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Anyone interested in a Hi-def (1920 x 1200) mod for PB/MBP?
- Thread starter baxterbrittle
- Start date
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Here's where I'm at...
In case anyone is still reading this thread...
I finaly got around to installing my Samsung -04 screen bought from Ztronics/eBay last night. I had done LCD transplants before, so the take apart wasn't so bad. Buti ran into a huge hitch when trying to remove the existing panel from the LCD from the display housing face. It was quite permanently glued to the face, like no other dislay I had come across. Mine was a C2D 2.33GHz. In contrast, previous displays were attache dusing double-sided tape, but this one had a thick, clear, cushioning, aprox 1mm thick tape around the whole LCD. It was impossible to remove.
Luckily, in preparatin for this procedure, I happened across an auction for a complete display housing, but for a Core (1) Duo without the LCD. I picked it up for only $40, even though I knew that the parts weren't necessarily compatible with my C2D. I figured I might be able to put together a complete LCD panel and resell it on eBay to recoup my costs for this transplant.
Anyway, that one didn't have a screen in it at all, so putting the new HD screen in was easy. But what i did then was to transplant all the cables and iSight and everyting over to the C1D housing.
To my surprise, it attached to my C2D perfectly, and everything works! Even the iSight (although now it shows a green LED indicator when it's on; the C2Ds removed this indicator, but it actually still exisits in the camera).
So now tht it's all together, I am booted and running in XP at the moment. I still have to figure out the sync issues to get this working on the Mac side, but so far the screen is working perfectly in XP at least.
I do have to say that everything is quite a bit small; smaller than I was really expecting. It will take some time to get used to no doubt.
My plan is to try and get a working override file for the Samsung panel. I've also been reading a lot in the OSX86 project site and the problems they're seeing. One of the forum users created a utility that can generate an override file; I just need to figure out how to use it.
But if anyone is still reading this and has experience wth the Samsung panel I'm using, please chime in and give me any suggestions. I'd appreciate it.
Once I get "this process" down, I'll repost back here with step-by-step instructions. It will also be helpful for me as I've ordered the 250GB WD Scorpio drive that I will be installing later this week.
In case anyone is still reading this thread...
I finaly got around to installing my Samsung -04 screen bought from Ztronics/eBay last night. I had done LCD transplants before, so the take apart wasn't so bad. Buti ran into a huge hitch when trying to remove the existing panel from the LCD from the display housing face. It was quite permanently glued to the face, like no other dislay I had come across. Mine was a C2D 2.33GHz. In contrast, previous displays were attache dusing double-sided tape, but this one had a thick, clear, cushioning, aprox 1mm thick tape around the whole LCD. It was impossible to remove.
Luckily, in preparatin for this procedure, I happened across an auction for a complete display housing, but for a Core (1) Duo without the LCD. I picked it up for only $40, even though I knew that the parts weren't necessarily compatible with my C2D. I figured I might be able to put together a complete LCD panel and resell it on eBay to recoup my costs for this transplant.
Anyway, that one didn't have a screen in it at all, so putting the new HD screen in was easy. But what i did then was to transplant all the cables and iSight and everyting over to the C1D housing.
To my surprise, it attached to my C2D perfectly, and everything works! Even the iSight (although now it shows a green LED indicator when it's on; the C2Ds removed this indicator, but it actually still exisits in the camera).
So now tht it's all together, I am booted and running in XP at the moment. I still have to figure out the sync issues to get this working on the Mac side, but so far the screen is working perfectly in XP at least.
I do have to say that everything is quite a bit small; smaller than I was really expecting. It will take some time to get used to no doubt.
My plan is to try and get a working override file for the Samsung panel. I've also been reading a lot in the OSX86 project site and the problems they're seeing. One of the forum users created a utility that can generate an override file; I just need to figure out how to use it.
But if anyone is still reading this and has experience wth the Samsung panel I'm using, please chime in and give me any suggestions. I'd appreciate it.
Once I get "this process" down, I'll repost back here with step-by-step instructions. It will also be helpful for me as I've ordered the 250GB WD Scorpio drive that I will be installing later this week.
Update #2:
So to get the screen at least functioning for now, I copied over Thomas' ATIinject file into my Extensions and manually updated the permissions on the file. I found that the commands listed by AznAstronaut were incorrect, syntax-wise, so here they are, corrected:
Launch Terminal, then:
So once I did that, and set SwitchRes up for the 56Hz rate, I rebooted, reset PRAM once, and then the screen worked immediately.
So now it basically works, but I don't have any brightness controls at the moment. I'll either try and figure that out, using this ATIinject/SwitchRes method, or try and create my own override files and get it working that way, which seems more "stable/future-proof" to me for some reason.
