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whateverandever

macrumors 6502a
Nov 8, 2006
778
8
Baltimore
Unfortunately for the L03, it did not work for me. I got the light gray screen with the dark gray apple in the middle. Then the screen goes black when the install screen to choose language is supposed to come up. I tried to install Switch ResX with Leopard and Leopard would not start up. I had to switch back to the original screen.

I just wanted to add I have the earler pre Santa Rosa Core 2 Duo macbook pro, maybe that is the difference.

Noone here is running the 1920x1200 display on a Santa Rosa MBP as far as I know. The Santa Rosa has a different display casing and uses LED backlighting -- and I imagine due to how new those MBPs are, there are fewer people willing to put their MBP into surgery mode to dabble into the realm of HD displays at the moment.
 

TheStu

macrumors 65816
Aug 20, 2006
1,243
0
Carlisle, PA
Hi guys,

I can't seem to find in this thread whether anyone has gotten this working on a powerbook, rather than a macbook. My display just fried and I need to upgrade it because 1280x854 is kinda weak. :)

Best,
Jesse

I think the very last generation PowerBooks used 1440*900 screens (or am I mistaken?) so you could try to look for that.

The main issue is that the PowerBook used a 15.2" screen whereas the MacBook Pro uses a 15.4" screen. So any screen that the MacBook Pro could use cannot be used by the PowerBook and vice versa.

The OP of this thread however, did use a PowerBook. What he did was this.

Kept the PowerBook Bottom (CPU, RAM, Hard Drive.. you get the idea) and removed the screen. Got a busted MacBook Pro screen on ebay, one that included the lid assembly. Then, he got a new, hi-res panel and put it into the MacBook Pro lid assembly. He attached that to his PowerBook body, and poof, the Hi-Def FrankenBook was born.
 

hellojtm

macrumors newbie
Nov 6, 2007
11
0
Uhmm... the FIRST post is about baxter's success in doing it to a Powerbook.
I must congratulate you on your detective work :]

in further detective work I found the thread search tab....

i know baxter got it working, but it seemed from there on it became MB and MBP centric and it was very hard to find anyone else having success with the powerbook G4.

Does anyone with a 1440x960 G4 1.67Ghz have pictures of the connector for their LCD? Both on the backplate and on the logic board would be ideal. If I think I can get the right cable I will pickup a display and give it a shot.

Cheers,
Jesse
 

whateverandever

macrumors 6502a
Nov 8, 2006
778
8
Baltimore
in further detective work I found the thread search tab....

i know baxter got it working, but it seemed from there on it became MB and MBP centric and it was very hard to find anyone else having success with the powerbook G4.

Does anyone with a 1440x960 G4 1.67Ghz have pictures of the connector for their LCD? Both on the backplate and on the logic board would be ideal. If I think I can get the right cable I will pickup a display and give it a shot.

Cheers,
Jesse

I'm not sure if baxter said he needed a new LVDS cable or not... but you definitely need a whole display casing from a pre-SR MBP.
 

hellojtm

macrumors newbie
Nov 6, 2007
11
0
I'm not sure if baxter said he needed a new LVDS cable or not... but you definitely need a whole display casing from a pre-SR MBP.

baxter used the cable from the 1440x960 powerbook, the last in the G4 line, the 1.67Ghz. It had a larger style connector that allowed him to connect his Sharp or whichever display he used. I *think* that if I had that cable I could put a display from a 1.67Ghz 1440x960 G4 onto my 1.25Ghz 1280x854 pbook.

So the pictures would save me the time/money on ordering the cable and display... possibly...
still trying to talk my buddy into letting me take apart his pbook which has the display i want. we'll see what happens first. HEH.

jesse
 

bryanus

macrumors regular
Jul 19, 2005
111
10
In case you haven't installed Leopard yet, here's how to get around the problem of a dark screen during installation:

Connect an external display and keyboad/mouse. Insert the Leopard disc and start the installation.

