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Richhep Author

Level 1

8 points

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

515 replies

Road Hog

Level 1

20 points

Dec 27, 2009 5:56 PM in response to Richhep

I too have this issue too.

I have a mac pro early 2009 & i had a SAmsung monitor. The computer screen updates would be delayed if i ran itunes or quicktime.

So we narrowed it down to the monitor (which works fine on my 2007 mac book pro & PowerBook G4))

Desperate for a normal computing experience, I bought the 24Inch Apple Cinema Display LED.

The screen delay problems vanished BUT, every now and then for unknown reasons, my screen goes to pure black for a second and then displays normally again.

Dec 29, 2009 8:10 AM in response to Richhep

I am having the same problem. I just purchased a 27" iMac 3.06 and a 24" Cinema LCD. Approximately 2-3 times per hour, the Cinema display flashes to solid black as others have described. I am using the provided cable to connect the LCD to the iMac.

Dec 29, 2009 3:00 PM in response to ericpgreen

ericpgreen wrote:
I am having the same problem. I just purchased a 27" iMac 3.06 and a 24" Cinema LCD. Approximately 2-3 times per hour, the Cinema display flashes to solid black as others have described. I am using the provided cable to connect the LCD to the iMac.

I hope then that you don't have this problem as well!
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10813133
That would be just cruel...

There's some interesting similarities between the two issues.

Dec 30, 2009 8:23 AM in response to Richhep

You can add one more to the list. 24" Led Cinema Display, same issues, momentary blackout and horizontal flickering.

Short, not really intrusive but annoying and certainly disturbing for a display that costs as much as this one does.

I don't have great Apple service coverage where I live either so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they might release some sort of fix for this sometime soon.

I am a tad disappointed.

Dec 30, 2009 5:02 PM in response to ealex_jaid

And another to the list. Bought a LED cinema display yesterday (30/12), same issues: black screen for about a second, 2-3 times an hour. Also a horizontal shift on an irregular basis.

Talked to Apple Support and they are not aware of the problem (I'm in New Zealand). I gave them the details of this thread and they suggested that I take it back to the retailer and ask for a replacement or get them to test the monitor. The retailer can escalate to Apple Engineering.

WIll do this next week and update you'all.

Khntzor

Level 1

0 points

Jan 1, 2010 8:10 PM in response to Richhep

I have been having this same issue since getting my brand new mac system, switching from PC. I have the cinema display linked to a brand new macbook pro 3.06. Got the system in October. This started about a month later where it would flicker or black out momentarily. I originally thought it was the display when trying to troubleshoot this with Apple since it would not happen with the macbook display when both were on. Swapped out the display for a new one. It hasn't flickered since but still blacks out which now suggests like previous posts that this issue has something to do between the interaction of the two things, the macbook and the display.

Apple has yet to confirm anything with me in terms of this being a known issue. Only on this forum am I discovering that it's not just me. I'm going to be reporting this again to continue my case file with Apple. I'm also thinking it could have something to do with the video cards.

Jan 2, 2010 8:54 AM in response to Khntzor

Same blacking out-randomly-problem for me. I have two 30" cinema displays, with and without adapters, and they work fine on my mini, macbook and tower. I'm using the 23" LED with a Boolkendz docking device and a unibody macbook pro 3.06. Blacking out happens both with a direct connect to the macbook and using the bookendz unit.

Jan 2, 2010 1:11 PM in response to Richhep

I bought a brand new 27" iMAC october 28 '09. I've had horizontal static lines and screen blackouts beginning almost out of the box.
All I get from the help line is to be handed from one "service " person to the next. There seems to be a runaround to kill time on my service agreement , with constant suggestions that I take a machine, then less than three weeks old, in for service.
I wish I had read this before dropping all that money on a system they sell knowing it's faulty with NO INTENT to satisfy the paying customer.
APPLE is clearly NOT the "no problems" computer solution. The commercials LIE!