So to get the screen at least functioning for now, I copied over Thomas' ATIinject file into my Extensions and manually updated the permissions on the file. I found that the commands listed by AznAstronaut were incorrect, syntax-wise, so here they are, corrected:
Launch Terminal, then:
Code:
cd /System/Library/Extensions
sudo chown root:wheel ATIinject.kext
sudo chmod 755 ATIinject.kextSo once I did that, and set SwitchRes up for the 56Hz rate, I rebooted, reset PRAM once, and then the screen worked immediately.
So now it basically works, but I don't have any brightness controls at the moment. I'll either try and figure that out, using this ATIinject/SwitchRes method, or try and create my own override files and get it working that way, which seems more "stable/future-proof" to me for some reason.
I got the brightness working on the same panel you have. I had to use Faye's override file and SwithResX to set the sync properly. I've posted a long line of posts in this thread you can check over.
I'd be interested in hearing if anyone is trying the mod on the LED MacBooks.
I'd be interested in hearing if anyone is trying the mod on the LED MacBooks.
I haven't been able to get the Brightness working yet, but ave been trying all sorts of things to try and get a stable setup:
1. Initially I used SwitchRes with the 56Hz redirect. It worked, but no brightness controls.
2. I then installed Thomas' ATIinject files, modded the perms on it, got rid of SwitchRes (uninstalled it), but kept the Display profile it created. This also worked, but and is ultimately what I'm using now. It has full brightness, but no controls for it. But now I don't need SwitchRes at all it seems.
3. I've tried various copying and mixing of Display profiles to try and gte Brightness working, but nothing so far. By trying to use the original panel profile and changing the file name, it sort of worked; I was able to at least see the Brightness indicator, but it only blinked the first square on the iicator, but didn't have any effect on brightness.
4. Windows XP was working great, right away. But I wasn't sure if it was the PowerStrip I had installed, so I took that out, and on reboot I had weird colors. Reinstalling PowerStrip didn't help; I managed to get it close, but now I have what seems like a bit of overscan or the wrong frequency. I see wavy lines floating across the screen.
5. I still want to try and get the Brightness working by way of a correct Display profile file. So you used Faye's? Even though it was for a Toshiba? Not sure how that could work. I don't even think you would need it if you were using SwitchRes on top of that, since it creates it's own Profiles when you set it up to do the override.
Does anyone know what it's looking for in order to determine if the display is supported for backlight?
When Backlight works, does that also mean the backlit keyboard works too? That's not working anymore either. Hoping they are one and the same.
FWIW, here's my current override. It's a combination of the original and the one made by SwitchRes, I think:
1. Initially I used SwitchRes with the 56Hz redirect. It worked, but no brightness controls.
2. I then installed Thomas' ATIinject files, modded the perms on it, got rid of SwitchRes (uninstalled it), but kept the Display profile it created. This also worked, but and is ultimately what I'm using now. It has full brightness, but no controls for it. But now I don't need SwitchRes at all it seems.
3. I've tried various copying and mixing of Display profiles to try and gte Brightness working, but nothing so far. By trying to use the original panel profile and changing the file name, it sort of worked; I was able to at least see the Brightness indicator, but it only blinked the first square on the iicator, but didn't have any effect on brightness.
4. Windows XP was working great, right away. But I wasn't sure if it was the PowerStrip I had installed, so I took that out, and on reboot I had weird colors. Reinstalling PowerStrip didn't help; I managed to get it close, but now I have what seems like a bit of overscan or the wrong frequency. I see wavy lines floating across the screen.
5. I still want to try and get the Brightness working by way of a correct Display profile file. So you used Faye's? Even though it was for a Toshiba? Not sure how that could work. I don't even think you would need it if you were using SwitchRes on top of that, since it creates it's own Profiles when you set it up to do the override.
Does anyone know what it's looking for in order to determine if the display is supported for backlight?
When Backlight works, does that also mean the backlit keyboard works too? That's not working anymore either. Hoping they are one and the same.
