gadget_aussie_man

Q: Thunderbolt Display turns off randomly

I have a new Mac Mini 2011 i7 Quad CPU version.  I have a Thunderbolt 27 inch display.  I have found that the display randomly turns off and won't turn on when I use the keyboard or mouse.  This occurs when I am doing stuff on the machine, it is not a display sleep issue.  The first couple of times I had to use Remote Desktop to reboot the Mac Mini to fix the issue.  The last time it happened I removed the Thunderbolt plug from the Mac Mini and reinstalled it and this fixed the issue.  I have the latest software updates on the Mac Mini and the Thunderbolt Firmware update on the Display.

 

I am running Lion 10.7.1

Posted on Sep 21, 2011 9:35 PM

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Q: Thunderbolt Display turns off randomly

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  • by BSammon,

    BSammon BSammon Mar 9, 2013 9:18 AM in response to gadget_aussie_man
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    Mar 9, 2013 9:18 AM in response to gadget_aussie_man

    I'm on day 15, 2 hourse, 51 minutes without a problem, a flicker or an issue of any kind. OWC was great about taking back the memory. The modules I have in now (Crucial) have been flawless. It doesn't have to be Apple memory but you might have to search around a while to find something that works.

  • by Bake324,

    Bake324 Bake324 Mar 9, 2013 9:48 AM in response to BSammon
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 9, 2013 9:48 AM in response to BSammon

    Bought my Mac Mini from the Mac experience in Greenwood Indiana; Great guys to work with. They have been racking their brains trying to figure this out. They are an authorized  Apple dealer with certified Apple techs. They have also been in contact with Apple. In the thunderbolt display they have replaced the logic board and the power supply. In the Mac Mini they replaced the logic board. They can get the same results by hooking up a generic display to the Mac Mini. So now the 16 GB of OWC memory looks suspect. Just got off the phone with OWC and they will be sending me more memory, should be here by Tuesday or Wednesday. Will post when tested with new memory.

  • by wheetabix,

    wheetabix wheetabix Mar 9, 2013 10:04 AM in response to Bake324
    Level 1 (20 points)
    Mar 9, 2013 10:04 AM in response to Bake324

    While it's great that people are so dedictated to solving this problem, it's pretty clear that something is very wrong with the hardware. A display should not be affected by the brand of RAM, period. "Bad" RAM should cause lock-ups, crashes, and so on, but not display flickering. Apple has to fix this. Anyone else spending their time trying should be sending Apple the bill! ;-)

  • by BarrettF77,

    BarrettF77 BarrettF77 Mar 9, 2013 10:29 AM in response to wheetabix
    Level 1 (45 points)
    Mar 9, 2013 10:29 AM in response to wheetabix

    Apple isn't the same responsive company they once were.  Sorry to say.  If you are having issues, don't expect any meaningful help from them. 

  • by BSammon,

    BSammon BSammon Mar 9, 2013 11:12 AM in response to gadget_aussie_man
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 9, 2013 11:12 AM in response to gadget_aussie_man

    I need to stress tha the OWC memory tested fine, I also need to note that I had two sets of the 16GB modules and one set of the 8GB modules. All failed. The 16GB modules form Crucial have been fine. THe memory isn't bad, but there is more likely a timing issue. Lots of bits being shuffled down that TBD pipe. My guess is that it wouldn't take much to trash that signal if there was a slight issue with when the data got there. The 4GB and 16GB sets from Apple are just fine. So to me the question is this: "Is anoyone out there having this problem with genuine Apple product?"

  • by ninjay,

    ninjay ninjay Mar 9, 2013 11:18 AM in response to BSammon
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 9, 2013 11:18 AM in response to BSammon

    I'm not sure, but I think I have read some where that there are problems with MacBook Air and MacBook Pro users who connect to TBD also.

  • by bigzig,

    bigzig bigzig Mar 20, 2013 2:05 PM in response to gadget_aussie_man
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 20, 2013 2:05 PM in response to gadget_aussie_man

    After working relatively well for about a year, I'm also experiencing similar issues with my Thunderbolt Display (connected to a 13" Retina Macbook Pro). If I unplug it, wait ten seconds, and plug it back in it will come on for about 5 minutes then go dark. All of the peripherals connected and built into it work fine and it shows up in the System Preferences.

     

    The warranty just expired on it, so I fear that I'm now staring at a $1,000 paperweight. I'm going to try and take it into an Apple Store this week to see if there's anything that can be done.

     

    Has anyone had any experience repairing this problem out of pocket?

