20" Apple Cinema Display - Dim Backlight Fixed! (Sorta)

Well... as many other Apple Cinema Display owners have experienced the infamous dim backlight with the "short short long blink" - I have some wierd news to report...
Mine got fixed last night on total accident.
Last night there was a huge storm in my area and there was a lot of lighting and massive down pour of rain, stay with me honest I have a point.
My G5 was on last night while I was asleep in the other room within visual range of the display. There was a lighting strike on my property about 20' from where my office is which is on the corner of the house. The lighting hit the tree and send an obvious surge of power into my house and zapped some electronics.
Wireless router, cable modem, and thermal label printer all bit the dust - and the USB ports on the back of the ADC display. I jumped up from the sleep and saw the monitor light up out of screen saver because the house shook so hard. I ran over to the machine and tried to move the mouse and keyboard and no go since the USB ports are burned out, but the monitor was FULLY LIT UP. I have unplugged the monitor and plugged it back in multiple times, turned the machine off and let it sit and it still is working great minus the USB ports.
My hunch is this... because of the dead USB ports which are no longer drawing any power, is it possible that the USB ports are the cause of the "short short long blink"?
My screen went dead initially when it was in a deep sleep mode and NEVER came out of it until now.
So basically what I am suggesting is that someone try and unhook the USB (if it is even possible) and see if that helps with their display - if not, I guess I am just lucky and my Apple Cinema Display is just lucky to not have fully bit the dust.
-Jonathan
Dual PowerMac G5   Mac OS X (10.4.10)   20" Apple Cinema Display (Clear)

We can't answer that because that's going to depend on who you talk to. By the book, AppleCare covers defects and not accidental damage, so you could get a No answer if they determine it was not due to a defect. But realistically, sometimes you talk to someone who decides to use their ability to authorize an exception and get it fixed anyway. The only way to find out is to call AppleCare.

Similar Messages

  • Apple Cinema Display Dimming On Bootcamp Startup (found a fix!)

    Hey guys I recently bought an Apple 27 inch Cinema Display to go along with my 15 inch Macbook Pro. Prior to purchasing the display I had installed Windows 7 Professional on my Macbook and used bootcamp to play games etc. I recently had to delete my bootcamp partition and reinstall it (ran out of space and didn't want to deal with winclone/making an image of my system). Everything went perfectly fine except the cinema display would always dim on startup and there was no way to adjust the brightness.
    I talked to Applecare multiple times and they came up with zero solutions, but I found a fix myself. If you go into MSCONFIG, while in Windows 7, and turn off bootcamp services from starting at the launch of Windows 7 it doesn't dim the screen and everything works completely fine. I'm making this post to show people how to easily fix this problem and so Apple can fix whatever is making the bootcamp services dim the brightness of the cinema displays.
    The problem is indeed 100% caused by the bootcamp services. If I start the computer without bootcamp services running there are no brightness issues. As soon as you open bootcamp services it instantly dims the screen and have to go back to MacOSX to fix the brightness.
    Anyone have a clue why bootcamp services wouild do such a thing?
    Thanks for your time, I hope this helps some people and I really hope apple looks into this problem.
    P.S. Please discuss this topic and add any other ideas on hotfixing this problem.
    ADDITIONAL INFO: I am using Windows 7 Professional 64x.

