PowerBook AL 15" cold screen uneven brightness

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Recently i have been seeing this new phenomena on my AL 15" PB and I was wondering if i am alone in seeing this.

when I wake my PB from sleep in the first minute or so there is a section in the LCD (bottom right area about 2" x 2" size) where the screen is noticeably dimmer and i mean really like a dark cloud over that section. then after about 45 seconds to one minute as the screen warms up to full brightness that dimness disappears and the entire LCD is evenly lit again - bizarre...



Has anyone seen this before on their PB? - any fixes or do you guys think its really a non issue since the dimness just goes away very quickly... why is it happening?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 20
    torifiletorifile Posts: 4,024member
    Yes. I just noticed it on my 12" pb. Down at the bottom of the screen. Like you said, after it warms up, it's fine. I think it's just something we've gotta live with. Luckily it looks fine when it's warm.
  • Reply 2 of 20
    Not wanting to disshearten you, but my PB is about to go back to have this fault rectified for the SECOND time.



    Just as a test, turn your brightness down to 3 or 4 (What you might have it on if you wanted maximum battery life, or if you were in a dark room) and wait for 15 mins. Does your shadow come back?



    This is the image from my first screen...





    ...after the repair, it was all OK for about 4 weeks, but the problem has come back now. Its even worse this time.



  • Reply 3 of 20
    Quote:

    Originally posted by rashumon

    Recently i have been seeing this new phenomena on my AL 15" PB and I was wondering if i am alone in seeing this.

    when I wake my PB from sleep in the first minute or so there is a section in the LCD (bottom right area about 2" x 2" size) where the screen is noticeably dimmer and i mean really like a dark cloud over that section. then after about 45 seconds to one minute as the screen warms up to full brightness that dimness disappears and the entire LCD is evenly lit again - bizarre...



    Has anyone seen this before on their PB? - any fixes or do you guys think its really a non issue since the dimness just goes away very quickly... why is it happening?




    Got the same problem with dark area at base of screen after switching on. Have decided to live with it since, as you say, it largely goes away after a while. Got 1 year's worth of Apple Care to play with anyway if it starts to annoy me.



    EDIT: thinking about it. I find that after doing something really stressful for the comp - like playing a game - the heat from the grill at the base of the screen makes the clouding worse.
  • Reply 4 of 20
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Gargoyle

    Not wanting to disshearten you, but my PB is about to go back to have this fault rectified for the SECOND time.



    Just as a test, turn your brightness down to 3 or 4 (What you might have it on if you wanted maximum battery life, or if you were in a dark room) and wait for 15 mins. Does your shadow come back?



    This is the image from my first screen...





    ...after the repair, it was all OK for about 4 weeks, but the problem has come back now. Its even worse this time.









    MEGA DOH!! - you are right! same here, its even worse when i leave it at 3 or 4 brightness for a while... and this is a replacement screen i had for the spots issue - WTF is going on with these PBs? looks like i'll have to take it back as well... you're based in the UK right? so am i... where are you getting it fixed?



    Oh and another thing - how do you carry your PB aroundd? i mean - do you think this could be the result of the PB screen being pressed too hard while in the laptop bag?
  • Reply 5 of 20
    ast3r3xast3r3x Posts: 5,012member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by rashumon

    Oh and another thing - how do you carry your PB aroundd? i mean - do you think this could be the result of the PB screen being pressed too hard while in the laptop bag?



    I know this wasn't to me, but no. I noticed this a long time ago and I hadn't even been carrying it around at that point. I feel pretty safe with it in my computer, and once I send it back for white spots, uneven dislay brightness like you guys, and a few minor other things. I hope when it gets back the metal behind the display is stronger though.



  • Reply 6 of 20
    They use small mercury lamps to light these screens right?



    All of these issues may be do to improper power management of the individual lamps.



    Just a thought. It will probably take a motherboard revision to fix the problem if this is the case.
  • Reply 7 of 20
    ebbyebby Posts: 3,110member
    Mercury lamps? Never heard of that before. Mercury-vapor lamps need lots of power and generate lots of heat. I can't see related technology in a laptop.



    I always thought it was a single electro luminescent background with color filters mounted in front. That way if you want color green, blue and red are filtered out.



    But I am not sure how they work either.
  • Reply 8 of 20
    Evidently it is small fluorescent lights (which do btw contain mercury vapor).



    Given their strange behavior in office lights, I am really shocked that problems like this dont occur more often.
  • Reply 9 of 20
    cubs23cubs23 Posts: 324member
    this happens to me too!!! I wasn't sure if it was worth fixing. So with the 1 year warranty... I have 1 year to get it fixed for free right? Well, as long as this won't be a big problem, I might live with it. Or does everyone think I should fix it?
  • Reply 10 of 20
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    If it goes away within a minute or so, I don't think it's a problem. I certainly don't friek out about mine.



    Heck, in the last year, my Pismo screen has always been VERY pink when first starting it up, but it goes away.



