How about someone write a hack to turn off imac dispaly...

[doug in albq]

How about someone write a hack to turn off imac dispaly...

I mean the bulbs, not something like Shades.

I got a second high quality display (HP LP2065) that I use most of the time, the Imac display is really just for image manipulation software palettes, and the occasion dvd.

I would really like to shut down the bulbs as the display itself gets very little use now.

since we can have the display go to sleep separately from the cpu, one would think a hack could be written to shut down main (now the second) display while allowing the attached external display to be on and working.
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On a side note: APPLE, you should let us turn off our imac display if we want, especially the 20 inch, with the gradient from hell.

 

[SaSaSushi]

On a side note: APPLE, you should let us turn off our imac display if we want, especially the 20 inch, with the gradient from hell.

Who's stopping you??

Sleep Display

 

[doug in albq]

Who's stopping you??

Sleep Display

HuH? Please do tell me how to turn off my display, and leave on my computer....if you can I'll give you the prize of the day!

(oops, I just saw your link. If this shuts off my main display while letting me have my second display still on, then you do win the prize. I'll go try it now.)......O.K., tried it out, I cannot figure out how to get it to turn off my imac display (which is now my second display) and leave on my external display, which is my main one. Anyone?

 

[CWallace]

If you set the display to sleep in Energy Saver, does that kill both displays or just the iMac's?

 

[nando2323]

I just set a hot corner to turn mine off. Works great.

 

[doug in albq]

Um, how does one set up a hot corner for one display in a dual-display setup?

and

no, one cannot set just one (of 2) display(s) to sleep in energy saver....

Anyone?

 

[SaSaSushi]

(oops, I just saw your link. If this shuts off my main display while letting me have my second display still on, then you do win the prize. I'll go try it now.)......O.K., tried it out, I cannot figure out how to get it to turn off my imac display (which is now my second display) and leave on my external display, which is my main one. Anyone?

I didn't completely understand what it was you were trying to do when I initially replied. I don't have an external display connected to my iMac so I cannot speak to its behavior for sleeping one or the other. I'll take your word for it that Sleep Display doesn't just shut off the iMac's display. I don't know that anyone has ever written an app to do this.

There are many many apps and hints for accomplishing this with Apple notebooks such as this link.

I have an app called Brightness Control. It will allow you to dim the brightness to nothing but I'm not sure if it works like Shades or if it actually dims the backlight. It seems to be dimming the backlight. You might give it a try.

 

[doug in albq]

thanks for the help, however brightness control does not do it either.

the closest thing has been shades, at least it lets you control each display individually, but it does not shut off the bulbs as I can see all the backlight bleed even when my second display (imac itself) is dialed all the way down to 0%.

sure would like to shut off the bulbs. I have an inquiry in at the Apple Support forums as well. No one there has an answer either.

Sort of a bummer.

 

[richardsim7]

I use InsomniaX on my macbook and that has an option to sleep the display? Maybe it'd work on an iMac?

-Rich-

 

[SaSaSushi]

I use InsomniaX on my macbook and that has an option to sleep the display? Maybe it'd work on an iMac?

-Rich-

If I'm not misunderstanding Doug's predicament it is not an inability to sleep his iMac's display that is the issue but an inability to sleep ONLY the iMac's display while still using an external monitor.

I think it is probably entirely possible to do so if someone took the initiative to code a proper app. I think what Doug is trying to do is very unique though and I'm not sure that Apple (or any 3rd party developers thus far) have seen any demand/reason to do so unfortunately.

 

[doug in albq]

I use InsomniaX on my macbook and that has an option to sleep the display? Maybe it'd work on an iMac?

-Rich-

Thanks for trying, but no it does not work for what I am looking for.

That program sleeps both of my displays.

 

[doug in albq]

If I'm not misunderstanding Doug's predicament it is not an inability to sleep his iMac's display that is the issue but an inability to sleep ONLY the iMac's display while still using an external monitor.

I think it is probably entirely possible to do so if someone took the initiative to code a proper app. I think what Doug is trying to do is very unique though and I'm not sure that Apple (or any 3rd party developers thus far) have seen any demand/reason to do so unfortunately.

It should not be that unique to any one with a picky eye for good displaymanship (I made that word up!). The display on the very popular 20 inch alum. imac is a low quality TN display that does not display millions of colors, and Apple never told us they were giving us one! I was an early adopter, thinking the display would be high quality like the prior 20 inch imac display, but is not. So I went out and got a high-quality display and attached in a standard dual-monitor display setup with the imac.

Attaching a second display is not that unique. I would not think wanting to sleep one's second/less used display in a dual-display setup would not be that unique either..., and yes i bet it is an easy hack/program write to get what I want, hence the thread title. I just do not know how to do that.

 

[doug in albq]

I have looked high and low, and i cannot find a little program/hack to turn off my imac display.....SOMEONE WRITE ONE, PLEASE.

 

[SaSaSushi]

I have looked high and low, and i cannot find a little program/hack to turn off my imac display.....SOMEONE WRITE ONE, PLEASE.

Why don't you drop a line to the coder of Sleep Display for Leopard, Malcolm Hall? His e-mail address appears to be hello@imalc.com

There is another app by the same name (Sleep Display) that only appears to work in Tiger.