FWIW, here's my current override. It's a combination of the original and the one made by SwitchRes, I think:
Code:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>DisplayProductID</key>
<integer>21812</integer>
<key>DisplayVendorID</key>
<integer>19619</integer>
<key>IOGFlags</key>
<integer>4</integer>
<key>DisplayProductName</key>
<string>Color LCD</string>
<key>dmdg</key>
<data>
AAAAAg==
</data>
<key>scale-resolutions</key>
<array>
<data>
AAAEgAAAAtAAAAAB
</data>
<data>
AAAEAAAAAwAAAAAB
</data>
<data>
AAAEAAAAAoAAAAAB
</data>
<data>
AAAFAAAAAyAAAAAB
</data>
<data>
AAADIAAAAlgAAAAB
</data>
<data>
AAADIAAAAfQAAAAB
</data>
<data>
AAACgAAAAeAAAAAB
</data>
<data>
AAAC0AAAAeAAAAAB
</data>
</array>
<key>DisplayBlueGamma</key>
<real>1.259995e+00</real>
<key>DisplayBluePointX</key>
<real>1.578674e-01</real>
<key>DisplayBluePointY</key>
<real>9.999084e-02</real>
<key>DisplayGammaChannels</key>
<integer>3</integer>
<key>DisplayGammaEntryCount</key>
<integer>256</integer>
<key>DisplayGammaEntrySize</key>
<integer>2</integer>
<key>DisplayGammaTable</key>
<data>
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/Z3+w///
</data>
<key>DisplayGreenGamma</key>
<real>1.669998e+00</real>
<key>DisplayGreenPointX</key>
<real>3.228302e-01</real>
<key>DisplayGreenPointY</key>
<real>5.624542e-01</real>
<key>DisplayRedGamma</key>
<real>1.759995e+00</real>
<key>DisplayRedPointX</key>
<real>5.955353e-01</real>
<key>DisplayRedPointY</key>
<real>3.471832e-01</real>
<key>DisplayWhitePointX</key>
<real>3.126984e-01</real>
<key>DisplayWhitePointY</key>
<real>3.289948e-01</real>
</dict>
</plist>Hi, I'm new here but I've been monitoring this thread and I just bought a C2D 2.33 specifically in order to do this mod!
I'd LOVE it if you can get the Samsung panel working. I'm currently waiting to see what panel I should get. It seems the Toshiba might be the most straightforward given Faye's override file but the Samsung looks like a better panel. I hope I don't run into that problem of the LCD being permanently glued in the original panel! I've only done an LCD switch with Thinkpads before, which are very straightforward, so I'm a bit nervous about doing this....
Well, it does work. I just don't have brightness control right now, which is not really an isue. It's definitely not as bright as the one it replaced, but since it is "stuck" at 100%, it's much brighter than I would normally use it at anyway. It doesn't bother me at all, but I do miss the auto-dimming and the backlit keyboard, which in themselves is pretty unnecessary, but very cool to have!
I was surprised at the "glue" around the panel; I've never seen it like that before. I used a razor blade to try and separate the glue, but it was not working and I was using an excessive amount of force, so I gave up. It might be worth it to you to take your panel apart to see if you have this same type of padded adhesive before you go and source a panel.
I'll update this thread as I figure more things out...but I may not have more time until next weekend to tinker.
I was surprised at the "glue" around the panel; I've never seen it like that before. I used a razor blade to try and separate the glue, but it was not working and I was using an excessive amount of force, so I gave up. It might be worth it to you to take your panel apart to see if you have this same type of padded adhesive before you go and source a panel.
I'll update this thread as I figure more things out...but I may not have more time until next weekend to tinker.
Hi, I'm new here but I've been monitoring this thread and I just bought a C2D 2.33 specifically in order to do this mod!
I hope I don't run into that problem of the LCD being permanently glued in the original panel! I've only done an LCD switch with Thinkpads before, which are very straightforward, so I'm a bit nervous about doing this....
On this site I found these specs on the WUXGA panels:
LG Phillips
- Model: LP154WU1
- Response Time: 16ms
- Contrast Ratio: 600:1
- Color: 256k (16.2mil w/ dithering)
- Screen Size Ratio: 16:10
- Resolution: 1920x1200
Sharp
- Model: LQ154M1LW02
- Response Time: 25ms
- Contrast Ratio: 400:1
- Color: 256k (16.2mil w/ dithering)
- Screen Size Ratio: 16:10
- Resolution: 1920x1200
Samsung:
Model: LTN154U1
SIZE 15.4"
RESOLUTION WUXGA
NUMBER OF PIXELS 1,920 x 1,200
ACTIVE AREA(mm²) 331.2 x 207.0
PIXEL PITCH(mm) 0.173
NUMBER OF COLORS 262K
Color Gamut(%) 45
CONTRAST RATIO 300:1
BRIGHTNESS(cd/m²) 175
RESPONSE TIME(ms ) 25
Toshiba
LTD154EZ0S
- Model: LTD154EZ0S
- Response Time: 35ms
- Contrast Ratio: 350:1
- Color: 256k (16.2mil w/ dithering)
- Screen Size Ratio: 16:10
- Resolution: 1920x1200
On this basis (and based on some other internet reading I've done) I'd rate the panels for quality as follows:
1. LG Phillips
2. Sharp
3. Samsung
4. Toshiba
But based on users' experiences on this forum, and the work everyone has done getting panels working, it seems that the panels you'd least likely have problems with are, in ranked order:
1. Toshiba WORKS WELL (use Faye's override files and away you go)
2. Samsung WORKS SORT OF (still some problems with backlight/resume from sleep problems but bryanus is working on it)
3. Sharp DOESN'T WORK (jrsade was working on this and gave up, went with the Toshiba panel and Faye's override files instead; HOWEVER perhaps now with Thomas' ATIinject files it COULD be made to work?)