Jan 4, 2010 12:33 PM in response to Tony Welch

and another one:
MacPro (8 core, 2.26, NVIDIA GeForce GT 120) + 24'' LED cinema display both bought October 7th
after Powermac (dual 2.0, G5) + 20'' cinema display died (logic board and processors) after 6 years
of faithful continuous service.

Out of the box: horizontal shifts on an irregular basis, sometimes window scattered (even parts
repeating themselves) on the screen, blackouts (sometimes even needs replugging the Mini
DisplayPort plug to bring back).

Recorded the symptoms using an iSight camera and reported them immediately. Since then I've
refitted the graphics card, my Apple premium reseller has replaced the graphics card of the
MacPro and the logic board of the 24'' LED cinema display, all to no avail. According to the reseller
Apple diagnostic software finds nothing wrong with my configuration, Apple itself cannot
help them out, and my case is rare. Not, as this thread learns.

Since December 22nd everything is back to the reseller for repair again. Apple is not cooperating.
They refuse replacement of the display to the reseller because their `rules' do not apply to this
case. Since December 22nd I myself have been unable to get beyond voicemail at (the direct
extension they had given me of) Apple customer service.

It's been three months now, it has cost me at least 5 full days since then, and something
like 150 euro on telephone costs more than half of which spent listening to muzak.
Enough is enough.

Dino1956

Level 1

51 points

Jan 4, 2010 3:16 PM in response to Steve Morris

Steve, what did you do to fix it?

Jan 4, 2010 4:26 PM in response to Dino1956

I worked with a product specialist and it started with a replacement of the cable which I knew wouldn't help. THe next replacement was the LCD panel AND the logic board. I did find out from the Apple Store that did the replacement that there are service bulletins out on the display. Which say something like:
1. Eliminate the cable possibility.
2. Check all of the voltage points on the logic board (I don't know where of how many they check.)
3. I know they burned the display in for twenty hours.

They also had a new display power supply on hand in case it still didn't work.

It hasn't flashed since. There have been lots of suggestions on this board as to what the problem might be but this type of troubleshooting indicates to me Apple is not sure what cases it in all cases. Especially since it doesn't effect all displays. Could be heat, but the clue I was given is that the leds in the panel are wired in groups which can cause some power issues. This would match up with some of the other comments here about power supply voltages and the like.

S

Dino1956

Level 1

51 points

Jan 4, 2010 4:32 PM in response to Steve Morris

useful information. Thanks!

Jan 5, 2010 7:04 PM in response to Richhep

_+U P D A T E+_

I took the monitor in to the Apple reseller (the have engineers on site) and for the past two days they have tried to replicate the problem, to no avail. This morning I took in my MBP and they connected the two and still no problems. The engineer had a look at this discussion thread and acknowledged that there does seem to be a problem for some people. His gut feeling is that it is an environmental issue - i.e. the way I have it set up at home that may be causing the problem. Whilst the best outcome would have been for me to get a replacement monitor, I wasn't able to do that as Apple require evidence that the monitor is not working properly before they accept that it was a DOA product. Apple did say that the reseller has the discretion to replace the monitor, but when I mentioned this the engineer said that it was not as straight forward as Apple made out. So, I now have both the laptop and monitor back at home and they have been running for 45 minutes with no problems. The only thing I did differently was to plug the monitor directly into the plug and not use a double adapter. Other than that I cannot think of what other environmental factors that might interfere with the monitor.

Jan 6, 2010 6:32 AM in response to Tony Welch

I somehow doubt that it is environmental. Mine is in a clear spot, plenty of space, and I doubt that the macbook underneath generates any sort of interference that could cause such an effect, more so since I use a wired network so wi-fi is turned off.

I suspected power fluctuations at first, and I'll only be able to test that for sure once I get a multiplier to plug into my UPS so I can plug the diplay into that, BUT, as far as I've read there was at least one person that had his display on the UPS and still had the same issues.

I fail to see what other environmental factors there could possibly be.

chazbarx

Level 1

0 points

Jan 6, 2010 8:23 AM in response to Richhep

Same problem and had it with the Aluminum 23" as well... Which eventually died and Apple refused to replace.

Display flashes to solid black intermittently