    I traced the problem to hardware - I'm running an older Apple ADC 23" Digital Cinema display, so use and ADC to DVI adapter  - because of this there is a USB "pigtail"  which carries the USB from the rear ports on the monitor into the PC. This works fine in MacOS, but boot into Windows (and I tried XP running NOT in BootCamp and Windows 7 running IN BootCamp) and it seems to hunt and search for this "generic hub" (the USBs in the monitor) and upon not finding them appears to send some kind of signal to that hub, disengaging it or whatever, and dimming the screen. In Windows XP this happens right after the login screen appears, but in Windows 7 it won't happen until AFTER you log in (always thinking "Gee! Maybe this.... time....  ah.... ^%$#@!").
    I tested my theory by using WinADC (the add on software that adds brightness controls for Apple ADC monitors to Windows XP - only 32 bit btw) on the XP machine - every time I started up WITHOUT that extra USB connection I was fine. When I started up with it... DIM happened. Then I tried starting it up without it plugged in.... FINE... then plugged it in AFTER full startup and loing... DIM happened. Plugging and unplugging it in in Windows would sometimes re-reveal the added extension for brightness (WinADC) so you could see how the USB was being searched not just for simple connections but for the brightness CONTROLS that are built into the monitors hub it seems.
    So, I'm going to try your suggestion here, turning off Boot Camp services, but, for others if that doesn't work: Start up in mac OS, set your brightness, then UNPLUG any additional USB that is being run into the monitor and startup in PC - should be good to go.

  • HT2810 apple cinema display sometimes needs to be unplugged and plugged back in multiple times to turn on  any ideas for a fix?

    apple cinema display will not allays start
    i need to plug and unplug multiple times for ti to start.
    any thoughts ideas would be helpful thanks

    Okay, Mr. Easthills, you have an imac, but yet you mention apple cinema display....Hmmm, curious. you could try zapping the PRAM, hold down command (apple?), Option+P+R keys while rebooting mac. Hold down for 3 chimes, then let go and boot normally. I have this problem too, and I have a 20" widescreen apple cinema display(DVI connector--did I just date myself or what?),anyways, it's behaving itself now okay, but it tended to go dark right in the middle of whatever I was doing, and only unplugging the power cord to the display, and replugging in it would fix it for a while. sometimes it would happen again, and again the same solution.  As to why it happens now with Yosemite, I don't know .  This dear old monitor has lasted me about 8 years and it's still going just fine.. not state of the art anymore, though...
    oh well, good luck to you
    John B

  • Using the Macbook with new LED Apple Cinema Display? Not a beginner's Q...

    Hi - I'm sort of cross-posting this because I'm not getting any answers in the Apple Cinema Display Forum, so here goes. So far, no one - not even a tech guy at a local Apple Reseller - has been able to help, so I've got my fingers crossed.
    I just got a 24" Apple LED Cinema Display and am using it with my 13" Aluminum Unibody Macbook. What I do is dock the Macbook (with closed screen) when at home with the big display and just use that. I enlarge program windows and arrange the layout (in different spaces) to take advantage of the large screen and resolution. So far so good.
    But I'm a student and take my macbook with me to class. When I open it up, all the program windows are set as they were on the larger screen, which means some are out of view or simply not well-adjusted for the smaller and lower resolution of the Macbook. I manually adjust these and work on the Macbook that way.
    But when I return home in the evening, I have to adjust them again once I 'dock' the Macbook. Kind of a pain if I'm doing this twice a day.
    What I'd like to know is: is there a setting or group of settings that would do this automatically for me? A program? An AppleScript? Surely someone out there has had the same issues and has found a fix, if such a thing exists. Or is it just a fact of nature one deals with when working on two screens?
    To preclude one response: yes, I know I can mirror the displays when I open the Macbook along with the LED Cinema Display. But this simply mirrors them using the lower resolution and dimensions of the Macbook screen. And that kind of negates having the larger, Cinema Display.
    So - any thoughts? Solutions? How do you guys manage with this?
    Thanks,
    Jeff

    I don't really have a solution for you but wanted to link you to a discussion on this very topic that took place last month on MacInTouch.
    http://www.macintouch.com/readerreports/helpplease/topic3939.html#d24sep2009
    The conclusion seemed to be that it is not an OS issue, it's an application issue. There really was no good answer but some good insight into why the problem exists and why it may not be something Apple can fix.

  • Apple Cinema Display (20-inch DVI 2005) not working after 10.10.3 update

    I have an Apple Cinema Display (20-inch DVI 2005) that isn't working after installing the 10.10.3 update. The screen is just blank, and the power light just blinks a few times every 30 seconds or so. I use this as a second monitor with my iMac (27-inch, Late 2012). Any way to fix this? Thanks!

