Richhep

Q: Display flashes to solid black intermittently

I originally posted this in the wrong category for the MacBook Pro instead of the Monitor catagory. I am wondering if anyone else has the same problem. I posted the following last night.

*Still an unknown issue with Apple Tech Support*? After 2 calls to product specialists and apparently an undocumented issue by any customers contacting tech support this seems to be a widespread worldwide issue. In one form or another with no answer after several months of the computer release displays are blinking, flickering and flashing to name a few descriptions of this problem. Mine flashes solid black for a fraction of a second and comes right back on. I have had this issue in the power saving mode as well as the better performance mode so that kills that theory. To this point there has been no pattern that I have been able to detect. I can go for weeks without a blink and all of a sudden get 2 in 5 minutes. Usually I am pretty good at troubleshooting but this problem has no pattern and is so intermittent I think it's going to be a tough one and I truly believe Apple has no clue as of yet so they are not addressing it publicly or to individuals calling in with the problem. I purchased my computer November 29th. I used it for over a month without ever seeing the issue. When the new monitor came out I still did not experience any issues with either display in the area of blinking, flickering or flashing. There is a video on Youtube that I have located showing the exact same issue as mine. Though the person on Youtube has a non-apple display and mine is the new 24" Apple display and it is the exact same issue this rules out the problem being the external display. Well, I can check that off as well. This is the link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-dQIgfIFsI Does anyone else have the exact same issue as mine? I am thinking maybe it is something in the 10.5.6 update. Who Knows?

*BTW this problem is not at all heat related.* It can happen during heavy use or very light use at low temps. I have purchased many newly released Apple Computers over the years and have actually had great luck with them. I hope this is not my first lemon.

MacBook Pro (late 2008) 2.53GHz, Mac OS X (10.5.6), Apple LED Cinema Display (24" flat panel)

Posted on Feb 10, 2009 11:35 PM

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Q: Display flashes to solid black intermittently

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  • by Sanjac,

    Sanjac Sanjac Apr 15, 2012 2:21 PM in response to davidb367
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    Apr 15, 2012 2:21 PM in response to davidb367

    Davidb367,

     

    (Edited - saw the small print showing who you were replying to)

     

    USB connection is fine - my printer always recycles when it loses the USB connection - even for a microsecond.  Also one of the other monitors has a USB connection as part of the Mini-Display port adapter connection.  If the power suppoly is failing, I would think I'd see more than just a split-second black screen on only one of three monitors.  Plus, the Mac Pro has a pretty heavy duty power supply to begin with.  But I'll keep an eye on it just in case.  Thanks for the response.

     

    r/Jim

  • by kaydee5,

    kaydee5 kaydee5 Apr 15, 2012 4:04 PM in response to Sanjac
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 15, 2012 4:04 PM in response to Sanjac

    FIXED IT!!

     

    Okay, I installed the firmware with a newer mac book pro, didnt work, no blackouts but monitor got hot and I had intermittent  horiz. shifts on the monitor.

     

    Then I connected the power to my heavy-duty full-time surge protector ( mine's an APC) , and NO MORE PROBLEMS. Makes sense, many of these posts suggest a power issue.

  • by Sanjac,

    Sanjac Sanjac Apr 15, 2012 5:10 PM in response to kaydee5
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 15, 2012 5:10 PM in response to kaydee5

    Congratulations!  Unfortunately, this won't work for mine - I'm already on a heavy duty UPS - a PowerChute 1500.  No indications of UPS issues according to the UPS display.  I'm not even using 40% of the UPS capacity.

     

    r/Jim

  • by andrew_smith,

    andrew_smith andrew_smith Apr 19, 2012 2:10 AM in response to kaydee5
    Level 1 (0 points)
    iTunes
    Apr 19, 2012 2:10 AM in response to kaydee5

    A lot of people are experiencing this problem after moving to Lion. The firmware update has not helped me and [some] others - perhaps those with slightly older displays? (My two are 24-inch, Late 2008).

     

    This has happened before with a previous system software update but was resolved by a subsequent firmware update -  not this time though. I will keep coming back to this thread just in case someone produces some kind of workaround (otherwise it's unplugging/plugging display every time it starts happening).

     

    I hope Apple address this issue for my existing displays; we have since bought displays for another mac in the office - but not Apple  - don't think we will buy Apple displays again.

  • by Charles Slivkoff,

    Charles Slivkoff Charles Slivkoff Apr 27, 2012 9:09 AM in response to andrew_smith
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Apr 27, 2012 9:09 AM in response to andrew_smith

    Based on the behavior and my experience with custom video mode lines under Linux, the thresholds of the display timing circuts are being exceeded. This might be caused by deteriorating components (ie, capacitors falling out of specification).  The behavior seems to be affected by heat as well as screen content.

