Display flashes to solid black intermittently

OK, it's been a while since I posted. Like some of the others in this forum I have been working with a product specialist on this problem since September. Like some of the others there seems to be a specific path being taken to try to solve the problem. I've been told for a while now that different solutions work for different monitors, which any tech will tell you makes troubleshooting or worse yet finding a solution that works for everyone difficult.

The path has gone like this, first verifying that there is a problem (mainly taking customer word) and sending a computer dump to Apple (they send you an application) and it runs the reports and lets you send the file back to Apple.

Once engineering is satisfied it's not software or something else not monitor, they schedule the first repair. The first replacement for my display was the combination interface cable. When the monitor came back it took only a few hours for the flash to black to return.

The second repair is to replace the LED panel and the logic board together in one service trip. The theory here is that the backlighting is "grouped" and a group could have a high draw or in other ways cause the display to black out for a second.

As for the logic board replacement, I don't know maybe because it has worked for others? Anyway after the replacement, there are specific repair instructions describing what to check and adjust the voltages in the monitor. (The product specialist had also ordered the power supply just in case but that was not replaced.) They also burned in the monitor apparently at full brightness for 20 hours before calling me to pick it up.

So it's back in place now and after 2+ hours no flashes but that doesn't mean anything yet. We'll get the full test this weekend when I do the most work on it.

Steve

Hello,

Have the same problems here. Just want to share my experience:
I tested my Cinema display with three different Macbook Pro - a 13" 2009 model, a 15" 2009 model and a 15" 2008 model.
I have the problem with short vertical shifts and sometimes with a short black screen. This occurs on all three models with the 9400M graphics.
If i enable the 9600M chip (only on both 15" models) i see no problem.

Analyzing this problem seems not so easy to me.
Interesting fact too: Youtube videos are much more instable (Firefox crashes) with the 9400M - no crashes with the 9600M.

Hmmm...

Cheers,
chs

Hey,

Well I have the same issue - but a slightly different scenario as I'm actually using my 24" cinema display with an ASUS notebook. I've been using this setup for 16months now and the monitor has been perfect. Not 1 issue.

However, just this morning I started to get the 'blink'.

I thought it might have been loose connections/cables, but they were all ok. Having browsed the web and obviously this thread, I see it's a commonly recurring issue.

One thing I noticed is that it only happens when I have a browser (running Firefox) open. If I view the desktop, it's fine. If I view a browser, it starts to blink. If I view something like a You Tube video - the blinking becomes a lot worse. In between blinks I also get a few horizontal interference lines.

Macca

Two brand new systems (MBP Uni 2.8G 10.6.2 "low" video mode, ACD 24"). Both fail. Same story.

However, one of the displays experiences video "glitches" in addition to black screens. The image will shift rapidly back and forth horizontally 10 or so pixels for a moment. Or the image will "tear" along the bottom quarter of the screen for just a second. The problems only seem to happen after a warmup period after coming out of an overnight sleep. Anyone else notice these non-blackout glitches?

Hi,
I had the same flashing to black with my 30" Cinema Display for quite some time. Now it's dead. 😟
After 18 months! Expensive desaster. Today I received the quote for the repair :1648.19 Euro. That is almost the price for a new display here in Germany. My dealer filed an request for goodwill, because 18 months is not the life cycle of a display. I expect more of a cinema display. Forget it!
I am upset about the 'quality' of my Apple display (and btw: the Apple service).
Sorry to say that.
M

"DeadDisplay" - yeh mine's only 16months old. 😟 Shocking they should fail, let alone this quickly. I'm also out of warranty. Typical! I'm hoping Apple will replace it anyway seeing how new the product still is - and especially the price you pay for it.

What was the 1648 Euro quote for? Did they say what the problem was and what the fix would be?

Macca

I received my MBP 15" 3.06 Mid 2009 today. set it up and I am experiencing this display flashing to black intermittently. I have tried both Display settings i.e. performance and power saving modesbut am still getting flashing.

Macca,
It seems that I am not the first person receiving such a quote in Germany. It is for installing a new panel. In fact it is a new display on my old stand and I can keep the AC power adaptor. These seem to be 149 Euros worth. Ridiculous!
The quote says only 'repair on warranty or goodwill rejected'. That's it. I will try contact Apple directly, because this is not the way you treat customers. (10 years of Macs: iBook G3, G3, G4, PB G4 Titanium, MBP15)
Perfect computers - bad displays 🙂
Marcus

My monitor has stopped flashing. Instead of plugging the usb cable into a hub,I plugged it directly into the back of the computer, and that solved my problem.