    If the problem sticks and doesn't rectify itself, though, get it looked at.
  • Reply 11 of 20
    Yes, my 15" 1.25GHz PowerBook has had this problem ever since I got it. Tends to be located in the lower right corner. It is only recently that I noticed that it correlates with being cold. It goes away rather quickly and has not bothered me that much. Hence, its taken me a while to even get to the point of calling it a reproducable "problem". I also have the white spots (they took about a month after pruchase to show up). So when I can part with it the beast, it is going to Apple anyway.
  • Reply 12 of 20
    I guess the screen on mine is a little uneven, but when it's lit I never notice it, unless one solid color is displayed.



    since it does not intrude on my work or play, I don't mind it.



    The backlit keyboard, I've noticed, is uneven, but after an hour or so of being on, it usually, not only is brighter, but it becomes even.



    another word on the backlit keyboard, I think it's a great idea...for regular keyboards, not laptops, well, maybe if the laptop had black keys, then it would work, but the current keyboard, is illuminated just fine by the light from the display, in fact, more often than not, in semi-low light conditions, the backlit turns on, but only half way or so, and it gives me a faint gray color that blends in with the aluminum and makes it HARDER to see the keys.



    on my old iMac with a Pro keyboard, I would have LOVED to have had the same type of 'letters only' backlight in the keyboard, oh well, the backlight is still kind of useful, when it's REALLY dark, otherwise, it's more gimmick than anything else.
  • Reply 13 of 20
    rolorolo Posts: 686member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Gargoyle

    Not wanting to disshearten you, but my PB is about to go back to have this fault rectified for the SECOND time.



    Just as a test, turn your brightness down to 3 or 4 (What you might have it on if you wanted maximum battery life, or if you were in a dark room) and wait for 15 mins. Does your shadow come back?



    This is the image from my first screen...





    ...after the repair, it was all OK for about 4 weeks, but the problem has come back now. Its even worse this time.







    I had the same thing happen to me in November, sent it in, they replaced the screen and the diffuser array, and today, it happened again. At least I don't have the white spots now but it looks like the diffuser or lamp thing is acting up again so it has to go back, dammit.
  • Reply 14 of 20
    teddyteddy Posts: 155member
    I have the same problem on my 12" PowerBook... Lower left. I sent it in and they didn't fix it as they said they did... I am pretty pissed because they sent it back with a dead pixel and now they won't fix it!
  • Reply 15 of 20
    naderbynaderby Posts: 131member
    Maybe the contraction of cold alu squeezes the frame of the screen?
  • Reply 16 of 20
    Well I have got mine back (for the second time), and all the screen is even. Last time it got "fixed" it took a few weeks for the problem to re-appear, so I have my fingers crossed.



    My first repair report stated that the machine had a new lcd module. This must be just the screen, as the lid still has a ver small scratch.



    The second repair, stated that the lcd module had been replaced again, along with a new base assembly !?!? This is deffo the bottom aluminium, as a few small marks from the bottom have gone, but the small scratch on the lid is still there. The lid fits better now tho, It used to have a gap at each front corner when closed... the gap is now even and smaller.



    Also, the silly engineers have not tightened the bolt in the bottom right corner of the lid! I am going to leave it like this since the bolt doesn't seem to be about to fall out.
  • Reply 17 of 20
    naderbynaderby Posts: 131member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Gargoyle

    Well I have got mine back (for the second time), and all the screen is even. Last time it got "fixed" it took a few weeks for the problem to re-appear, so I have my fingers crossed.



    My first repair report stated that the machine had a new lcd module. This must be just the screen, as the lid still has a ver small scratch.



    The second repair, stated that the lcd module had been replaced again, along with a new base assembly !?!? This is deffo the bottom aluminium, as a few small marks from the bottom have gone, but the small scratch on the lid is still there. The lid fits better now tho, It used to have a gap at each front corner when closed... the gap is now even and smaller.



    Also, the silly engineers have not tightened the bolt in the bottom right corner of the lid! I am going to leave it like this since the bolt doesn't seem to be about to fall out.




    How long was it away for?
  • Reply 18 of 20
    Yup! after investigating this thoroughly I have concluded that not only is this a problem when the screen is cold (no biggie on its own) but more severely when the screen brightness is set to half or less (i always do this when working at night or while on battery power) the entire right side of the screen becomes substantially darker then the left side. not only does this not improve when waiting for the screen to warm-up it actually gets worse after about 10 minutes of using it at low brightness!



    I have arranged for it to be sent back to apple for repair but I'm really starting to loose my patience with these screen problems!

    How Fecking difficult is it for Apple to use decent quality parts in their laptops? not only are their LCDs lower rez than comparable PC laptop LCDs, they also seem to be much less reliable too! is this why we pay more for Apple hardware?



    Do owners of the 1 ghz 12" minibook have this problem as well?
  • Reply 19 of 20
    Quote:

    Originally posted by naderby

    How long was it away for?



    Yes, i also want to know, as i'm also about to send my for repair in the UK... how long did they take to replace the screen?
  • Reply 20 of 20
    i dropped off my PB at the local apple store for a keyboard repair, and just mentioned to the tech that there is a dark spot that appears (also lower right) but goes away once the machine warms up. he shrugged and said yeah, those go away after a few minutes. so i am now assuming it happens on most, if not all, of the Al-15". it doesnt really annoy me, and i always keep the brightness down at 4 bars.
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