    Thank you for the update!
    Next I would recommend the Reset the System section of the following article for additional troubleshooting:
    Apple computers: Troubleshooting issues with video on internal or external displays
    Reset the system
    You can reset the Mac's parameter RAM and SMC. 
    Reset the resolution
    Start by resetting the Mac's parameter RAM. If the display does not come up, was previously set to an unsupported resolution, and still results in no video:
    Start up in Safe Mode.
    From the Apple () menu, choose System Preferences.
    Choose Displays from the View menu to open the preferences pane.
    Select any resolution and refresh rate that your display supports.
    Restart your computer.
    I would reset the SMC and the PRAM together, in that order one more time, then do the Safe Boot if needed.

  • Hello everyone, hoping for some help with my new Apple Cinema Display 20"

    Hi everyone, I bought an Apple Cinema Display 20 inch LCD monitor, just about 3 weeks ago. I have two issues I am hoping to get some help with.
    1) I am using the screen on a PC with Windows XP, and I was very disappointed at the lack of PC support. I have no on screen display (OSD), so I can't see what percentage I have my brightness set to, and I can't alter the colour or contrast of the display, etc. Luckily it defaulted to very good settings, but I would really like to be able to use the (fan made?) program called "WinACD". If I would be best asking somewhere else, please direct me there. If not, my problem is that I installed it added the "Controls" tab, but it just says, Virtual Control Panel "None Present". I have tried googling for an answer, and I have seen many suggestions, but none of them worked. I installed the WinACD driver without my USB lead plugged in, and someone said that was important. So I have tried uninstalling, rebooting, then reinstalling it again with the USB plugged in, and a device plugged in to my monitor to be sure. It didn't seem to help. I have actually done this process a few times, just to be sure. So I would really like to get that working if possible.
    2) I am disappointed at the uniformity of the colour on the display. I have seen other people mention this (again, after a google search), and that someone seemed to think it is just an issue we have to deal with, with this generation of LCD monitors. Before I bought this screen, I had an NEC (20wgx2), and it had a very similar issue. Most of the time, you cannot see any problem at all, but if you display an entire screen with a dark (none prime) colour, like a dark blue green colour, you can see areas where it is slightly darker than others. It was more defined on the NEC screen, and that is why I returned it. I now bought this Apple Cinema Display, because it was the only good alternative to the NEC. (It has an 8bit S-IPS / AS-IPS panel, which was important to me). But the problem exists in this screen too. It isn't as bad thankfully, but it still exists... I have actually tried a third monitor just to be sure, and the problem existed very slightly in that one, so I think I am probably quite sensitive in that I can detect it.
    It is most noticable to me, because I do everything on this PC. I work, I watch films, and I play games. 99% of the time, I cannot see this problem. But in some games (especially one)... the problem is quite noticeable. When you pan the view around, my eyes are drawn to the slight areas on my screen which are darker, and it ruins my enjoyment. To confirm it wasn't just the game, like I said, I can use a program to make the entire screen display one solid colour, and if you pick the right type of colour (anything that isn't a bright primary colour), I can see the problem - albeit fairly faintly.
    I am pretty positive that it is not my graphics card or any other component of my PC, by the way, because everything is brand new and working perfectly, and the graphics card specifically, I have upgraded and yet the problem remains - even on the new card. Also, the areas that are darker, are different on this screen than on the other screens I have used.
    So basically, I would like to register my disappointment at the lack of perfect uniformity on a screen which cost me £400 (over double what most 20 inch LCD screens cost), and I would like to know if anybody could possibly suggest a way to fix it?
    It is upsetting, becuase although this problem exists on other screens too, this is, as far as I know, the most expensive 20" LCD monitor available today, and uses the best technology available too.
    p.s. If anyone would like to use the program that lets you set your entire PC screen a specific colour, it is called "Dead Pixel Buddy", and it is a free piece of software, made by somebody to check for dead pixels. But I found it useful for other things too, including looking at how uniform the colour of the screen is. That's not to say I was specifically looking for this problem by the way... the problem cought my eye.
    Thanks in advance!
    Message was edited by: telelove

