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MBP very dark screen (can barely see anything)

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Revtop22

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 27, 2008
21
0
My mbp has been on the fritz and I stopped using it for a while..... but now I'd like to get it working again. First it won't boot past the Apple logo and the spinning indicator. I have no idea why. The last time I used it, I shut it down and the next time I turned it on, it would sit at the logo. This time there's a twist though. The screen is incredibly dark. So dark I can bare see the Apple. I've tried the brightness shortcuts but I'm not getting anything.

Any help would be greatly appreciated here.


Edit: Got the hard drive to work and now everything is functioning fine EXCEPT for the backlight. It isn't receiving any power and that is why everything is so dark. Does anyone know how much voltage is required to power the backlight?
 
sickmacdoc

sickmacdoc

macrumors 68020
Jun 14, 2008
2,035
1
New Hampshire
otispunkmeyer said:
the backlight shortcuts (or any kb shortcuts) dont work at the boot up screen (white + apple logo + spinning thing)



is that actually real?

what if the robber simply didnt hook the mac to the web and reformatted the hard disk... $50 down the drain?
Click to expand...

Well, from the FAQ section of that link (though they should update it since it works with Leopard too):

"What if someone does a clean install of OS X on my machine?
You can prevent this by installing a firmware password. You can find the firmware password utility on your Mac OS X Tiger DVD (in /Applications/Utilities/ on the disc). Make sure to reboot your Mac after enabling the firmware password."
 
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Revtop22

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 27, 2008
21
0
It's not stolen. I bought 3 Santa Rosa mbps when they first came out. The others never had a single problem. This is the first time I haven't been able to fix something myself. I went as far as a screen swap and that did nothing. Only thing I haven't been able to do yet is try an external monitor.


I'll have a pic in just a sec...
 
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Revtop22

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 27, 2008
21
0
Here's a pic. You can only see it with the flash. Otherwise it blends in too much.

img0413tq0.jpg
 
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Revtop22

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 27, 2008
21
0
Ok I was able to put the osx cd in and though I could barely read the prompting, it somehow managed to get me back to the desktop. Now I just have to figure out why I can't get out of this super dark screen mode. It's like the backlight is turned off completely. Any idea folks?
 
O

otispunkmeyer

macrumors 6502
Jun 5, 2007
302
0
Middlesbrough UK
Revtop22 said:
Ok I was able to put the osx cd in and though I could barely read the prompting, it somehow managed to get me back to the desktop. Now I just have to figure out why I can't get out of this super dark screen mode. It's like the backlight is turned off completely. Any idea folks?
Click to expand...

backlight could be dead? do the shortcut keys or even the preference pane do anything for the brightness now that your in the desktop?

also i never knew about that firmware password thing. im scared to do it though coz i know ill miss place it
 
R

Revtop22

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 27, 2008
21
0
otispunkmeyer said:
backlight could be dead? do the shortcut keys or even the preference pane do anything for the brightness now that your in the desktop?

also i never knew about that firmware password thing. im scared to do it though coz i know ill miss place it
Click to expand...

I can't believe the backlight could be dead. I've swapped the entire display once before with one of my other MBP's and it appears the same. The pref panel does nothing (already on highest setting) and the keyboard shortcuts indicate it's the brightest it will go. Going to check to see if the DVI port works next. Other than that I don't know anything else software wise to try. Any suggestions would be great. Is this something a firmware update might fix?


Edit:

Looks like the DVI port works just fine. I just think for some reason the backlight isn't receiving power. I need a volt meter to figure this one out but something tells me it's either cables/connectors or the inverter (though I've tried two different ones up to this point)..
 
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Silenus

macrumors newbie
Aug 31, 2008
3
0
This happened to my laptop earlier this year.

The backlight itself was fine, but the inverter board was bad. Apparently it controls power to the backlight. Apple replaced it for $175.
 
monkey86

monkey86

macrumors 6502
Aug 5, 2008
351
0
London
if the inverter doesnt help your backlight is dead.

i have the exact same problem in my pb 15" waiting on a replacement lcd at the mo.
 
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Revtop22

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 27, 2008
21
0
monkey86 said:
if the inverter doesnt help your backlight is dead.

i have the exact same problem in my pb 15" waiting on a replacement lcd at the mo.
Click to expand...


Backlight isn't dead. I just applied a little voltage to it and the backlight lit up as it should. Makes me wonder why it isn't receiving power from the DC-in board.
 
alphaod

alphaod

macrumors Core
Feb 9, 2008
22,183
1,245
NYC
If it won't boot past the Apple logo it means your HDD is broken and the backlight doesn't come on since during boot the external peripherals (touchpad and keyboard are peripherals too!) have not been initialized.

Try to boot into your Restore DVD and the backlight should come on since the drivers will initialized the touchpad and keyboard.
 
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Revtop22

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 27, 2008
21
0
alphaod said:
If it won't boot past the Apple logo it means your HDD is broken and the backlight doesn't come on since during boot the external peripherals (touchpad and keyboard are peripherals too!) have not been initialized.

Try to boot into your Restore DVD and the backlight should come on since the drivers will initialized the touchpad and keyboard.
Click to expand...


I got the hard drive to work after I put the DVD in earlier. Everything works including the external DVI port. Now I just can't figure out why the logic board isn't sending juice (for the backlight) to the DC-in/sound board. If I knew were the juice was coming from I'd solder on a wire but I haven't the slightest idea right now.


Edit: Anyone know the voltage it takes to power the backlight?
 
dickguertin

dickguertin

macrumors newbie
Sep 4, 2010
14
0
Mountain View, CA
Revtop22 said:
I got the hard drive to work after I put the DVD in earlier. Everything works including the external DVI port. Now I just can't figure out why the logic board isn't sending juice (for the backlight) to the DC-in/sound board. If I knew were the juice was coming from I'd solder on a wire but I haven't the slightest idea right now.


Edit: Anyone know the voltage it takes to power the backlight?
Click to expand...
[doublepost=1511047186][/doublepost]This is an old thread, but others reading this may benefit. The display could simply have been (accidentally) set to DIM. Try this keyr: F2 to obtain a control panel where you can change brightness. That worked for me.
 
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