Anyone interested in a Hi-def (1920 x 1200) mod for PB/MBP?

10.4.10 Eats brightness control

I updated to 10.4.10 and it also ate my brightness control. Unfortunately, I'm travelling at the moment, or I would be experimenting like crazy to get this fixed. I suspect that all that is needed is to re-copy the LCD definition that I originally used and re-do the switchresx changes. However, since I don't have a 24" DVI monitor handy, I'm just not going to play with things until I get home.

If someone doesn't figure out a solution by Saturday (when I return home), I'll start working on this pronto!

jrsade said:

I guess no. They might have added an override file for the new 17" panel according to its ProductID and VendorID. For your 15" panel you will need your own one as before.

Click to expand...

One guy, for the hackintoshes, on the http://www.osx86project.org site has a download to generate override files from the EDID (sp?) files that you can capture from the windows side. You can then add an override directory to your system directory displays folder. This type of fix should work for regular macintoshes.

Crap, well at least that gives me a general idea of why the Mac I was setting up to ship out has its brightness control broken :/

Guess it's up to him after I reinstall on what he wants to do about updating.

On my system, to fix the brightness problem after upgrading to 10.4.10, I had to copy back /System/Library/Extensions/AppleBacklight.kext from 10.4.9 then reboot.

ukp said:

On my system, to fix the brightness problem after upgrading to 10.4.10, I had to copy back /System/Library/Extensions/AppleBacklight.kext from 10.4.9 then reboot.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the update :] Any chance you can upload a copy of that to the forums?

http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20070622084922319

Good story on how to fix it. You need to open up the Archive.pax.gz file in Pacifist to extract/install the old kext file.

The old kext works great.

Brightness Problem under 10.4.10

Well, this morning my screen was very dark. I rebooted. No change. I resetted the PRAM. Black screen.

Will I be able to use an external monitor to get the AppleBacklight.kext replaced?
Don't have the external monitor here right now.

Well, in the meantime I found an external monitor and replaced the file. However, it only works if the external monitor is attached. When I unplug it it's dark again. Resetting PRAM didn't help. Any suggestions?

jrsade said:

Well, in the meantime I found an external monitor and replaced the file. However, it only works if the external monitor is attached. When I unplug it it's dark again. Resetting PRAM didn't help. Any suggestions?

Click to expand...

That's strange. Try reinstalling the old kext again. It didn't work for the me the first time.

Usual kext update procedures apply:
* run "Fix Permissions" from disk utility.
* rm /System/Library/Extensions.* (not Extensions itself, just .kextcache and .mkext)

reboot to rebuild kext cache.

If you've still got problems, try removing any preferences files which were created/modified just before the problem occurred. These may be in the "ByHost" subdirectory.

You may need to do that as a different user, since they will probably be written on exit with the values they had on start, which for the desktop/finder is all the time you're logged in.


Faye

Screenies please?

I have been following this thread ravenously as it greatly interests me. However, could I be so bold as to request HD/WUXGA screenshots (Cmd+Shift+3 or something) of the desktop rather than photos of the screen so that non-HD users can more easily see (and drool over) the difference? I know it won't do the quality justice, but it's a start, I guess.

TIA,
Danny

dsiew81 said:

I have been following this thread ravenously as it greatly interests me. However, could I be so bold as to request HD/WUXGA screenshots (Cmd+Shift+3 or something) of the desktop rather than photos of the screen so that non-HD users can more easily see (and drool over) the difference? I know it won't do the quality justice, but it's a start, I guess.

TIA,
Danny

Click to expand...

Just look at a 23" Apple Cinema display hooked up in an Apple store. Same resolution =p

Faye said:

Usual kext update procedures apply:
* run "Fix Permissions" from disk utility.
* rm /System/Library/Extensions.* (not Extensions itself, just .kextcache and .mkext)

reboot to rebuild kext cache.

If you've still got problems, try removing any preferences files which were created/modified just before the problem occurred. These may be in the "ByHost" subdirectory.

You may need to do that as a different user, since they will probably be written on exit with the values they had on start, which for the desktop/finder is all the time you're logged in.


Faye

Click to expand...