4. LG Phillips DOES NOT WORK with OS X, as confirmed by vv-tim.
This is unfortunate! How well the various panels work and the quality of those panels is exactly the wrong way around
LG Phillips
- Model: LP154WU1
- Response Time: 16ms
- Contrast Ratio: 600:1
- Color: 256k (16.2mil w/ dithering)
- Screen Size Ratio: 16:10
- Resolution: 1920x1200
Sharp
- Model: LQ154M1LW02
- Response Time: 25ms
- Contrast Ratio: 400:1
- Color: 256k (16.2mil w/ dithering)
- Screen Size Ratio: 16:10
- Resolution: 1920x1200
Samsung:
Model: LTN154U1
SIZE 15.4"
RESOLUTION WUXGA
NUMBER OF PIXELS 1,920 x 1,200
ACTIVE AREA(mm²) 331.2 x 207.0
PIXEL PITCH(mm) 0.173
NUMBER OF COLORS 262K
Color Gamut(%) 45
CONTRAST RATIO 300:1
BRIGHTNESS(cd/m²) 175
RESPONSE TIME(ms ) 25
Toshiba
LTD154EZ0S
- Model: LTD154EZ0S
- Response Time: 35ms
- Contrast Ratio: 350:1
- Color: 256k (16.2mil w/ dithering)
- Screen Size Ratio: 16:10
- Resolution: 1920x1200
On this basis (and based on some other internet reading I've done) I'd rate the panels for quality as follows:
1. LG Phillips
2. Sharp
3. Samsung
4. Toshiba
But based on users' experiences on this forum, and the work everyone has done getting panels working, it seems that the panels you'd least likely have problems with are, in ranked order:
1. Toshiba WORKS WELL (use Faye's override files and away you go)
2. Samsung WORKS SORT OF (still some problems with backlight/resume from sleep problems but bryanus is working on it)
3. Sharp DOESN'T WORK (jrsade was working on this and gave up, went with the Toshiba panel and Faye's override files instead; HOWEVER perhaps now with Thomas' ATIinject files it COULD be made to work?)
4. LG Phillips DOES NOT WORK with OS X, as confirmed by vv-tim.
This is unfortunate! How well the various panels work and the quality of those panels is exactly the wrong way around
Slight update on the question of which panel to use. On this site I found the following info, some of which contradicts the other specifications I found I just earlier posted on this page (on the LG Phillips and the Toshiba-Matsushita panels):
Part Numbers:
Dell W3866, U0674, T4525, T0981, K1185, J4362, H9750, G5982, G4934, 8T749, 2U907, 0T070
HP 350847-001, 350217-001
Screen Numbers
LG Philips Size Res Resp. Time Contrast
LP154WUI 15.4 WUXGA 25 300
LP154WU1 (A1) 15.4 WUXGA 25 300
LP154WU1 (A01) 15.4 WUXGA 25 300
LP154WU1 15.4 WUXGA 25 300
Samsung
LTN154U1 15.4 WUXGA 25 300
LTN154U1-L01 15.4 WUXGA 25 300
LTN154U1-L03 15.4 WUXGA 25 300
LTN154WU 15.4 WUXGA 25 300
Sharp
LQ154M1LW12 15.4 WUXGA 25 400
LQ154M1LW02 15.4 WUXGA 25 400
LQ154M1LW01 ES2 15.4 WUXGA 25 400
LQ154M1LW01 15.4 WUXGA 25 400
LQ0DZA0043 15.4 WUXGA 25 400
Toshiba
K000009730 15.4 WUXGA 25 400
K000009720 15.4 WUXGA 25 400
Toshiba Matsushita
LTD154EZ0S 15.4 WUXGA 50 350
LTD154EZ0L 15.4 WUXGA 50 350
LTD154EZ0D 15.4 WUXGA 50 350
LTD154EZ0C 15.4 WUXGA 50 350
I suspect that there is no real difference between the different part numbers that have the same manufacturer and specification so we actually have FIVE different panels not four as I thought earlier, but it looks like no-one has tried the straight "Toshiba" panel, only the "Toshiba-Matsushita" panel. It looks like the Toshiba panel (K000009730/20) would be a good one to try. Assuming all this information is correct, of course.
