

Tried that but it did not make any difference. This could be the result of an LCD in an unheated workshop by its previous owner.

 

[beachycove]

The 230 had a passive matrix screen, did it not? In which case, an old passive matrix is prone to go bad with lots of ghosting, etc. They ghosted when they were new, after all.

Your best bet at this stage may be to take it (the lcd) off the machine in order to take it apart and put it back together again, unplugging every ribbon, etc., and then again reassembling so as to ensure good contacts again at all the connections.

If this doesn't work, more substantial problems await your care and attention. I seem to recall that macassemble (ebay store) has some new service parts for duos at the moment. You might take a peek there, but they are not a particularly cheap supplier.

 

[Strimkind]

Its not really worth that to be. I shall live with the slight screen issue. It is my first laptop with a passive screen so I did not know. My only other old laptop was a 170 (different from my latest free one).

 

[thinkdifferent]

The 230 had a passive matrix screen, did it not? In which case, an old passive matrix is prone to go bad with lots of ghosting, etc. They ghosted when they were new, after all.
Your best bet at this stage may be to take it (the lcd) off the machine in order to take it apart and put it back together again, unplugging every ribbon, etc., and then again reassembling so as to ensure good contacts again at all the connections.

If this doesn't work, more substantial problems await your care and attention. I seem to recall that macassemble (ebay store) has some new service parts for duos at the moment. You might take a peek there, but they are not a particularly cheap supplier.

Hmm... I would do what he suggests, and recconect the ribbon. If that doesn't work, perhaps you could replace the passive matrix display with an active matrix one from a different model?

 

[Byrd]

Sounds to me like your Duo's passive screen is doing what all really crap LCD screens like these do - they really are that bad

JB

 

[LCGuy]

Hence why they're not used much anymore. My phone has a passive matrix screen on the outer shell (and a colour TFT inside), reminds me of why they're no longer used in notebooks.

 

[Strimkind]

Yeah, they are pretty bad. I wonder whose idea it was to use such crap screens.

 

[Byrd]

When the difference in price was several thousand dollars over an active display, I think that's how they came up with the idea It was only five or so years ago too that they stopped using them completely - many ~ 500Mhz Toshiba, Acer, etc notebooks used passive displays (which didn't have as bad 'ghosting' but had terrible contrast and blurring).

I'm happy using any old crap PC hobbled together with resin and sticks. But I'll avoid using a passive screen at all costs!

JB