Once the computer reboots and the screen goes dark, close the lid of the MBP to put it to sleep. Push any key on the external keyboard to wake it up, and the installer screen will only appear on the external, allowing you to continue with the installation.

One thing I have noticed about Leopard is that the screen no longer blanks out for a split second when going from the gray apple boot screen to the blue login screen, like it used to in Tiger. That exact moment is where I would always lose my screen and have to reboot and do funky hotkeys with SRX.

Since my last report, no problems at all with Leopard and the Samsung -L04 screen. Everything works beautifully. No dark startups or anything.

Unfortunately for the L03, it did not work for me. I got the light gray screen with the dark gray apple in the middle. Then the screen goes black when the install screen to choose language is supposed to come up. I tried to install Switch ResX with Leopard and Leopard would not start up. I had to switch back to the original screen.

I just wanted to add I have the earler pre Santa Rosa Core 2 Duo macbook pro, maybe that is the difference.

Actually my screen model is LT154UI - L03 - Maybe that is the issue.
 

bryanus

macrumors regular
Jul 19, 2005
111
10
I believe I have this cable. Bought it a long time ago and never used it; sold the PowerBook before trying to fix it. I took a picture of the logic board connector, as the one to the panel is the same for all models of panels. I'll try to dig for the exact eBay auction I bought it from and if there is any more information about it.

in further detective work I found the thread search tab....

i know baxter got it working, but it seemed from there on it became MB and MBP centric and it was very hard to find anyone else having success with the powerbook G4.

Does anyone with a 1440x960 G4 1.67Ghz have pictures of the connector for their LCD? Both on the backplate and on the logic board would be ideal. If I think I can get the right cable I will pickup a display and give it a shot.

Cheers,
Jesse
 

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jeeb75

macrumors member
Nov 5, 2006
42
0
Thanks for the info. Actually I decided to buy the LT154U2 - L04 from ztronics at ebay. It was about $140 with tax and shipping, did not have the patience to wait 5 days and bid on it. I will hopefully get it by the weekend and let you all know if it goes well. I have the LT154U1 - L03 screen, so that may be the issue. It is different from the LT154U2-L03 which someone else got to work.
Are there any special instructions to install the screen with Leopard. I am assuming it should just work.

In case you haven't installed Leopard yet, here's how to get around the problem of a dark screen during installation:

Connect an external display and keyboad/mouse. Insert the Leopard disc and start the installation.

Once the computer reboots and the screen goes dark, close the lid of the MBP to put it to sleep. Push any key on the external keyboard to wake it up, and the installer screen will only appear on the external, allowing you to continue with the installation.

One thing I have noticed about Leopard is that the screen no longer blanks out for a split second when going from the gray apple boot screen to the blue login screen, like it used to in Tiger. That exact moment is where I would always lose my screen and have to reboot and do funky hotkeys with SRX.

Since my last report, no problems at all with Leopard and the Samsung -L04 screen. Everything works beautifully. No dark startups or anything.
 

hellojtm

macrumors newbie
Nov 6, 2007
11
0
I believe I have this cable. Bought it a long time ago and never used it; sold the PowerBook before trying to fix it. I took a picture of the logic board connector, as the one to the panel is the same for all models of panels. I'll try to dig for the exact eBay auction I bought it from and if there is any more information about it.

Thanks for that bryanus. In about an hour I'm going to test the swap:

display: 1440x960 from 1.67Ghz powerbook G4

laptop: powerbook G4 1.25Ghz (currently with busted 1280x854)

I believe the logic board connector you photographed will be the same, and that I will need to use the cable from the 1.67Ghz. The case is the same size so I think this is the best upgrade option for me if it works. I like to close my lid etc.. so i'll back off on the full HD display that baxter pulled off. :)

Thanks for the picture. I will post pictures of both cables within the next couple days.

Hopefully along with a success story of making the swap.