Part Numbers:
Dell W3866, U0674, T4525, T0981, K1185, J4362, H9750, G5982, G4934, 8T749, 2U907, 0T070
HP 350847-001, 350217-001
Screen Numbers
LG Philips Size Res Resp. Time Contrast
LP154WUI 15.4 WUXGA 25 300
LP154WU1 (A1) 15.4 WUXGA 25 300
LP154WU1 (A01) 15.4 WUXGA 25 300
LP154WU1 15.4 WUXGA 25 300
Samsung
LTN154U1 15.4 WUXGA 25 300
LTN154U1-L01 15.4 WUXGA 25 300
LTN154U1-L03 15.4 WUXGA 25 300
LTN154WU 15.4 WUXGA 25 300
Sharp
LQ154M1LW12 15.4 WUXGA 25 400
LQ154M1LW02 15.4 WUXGA 25 400
LQ154M1LW01 ES2 15.4 WUXGA 25 400
LQ154M1LW01 15.4 WUXGA 25 400
LQ0DZA0043 15.4 WUXGA 25 400
Toshiba
K000009730 15.4 WUXGA 25 400
K000009720 15.4 WUXGA 25 400
Toshiba Matsushita
LTD154EZ0S 15.4 WUXGA 50 350
LTD154EZ0L 15.4 WUXGA 50 350
LTD154EZ0D 15.4 WUXGA 50 350
LTD154EZ0C 15.4 WUXGA 50 350
I suspect that there is no real difference between the different part numbers that have the same manufacturer and specification so we actually have FIVE different panels not four as I thought earlier, but it looks like no-one has tried the straight "Toshiba" panel, only the "Toshiba-Matsushita" panel. It looks like the Toshiba panel (K000009730/20) would be a good one to try. Assuming all this information is correct, of course.
I'm pretty sure that all of these panels are only 262k colors. In fact, the Apple one it is replacing is only 262k, but Apple uses software dithering to achieve the 16.2 millions. I think most manufacturers do this. See http://colorblindmac.com for more info.
I actually found the PDF datasheet for the Samsung panel, but I don't really know what to make of it: Samsung L04 PDF
I have to decipher how Faye created her override file. I know she somehow redirected her file to be recognized by the OS in order to regain brightness controls, but I don't understand how she came up with her file in the first place or what she edited. I also don't understand how she got it to work without the ATIinject file.
I think the override method, with or without the ATIinject, to give me back brightness control will be the holy grail of this mod. Then I won't have to worry about migrating the OS or updating, since I'll know how/where to put the files to make this work again. Maybe using SwitchRes isn't a bad solution, but I find it to be less elegant.
Maybe together we can figure out how Faye did it.
Update: I just noticed a new weird issue. Remeber all that noise people were attributing to the processor when the MBPs first came out? Well I hear some weird chirping noise coming from the right-upper side by the power button. That's about where the LVDS cable connects. I never heard this with the old panel, so i wonder if it has something to do with the full-brightness, or the wrong timing or something. Definitely kind of annoying when you're working in a quiet room.
update 2: so if it starts to get noticeable, it seems that if i adjust the screen angle slightly, it goes away for little while, then comes back. Weird...
I should also note that the Ztronics/eBay panel is a different model number than the ones you listed. It's LTN154U2-L04.
I actually found the PDF datasheet for the Samsung panel, but I don't really know what to make of it: Samsung L04 PDF
I have to decipher how Faye created her override file. I know she somehow redirected her file to be recognized by the OS in order to regain brightness controls, but I don't understand how she came up with her file in the first place or what she edited. I also don't understand how she got it to work without the ATIinject file.
I think the override method, with or without the ATIinject, to give me back brightness control will be the holy grail of this mod. Then I won't have to worry about migrating the OS or updating, since I'll know how/where to put the files to make this work again. Maybe using SwitchRes isn't a bad solution, but I find it to be less elegant.
Maybe together we can figure out how Faye did it.
Update: I just noticed a new weird issue. Remeber all that noise people were attributing to the processor when the MBPs first came out? Well I hear some weird chirping noise coming from the right-upper side by the power button. That's about where the LVDS cable connects. I never heard this with the old panel, so i wonder if it has something to do with the full-brightness, or the wrong timing or something. Definitely kind of annoying when you're working in a quiet room.
update 2: so if it starts to get noticeable, it seems that if i adjust the screen angle slightly, it goes away for little while, then comes back. Weird...
I should also note that the Ztronics/eBay panel is a different model number than the ones you listed. It's LTN154U2-L04.
That's right, in fact I think ALL laptop LCD panels are 6-bit (256K colors) and manage higher only via dithering. Apple has been subject to a lawsuit because of this since they claim "millions of colors" but all the manufacturers do it.
Kudos!
The datasheet seems to confirm the figures I quoted for the brightness and response times. Pity she's not on the thread anymore. It would be good to know if she's had any long-term issues such as the one with the weird noise you mentioned.