     

    You might try using SwitchResX and check the specifications being loaded by the OS. The monitor *should* be returing valid values for its frequence range. If these do not match, you can update the values here.

     

    I was able to do this with a Dell 2001FP display that started flashing to black. When I checked, the 'Display Info' screen did *not* match those of the Dell documentation for this display. I changed these and I haven't had a flash-to-black yet.

     

    The display has the means to make these values available to the OS.

     

    ATTENTION APPLE:

    Is there a way to do this without paying for a 3rd party solution?

  • by Sanjac,

    Sanjac Sanjac Apr 27, 2012 10:18 AM in response to Sanjac
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 27, 2012 10:18 AM in response to Sanjac

    Interesting Update:  I did nothing - no upgrades, no tweaks of the monitor or system, absloutely nothing - and after two days of intermittent flashing black, it hasn't done it since - I waited ten days before reporting this to be sure it didn't happen again - and it hasn't.  Not sure what caused it and what fixed it - it wasn't a firmware or software update, nor a settings change.

     

    Jim

  • by sunfish59,

    sunfish59 sunfish59 Apr 28, 2012 2:46 PM in response to luuuke
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 28, 2012 2:46 PM in response to luuuke

    i have the same issue and setup as you , i'd appreciate if you let me know if you found a solution

  • by williamfromandover,

    williamfromandover williamfromandover Apr 29, 2012 10:26 AM in response to Charles Slivkoff
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 29, 2012 10:26 AM in response to Charles Slivkoff

    Dammit, mine started flashing again!  Charles S., were you (or anyone else here) successful at using that SwitchResX software to fix the flashing on the Apple monitor in question here?  I can't find the doc on my Apple Cinema 24", so don't know what to look for. 

     

    Bill

  • by lozbou,

    lozbou lozbou May 13, 2012 4:53 AM in response to Sanjac
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 13, 2012 4:53 AM in response to Sanjac

    just updated mine with an apple update and is now ok

  • by lozbou,

    lozbou lozbou May 13, 2012 4:56 AM in response to lozbou
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 13, 2012 4:56 AM in response to lozbou

    sorry forgot to post link    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4045 hope this helps everyone

  • by andrew_smith,

    andrew_smith andrew_smith May 14, 2012 2:11 AM in response to lozbou
    Level 1 (0 points)
    iTunes
    May 14, 2012 2:11 AM in response to lozbou

    Unfortunately, that's the same update that's posted periodically in this thread - it seems to work for some but not for others.

  • by Sanjac,

    Sanjac Sanjac May 14, 2012 2:16 PM in response to lozbou
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 14, 2012 2:16 PM in response to lozbou

    Lozbou,

     

    I'm not willing to risk the update - mine still has not returned to the black screen, so I'm "letting sleeping dogs lie."  thanks for the link, though.  If I start having issues again, I'll use it.

     

    r/Jim

  • by Pindaro.info,

    Pindaro.info Pindaro.info May 14, 2012 2:46 PM in response to kaydee5
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 14, 2012 2:46 PM in response to kaydee5

    Same here.

     

    In my case seems that power faults where messing with the graphics card in the computer.

     

    Plugged a dedicated UPS only to the MacPro CPU and have been problem free for about a month.

     

    All these after 6 month of changing monitors, installing updates and firmwares, buying extra graphic cards, changing boards of the monitors and every trick to surface the web about this issue.

     

    Apple should read this threads.

  • by Charles Slivkoff,

    Charles Slivkoff Charles Slivkoff May 18, 2012 8:07 AM in response to williamfromandover
    Level 1 (5 points)
    May 18, 2012 8:07 AM in response to williamfromandover

    I don't have an actual Apple display, but by using SwitchResX, I was able to set the refresh rate to 55Hz (instead of 60Hz) and I haven't had a problem since on my Dell display. I'm using a Mini DisplayPort -> DVI adapter cable from monoprice.com.

     

    SwitchResX_screenshot.png

  • by rebecca5421,

    rebecca5421 rebecca5421 May 19, 2012 7:22 AM in response to Richhep
    Level 1 (4 points)
    May 19, 2012 7:22 AM in response to Richhep

    My macbook pro, purchased in January 2012 has been at the local Apple store for 6 days along with my 24" LED cinema dispaly where they are trying to replicate the issues you describe. The black screen, flickering, and "quilting" or segmenting of windows has occured with 3 macbook pros that I own, all purchased between April 2011 and Jan, 2012. The case has been sent to their engineers and I will update a post when/if they can figure this out. I'm just glad that they're finally taking this seriously. I have over 40 hours of time in either the store or on the phone with Apple Care.

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