That worked for me. Thanks again, Faye.

whateverandever said:

Just look at a 23" Apple Cinema display hooked up in an Apple store. Same resolution =p

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Hi, I think you might have misunderstood my intentions in asking for the screenshots. I would like to see what a HD 15.4" desktop screen would look like on a standard 15.4" screen. Does that make sense? Thanks. Danny.

That's not exactly possible. If someone takes a screenshot of their desktop with the mod or with the ACD 23" of the same resolution, they will appear to be the same exact size to _you_ on the display that _you're_ using to view it on.

And if someone takes a digital camera picture of their laptop with the mod and some windows open, you will not be able to access the how small things on the desktop would have shrunk in order to fit in the 15.4" physical space.

The only way to get an idea of how this would look in actuality, is to take a screenshot from a 23" (or modded HD MBP), and then shrink that image using Photoshop to fit the dimensions of your current low-res 15.4 MBP.

So if you have time, stop by an Apple store and take a screenshot and email it to yourself, then scale it to fit your MBP.

EDIT: You could also take a screenshot of your current MBP, then create a new image in Photoshop at 1920x1200, and hack a desktop together to fill that size, then shrink it all down to fit your physical screen.

dsiew81 said:

Hi, I think you might have misunderstood my intentions in asking for the screenshots. I would like to see what a HD 15.4" desktop screen would look like on a standard 15.4" screen. Does that make sense? Thanks. Danny.

Click to expand...

bryanus said:

That's not exactly possible. If someone takes a screenshot of their desktop with the mod or with the ACD 23" of the same resolution, they will appear to be the same exact size to _you_ on the display that _you're_ using to view it on.

And if someone takes a digital camera picture of their laptop with the mod and some windows open, you will not be able to access the how small things on the desktop would have shrunk in order to fit in the 15.4" physical space.

The only way to get an idea of how this would look in actuality, is to take a screenshot from a 23" (or modded HD MBP), and then shrink that image using Photoshop to fit the dimensions of your current low-res 15.4 MBP.

So if you have time, stop by an Apple store and take a screenshot and email it to yourself, then scale it to fit your MBP.

EDIT: You could also take a screenshot of your current MBP, then create a new image in Photoshop at 1920x1200, and hack a desktop together to fill that size, then shrink it all down to fit your physical screen.

Click to expand...

Maybe I'm just not getting it, but I don't understand how that works. I know when I use oversized desktops wallpapers (i.e. 1240x1024 for a 800x600), you can make the oversized image fit to page. From another direct example, assume Finder is the active program on both a 1920x1200 and a 1440x900 screen. The distance (white area) between the "Help" menu and the first of the icons to the right of the menu bar HAS to be different between the two resolutions. Wouldn't this difference be visible on my screen? Obviously, the dock size of both resolutions shouldn't be the same, right? Again, sorry if I'm not quite understanding your post, I will go visit an Apple Store and see if I can find a 23" ACD. Thanks. Danny.

EDIT: Nevermind. I found the screenshots I needed through Google. Sorry to have hijacked the thread.

Here's how to do it. Get the HD screenshot at 1920x1200, take it into Photoshop. Change the Image Size to 13" x 8.125", deselect resample image. Save the image to your desktop.

Open the saved image in Preview, then View>Slideshow, and set the image to actual size. That should give youa pretty good idea of how small things will be.

dsiew81 said:

Maybe I'm just not getting it, but I don't understand how that works. I know when I use oversized desktops wallpapers (i.e. 1240x1024 for a 800x600), you can make the oversized image fit to page. From another direct example, assume Finder is the active program on both a 1920x1200 and a 1440x900 screen. The distance (white area) between the "Help" menu and the first of the icons to the right of the menu bar HAS to be different between the two resolutions. Wouldn't this difference be visible on my screen? Obviously, the dock size of both resolutions shouldn't be the same, right? Again, sorry if I'm not quite understanding your post, I will go visit an Apple Store and see if I can find a 23" ACD. Thanks. Danny.

EDIT: Nevermind. I found the screenshots I needed through Google. Sorry to have hijacked the thread.

Click to expand...

I just got this going on my 1.86

I just got this going on my laptop ... it is absolutly awesome.
This is basically what I did
Installed the panel
Install switchresx with the 56hz override for 1920X1200
Installed files from the zip a few pages back
Ran the permissions and rebooted
and now its works beautifully

What model panel did you install?