I'd like to help, but at this point I'm just a spectator! The MBP is on order, and once it arrives I'll check whether the LCD is bonded in the way you described. After I've done that, I'll decide which LCD to order and dive in.
Right now an eBay seller in the UK is selling the Toshiba LCDs very cheap, and will ship internationally. I might just jump on one of these, once I've got clarification if these are the matt or the glossy screens (the title says one thing, the description another).
Sounds like maybe the connection isn't so good, so that the resistance of the cable changes and makes the noise happen? That might explain why it goes away when you change the angle - internally the cable might come under a slightly different tension, changing the connection resistance and thus the noise... just a thought.
I'll recheck the connections later this week, if my new hard drive arrives. I am going with the 250GB WD Scorpio!
Update: So after using the MBP all day, for the first time since the screen was put i, I can say that the weird chirping like noise is pretty annoying. It souinds like a very slow leak from a bicycyle tube; sort of like a hissing/gurgling sound. It's a high enough pitch that I can hear it above my music.
But since the MBP seems to get so hot during normal operation, and my fans kick in more often than not over the course of the day, I hear the fans more than anything else. This thing has always been super hot; the whole palm rest gets annoyingly hot.
Anyway, I rebooted into XP to mess with PowerStrip to see if I could get rid of the wavy lines issue. I started up PS and then selected 60HZ from the Standard Discrete Settings and all of a sudden it seems to be working perfectly.
I still hear the noise a little on the Windowes side, but it definitely seems less noticeable. Makes me wonder if it's an OS/timing issue, or a physical issue.
Oh, and Brightness works on the windows side, as does the backlit keyboard. Brightness has always been a little strange in BootCamp though; it decreases by about half when you go from the highest to the second highest notch. It worked like that before the mod, too, so I think that's just how it is.
Update: So after using the MBP all day, for the first time since the screen was put i, I can say that the weird chirping like noise is pretty annoying. It souinds like a very slow leak from a bicycyle tube; sort of like a hissing/gurgling sound. It's a high enough pitch that I can hear it above my music.
But since the MBP seems to get so hot during normal operation, and my fans kick in more often than not over the course of the day, I hear the fans more than anything else. This thing has always been super hot; the whole palm rest gets annoyingly hot.
Anyway, I rebooted into XP to mess with PowerStrip to see if I could get rid of the wavy lines issue. I started up PS and then selected 60HZ from the Standard Discrete Settings and all of a sudden it seems to be working perfectly.
I still hear the noise a little on the Windowes side, but it definitely seems less noticeable. Makes me wonder if it's an OS/timing issue, or a physical issue.
Oh, and Brightness works on the windows side, as does the backlit keyboard. Brightness has always been a little strange in BootCamp though; it decreases by about half when you go from the highest to the second highest notch. It worked like that before the mod, too, so I think that's just how it is.
Thanks for the heads up on the Scorpio 250GB. Didn't know about that. Hard drive technology seems to be moving fast these days - did a google search and saw that 300Gb and 350GB drives are here or on the way - though with slower platter speeds I imagine.
I may just go with the Toshiba screen, since it seems to be the best fit with the MBP according to all the comments on this thread. Have also been thinking about being silly and getting a paint job on the MBP - Colorware's graphite, for example. The one thing that puts me off doing this (apart from the silly cost) is that the keyboard remains in its grey/metallic color, which would stick out like a sore thumb. But it would be a nice way to personalise a WUXGA MBP (assuming that all goes well, of course!)
I may just go with the Toshiba screen, since it seems to be the best fit with the MBP according to all the comments on this thread. Have also been thinking about being silly and getting a paint job on the MBP - Colorware's graphite, for example. The one thing that puts me off doing this (apart from the silly cost) is that the keyboard remains in its grey/metallic color, which would stick out like a sore thumb. But it would be a nice way to personalise a WUXGA MBP (assuming that all goes well, of course!)
Um, yes and no. I haven't been avoiding you, but I've been pretty busy, and the MBP issue hasn't helped.
Over the weekend, I was playing around some more and found 3 different SwitchRes settings that enabled a perfect picture at 56, 58, and even 60Hz. The noise I was experiencing before must have been due to an overstressed or incorrect setting, so the ones I got working have silenced that issue.
I'm still not really clear on how to do the redirect thing in SR, and the manual isn't very helpful explaining it, so I actually don't know if I have done that part right even still.
But whatever, it was working. or so I thought. I then noticed some weird issues: I would get a black screen (no backlight) if I booted while running on the battery, but not when connected via the adapter. Took me a while to figure that out. To recover, I had to plug into an external, and then it would work again. I then redid the settings in SR, but with the adapter out, and for some reason it would work both ways again.