Best,
Jesse
 

hellojtm

macrumors newbie
Nov 6, 2007
11
0
success 1440x960 on powerbook 1.25Ghz Aluminum

Thanks to my generous friend I was able to test the 1440x960 display before going out on a limb and purchasing one.

pre167Ghz_with_1440x960.jpg


So we figured the easiest way to test it without doing cosmetic damage to his laptop was to _not_ disassemble the display backing. So I didn't get a look at the connector on the back of the LCD. However the connector that attaches to the logic board is the same between the two. Wires look slightly different as the higher res display wires were spread further from eachother, all the way into the plug itself.

So the bottom line is that it works, but I didn't get any pictures.

Thanks for this thread for getting me on track.

Jesse
 

mediapirate

macrumors member
Sep 11, 2007
37
0
Mbp 2.33

Hi Guys,

So I picked up one for the Ztronics LNT154U2-L04 LCDs but I'm unable to get this display working in Leopard. I had Leopard installed when I installed the new LCD and I was able to see the Apple logo and spinning wheel at boot but then it would flash brown and then blackness.....

I tried inserting the Leopard cd for a fresh install but upon loading the logo and seeing the wheel spin the screen goes dark. If I plug in an external LCD I can see everything as usual. I've tried reseting the Prom (which I believe) you just hold down the power button without the battery, the machine shuts down, pull the power plug...wait.... add power back and hold down the power button for 10 seconds. I've noticed two things though, if I hold the power button down while rebooting after a normal power down it makes the beep noise and then boots up... however if I do the first option it doesn't beep but upon power up my fans run at full speed non stop until next reboot.

The second odd thing I've noticed is that the edges around the apple and spinning wheel are distorted. If you look closely you'll see they're not uniform but I have noticed upon booting to the logo the screen is at 1920x1200...

Any help would be appreciated.
 

jeeb75

macrumors member
Nov 5, 2006
42
0
Same Problem as Mediapirate - Working Now

Hi Mediapirate, I had the exact same problem as you had. PRAM Reset, reinstalling Leopard did not work. I installed Switch ResX while connected to external monitor and made a custom resolution with the following settings under horizontal:
Front Porch - 126
Sync Width - 206
Back Porch - 332
Under Vertical I only changed:
Scan Rate to 56



When you launch SwitchResX choose the custom tab, then choose the correct LCD under Change Settings of: For me it was LCD Display (2). The choices here will be this and the external display (DELL 24... for me).

Then hit the plus sign to add a new custom resolution. Use the settings I mentioned above.

I attached some screenshots of SwitchResX.

I saved this custom resolution, restarted the computer and it started working. For some reason, this just activates the monitor to work and it seems that switch Resx is not required after it started working.

I am going to try to uninstall switchresx and let you know if it is still working.

The LNT154U2-L04 monitor is much better than the LNT154U1-L03. I used to have a buzzing sound from the inverter which is now gone. I am really happy with this new screen.
 

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mediapirate

macrumors member
Sep 11, 2007
37
0
No Go with switch Rez.

This still isn't working for me. I can see that upon boot the mac logo is in WUXGA but I still get the brown flash and then it's black again. I just want to ensure that the only part you've exchanged is the LCD? I kept everything thing else which came OEM I only replaced the LCD. I also checked the EFI for MBP is 1.4 I tried to download and reapply but it says no updated needed. I'm amazed how I'm having this problem and it's not only on this MBP but also my 2.0 CD MBP...

MP

Hi Mediapirate, I had the exact same problem as you had. PRAM Reset, reinstalling Leopard did not work. I installed Switch ResX while connected to external monitor and made a custom resolution with the following settings under horizontal:
Front Porch - 126
Sync Width - 206
Back Porch - 332
Under Vertical I only changed:
Scan Rate to 56



When you launch SwitchResX choose the custom tab, then choose the correct LCD under Change Settings of: For me it was LCD Display (2). The choices here will be this and the external display (DELL 24... for me).

Then hit the plus sign to add a new custom resolution. Use the settings I mentioned above.

I attached some screenshots of SwitchResX.

I saved this custom resolution, restarted the computer and it started working. For some reason, this just activates the monitor to work and it seems that switch Resx is not required after it started working.

