Dual 20" Apple Cinema Displays brightness control

Hello all,
Finally added a 2nd 20" Cinema Display to my setup. When I first got the new display hooked up (used from eBay, but in great condition) I noticed that it was pretty dark so I went to adjust the brightness... but the buttons on the side of the display didn't work and there was no brightness slider on the preferences pane for that display. The primary display DID have the brightness control.
Does anyone know what might be causing this? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I've been trying to figure out why I couldn't change the brightness on the 20" cinema display connected to my MacBook Pro and now I know the reason. Thanks for this question and answer.
Shouldn't such a simple and necessary thing be made clear in the MacBook Pro manual?

Similar Messages

How can i use dual 23" apple cinema hd display on a new mac mini

i have the old apple displays and really dont want to let go of them yet. Model # M8537ZM/A.
I currently have them both hooked up to my G5 powerPC, thru the DVI to ADC adapter. Model # M8661LL/B
Im tired of not being able to update my plug ins and some sites have become unable to even view without being up to date.
So im looking to buy a new Mac, but i will NOT spend another $2000+ for apple to call it outdated in a few years.
The Mac Mini looks to be a good buy only if i can it up to be on my DUAL 23" Apple Cinema Displays, Model # M8537ZM/A.
Please let me know what i would need to buy to make this all work, or if it not possable.
Thanks in advance.

Wow, I loved those monitors. Ten years ago. If they're still working for you, terrific; they are quite nice. Unfortunately, the ADC cable is going to make using them with modern Macs a bit of a Rube Goldberg experience.
The late-2012 Mini has a Thunderbolt port and an HDMI port. Both can be used to drive those displays.
Thunderbolt Port
1- Buy a Thunderbolt/Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB570Z/B/mini-displayport-to-dvi-adapter
2- Now buy a DVI to ADC adapter. Not cheap, and Apple doesn't carry them anymore, but they can be found.
http://www.amazon.com/Apple-DVI-to-ADC-Adapter/dp/B0000E2O14
HDMI Port
1- Buy an HDMI to DVI Adapter. One of these comes in the box with every Mini, so I won't link it.
2- Now buy a DVI to ADC adapter. Not cheap, and Apple doesn't carry them anymore, but they can be found.
http://www.amazon.com/Apple-DVI-to-ADC-Adapter/dp/B0000E2O14
Note that each DVI to ADC adapter will need access to AC power to provide power to each monitor. You already know this if you have these adapters.
Just something to think about: There are some people still running old Macs with ADC output who are desperate to find good-condition, larger-size ADC monitors. You might be able to sell yours on eBay or through some other means for more than enough to finance your purchase of new, higher-resolution HDMI or DVI monitors and avoid all the adapters and extra electrical taps.

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.

On/off Button and brightness buttons don't work in the Apple Cinema Display

I write you because I bought a new apple cinema display 20" a month ago and I have problems with the on and off button and the brightness buttons. Thew work sometimes. I think that te problem is windows XP but I am not sure. My graphics card is a ATI RADEON X800 GT Gecube 256 Mb DDR2.
Would yo mind telling me how can repair that? If I need something to repair o it is better to buy the new windows to avoid that problem.
Windows XP Pro ATI Radeon X800GT Gecube 256 Mb DDR2

Thank you very much. I didn't know this driver.
But the problem was when I was installing this driver, Windows said that it's imcompatible with windows XP.Is this normal? o I need to download a special edition for windows xp.

HT4293 i am trying to use dual monitors when editing with FCPX. I have a macbook pro and an apple cinema display monitor. I have connected them and opened Fcpx but the option to use second monitor is not active! what do i do ? please help going bonkers!

i am trying to use dual monitors when editing with FCPX. I have a macbook pro and an apple cinema display monitor. I have connected them and opened Fcpx but the option to use second monitor is not active! what do i do ? please help going bonkers!

<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5891>
You can use USB for the Apple trackpad.
<http://www.mobeetechnology.com/the-power-bar.html>

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.

Disable power and brightness buttons on Apple Cinema Displays in a lab?