And did you use an external display to install SwitchRes?

joelypolly said:

I just got this going on my laptop ... it is absolutly awesome.
This is basically what I did
Installed the panel
Install switchresx with the 56hz override for 1920X1200
Installed files from the zip a few pages back
Ran the permissions and rebooted
and now its works beautifully

Click to expand...

bryanus said:

What model panel did you install?

And did you use an external display to install SwitchRes?

Click to expand...

Using the samsung panel and yes i had to have an external monitor to set the res for the lcd the first time

Also looking for a way to find AppleBacklight.kext or Archive.pax.gz after 10.4.10 stole my brightness control (as neither of these appear to be on my hdd). If anyone could post a link or upload a zip file that would be awesome.

FWIW, I now have an OS X install disc that works on my HD MBP. I'll try to find time later to post details. If I forget, feel free to PM me to remind me.

I was actually just looking for some tips on how to replace my cracked LCD when I found this thread ... after reading it for over an hour, I realized that I still haven't found an answer to that original question, though choosing what LCD to get for replacement purposes is going to be more complicated now.

I am replacing the LCD on a 17" (high res) Powerbook (1.67 w/ 1680x1050 original display). I haven't had any problems up to having the display separated from the "computer", but I'm having problems figuring out the best way to "open" the display to get the actual LCD out of the casing ... anybody have any suggestions?

Thanks,
Ed

ebynum said:

I was actually just looking for some tips on how to replace my cracked LCD when I found this thread ... after reading it for over an hour, I realized that I still haven't found an answer to that original question, though choosing what LCD to get for replacement purposes is going to be more complicated now.

I am replacing the LCD on a 17" (high res) Powerbook (1.67 w/ 1680x1050 original display). I haven't had any problems up to having the display separated from the "computer", but I'm having problems figuring out the best way to "open" the display to get the actual LCD out of the casing ... anybody have any suggestions?

Thanks,
Ed

Click to expand...

If it's anything like the display casing on the MacbookPro you kinda have to just rip it apart. It's glued and snapped together. There are maybe two screws at the bottom corners but after that it's all glue and snapping.

And yes, it's incredibly scary ripping that thing off.

iSight pinout

baxterbrittle said:

Oh and if anyone knows the pinout arrangement for the built in isight I would be very appreciative.

Click to expand...

Hi,
I pinned out a built in iSight from a Macbook abnd found the following info:

Pin 1 is the left most (has an chevron pointing to it). LVDS/iSight cable wire color in parenthesis.

Pin 1 (dark blue): connects to a pad on a 6 pin footprint for a chip that is not installed
Pin 2 (dark blue): connects to a pad on a 6 pin footprint for a chip that is not installed
Pin 3 (light blue, white conductor): USB D+
Pin 4 (light blue, purple conductor): USB D-
Pin 5/6 (orange): USB VCC (+5VDC)
Pin 7/8 (orange): USB GND

There is a voltage conversion to +3.3 VDC that occurs on the board for the Cypress USB interface chip.

I was not able to find anything else that connected to Pin 1 & 2.

Pin 3 and 4 connect to a purple and white conductor inside a shielded jacket with light blue insulation.

All wires are coaxial (insulation, foil, braid, insulator, braided signal wire)

That said, plugging this into a USB port on a MacBook Pro does nothing obvious (does not show up in system profiler).The USB Prober program shows this error:

[0x3c0f700] The IOUSBFamily is having trouble enumerating a USB device that has been plugged in.

Followed by message that the enumeration failed.

I tried plugging into a MacMini with a Bootcamp install of XP (in XP) using the iSight driver for XP and get this Windoze message:

USB Device Not Recognized
One of the USB devices attached to this computer has malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognize it. For assistance in solving this problem, click this message.

USBlyzer on the Windows install claims that the VID and PID are both 0000, which may be that the ID information is now wiped (or never set) or it might just be the default failed values the program prints to the screen.
Any thoughts?

I am hoping ot use this camera as a head worn webcam to provide a world scene view while walking around.

I hope this mod is still worth doing after all of the hassles involved! I just won an auction for the Samsung panel on eBay, after putting in bids for weeks!