I am going to try to uninstall switchresx and let you know if it is still working.

The LNT154U2-L04 monitor is much better than the LNT154U1-L03. I used to have a buzzing sound from the inverter which is now gone. I am really happy with this new screen.
 

jeeb75

macrumors member
Nov 5, 2006
42
0
Some More Steps

I lost the screen but I got it back.

When you use Switchresx to create a custom resolution and you go to the default apple display system preferences you will see the refresh rate should be at 56.

What you need to do is set up the new custom resolution as mentioned before. Now what you need to do is have the external screen connected to the macbook pro. Go to system preferences and click on displays. While connected to the external screen, the external screen display options comes up on the window on top. Behind this window is the display preferences of the internal monitor. Here change the resolution to 1920 x 1200 and change the refresh rate to 56.0 Hertz. Restart the computer and disconnect the external monitor before the gray screen.

This might help and good luck getting it to work.
 

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mediapirate

macrumors member
Sep 11, 2007
37
0
Mbp 2.33

Update:

I miss read your step and changed the Horizontal scan rate to 56 instead of the Vertical. I'm not configured exactly as your instructions and I do have a picture on the WUXGA screen but there's an issue.

1) I only see the screen when my 1080p is hooked up.
2) The WUXGA MBP screen is distorted, I can see a picture but there's coloring issues. I'm going to continue tinkering with the setting and post updates.

I lost the screen but I got it back.

When you use Switchresx to create a custom resolution and you go to the default apple display system preferences you will see the refresh rate should be at 56.

What you need to do is set up the new custom resolution as mentioned before. Now what you need to do is have the external screen connected to the macbook pro. Go to system preferences and click on displays. While connected to the external screen, the external screen display options comes up on the window on top. Behind this window is the display preferences of the internal monitor. Here change the resolution to 1920 x 1200 and change the refresh rate to 56.0 Hertz. Restart the computer and disconnect the external monitor before the gray screen.

This might help and good luck getting it to work.
 

srinuach

macrumors newbie
Nov 10, 2007
2
0
review so far...

Hi, I am a newbie to this and sorry if this is covered, could someone update me where the idea of having 15.4" WSXGA+ panel is? :confused: i would love to have it on my macbook pro can't wait for someone's to work:p
thanks
 

mediapirate

macrumors member
Sep 11, 2007
37
0
two screens love love for either one

I have been working on both resolutions for weeks now with little success but as you can read some folks are having no troubles at all with the WUXGA and Leopard but I believe am the only one testing the WSXGA+ screen.


Hi, I am a newbie to this and sorry if this is covered, could someone update me where the idea of having 15.4" WSXGA+ panel is? :confused: i would love to have it on my macbook pro can't wait for someone's to work:p
thanks
 

srinuach

macrumors newbie
Nov 10, 2007
2
0
what have you tried?

Hi mediapirate, thanks for the reply, i saw the earlier posts by you, and a rude comment, which felt sorry to read, but anyways, i guess we meet some like that more often than we don't :mad:. I was interested in WUXGA panel and was following this thread for a while but unfortunately at that time, no one was making progress, so decided to try WUXGA resolution bymyself on a pc, its too much for the eyes even though i have no vision problems, that's why i decided to try WSXGA+ panel.

I purchased a 15.4 MBP yesterday, so now i am kinda itchy :p to try such a thing myself, if you don't mind can you answer some questions?
1. what panels have you tried so far?
2. if i were to venture in to this project, which at this time i do not know, but would like to, could you point out which panel would be the first one to try?
3. I see a whole lot of WSXGA+ panels from T60 or T61's (IBM or lenovo), can i purchase one and try it or is it a bad idea?

thanks for ur time
good luck for your efforts.

the difference between stubborness and persistence is success :)
 

98707

macrumors regular
Feb 15, 2007
198
0
How can I do this to my 15 inch powerbook without spending 500 dollars. Every site i have found on the web wants like 400 for the enclosure and a 1440/900 screen or like 90 dollars for the front and 90 dollars for the back of the MBP enclosure.


