Hello
After hours searching around on this site, I've not come across one thread that mentions similar symptoms to mine. One probably exists but I have perhaps not found it.
This is a MBP 15" Core 2 Duo Model A1226, that's all the info I have on it so far as I cannot see the screen to get the rest of the info off it.
A good friend of mine sold it to me cheaply as soon as the AC ran out about 16 months ago, so I'm guessing it is about 4.5 years old, perhaps the late 2008 Santa Rosa model. She mentioned that the motherboard had already been replaced by then.
After about 7ish months in my possession, if I remember correctly, the lid was open but it seemed like it was asleep and I couldn't wake it using the space bar or track pad. According to her, she had not experienced this problem.
The only way I could get the display back on was by closing the lid and after the sleep light came back on, lifting it back up. It seemed like a freak thing since it didn't happen again for another few months. It started to increase in frequency, every other month, then about once a month. At some point, I started powering it down after every use. Then at the end of December 2012, it refused to come on from startup a couple of times and then finally decided to quit altogether.
This is when I noticed that I could actually see the faint outlines of what was on the display, which was a relief, and started looking into what could be the cause.
Still to this day, it chimes on startup, the light on the keyboard comes on and off, can adjust the volume, can listen to iTunes but can't see my screen well enough to use it. I have also plugged an external monitor into it and although it treats the monitor like an extension of the desktop, I can move the mouse from the track pad around on the external screen.
There is so much on the internet about what could be wrong and so much involved in doing the repairs myself, it has taken me this long to decide to reach out for support.
I have since found out that it could be
a) the inverter board, or
b) the cord that connects the inverter to the logic board.
Then I am reading that this model might not have an inverter...
that it might be
c)the LED board, which in any of the above cases I've read can be quite a headache
and then it could be
d)the actual LCD display, which if I'm not mistaken can be costly.
So I've both taken it to my mac repair friend who gave me a pretty high estimate of diagnosis as well as repair as well as taken it to the apple service store. The guy at the store said that in all the time they have serviced MBPs he's never seen the LED/inverter boards needing to be replaced. He was sure that it was the LCD. The quote at that time was a flat rate fee of $400something to fix it along with whatever else it might have wrong with it. Since the motherboard had just been replaced, I hesitated on it. He mentioned that my model is 'vintage' and only had until Feb of this year when Apple would no longer even service this model, with or without AC. He then suggested that I just look around on ebay for a display and an online tutorial and do it myself.
So here's where I'm at. I would like to know what suggestions are out there for my next steps. Does anyone perhaps know what part I need to replace? or should I go back to the MacNet store and pay to ship it to the mainland (from Hawaii) and have it fixed along with whatever else for $500ish?
Apologies for such a long post, the guidelines did mention to be specific!
Any suggestions would help.
Cheers,
Nari
After hours searching around on this site, I've not come across one thread that mentions similar symptoms to mine. One probably exists but I have perhaps not found it.
This is a MBP 15" Core 2 Duo Model A1226, that's all the info I have on it so far as I cannot see the screen to get the rest of the info off it.
A good friend of mine sold it to me cheaply as soon as the AC ran out about 16 months ago, so I'm guessing it is about 4.5 years old, perhaps the late 2008 Santa Rosa model. She mentioned that the motherboard had already been replaced by then.
After about 7ish months in my possession, if I remember correctly, the lid was open but it seemed like it was asleep and I couldn't wake it using the space bar or track pad. According to her, she had not experienced this problem.
The only way I could get the display back on was by closing the lid and after the sleep light came back on, lifting it back up. It seemed like a freak thing since it didn't happen again for another few months. It started to increase in frequency, every other month, then about once a month. At some point, I started powering it down after every use. Then at the end of December 2012, it refused to come on from startup a couple of times and then finally decided to quit altogether.
This is when I noticed that I could actually see the faint outlines of what was on the display, which was a relief, and started looking into what could be the cause.
Still to this day, it chimes on startup, the light on the keyboard comes on and off, can adjust the volume, can listen to iTunes but can't see my screen well enough to use it. I have also plugged an external monitor into it and although it treats the monitor like an extension of the desktop, I can move the mouse from the track pad around on the external screen.
There is so much on the internet about what could be wrong and so much involved in doing the repairs myself, it has taken me this long to decide to reach out for support.
I have since found out that it could be
a) the inverter board, or
b) the cord that connects the inverter to the logic board.
Then I am reading that this model might not have an inverter...
that it might be
c)the LED board, which in any of the above cases I've read can be quite a headache
and then it could be
d)the actual LCD display, which if I'm not mistaken can be costly.
So I've both taken it to my mac repair friend who gave me a pretty high estimate of diagnosis as well as repair as well as taken it to the apple service store. The guy at the store said that in all the time they have serviced MBPs he's never seen the LED/inverter boards needing to be replaced. He was sure that it was the LCD. The quote at that time was a flat rate fee of $400something to fix it along with whatever else it might have wrong with it. Since the motherboard had just been replaced, I hesitated on it. He mentioned that my model is 'vintage' and only had until Feb of this year when Apple would no longer even service this model, with or without AC. He then suggested that I just look around on ebay for a display and an online tutorial and do it myself.
So here's where I'm at. I would like to know what suggestions are out there for my next steps. Does anyone perhaps know what part I need to replace? or should I go back to the MacNet store and pay to ship it to the mainland (from Hawaii) and have it fixed along with whatever else for $500ish?
Apologies for such a long post, the guidelines did mention to be specific!
Any suggestions would help.
Cheers,
Nari
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