    I've been talking about this on another forum too, and I made some pictures in photoshop to describe the problem. Here is what I posted on the other forum:
    Yes, "brightness uniformity" definitely seems to be the best description of my issue.
    Basically it just seems like there are very faint lines down the screen, that are slightly darker than the other areas on the screen. They aren't defined lines, and they aren't in a pattern. It's just slight areas that are darker, and the areas seem like narrow bands/lines. Usually you can't see it, but in some cases, it is quite noticeable. It is mainly when I'm playing a game. The slightly darker areas are not visible, and then when the image moves (because I am turning in a car, or turning a plane, or turning in a shooter etc.) the image moves, but these slightly darker areas stay still, and that makes them really stand out.
    As for how it looks, I tried to make an example in photoshop:
    Original Image:
    http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/3045/td1ja9.jpg
    Then imagine turning the car around a bend, and then it looks like this:
    http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/959/td2hq7.jpg
    It's those lines in the clouds. If you can tab between the two images, you can see the difference easily. Imagine seeing those lines appear, every single time you move in a game. (I haven't tested this in movies yet, but I am assuming it's the same).
    It isn't very clear on a static image. But when the image moves, the darker areas stay in the same place and it draws your eyes towards them. It isn't terrible, but it is annoying, especially consider how much this screen cost.
    Message was edited by: telelove

  • Second display from iMac27" (late 2009) miniDisplay Port worked fine until today- now no longer connects to Apple Cinema Display

    Have a configuration of an iMac27" (MAC 27"/4850-512MB PROCESSOR 2.66GHZ QUAD-CORE INTEL CORE I5 Dec 2009 model) and a second screen Apple Cinema Display 2009 model 24"
    The setup with the Apple Cinema Display has been working fine for 3 years and since yesterday the second screen refuses to work.
    Connected it to a MacBookPro and the Apple Cinema DIsplay functions fine sot my conclusion is it is not the Apple Cinema Display's error.
    Could it be that the Mini Display Port on the iMac is somehow broken? Or is there a software fix I need to checkout?
    Thanks for your help on resolving this issue.

    UPDATE:
    As noted in the first post, both of these newer USB DAC work fine at 24/96 on my wife's iMac, so it's clear that they didn't both become defective when I connected them to the Macbook Pro at the same time.
    Resetting the Macbook Pro PRAM didn't help, so I removed the hard shell laptop case to get to the battery and remove it, then reset the SMC. After that I could use the original DAC at 24/96 again, but only IF it was plugged into the rear USB port. If I plugged it into the front USB port then the sound was garbled and filled with noise. This was a vast improvement over no sound at all.
    Then I switched to the replacement/updated DAC, but I got no sound at all from either USB port at any bit-rate. And returning to the original DAC again now results in no sound again.
    Sigh... I will reset the PRAM and SMC again, and see how far I can get with this. I'd still love some help. Thanks!

  • Help with cleaning off a 23" Apple Cinema display HD

    Ok guys, I work with LCD's for a living, but mine are a bit different than the Apple monitors (plus, this is my dime, not my companies..). So, I come home to find out our "house guest"'s kid was flinging gogurt all over the place. I look at my LCD's and sure enough, both have someone oily on them.
    I cleaned the dell with no issues, but my 23" Apple Cinema Display HD, has a couple of marks that won't come off (I used water and a micro fiber cloth to clean it). It's like two little oily spots about the size of the tip of a finger, and one little line in the bottom right corner.
    At work, normally we would use denatured alcohol to clean the LCD surface, but I'm quite familiar with the LCD's at work, and what is attached to the polarizer. My Apple display, I'm not so sure, so I don't want to use something on it that is going to damage the surface. Any recommendations? The areas that have the issue don't seem to have any display related problems.... They aren't finger clusters, and the polarizer doesn't look damaged.
    thanks! And yes, the house guest was informed what this monitor costs to replace.... and I threatened to chop off fingers (kidding).