We have a combination of new-model (DVI/silver) 20" Apple Cinema Displays as well as old-model (ADC/plastic) 20" Apple Cinema Displays in our computer labs. All of our computers are running Mac OS X 10.4.10.
I would like to disable the power and brightness buttons on these displays. I know I can do this manually by logging into each computer as an administrator, selecting System Preferences > Displays > Options, and checking the appropriate boxes, but obviously I'd like a leaner, meaner solution.
By the way, the option did not propogate via imaging, so it makes me think this is not a preference that's written to a .plist file somewhere. (I looked and looked and couldn't find a key in any preference file where these settings are stored...)
Does anyone know of a Unix terminal command or an Applescript command that I could send to all of my lab computers via Apple Remote Desktop to accomplish this?

We don't own these displays anymore. I ended up setting each workstation individually.

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

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.

Mac Pro - Windows 7 - Apple Cinema Display

Hi -- after years of not installing Windows on a separate drive, I finally did it. The install went failrly well, wireless devices work in Windows 7. My remaining issue is that Windows 7 doesn't seem to recognize the Apple Cinema Display (ACD) with the Mini Display Port. If I switch to a different DVI monitor, the display seems fine. However, if I go back to the ACD, the display shakes upon boot up, and the resolution, screen size in off and a generic display is seen in the Control Panel. Sometimes, it does recognize the ACD, which is weird, but never on boot up.
Is the only solution running a DVI adaptor and not using the ACD with the Mini Display Port? When I first installed the BootCamp drivers, it seemed to work, but there were a few updates afterwards, and it seems that I lost whatever had stabilized the issue.
Thanks!

There was someone complaining about using two VGA monitors on 2010 w/ ATI 5770.
There is an improved dual display support now in Windows 8. Windows 7 was always "where is my screen" on startup. The video port close to the motherboard seems to be A or primary that it looks for on startup.
I have 23" ACD (2006 unit) Mac Pro but always used GTX, no ATI card (well recently I was using Windows only and an ATI 6790 or something).
And of course you must have installed ATI (Windows own drivers are iffy or "okay" but not the best.
Apple drivers for Windows (aka "Boot Camp" 3.x or Lion's 4.01) include driver support for the ACD.
You say MDP and 4870 in profile, but I didn't think Apple's 4870 had one, and flashed PC cards always have trouble (unflashed 4870 would of course work as normal as can under Windows).
Rollback update of driver is one step. Run Driver Sweeper 3.2 and CCleaner (and clean the registry) to get the graphic driver installed and 'clean.'
Patch Tuesday can always affect a few systems and a problem but more likely a conflict with something else.
One at a time see if you can get new graphic driver to help.
Wtih the 5770 Apple tech note does mention not using adapters.
And don't allow Windows to provide gpu driver if it asks

Apple Cinema Display on PC w/Radeon 5850

I have an Apple 24" LED Cinema Display and thought it would work with the new Radeon 5850 since it has DisplayPort. I'm using a female Mini DisplayPort to male DisplayPort cable.
http://estore.circuitassembly.com/pr...ter-Cable.html
When hooked to the PC, the Apple display doesn't have a picture. If I hook up a DVI display I get the following error in Windows.
"The system has detected a link failure and cannot set the requested resolution and refresh rate on your DisplayPort display. Your display might not support the requested resolution or there may be an issue with the cable connecting the display to your computer."
The Apple display shows up in the Catalyst Control Center, I am just unable to use it without getting that error. The display itself works fine on my MBP, and I have tested the cable using the Apple Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter to hook up a DVI display to the PC's DisplayPort, and that works, so I know the cable is good and the DisplayPort connector on the card works too. XFX technical support doesn't have the Apple display to be able to test it in their lab, and ATI is on holiday break until next Tuesday. So, in the meantime I thought I'd check here and see if anyone else has tried this same setup or one similar.
I've heard from others who have connected the Apple Cinema Display using the same cable to other PC video cards with DisplayPort, and it works, so it seems like a compatibility issue with either the 5850 series or the XFX card in particular. It is a very strange issue because technically there is no reason the Apple Cinema Display shouldn't work on a DisplayPort equipped PC.

I just drove down to CA and bought one of those cables. It worked with my XFX 5870 to connect an Apple MDP to Dual-Link adapter....to get the "DP" part of Eyefinity covered. Oddly, I also found the same Femal MDP to Male DP adapter from another company called CPUSTuff. They happened to be in THE SAME BUILDING. 2 different guys came out with each of the cables. The white one from CA works...the black one from CPUStuff...DOESN'T.
The Eyefinity connection is touch and go, at best. I am able to make it work....but it drops out everytime I end a game or let monitors go to sleep.
Hope better compatability is coming...feels very "buggy"

Can I use an Apple Cinema Display as a second monitor for my iMac?

