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Let me tell you my applecare story.

Last month I bought a refurbed iMac. Bought Applecare. It arrived and something was wrong with it.

I called Apple. They sent out a repairperson and he fixed it at my office the next morning (bad RAM as it turned out).

The guy had to drive almost 50 miles ONE WAY to do the service call, and he was there within 12 hours of when I called to fix the problem.

Yeah, Applecare is bad service all right! They should have been there within 20 minutes of my call. Heck, they should have been waiting when I got the package just to make sure nothing was wrong.

Sheesh. What do you want for a couple of hundred bux?
 
Well, the LCD for my powerbook is taken out and i'm using it solely as a desktop with my 19" monitor. I still want an LCD, however, so i get my portable functionality back in my powerbook.

The part number that I took out was LP121X04(c2), but it's possible that another model may work.

I wonder if it would be possible to somehow do something crazy with this thing, like putting a 15" screen on it. Of course, then you get another issues such as the lid not being able to close - but if i make a custom case for it - i think it would look pretty cool.

I've tried to look online for what screens are compatible with this model, but to little avail.

This is the page where the specs for the 12.1 inch powerbook are listed

http://www.lgphilips-lcd.com/en/product/notebook.html?tg=view&idx=169

But that doesn't help much. I need to know if other models will be compatible. I want to do one of those crazy "powerbook hacks" so mine is one of a kind.

-ryan
 
Originally posted by rfenik
...The part number that I took out was LP121X04(c2), but it's possible that another model may work...

-ryan
This inside shot of the PB12 almost makes it look like Samsung supplies an LCD unit for the PB12, but it's hard to read the top left anyhow.

It is a repairable part, unlike the swap the entire assembly panel type repairs.
 

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I just read in the new issue of Wired how the prices of LCDs are dropping.

Woo hoo!

I bid on a few LCDs on ebay. hopefully one of them will work.

-ryan
 
yes, in the sense of being within one year, i still have applecare. however, free phone support is up. so unless i can prove it's a hardware defect - highly unlikely for a cracked screen - i will have to pay $49 per incident charge in order to talk to applecare.

good luck with your continued search, ryan. you sure are going the distance to save a few bucks, as far as i'm concerned... ;)
 
Here is what my cracked LCD looks from the back. I still need something compatible, although i've found a bunch for under $300. I'm still waiting until a DEAL floats onto ebay.

Those lines aren't really across it... i guess the scanner needs cleaned :)

-ryan
 

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Had the same problem with an old pc laptop i used to have.

I had a hard time finding a replacment because the screen model i had was kinda new a rare. Your best bet is to find the exact same model screen. I know when i tried a screen that "should of worked"(same connections, and brand) on my pc i got nothing, but when i bought the correct model it worked like a charm. The key is goggle and a lot of phone calls. Simply ask do you have modle XXXX-XXXX made by ? (the LCD supplier, not apple) and if they don't ask them if they know any other companies that deal in LCDs. It will cost you about 300-400 anyway you look at it. The one for my pc was about 400. We'll good luck, and remember to by the same model screen.
 
Well, my fiancée just called to let me know our 4-yr old accidentally knocked my PB G4 (first run, 400mhz) off the kitchen table, so I guess I'm in the same boat as you now. I'm thinking this laptop has just become a desktop as I don't even want to know how much it will cost to fix... :)
 
Well, a happy ending. Went through the company DCI Parts and got a new LCD screen for $287, with shipping included. Got the new LCD this morning and installed it, works perfectly.

Look on ebay if you want my cracked LCD for some reason.

-ryan
 
Opening up PowerBook case.

rfenink--I have a 12" PowerBook G4, and I want to take it apart to upgrade some things. Do you have any advice on how to open the thing up? I don't want to void my warranty, so I don't want anything to be damaged. Are there any hidden screws, etc?

Actually, I had wanted to sell it so I could upgrade to a bigger screen, but since I didn't have any good offers, I figure I may as well upgrade the heck out of it. Faster HD, more RAM, Airport, here I come.