    Apple say not to use alcohol or ammonia. Dilute some hand dishwashing liquid. Moisten a facial tissue with it, and rub gently. Then use several facial tissues moistened with just water to remove the detergent residue.

  • Apple Cinema Display 23" brightness issue while using with Microsoft Vista

    Hello there,
    I have the following issue and was wondering if someone has an idea what the reason is or what can I do to fix this:
    I have a 23" Apple Cinema Display running with a MacPro 2,8 GHz. When I switch to PC using BootCamp 2.1 with Windows Vista Service Pack 1 32bit the screen becomes extremely dark.
    At first, on the PC side, the display has the correct brightness but after two seconds it switches to a very low brightness setting.
    When I go back to the Mac side the brightness setting on my Cinema Display has changed to the lowest point.
    I also have a MacBookPro, with Microsoft XP installed also using BootCamp (I cannot find the version of this Boot Camp, but it is an earlier version) to change to PC. In XP, there is a driver installed that allows me to use a slider on the PC to control the monitor brightness. But with Vista this slider is nonexistent.
    I already tried changing the graphic's card NVIDIA 8800 driver to see if I can manipulate the brightness on the monitor. I realized there is brigthness slider on the Nvidia driver, but when you make brighter, the colors just get messed up, and the brightness stays as dark as before.
    We have lately upgraded to Snow Leopard and had installed Spyder on the Mac side to create a monitor profile for the Cinema Display. I already deleted the profile to see if there is a change. Nothing. I already went back in time on my PC (Restore Point), also nothing.
    Could I download a driver for Vista, so that I have a brightness slider on the PC side, so that I can adequately change the brightness to its correct setting.
    It is amazing how the lack of correct brightness in a monitor, can ruin your entire working day! Very frustrating!
    It would be greatly appreciated if someone has a solution for this issue! Thanks a lot!
    Emil

    Okay, I came across a thread that implies there is a problem with using the Apple ADC-to-DVI adapter to attach the older "acrylic" 23" Cinema Display to a Mac Pro DVI graphics card. Basically, the workaround is to NOT use the USB part of the adapter (disconnect it).
    1) In OS X, set the desired display brightness.
    2) Disconnect the USB cable coming from the converter to the Mac.
    3) Restart into Windows.
    The brightness setting should now remain as it was under OS X.
    Confirmed to work on my Mac Pro v1,1 (dual 2.66 Core 2 Duo) with nVidia GeForce 7300 GT video card running Windows 7 x64.
    Link here: <http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=790910> for credit to resolution.
    Of course, you lose the functionality of the 2-port built-in USB hub in the Cinema Display, but an external USB hub can make up for that.

  • 2008 Mac Pro and Apple Cinema Display 27"

    Is there some sort of adapter that would allow me to plug the new Apple Cinema Display 27" with a 2008 Mac Pro? Or what change would I have to make to be able to work this out?

    Adrian - did you end up getting an adapter and using it? I purchased the Atlona DVI to Mini DisplayPort Converter (AT-DP200) to connect my 2008 MacbookPro (with GeForce 8600M GT) to the new 27 in. Cinema display, and though it works, it looks a bit fuzzy in terms of resolution. Having read the response here about making sure it is a DUAL link converter, I was going to try to return it for the AT-DP400.
    Then I read another thread on here that seemed to indicate that the AT-DP400 would not work at all with the 2008 Macbook Pro.
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2585380&tstart=0
    So now I'm confused. Just wondering what your experience is, if you ended up with getting the display and converter.

  • LIfespan of the Apple Cinema Display?

    So... I've heard stories that the lifespan of the Apple Cinema Display is as short as 2-3 years?
    Anyone have any firsthand reports of a happier, longer life for their ACD?
    I just bought a 23" Cinema Display that happily has none of the problems I read about in other posts from a few years back about banding, pinkish tones, etc.
    Can I hope for a longer life than 3 years from my ACD?
    Thanks for any good news....