Perhaps this will help others...

Michael

Well I am having exactly the same problem and I am going to be quite honest I will be livid with apple if I have to ship off my display. I am running a 24 in 2008 intel imac. In August of this year I called the nearest Apple store to find out if the 24 inch Cinema display would work with my Imac and was assured that it would work fine. So after a 6 hour round trip and 900 bucks I return home to find out that the cables will not fit my Imac. I call the store and she says I need an adapter. So I order the adapter and a week later I find that this adapter does not fit either. I looked online and found that many other users were having the same problem and the display was actually not supposed to be compatible. So I called customer service yet again and end up in a 20 min argument with an agent she continued to persist that I needed an adapter so I finally just went ahead and ordered it. Of course it arrives and is also not fixing the situation. I get on the phone with the store manager in dallas and she apologizes and confirms that the 24 in display will not work with my imac. As a consolation she offers to exchange it at no cost for the 30 HD Display with a guarantee that if I was unsatisfied I could return it at full retail price . Of course I was thrilled so the next day I make another 6 hour trip to Dallas, make the exchange and return home to find that the two screens will not have matching resolutions because my imac cannot support the graphics that the 30 Inch offers. Outraged I make another 6 hour round trip to return the display at retail cost which should have been a good $1800 but the manager insisted that she could only give me a discounted refund, apparently completely forgetting the promise for a return at full price. I returned the monitor anyway. I get home from Dallas and read that Atlona is making an adapter that will allow the 24 in LED to work with my imac so I ordered a refurb from the Apple store and waited for the release of the adapter. After a month of staring at the beautiful blank monitor my adapter arrives at the end of October and the display has been having this same blinking problem from the day that I plugged it in. All the time, at least once a minute it flashes off for a few seconds at random then springs back to life. What do I do? I dont want to end up with a broken monitor but I am seriously so sick of dealing with apple customer support I could scream! Help!

OK i promised to get back as I used the twice repaired monitor see message this is a reply to).

I've had it back 9 days since the second repair trip, and no flashes to black. I'm waiting for the 2 week mark then I'll close the ticket with Apple.

Steve

same here, had my 24" for less than a week, has happend a few times now, will call support on monday 😟

will they reimburse my time for this? i didnt buy the product to spend hours looking round for the solution/finding out lots of others have problems.

not being hard faced just realist.

Guys,

Just to contribute to the overall story, got same issue as described in above's posts.
My conf is the latest MBP 2,66 with the dual video chips & 24" Led display. (running low mode)

Got AppleCare on the phone, no clue for the representatives but did perform the basics checks successfully, check electrical plug ( we never knows), Zap PR, reconstruct the interface list, etc...

Nothing related.

__The patterns :__
- Issue happens both in extended display or mirroring. (MBP screen's fine)
- The black flashes seems to happen more often when watching video or similar activities.
- When black flashs occurs the sound from the LED display is undisturbed and works fine.
(could eventually conclude that there is nothing to do then with the USB attachment)

Difficult to draw a line fron this, but does seems to me a very low probability to be related to an hw issue.

Guys, our only hope bringing visibility to this, calling applecare for them to log the issue and moreover providing accurate & best feedback to apple engineers for increasing chance they can identify & solve the issue.

Somehow disappointed as a customer, this monitor is really more expensive comparing than what's on the market.

Hoping my warranty does not expire before the fix...

cheers,
Eric

Have you looked at the discussions about the new 27" imac? 83 pages of basically the same problem we are having with our 24" LED displays. This is a huge problem. I know Apple must be working very hard to figure out what is going on. I'm not a very computer savvy person, but I do believe the problem is software or firmware connected. My monitor will stop the flashing to black if I unplug and then reconnect the mini-display port connector once or twice. It seems to "reset" something. Both displays on the Macbook and the LED Cinema Display will go to blue screen, and the LED display will sort of flash on and off a couple of times and then it is good for the rest of the day...with no flashing. Sometimes I have to go through this procedure a couple of times, first thing in the morning, before the monitor settles down for the day. Once it stops flashing...it stays that way all day.

update, called apple support, they confirmed its broken and I have to send it back, monitor less for a few days, or buy another and they will credit the card hopefully in 30 days.

not best pleased tbh, does the 30" have the same problems ?