By the way, sweet deal on the LCD screen. I'm the same way--if something happened to my PowerBook, I would spend weeks or months finding the best deal on replacement parts. Good find!
 
jamdr,

if you go as far as opening your PB, you will void your warranty. however, if you do it carefully enough not to leave any traces of opening it, i'm sure apple tech will not notice. ;)

so it's entirely up to you, just make sure you consider the possibility that your warranty may be voided...

that said, here's some visual aid to opening up your PB. it's in japanese, if you need some of the captions translated, let me know, but it should be quite obvious. (and yes, there's a hidden screw.)

Kodawarisan 12" PB disassembly.

by the way, congrats to the original poster. hat's off to your persistence.
 
Originally posted by jxyama that said, here's some visual aid to opening up your PB. it's in japanese, if you need some of the captions translated, let me know, but it should be quite obvious. (and yes, there's a hidden screw.)

Kodawarisan 12" PB disassembly.

Sorry for bumping a somewhat older thread; what can I say, I'm brand new. The subject is just too much for me not to respond.

I highly recommend against going the route that the original poster went to fix your machine. His/her warranty is totally void (if there would normally be any left now) and the hassle really wasn't worth it.

jamdr, you should take your machine to the Apple Store or to an Apple Authorized Service location in order to upgrade your machine. It may cost more to have them do that for you, but it doesn't violate your warranty on the other parts in the machine (LCD, logic board, optical drive, and so on). You can install the Airport card yourself, though, since it's really easy. The 12" has the easiest install for those things.

There was also someone who was confused about AppleCare. Your Mac has a 1 year manufacturer warranty from the estimated date of purchase. It covers parts and labor not caused by misuse or neglect. After ninety days from purchase, though, there are no free calls to Apple. Then you buy AppleCare. ACare gives you the phone support and 3 extra years of that limited warranty. The 1 year warranty is not called AppleCare.

rfenik should have called Apple and spoken with them reasonably to see if they would fix his machine under warranty. They are tough about abuse, but not unforgiving.
 
DCI Parts contact info?

rfenik-

Can I get some contact infor for "DCI Parts" - a google search did nothing for me.

Thanks,
-erik
 
DCI Parts Information

Ryan,
Please post some information on DCI Parts. I have a 12" powerbook G4 and wine was spilled on the lcd, probably one of the most upsetting experiences of my life. There is absolutely no way i can afford the 1200 that apple is asking for. Again, please give some DCI info. Thank you.



-Maxim
 
12.1" LCD 867 Powerbook G4

Does anyone have information on DCI Parts? i need to replace my cracked LCD. I bought on on ebay that I thought was right but it turned out to be a samsung that Didn't work. The model i need ot replace is an LG/Phillips lp121x04 (c2). Are there any other models that will work? how about the LP121x04 (b2)?
 
Here is where to find an LP121x04 c2

Sorry for the delay in a response (should have emailed me directly!) I know how heartbreaking it is to destroy the display of such a beautiful and perfectly designed computer ... You've been looking for one since the 15th? You must be feeling absolutely miserable.

I originally tried a B2 and it didn't work for me either. The plug and display fits in exactly like it should work but no picture shows up. After installing the C2 into the display i've experienced no problems at all.

To uninstall your old one you remove the little screws from the bottom of the front of the display (you need to get a alan wrench and bend it so it fits in there), separate the alluminum border from the plastic edges, unscrew both sides of the LCD panel with a phillips screwdriver, slide off the little clips that hold it in place, unplug the power and video plugs, and remove it. To install the new one you just do the same thing backwards. Be careful with that long wire going around the rim of the display, it's your Airport Extreme antenna and gets in the way a bit (not really). Other than that it's easy. Took me 5 minutes. When you boot up and see the grey apple shining from the LCD you'll be the happiest person in the world.

I got a LP121X04(C2) from Chris Maciekowicz at http://www.dci-corp.com/ and his email is cmacieko@dci-corp.com

He offered me an excellent deal (compared to the $1200 that apple wanted for one!) and shipping was very quick. He responded to all my emails and was very good to do business with. The display was packed very securely, had ZERO dead pixels, and was in perfect condition. Highly recommend.