    The most life limited component in an LCD is the flourescent lamp in the backlight that illuminates the whole screen. These are typically rated to have 25,000 hours of life. What that means is that, after 25,000 hours of operation, the lamp(s) will shine at half their original brightness.
    Since 25,000 hours equals roughly 3-years of continuous, 24/7 operation, that may be the basis for you hearing that LCDs have a lifespan of 3 years. If you only run the display for 8 hours every day, then you would have 9 years of backlight life.

  • Apple Cinema Display is not reading or seeing...

    Hello...
    I would love to have your help on this situation.... My Apple Cinema Display is not reading or seeing my ipod adapter or my printer adapter at the back of the display. it is weird to see this happening now because it was working great until yesterday. I was like huh? how did this happen?
    I tried to fix the mac with OS disc as well as Pro Tech Tool. they did not see anything wrong with it. think that the plug holes are worn out or burnt? thanks for your help... can email me with directions or explanations [email protected] (i rarely come in this boards unless I come up with a problem and i come here to check for information in this board...
    It is Apple Cinema Display - LCD display - TFT - 20" - 1680 x 1050 (It is running strong for 6 or 7 years with no problems at all.)
    thanks!

    The USB circuitry sometimes fails in older Apple displays. This can affect the USB ports, computer control of brightness, and computer sleep. Sometimes unplugging all cables from the display for a few minutes will fix it for a while.

  • Can you still get 22" Cinema Display back light fixed?

    Can you still get 22" Cinema Display back light fixed?

    Did you think of googling for "apple 23" cinema display power adapter" and see what turns up?

  • Dual G5 won't boot with printer plugged in to 23" Apple Cinema Display

    I shut down my Dual G5 the other day due to the excessive
    heat it throws out as we were having someone stay in our guest room.
    Upon restart next day it would not boot up entirely it would get
    to the apple screen with start up wheel (not beachball)
    then it would go to a blue screen and stay.
    I have cross eliminated the problem to a print device
    that I had plugged into the back of the 23" Apple Cinema Display.
    I merely unplugged the usb and the computer finished loading up.
    I have a slimline keyboard plugged into monitor as well and that does not seem
    to cause any problems. Has any one had this problem and or a fix.
    Thanks in advance,
    Sean

    Hi, and a Warm Welcome to Apple Discussions and the Power Mac G5 Forum!
    Well - presuming that you have inspected the tab on the locating peg of the air deflector for damage - shown in Figure 4 here
    http://www.info.apple.com/usen/cip/pdf/g5/073-0891.pdf
    and that the booting ok without the deflector, and then running ok with the deflector is a repeatable symptom - there is some discussion of a similar-ish problem here
    http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=5748156#5748156
    The theory there was that 10.4.10 was picking up on a (real or imagined) CPU-Logic Board mismatch - which may have continued into 10.5.1. As suggested, this may be able to be verified by checking the entries in system.log. If nothing in the log catches the eye, you could copy and post the Startup sequence entries.
    There are some things to try suggested there; running the Apple Service Diagnostic is a possible as you still have AppleCare. It would be interesting to hear what they think is the problem.
    Please post again if you have any questions. Good Luck.

  • Leopard, Vista and Apple Cinema Display

    I've searched the discussion forum for problem with my Apple Cinema Display, but most of the threads don't seem to fit exactly my question, which is:
    *Is there a driver for 23" Apple Cinema Display for Vista?*
    I have a brand new MBP (15", just 2 weeks old). I used Boot Camp (v.2, as part of Leopard) to install Vista.
    Threads in the discussion forum seem to be more related to 30" display and v.1.4 of Boot Camp.
    Thanks in advance.

    Thank you Stefan. Well, it fixed the problem, but only partly:
    I can get a picture in the 23" Apple Cinema Display, but after re-start (in Vista), it disappears. I need to go to Display Settings in Vista control panel to reset the monitor. The every time I try, it gives me different options (e.g. resolution, main/secondary monitor, refresh rate). Sometimes I can get the picture back, and sometimes I can't.
    It's unbelievable that Apple doesn't even support its own hardware in Leopard!

Maybe you are looking for