iBook LCD backlight stays off after sleep :(

escherescher
Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
This is the strangest thing! Today, I woke up my iBook (May 2001 model) from sleep, and the backlight didn't come on.



I tried to restart with the power button, but that didn't work. So I did a hard reset. After a restart, the backlight still didn't come on, but I was able to restart by hitting the power button and then "R" (for restart). After the second restart, to my great relief, the backlight came back on.



Every time I've put the iBook to sleep and woken it up again since then, the backlight has NOT come on. When I restart, the backlight comes on 50% of the time and stays off for the other 50%.



I've had better luck putting the iBook to sleep without closing the lid, i.e. not moving the hinge at all. So the problem might be with the hinge.



There's already a thread about this problem <a href="http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=56654"; target="_blank">on MacNN</a>, but I thought people here would know more. Any ideas as to what is causing the backlight not to come on? This issue is seriously annoying! My iBook is only 15 months old. I don't want to replace it.



Escher



[ 09-08-2002: Message edited by: Escher ]</p>

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    der kopfder kopf Posts: 2,275member
    I'd say, if you really have technical issues with your mac, go to MacNN, you are sure to get a better answer there. (AI is a bit 'up there', with all this high-minded jibba-jabba).



    Anyway, the iBook problem, I've read about it with growing concern, have you got that squeaky hinge?
  • Reply 2 of 10
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    sounds like a hinge problem with a wire being pinched. i'd call up Apple Tech Support if you still have a warrenty with them.
  • Reply 3 of 10
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    [quote]Originally posted by der Kopf:

    <strong>I'd say, if you really have technical issues with your mac, go to MacNN... Anyway, the iBook problem, I've read about it with growing concern, have you got that squeaky hinge?</strong><hr></blockquote>



    der Kopf: Interestingly enough, I didn't get a single reply on MacNN. But maybe that's because I resuscitated a 10 day old thread.



    As for my iBook's hinge, it has always worked flawlessly, and still works fine. No squieaking. No excessive force required to open or close the lid.



    [quote]Originally posted by alcimedes:

    <strong>sounds like a hinge problem with a wire being pinched. i'd call up Apple Tech Support if you still have a warrenty with them.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    alcimedes: Unfortunately, my 1-year warranty ran out almost four months ago and I didn't sign up for AppleCare. Fortunately, the iBook started waking ok again this morning. It's a complete mystery to me, but I'm not complaining.



    Is it possible to sign up for AppleCare after your original warranty expires, if you bought your iBook through the Apple store? (I was able to sign up for AppleCare for my PowerBook 520c when the hinge broke several months after the original warranty expired. But that was through my Apple-authorized campus computer store in college.)



    Escher
  • Reply 4 of 10
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    i don't think you can sign up after your reg. 1 year warrenty expires. of all extended warrenties, there are only two that i'll buy.



    1. laptops. (or anything with a large LCD)

    2. outdoor car stereo speakers. (i live in MN, the hot and cold can be really harsh)



    best of luck to you with your iBook. if you get really brave, you can always take that sucker apart and have a look at the wires inside. that ought to tell you if there's something wrong with the wiring. just make sure you have a tech manual for the thing handy, it's a beast to get apart and back together. (i only had one extra screw when i did mine. )
  • Reply 5 of 10
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    alcimedes: Thanks for your reply regarding signing up for AppleCare. Maybe I'll try calling Apple anyway. Can't hurt to try.



    It's definitely something with the hinge. Just now, I woke up my iBook and the backlight didn't come on. I closed the lid to put it back to sleep, reopened the lid to wake it, and voilÃ*, the backlight is on again.



    I thought the iBook was supposed to be tough...



    Escher



    [ 09-10-2002: Message edited by: Escher ]</p>
  • Reply 6 of 10
    der kopfder kopf Posts: 2,275member
    But, even without warranty, do you think it'd be that expensive to get it fixed? It's not like you'll need another screen, just another hinge and wire. (at least, I do hope so).



    If anybody has ever had this done, I'd like to know, for my iBook is a horrible squeaker.
  • Reply 7 of 10
    praxispraxis Posts: 30member
    to add to the mystery, i experienced the same thing this morning for the first time on my cube with an apple cinema display. after i forced a restart it came up blank again, even though i can hear the hd booting. third attempt it came back, though i also unplugged and replugged the monitor cable. oddly, on the ibook we have it has not happened. could this be something with 10.2?
  • Reply 8 of 10
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    well, with these other posts here, it is starting to sound more and more like a software problem.



    hardware is usually something where if you smack it the thing either breaks permanently or comes back full force (for a while)



    are there any new display drivers for your iBook? have you checked apple's user forums to see if there's anything posted there? i haven't run into this yet, but i've yet to put 10.2 on my iBook either.



    -alcimedes
  • Reply 9 of 10
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    Interesting that praxis is experiencing this problem with a Cube/ACD combo. Still, my hunch is that I am experiencing a hardware problem with my iBook. First, it would simply be too great if a software patch could fix this. Second, on at least two occasions the backlight has come on when I opened the lid/screen, but then went off when I adjusted the screen further. However, I have not managed to turn the backlight back on by adjusting the screen.



    alcimedes: Good suggestion about Apple's User Forums. I haven't checked there yet, but will follow your advice and visit them. I'm probably going to drop by my local bricks-and-mortar Apple Store (Tyson's Corner) this weekend and will inquire there as well.



    Since OS X 10.2 came with 3 months technical support by phone, I'll try calling there too before that warranty expires. After all, there is a slight chance this is a software issue related to 10.2.



    Escher
  • Reply 10 of 10
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    Yikes!!! I searched the Apple discussion boards and found this post: <a href="http://discusssearch.info.apple.com/[email protected]@.2cd73727/5"; target="_blank">LCD backlight problems</a>. Several people in that thread experienced the same problem. One of them had to pay $350 for Apple replace the "Reed Switch", which apparently fixed the problem.



    I really should have gotten AppleCare for this iBook. But it's so damn expensive!



    Escher
Sign In or Register to comment.