But that was shortlived, too. On the 2nd or 3rd reboot, I lost the panel again.
And the weird thing is that every time I reset the PRAM, it won't even boot unless I have an external plugged in. Without the external, no amount of key pressing or otherwise will get the internal HD to spin up and boot. That's very strange in itself.
So I lived with that for a couple days, but then my new hard drive came so I knew I was going to wipe everything and do this all from scratch again.
Anyway, to make a long story short, getting the OS back onto the hard drive wasn't easy either. After I removed the hard drive, I realized the screen wouldn't work at all anymore. But since the MBP can run with the display closed and attached to an external, I was able to use that method to get the OS back onto my new drive.
I then installed SR, recreated my 3 settings, installed Thomas' ATIInject (doesn't work at all without that, btw), and a little fiddling back and forth and I was back in business. Interestingly, my backlit keyboard works now, but dimming buttons don't have any effect; it's just on full brightness. I have no idea why the keyboard works all of a sudden.
So it's been like 2 nights that the new system is on the drive and I've been slowly restoring my MBP to it's former greatness with all the apps I use, etc.
Twice in that time, I've lost the screen entirely and had to use an external to bring it back.
Either I'm not doing the redirect correctly, which as far as I know I haven't ever "redirected" anything to anything in SR, or this thing is just not stable, and loses its settings between restarts. The last 3 or 4 boots however, have maintained the settings, but I don't know how long this will last.
I also installed BootCamp and XP. And to my surprise, i don't need PowerStrip at all when booted in XP. Everythign just works, perfectly. At least I know if my OSX side is not recoverable while I'm on the road, i can at least fall back to XP in a pinch and do what i need to do.
I should also note that once I got XP installed, when I rebooted into OSX, I noticed a black screen in between the gray logo disappearing and the login screen showing. I never saw that before. Usually, the black screen right at that point meant I was toast. But ever since I installed XP, I see that black flicker in between, but it comes back and it's all good.
I hope it lasts like this, at least for a little while.
I'm probably going to PM Faye and see if she can help me with deciphering the override file she used. That or maybe someone can tell me how to do a proper "redirect" in SR and I can give that a shot.
The most important thing is that the screen be stable, and usable on the road when I don't have an external to recover.
I wonder if the other people who have had success have had experiences like mine, or maybe we're just not hearing from them.
Over the weekend, I was playing around some more and found 3 different SwitchRes settings that enabled a perfect picture at 56, 58, and even 60Hz. The noise I was experiencing before must have been due to an overstressed or incorrect setting, so the ones I got working have silenced that issue.
I'm still not really clear on how to do the redirect thing in SR, and the manual isn't very helpful explaining it, so I actually don't know if I have done that part right even still.
But whatever, it was working. or so I thought. I then noticed some weird issues: I would get a black screen (no backlight) if I booted while running on the battery, but not when connected via the adapter. Took me a while to figure that out. To recover, I had to plug into an external, and then it would work again. I then redid the settings in SR, but with the adapter out, and for some reason it would work both ways again.
But that was shortlived, too. On the 2nd or 3rd reboot, I lost the panel again.
And the weird thing is that every time I reset the PRAM, it won't even boot unless I have an external plugged in. Without the external, no amount of key pressing or otherwise will get the internal HD to spin up and boot. That's very strange in itself.
So I lived with that for a couple days, but then my new hard drive came so I knew I was going to wipe everything and do this all from scratch again.
Anyway, to make a long story short, getting the OS back onto the hard drive wasn't easy either. After I removed the hard drive, I realized the screen wouldn't work at all anymore. But since the MBP can run with the display closed and attached to an external, I was able to use that method to get the OS back onto my new drive.
I then installed SR, recreated my 3 settings, installed Thomas' ATIInject (doesn't work at all without that, btw), and a little fiddling back and forth and I was back in business. Interestingly, my backlit keyboard works now, but dimming buttons don't have any effect; it's just on full brightness. I have no idea why the keyboard works all of a sudden.
So it's been like 2 nights that the new system is on the drive and I've been slowly restoring my MBP to it's former greatness with all the apps I use, etc.
Twice in that time, I've lost the screen entirely and had to use an external to bring it back.
Either I'm not doing the redirect correctly, which as far as I know I haven't ever "redirected" anything to anything in SR, or this thing is just not stable, and loses its settings between restarts. The last 3 or 4 boots however, have maintained the settings, but I don't know how long this will last.
I also installed BootCamp and XP. And to my surprise, i don't need PowerStrip at all when booted in XP. Everythign just works, perfectly. At least I know if my OSX side is not recoverable while I'm on the road, i can at least fall back to XP in a pinch and do what i need to do.