-ryan
 
Things to do with a broken LCD

So you broke your screen, might as well enjoy whats left of it, right? It's actually some amazing technology inside of there and I strongly recommend that you open it up and take a look. You'll gain more of an understanding about it works.

While you have your powerbook opened up one of the neat things you can do is color your apple. Mine is green now, and is colored on the inside. The white apple is a diffuser panel that's made of the same material as the diffuser in the layer above the backlight in the LCD display and is really receptive to ink. Take the pigment of your choice and color the inside, looks pretty sweet. If you wanted to, you could use an inkjet to actually print something on there (what i SHOULD have done) .

Also, if you take apart the LCD panel it looks pretty cool. The TFT Active matrix LCD panel in the 12" powerbooks is made of a backlight, diffuser panel, thin film transistor, two layers of polarized glass set at perpendicular angles with liquid crystal in between the layers (which forms a helix that allows light to pass through unless current is applied), a layer that's made of this tiny grid painted black (to give more contrast and to block inactive areas of the pixels), and a layer of RGB painted arrays to make the display in color.

Have you ever looked out the window with your powerbook in front of it with the brightness turned way down? You'll notice that you can see a perfect image of the display even without the backlight on. That's because the LCDs don't create light, they just block light that's transmitted by the backlight. There are thin film transistors and tiny capacitors in the LCD that temporarly holds little bits of voltage that is pulsed to the liquid crystal that tell the helix whether to bend or stay staight. The voltage can be adjusted which is why you can experience tones on your display.

Unfortunately, you can't really use your display outdoors except viewing through that little apple. However, if you remove your LCD from the frame and hold it up to the window (even with the brightness OFF) you can see a perfect picture (it's not 100% accurate with color tho, because the temperature of light is not as consistant and controlled as the flourescent backlamp). If I had money to piss away I'd buy another PowerBook and cut the back of the display out so it could be removed -for outdoor usage. It would be a much better solution than this (http://www.hoodmanusa.com/)

If you peel apart the layer with the two polarizing filters filled with liquid crystal (they are glued together) you can do neat things with the filter. Hold them at perpendicular angles and amazingly - they block ALL light. It's shockingly cool. If you hold one up to the window, you'll be able to see clear through the window without ANY glare but without it being darker like sunglasses do (it's polarized light!). Also, very cool.

The backlight is still useful even if your display is cracked. It gives a relaxing blueish tint. If you have access to a nice printer you can print on some transparent vinyl and install the backlight behind it and hook a battery up for a portable glowing display like you see on fast food menus.

Be careful when playing around with LCDs tho, they contain mercury.

-ryan
 
Am I the only one that thinks its a bit funny that someone fell asleep with his computer?

I mean doesnt this sound like the man that smokes cigarettes in bed?

Whats next,?

"I took my Cinema Display into the shower with me and crap its soggy, anyone got any ideas?"

Am I in trouble again?
 
Hey it happens. Sometimes I push myself a little TOO hard...I think i was writing a paper or something for a class... It was a bitter cold winter day and the warm heat from the pb just knocked me out.

"hahahaha look at that truck driver! He fell asleep at the wheel and ran a church bus off the road and off that bridge...." ... you wouldn't laugh at that would you Grok? Hats off to Apple for making a very comfortable computer.

I'd like to point out all the 'other' dumbasses that broke thier screens too. Do a quick ebay for 'cracked lcd'.
 
I just came on board

I don't know why I was so dumb, but I tried to clean the LCD with WindEx yesterday when it got too wet. The screen now has a big whitish mark and I think it's screwed. It's just been out of warranty and even if it's not, I doubt Apple would take care of it. I don't blame them, it's all my fault.

It's an iBook 1.33GHz and the LCD is LP121X04 C2. I almost jumped on a B2 taken out of a Dell C400 on ebay. Thanks to those who reported that B2 doesn't work, I just saved some trouble. A used C2 on ebay costs about $170 including shipping. I can't complain. But being a poor student, I am wondering if you guys can suggest any cheaper alternatives?

Really appreciate.
 
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