I have a new 24" intel iMac and was wondering if I could use my old 20" Apple Cinema Display (aluminum) as a dual display. What cables do I need?

Just had a good look inside my box and nothing. Maybe it's a Apple UK thing
The back of my iMac does have a Mini DVI port so I'm gonna pop down the Apple store tomorrow morning to pick one up.
Thanks for the advice, I'll let you know if I'm successful.
Message was edited by: genpro

How to connect a apple cinema display to an imac

I have a brand new 27 inch iMac. I also own a 30 inch Apple Cinema Display. What peripheral adaptor do I need to connect the display to my new iMac?

Hello,
Thunderbolt/Mini DisplayPort-> Dual Link DVi cable...
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB571Z/A/mini-displayport-to-dual-link-dvi-ada pter
A notable peculiarity of Thunderbolt is that it uses exactly the same connector as Mini Display Port, and that's not all. The Thunderbolt connector also carries Mini Display Port video signals. That means you can plug a Mini Display Port video cable/adapter in to a Thunderbolt connector and your monitor will work.
- Anonymous
http://x704.net/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=6134&p=75115&hilit=thunderbolt#p75115

Can I use a 30" Apple Cinema display with a new 27" iMac?

I have a brand new iMac(27-inch, Late 2013), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8), i7 3.5 GHz, 32MB RAM, 4GB NVIDIA. I will soon be upgrading it to Mavericks, if that makes a difference. My understanding is that the resolution on it is 2560 x 1440.
I'm looking at buying a used 30" Apple Cinema display. I'd like to use it with my new iMac. The only advantage for me would be that the 30" screen is larger and things on it easier to see (or so I'm guessing).
I need to know if the 30" Cinema display would work with my new iMac, and if it would, as I'm guessing, give me a larger, easier-to-see screen.
I currently have my new iMac connected to my old mid-2010 iMac as a target display (that old iMac has a minidisplay port--no Thunderbolt), and that works great. I just want a larger screen.
I called Apple support, and the tech rep wasn't sure it would work. He seemed to think that the 30" Cinema displays were made with different connections. Some had minidisplay ports (which he thought would work), and some a cord built into them that provided some other type of connection (that I guess would not work as far as he knew).
Can anyone tell me if this would work? Would my new iMac and its video card support the 30" Cinema display? Would the result be as sharp and good-looking as my iMac's built-in 27" display, but only bigger (which is what I'm hoping for)? Any advice is appreciated.
I don't yet know many of the specifics of the 30" Cinema display I'm considering. I know it is about 3 years old. And here is a picture of the back of it:

Yes, you should be able use the 30" Cinema Display with your new iMac without problems. You'll need a mini-DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI adapter:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB571Z/A/mini-displayport-to-dual-link-dvi-ada pter
I haven't had the 30" myself to test so I don't know if there any caveats. Perhaps someone else here will have personal experience.
Regards.

Macbook Air + 30" Apple Cinema Display + Powered USB hub

I just received my dual link DVI to mini display port adapter in the mail today, and so far it's working just fine connecting my newer generation Macbook Air to the older 30" Apple Cinema display (the Air is closed, with an Apple wireless mouse/keyboard connected via Bluetooth).
I'm wondering if anyone has any success connecting a powered USB hub to either the adapter itself or the 30" display in order to gain some USB functionality out of the Air? I have a powered 4 port D-Link hub which worked fine directly into the Air, but I can't seem to power any devices when it's hooked up to the 30" display or directly into the adapter. I can't even get devices (external powered hard drives, Mbox) to work when plugged into the screen directly (no hub).
I called AppleCare about the problem and they said they don't support USB hubs via the 30" Apple Cinema Display when connected to the Macbook Air, but if anyone has any experience with this situation or if someone could offer me advice to get USB functionality out of my MBA + 30" ACD, it would be greatly appreciated!

Welcome to the Apple community.
Unfortunately not.

Dual 20" Apple Cinema Displays brightness control

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