How can I fix my display blacking out intermittently?
I've had the Apple Thunderbolt Display for a little more than a year, and it has started to intermittently go black for a few seconds at a time. When it does, I usually lose connection to my usb devices connected through the display. If I let it go on, it blanks more and more frequently until the system kernel panics.
So far, I've tried cleaning the contacts with rubbing alcohol. This made them more visually attractive, but did not solve the problem.
Second, I tried using another macbook pro, but it had the same issue.
I've noticed that the thunderbolt connector heats up significantly when it's in use. I'm wondering if there's a heat-related issue that could be causing a broken connection in the electronics inside the connector. Any thoughts?
Is this a good question?
OMG same here I thought I was alone.
by Julian Mackler
@Julian - Make sure to get the firmware update (see below).
by Dan
I have found that the All-In-One Cable goes bad and results in an intermittent blacking out. I have had to replace mine every 12-18 months.
by tikku
I had the same problem, and it grew worse with time. The issue was the Thunderbolt cable failing just behind the computer thunderbolt connection, right where the cable protector terminates. Had the same issue with an IPad Thunderbolt powersupply cable. My gripe is that replacing the power/data cable for the display is a tedious and challenging task. A simple plug on the back of the monitor as other manufactures use would have been good, but noting that Apple does not sell the cable, my guess is that Apple wants the user to have to buy a new monitor. Sad way to do business.
by Jeffrey McClure
After having the intermittent blackout problem on my Thunderbolt display for years it seems that I have fixed it by replacing the cable. I made sure that the problem was indeed the built-in monitor cable by bypassing it completely using a normal thunderbolt cable plugged into the expansion thunderbolt port on the monitor (yes the monitor can be used this way, as long as you don't require another thunderbolt port for other devices), making sure that the problem was not with the thunderbolt port on my laptop. Well, I need that thunderbolt expansion port, so I bought a replacement cable on eBay ($23!). I did not need to buy the recommended pair of suction cups to pull the glass off of the display, I used a single GoPro suction camera mount, positioning it near the top left corner, it pulled the glass free with no drama-inducing excess force needed.
So to sum up, from my experience anyway, it's the cable. Not the firmware, not the power supply.
by tony
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