I should also note that once I got XP installed, when I rebooted into OSX, I noticed a black screen in between the gray logo disappearing and the login screen showing. I never saw that before. Usually, the black screen right at that point meant I was toast. But ever since I installed XP, I see that black flicker in between, but it comes back and it's all good.
I hope it lasts like this, at least for a little while.
I'm probably going to PM Faye and see if she can help me with deciphering the override file she used. That or maybe someone can tell me how to do a proper "redirect" in SR and I can give that a shot.
The most important thing is that the screen be stable, and usable on the road when I don't have an external to recover.
I wonder if the other people who have had success have had experiences like mine, or maybe we're just not hearing from them.
Switch ResX hotkey
Switch ResX has a hotkey option. I set up ctrl-Z to have Switch ResX apply the settings that work, so if for some reason the screen goes to default and a blank screen comes up, I would just presse ctrl-Z on the keyboard and the correct settings would be applied.
Hope this helps.
Switch ResX has a hotkey option. I set up ctrl-Z to have Switch ResX apply the settings that work, so if for some reason the screen goes to default and a blank screen comes up, I would just presse ctrl-Z on the keyboard and the correct settings would be applied.
Hope this helps.
OK, cool, I'll try that. Are you using the Samsung panel? Would you mind telling me your settings so I can see if they work better than mine? Do you have Brightness control?
re: Brightness control, I found a cool utility that controls brightness and you can map it to the funtion keys even, so it works basically the same as the native controls.
http://www.charcoaldesign.co.uk/shades
So far, the settings are still sticking, but i'm not holding my breath!
re: Brightness control, I found a cool utility that controls brightness and you can map it to the funtion keys even, so it works basically the same as the native controls.
http://www.charcoaldesign.co.uk/shades
So far, the settings are still sticking, but i'm not holding my breath!
Since my last post, I have set up Hot Keys as suggested, to hit if the screen is dark on startup. I have been trying to get it to go dark every which way I could think of, but it hasn't until just now.
My latop was closed and sleeping, and I hit the mouse and it woke up with the lid closed. When I opened it, the screen was dark. I tried the key combinations to switch between my 3 "safe" modes, and none of them lit the screen. I had to attach an external on reboot to get the screen to light up again, and now it's back.
I don't know how much more I can fiddle with this, but it seems to be pretty stable otherwise. Looks like I'll always bring a DVI-VGA adapter with me when I travel just in case I need to hijack someone's screen.
But using the Shades program to control brightness is a decent workaround to the lack of Brightness controls. At least the backlit keys are working.
My latop was closed and sleeping, and I hit the mouse and it woke up with the lid closed. When I opened it, the screen was dark. I tried the key combinations to switch between my 3 "safe" modes, and none of them lit the screen. I had to attach an external on reboot to get the screen to light up again, and now it's back.
I don't know how much more I can fiddle with this, but it seems to be pretty stable otherwise. Looks like I'll always bring a DVI-VGA adapter with me when I travel just in case I need to hijack someone's screen.
But using the Shades program to control brightness is a decent workaround to the lack of Brightness controls. At least the backlit keys are working.
I looked through this thread and didn't really see this answered. Is it possible to get the LED screen or something of the new MBP to work on the older ones?
You're looking in the wrong thread. This thread really has nothing to do with taking LED screens and putting them in pre-LED MBPs. It has to do with taking 1920x1200 LCDs and putting them into pre-LED MBPs.
I can't give you a clear answer as to whether it's possible or not, but it's going to be costly to find out either way. You'll need the whole display bezel from the Santa Rosa MBP, which Apple values at over $700. If you're lucky maybe in a while you'll find one on eBay cheaper.
I can't remember if the display cables are the same, I haven't really given them a look-over in my SR MBP. I don't remember seeing anything glaringly different, but that doesn't mean you're not going to run into problems.
MBP 2.33 Cracked LCD
I just purchased a 2.33 MBP with a cracked LCD. I would like to replace the cracked LCD with one of these WUXGA LCD's but I'm torn between The Sammy and the Sharp as they both have very good specs. What LCD has the most success to quality ratio? I'm technical so soldering, tearing a laptop down to it's bare eseentials really is no issue for me. I just want to make sure when I buy the LCD it's going to work 95+% as the factory and looks great. Also, has anyone tried a 1680x1050 panel?
I just purchased a 2.33 MBP with a cracked LCD. I would like to replace the cracked LCD with one of these WUXGA LCD's but I'm torn between The Sammy and the Sharp as they both have very good specs. What LCD has the most success to quality ratio? I'm technical so soldering, tearing a laptop down to it's bare eseentials really is no issue for me. I just want to make sure when I buy the LCD it's going to work 95+% as the factory and looks great. Also, has anyone tried a 1680x1050 panel?