Am I missing the source of the enclosure for like 100 total? Can I order this from apple or something?
 

mediapirate

macrumors member
Sep 11, 2007
37
0
Compare machines

There has to be a clear difference between the machines which are working with the new LCD's and those which aren't. It would be useful if those who are able to upgrade their LCD send their patch levels and firmware editions. I doesn't make sense that two MBP 2.33 machines with the same LCD screens work for one person and not the other, there's has to be a discrepancies between the two. I'm going to upload pictures of my screen when booting and upon login. I'm assuming too that the LVDS cables are the same accross the board as well as the inverter but we might want to post those model #'s as well.

MP

I lost the screen but I got it back.

When you use Switchresx to create a custom resolution and you go to the default apple display system preferences you will see the refresh rate should be at 56.

What you need to do is set up the new custom resolution as mentioned before. Now what you need to do is have the external screen connected to the macbook pro. Go to system preferences and click on displays. While connected to the external screen, the external screen display options comes up on the window on top. Behind this window is the display preferences of the internal monitor. Here change the resolution to 1920 x 1200 and change the refresh rate to 56.0 Hertz. Restart the computer and disconnect the external monitor before the gray screen.

This might help and good luck getting it to work.
 

jeeb75

macrumors member
Nov 5, 2006
42
0
MBP Specs

Firmware 1.2 is for the core duo machines not core 2 duo.
 

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mediapirate

macrumors member
Sep 11, 2007
37
0
a swep further possibly?

i have the Samsung LCD working now, sorta. If the external 1080p tv is plugged in I now have a display but the tv is primary and the sammy is mirrored. If I change the arrangement or unplug the tv the sammy looses its picture. I was able to get a picture by removing the lvds cable while in OSX and rebooting the laptop. I cannot get the Sammy to take over the primary display no matter what I`ve tried so far.... I will keep plugging but suggestions are welcomed.

Firmware 1.2 is for the core duo machines not core 2 duo.
 

jeeb75

macrumors member
Nov 5, 2006
42
0
Try This

The attaced zip contains the ATIinject.kext from around page 22 of this thread It also contains an override file based on the same, but altered to work with LTN154U2-L04. It enabled me to have all the screen resolutions (800x600,960x600 1024x768stretched 1600x1000, etc) but still no brightness control.

Here are the steps I took

1. Copt ATIinject.kext to /System/Library/Extensions

2. type sudo chown -R root:wheel /System/Library/Extensions/ATIinject.kext in the terminal

3. Replace DisplayProductID-5534 in /System/Library/Display/Overrides/DisplayVendorID-4ca3
with one in zip

4. Reboot if all is well just never use 1920x1200 @ 60

5. If all is not well (displays but extremely dim) hook an external monitor and adjust settings. It only started to display right once I removed the external monitor. Then I could plug and unplug and switch all around a million combinations mirrored/unmirrored/different resolutions on both the LCD and ext monitor. But even with the right settings initially it had to get connected one time to the ext monitor and then unplugged before it would show on the LCD.

Hope this helps anyone.

If only there was a way to change the EDID in the DisplayProductID-5534 file I am guessing brightness might work. But I do not know how?

Okay, I lost the screen again with the SwitchResX method and swithresx really does have problems working in Leopard. It keeps crashing and for me it stopped working. So I tried the above fix. The file to download is screen_fix.zip on page 22 of this thread. I did the above steps without having the external monitor plugged in on restart. The screen just came up with no problems. I hope I do not lose the screen again.

Also, I installed Vista through bootcamp - funky colors. I will do the powerstrip method to fix it.
 

mediapirate

macrumors member
Sep 11, 2007
37
0
Yep 100% working.

It's actually the ATIinject file that resolves the issue so now I'm going to download that file on the other MBP and try using the 1680x1050 LCD that I bought a few weeks ago... Great work Jeeb!

I just want to add that the auto brightness and other resolutions work great.
 
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