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Asked
Screen light inconsistencies: flickers at startup; randomly works full
My 2009 A1185 macbook screen has been working inconsistently for the last few days. At first I left it for several minutes and it went into sleep mode: I 'woke' it, however the screen remained black. With a flashlight I could see everything was functioning. The screen light was simply failing. I turned it off, took out and replaced the battery, plugged it into power and powered it back on. The screen worked! However, it went into sleep mode later in the day and the previous actions did NOT lead to a solution this time. I left it alone until it was fully charged and the screen then worked. I turned it off and the next day the light would flicker on powering up or waking from sleep, but it will not remain on.
Help please!
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flogo2003
595
Answered
Sounds to me like your inverter (or backlight) is going out. Essentially there is an assembly that sits underneath the LCD screen to give it light so that you can see. It might not be all the way dead yet, but the biggest tell is that you can still see the screen using a flashlight.
Installing MacBook Core Duo Inverter Cable
That link is for a broken cable, but you just need the full assembly, which are generally pretty cheap to buy $30-$40. If you buy the assembly and follow that guide you should be able to replace the inverter and get your machine back to normal.
Thank you for your input; it is very much appreciated. After doing more research, this was the conclusion I was leaning towards. I am much less reluctant to try the repair now that I have your opinion. Thanks!
To make sure you get to the correct parts and guides please give us the last three figures of your serial number as there is no A1185
Apple MacBook "Core 2 Duo" 2.0 13" (White-09) Specs Identifiers: Early 2009 - MB881LL/A - MacBook5,2 - A1181 - 2300
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Score
lemerise
17.3k
Answered
If you replaced both the inverter board and the inverter cable with known working parts then there are three other parts that should be checked:
1- the top case (brightness control)
2- the battery connector/Sleep Sensor (sleep switch)
3- the logic board (inverter circuitry and that means a logic board swap)
1- To check the top case, disconnect it from the logic board and power on the machine via the two power pads on the logic board. If the screen works OK then the top case is faulty.
2- replace the battery connector/Sleep Sensor with a known working one.
Installing MacBook Core 2 Duo Battery Connector
3- replace the logic board
I ordered a new display and that fixed the problem!!! http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+M...