Take a look at number 3 on the Known Issues/Feature Requests section for this app:

3) Application should only put internal (LCD screen) display to sleep.
Not sure how to address this one or even if I should. I have received a lot of emails about this one (largely related to keeping an external display/projector on while MacBook screen is sleeps), so I'll see if I can track down a solution.

You might be better off filing a feature request with Apple.

 

[WardC]

Go to the "Spaces and Exposé" control panel to set the Hot Corners. I use the bottom left to start the screensaver, and the bottom right to sleep the display. I fully understand your issues on this, since you can't completely dim the screen with keyboard or menu controls in MacOS. But the hot corner works well....you drag your mouse to the corner, and the display goes black.

Good luck with it. Hope I could be of help

 

[doug in albq]

Go to the "Spaces and Exposé" control panel to set the Hot Corners. I use the bottom left to start the screensaver, and the bottom right to sleep the display. I fully understand your issues on this, since you can't completely dim the screen with keyboard or menu controls in MacOS. But the hot corner works well....you drag your mouse to the corner, and the display goes black.

Good luck with it. Hope I could be of help

Again, no. You did not read the entire post. Of course I know about hot corners....that puts both monitors to sleep! (see above).

I WANT TO SLEEP MY IMAC DISPLAY AND STILL HAVE MY SECOND EXTERNAL DISPLAY AWAKE AND WORKING. As of now, this seems impossible.

 

[WardC]

Again, no. You did not read the entire post. Of course I know about hot corners....that puts both monitors to sleep! (see above).

I WANT TO SLEEP MY IMAC DISPLAY AND STILL HAVE MY SECOND EXTERNAL DISPLAY AWAKE AND WORKING. As of now, this seems impossible.

Gotcha. You could create a completely black image file and open it fullscreen just on the iMac display. A hack at that. LOL

 

[SaSaSushi]

Gotcha. You could create a completely black image file and open it fullscreen just on the iMac display. A hack at that. LOL

You still didn't bother reading the whole thread. He's said he has used apps like Shades which basically do just that: turn all the pixels black to simulate reduced luminance. The whole point is he wants the backlight OFF on his iMac's display since he is only using the external.

 

[WardC]

You still didn't bother reading the whole thread. He's said he has used apps like Shades which basically do just that: turn all the pixels black to simulate reduced luminance. The whole point is he wants the backlight OFF on his iMac's display since he is only using the external.

I'm not dumb, I realize this...exactly what he wants. He want to hook an external monitor to an intel iMac and then turn the display completely OFF on the iMac...using the external only. Again, I suggested several things that would simulate this, and work to keep from screen burn-in, plus save power...but for this exact action I don't know how it's possible.

 

[SaSaSushi]

I'm not dumb, I realize this...exactly what he wants. He want to hook an external monitor to an intel iMac and then turn the display completely OFF on the iMac...using the external only. Again, I suggested several things that would simulate this, and work to keep from screen burn-in, plus save power...but for this exact action I don't know how it's possible.

It would be theoretically possible by coding an application to accomplish it. The problem is that those who have coded apps to shut off the backlight never considered adding the ability to selectively choose which displays to turn off when using external monitors.

Doug needs to either code it himself or convince one of the developers who wrote the sleep display apps to add it as a feature.

 

[DHart]

I understand the need entirely and would also like to find that.

I often use my MacBook to power an HP2465 wide screen monitor. During these times I don't want the MacBook display on at all. At least with the MacBook you can do this. You put the machine to sleep by closing the MacBook, then plug something into a USB port, which wakes the machine up, while it's still closed! Now your external monitor comes to life as the sole display. Now, you can open the MacBook up so it can breathe properly, but it's display remains OFF. Nice!

 

[doug in albq]

I understand the need entirely and would also like to find that.

I often use my MacBook to power an HP2465 wide screen monitor. During these times I don't want the MacBook display on at all. At least with the MacBook you can do this. You put the machine to sleep by closing the MacBook, then plug something into a USB port, which wakes the machine up, while it's still closed! Now your external monitor comes to life as the sole display. Now, you can open the MacBook up so it can breathe properly, but it's display remains OFF. Nice!

I tried tilting my imac forward, but it would not lay down flat!
But really, I have read how many folks with laptops are able to use an external while the laptop screen stays sleeping. I wish we could convert this to the imac.

 

[WardC]

So, from what I am understanding...the "Sleep corner" will result in sleeping both displays...and it's not really going to work. You either have both on, or both off. We are looking for external=on and iMac/internalDisplay="off"

hmm.

 

[twynne]

Someone mentioned in another thread (here) that Ctrl+Shift+Eject will turn off the display in Leopard. Does anyone know (or can you test) if this leaves the external display on?

Cheers,

Tom

 

[SaSaSushi]

Someone mentioned in another thread (here) that Ctrl+Shift+Eject will turn off the display in Leopard. Does anyone know (or can you test) if this leaves the external display on?

Cheers,

Tom

Don't have an external to test whether it shuts off both but I just wanted to thank you for that awesome tip!! I was using a script I got somewhere called SleepDisplay but this is SO much better!

This is the best keyboard shortcut for me since cmd+opt+eject (sleep the machine).

Thanks again. I missed that other thread. I hope it worked for Doug but my suspicion is that it will shut off both displays.