dark LCD on clamshell

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doug-doug the mighty's picture
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dark LCD on clamshell

Okay, I am about to restore my iBook by repairing two key problems that have iritated me for some time:
[*] the batteries (I have a handle on that and know where I can get EXACTLY what I need)
[*] the inverter for the video

My clamshell iBook has a dim LCD, even when the brightness is jacked way up. The LCD is almost unseeable when outside or in well lit rooms (not like when it was younger). The laptop is best used in dimly lit rooms. I suspect that the inverter for the LCD is bad/going. I know little about these things.

And here is the question:

Have I properly diagnosed the problem?

If so:

Does anyone out there have a good/new inverter for trade or sale? Or know of a good source for the aforementioned?

--DDTM

dankephoto's picture
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more likely the CCFL backlight lamp

is fading away. Not an easy task to replace, but with care can be done. A new lamp costs ~$10-20, a replacement LCD can be had for ~$50-100.

I think I have an iBook inverter, but it'd be untested. Wanna give it a try?

dan k

doug-doug the mighty's picture
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?

Does CCFL backlight lamp = inverter?

I am lost as I am unfamiliar with these parts. If the lamp is going, would the inverter be okay? or do they kind of go hand-in-hand?

Where can I get a new lamp on the cheap?

I will take the inverter only if I need it as I am trying to get rid of the parts I do not need (I really need garage space).

-DDTM

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CCFL = Cold Cathode Flourescent Lamp

ie: the backlight lamp.

The lamp is driven by the inverter which produces the high voltage the lamp requires.

Lamps get dark, like any flourescent lamp. A dim LCD is more likely a tired lamp than a faulty inverter.

I've not purchased from this outfit, but have read many positive mentions: http://www.jkllamps.com/

dan k

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Dim Clamshell

Mine seems dim ever since I installed OS 10.2.
When I reboot in 9.2.1 it seems brighter, I can turn the brightness down to the bottom notch and it's visible in the worst of light conditions. However, it may be that I dont use it in such bad light conditions when I use 9.2.1. It seems that OSX makes mine dim. Either that or my eyesight is going.

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It's not your eyes

This also occurs with the G3 AIO. In MacOS 9, there is a brightness setting under Monitors. There is no adjustment in 10.x. If I connect it to an external monitor, it looks great.

doug-doug the mighty's picture
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so...

... if this is true (and I have also observed this on the iBook in question - which is running 10.2.8), how can I compensate? I would hate to ear apart the LCD just to replace a perfectly good part.

Is the only fix to drop back to 9.2.2?

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Probably

Probably, 9.2 is a great OS, and 8.6 is even better. It's also a better system to use considering the screen resolution. OSX is a screen space hog. What I really hate is the fact that almost everything from the control strip has migrated to the menu bar. Also accidentaly clicking things in the dock and causing them to launch, but that's my own clumsiness. Smile

doug-doug the mighty's picture
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how to get off of X?

I went to X on this machine some time ago. It has been my primary ever since the hard drive woes on my iMac (Rev A). I use Mail for my email and love Safari. If I could find a way to move alll of my email back to a Classic app, I would.

Do not get me wrong, I love X (but only on certain machines). I can always use mozilla or something for my browser, and maybe use Eudora for email, but al of the messages I have will not transfer.

If I could run Classic, this would/should solve the pains of the LCD being too dim - right?

There is no way to fix it in X - right?

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