fixing a Powerbook G4 screen

October 7, 2005 9:31 PM

I have a Powerbook whose display doesn't work. Is it really the display or maybe just the cable, and could I fix that myself?

As my wife handed me our hand-me-down Powerbook, the screen went white and I smelled burning circuitry. I pulled the battery out.

Subsequently, using an external monitor, I can see it boots. Everything but the screen works just fine (well, and maybe the wireless, too, but I suspect that's a config issue.) The Powerbook screen lights up an unchanging very light gray. Given that the screen does light up, I wonder if maybe the screen's ok, but the internal cable is bad.

We Fix Macs, without looking inside it, said they'd fix it for $800 -- I assume their intent was to replace the whole display assembly (my wife took it in, so I wasn't there to ask.) That's more than I'm willing to put into an old machine.

So: might it be the case that the display is ok and I just need to replace the cable? Is that a part I can actually get alone? Anyone have advice on where to get the parts? I'm reasonably handy with building desktop PCs, but don't have experience repairing laptops -- am I doomed if I do it myself?

Thanks.

Stats: Powerbook G4/800 MHz; the system info says regarding the video: card:ATY,Rage M7; bus:AGP; slot: ATI. Um, that's all built-in, right, not actually a card in a slot? Yeah, I'm Mac-ignorant.

posted by Zed_Lopez to Computers & Internet (6 answers total)

Sounds like the really expensive bit is working fine. Maybe the cable is gone, but also the controller might have burnt out, which is often inseperable from the panel.

Try taking it to an Apple Store with a genius section... they should be able to diagnose properly and impartially; perhaps not for free.
posted by cogat at 11:21 PM on October 7, 2005

Not quite as helpful, but none the less; I have a g3 powerbook that I picked up on ebay, for much less than that. Pismo, I have tiger installed and it runs like a champ... Very capable; google and consider it?
posted by AllesKlar at 2:06 AM on October 8, 2005

Yeah, the graphics chip is right on the motherboard.

PB parts will sell you a video cable for $199, although as it says on the page, you'd have take the screen assembly apart, which isn't an entirely reversible process on your model. I also very much doubt it will work, since burning smells indicate fried parts rather than a damaged cable.
posted by cillit bang at 3:28 AM on October 8, 2005

Call PowerBook ResQ for a second opinion. They might be able to help.
posted by luckypozzo at 8:14 AM on October 8, 2005

Might be the inverter too.
posted by angry modem at 10:06 AM on October 8, 2005

I second the inverter. I had an inverter burn up in an LCD panel. I just threw it out.
posted by mr.dan at 9:43 AM on October 10, 2005