  • by graystate,

    graystate graystate Mar 20, 2013 2:25 PM in response to gadget_aussie_man
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Mar 20, 2013 2:25 PM in response to gadget_aussie_man

    @bigzig

     

    This is exactly what happened to me. 3 weeks after the warranty ran out the screen started going black. The only way I can keep it on for a usuable length of time is to turn the brightness down just under half. Which is certainly not ideal. It also gets worse in hotter temperatures, only staying on for 10 seconds, which I can't comprehend.

     

    I took mine to Apple last week. They said the actual LED display was faulty and would have to be replaced. They quoted me $1,250 to repair it. It costs $1,199 for a new one. Go figure.

     

    I'd be interested to see what they say about yours.

  • by Puma-IT,

    Puma-IT Puma-IT Mar 20, 2013 4:11 PM in response to Puma-IT
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 20, 2013 4:11 PM in response to Puma-IT

    Well, almost three months later, the same issue happened again and again. Awfull experience with the Thunderbolt Display connected to the MacBookPro Retina display 15'' (closed), both bought in December 2012. Perfect configuration, if it could work properly!! It is really a shame...

     

    And Apple Support send me back again to a service provider (there is no Apple Store in Ireland...). After what I have read, I would prefer to get my money back, or exchange to anything else, instead of having to take a huge risk to have problems after the waranty expires (the simple exchange won't be enough), like other users have detailed here.

     

    And guys, having these issues, you are paying the extra cost of an Apple Care on top of that?
    no, really, I would prefer to wait for the Thunderbolt technology to be stabilised. The MBP Retina Display is brilliant and powerful, I hope that the repair service won't keep it too long.

     

    So really, DO NOT buy, at least until a new version of the display is released!!

     

    Finally, what would you recommend to do if the Apple service provider cannot find anything? Or even if they change some parts? Anyway to get Apple taking back the display againt a kind of voucher?

     

    Thanks, cheers!

  • by ajpegg,

    ajpegg ajpegg Mar 21, 2013 12:04 AM in response to gadget_aussie_man
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 21, 2013 12:04 AM in response to gadget_aussie_man

    My TBD is still in warranty and works fine. But thanks to these reports I'm going to buy the extended warranty through AppleCare, which is £69. I don't usually buy these but this seems like it might be money well spent.

  • by ProJay,

    ProJay ProJay Mar 21, 2013 3:18 AM in response to gadget_aussie_man
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 21, 2013 3:18 AM in response to gadget_aussie_man

    I dont think there is anything wrong with TBD. Ive been connecting dual TBDs with Mini 2011 (AMD graphic) 16GB ram with no problems, but connecting these same TBDs to Mini 2012 (intel HD graphic 4000) both TBDs turns off randomly (updated to latest OSX 10.8.3). Although if I switch to 4GB ram from Apple, everything run smooth.

  • by Puma-IT,

    Puma-IT Puma-IT Mar 21, 2013 3:18 AM in response to ajpegg
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 21, 2013 3:18 AM in response to ajpegg

    Thanks ajpegg. What is your config by the way?

    And Apple Care, inst'it like theft: paying Apple until the fix and setup properly this new Thunderbolt Intel technology?? That's a disgrace from Apple!

  • by Puma-IT,

    Puma-IT Puma-IT Mar 21, 2013 3:24 AM in response to graystate
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 21, 2013 3:24 AM in response to graystate

    Hi graystate,
    It looks like Apple does not like all we say here... maybe we should have another safer place to continue the discussion!! So guys, plesae, subscribe to email notifications, so you will have the deleted message :

     

     

    graystate wrote:

     

    Do you think we should start a pe-tit-ion to get apple to do a re-call?


    I think so. Maybe there is other form of pres-sure that we can put on APPL. What does the community think?

  • by ajpegg,

    ajpegg ajpegg Mar 21, 2013 3:39 AM in response to gadget_aussie_man
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 21, 2013 3:39 AM in response to gadget_aussie_man

    Puma-IT wanted my configuration...

     

    All purchased in Feb 2013, UK

    MBA 8Gb Ram, 512Gb SSD

    Thunderbolt Display

    Wired keyboard

    Bluetooth trackpad

     

    Apart from having to plug the keyboard into the MBA USB instead of the hub in order to wake it up after sleep it all seems fine at the moment

  • by BSammon,

    BSammon BSammon Mar 21, 2013 4:27 AM in response to gadget_aussie_man
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 21, 2013 4:27 AM in response to gadget_aussie_man

    @ ProJay - That has been my point all along. There seems to be a timing issue with non-Apple memory in the 2012 Mini. To reinforce my previous posts, mine is running fine now that I have Crucial memory instead of the OWC I started with. The mini never gave me a problem with the 4GB or 16GB modules from Apple. One other brand (I have since forgotten) ran fine but it wasn't rated at the same speed as the Apple or the Crucial. The TBD doesn't seem to be the issue. Merrory does.

     

    Your mileage may vary.

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