lebungleski

Q: Apple Cinema Display 23" - Blank Screen, "short-long-short" LED code

Hello everyone.
This sounds like something of an epidemic... My Apple Cinema 23" HD Display (bought Dec. 2007) hasn't been turning on after a power outage hit our area last week.

The Computer and Display were OFF when the outage occurred. Everything was plugged into a surge suppressor. Everything ELSE plugged in to the suppressor is fine (including my Mac CPU)... but not the monitor.
It’s not dead-dead…. It’s a blank screen but there IS a morse-code flash on the LED (short-long-short). According to Apple Support’s LED Translation, it SHOULD be something to do with the power adaptor. The adaptor IS correct… a 90 watt… but just in case I bought ANOTHER 90w adaptor brick. I plugged the monitor to the new brick. THE RESULT WAS THE SAME.

I’ve tried power cycling, I’ve tried plugging it into different outlets, I’ve tried connecting to other computers. The same LED result remains.

And, yes, of course, I’ve got no Apple Support, and from what I read in similar posts, outside-the-warranty repairs could hit around $400. I REFUSE!

For now I have a Samsung monitor from Costco. It’s not bad, but it’s not the Apple monitor with its awesome color-fidelity.

I've read some other posts with the same problem (LED blink code and all) elsewhere but haven't got a solid answer.
I wonder… has anyone else incurring this same problem (with the same LED flashing deal) tried to use a 150-WATT adaptor brick? I would try this myself, but I’m currently financially unable (and personally unwilling) to throw more cash at this problem unless I know it’ll fix it.

Mac OS X (10.5.7)

Posted on Jul 18, 2009 7:03 PM

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Q: Apple Cinema Display 23" - Blank Screen, "short-long-short" LED code

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  • by ventrj,

    ventrj ventrj Aug 25, 2010 8:56 AM in response to ventrj
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    Aug 25, 2010 8:56 AM in response to ventrj
    So i started taking apart the monitor today and when i got the side with the power button off i noticed that the cable that connects the power buttons to the display had broken off would this give the short long short light flash also ?
  • by ventrj,

    ventrj ventrj Aug 25, 2010 11:28 AM in response to ventrj
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    Aug 25, 2010 11:28 AM in response to ventrj
    Anyone know if that would make the light blink short long short ???
  • by Alexander Chai,

    Alexander Chai Alexander Chai Aug 26, 2010 11:58 PM in response to lebungleski
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 26, 2010 11:58 PM in response to lebungleski
    THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! The block pin trick works!

    We had a minor flood in the office which set off the circuit breakers. After everything was cleared we put the power back on and one of my 23" ACD just kept blinking at me. Tried swapping adaptors but no luck. Finally saw this thread and figured why not give it a try.
  • by Giographicx,

    Giographicx Giographicx Aug 29, 2010 12:48 PM in response to lebungleski
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 29, 2010 12:48 PM in response to lebungleski
    Ok, why has Apple not responded to this issue of the 23" black screen of Death Display
    They offer no answers to a fix or why the problem happen. There is enough of people on here complaining about it. I got no help what so ever at the Apple store. just told to have it sent in to have it fix, or I could buy a new display, which is not a matte srceen, which i need to do my graphics on( more true the color it will print out)
    i tried the fixes they have on here, and i can seem to get the blocking the middle pin to work. And to get a hold of a 150w to test that one is not happening. I even asked the genius guy to get a 150w to hook up my display to see if it would work. But he said he couldnt do that, it is not made for that screen. So now i have a $1000 piece of computer hardware sitting on my desk that i can't use, unless i send it to be fix, which will cost me more then $350.
    Apple should help us with this problem
  • by brks_rssll,

    brks_rssll brks_rssll Sep 2, 2010 1:12 PM in response to lebungleski
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    Sep 2, 2010 1:12 PM in response to lebungleski
    Same here. Blinking lights. First time 2 years ago under warranty. Was replaced free of charge with another unit. Now this past weekend happened again. The lazy "Genius" Judith didn't have clue. Suggested I pay 450 GBP to swap it for a whole new unit. Didn't even want to open and test it. Very frustrated. She had no clue on the trick to try the larger power supply.
    I'll try the paper trick next on my own.
    This puts a dent in my opinion of Apple. I paid over 800 EURs for this 23 inch Cinema Display just over 2 years ago. I should have to eat a 400 GBP repair.
    Thanks for all the help Apple!
  • by DrStupid,

    DrStupid DrStupid Sep 7, 2010 12:33 PM in response to Dick Lenham
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    Sep 7, 2010 12:33 PM in response to Dick Lenham
    So as of a couple of days ago I have the same issue. 23" ACD with MacPro working fine for 3.5 years. I accidentally killed the power, the MacPro booted fine, the ACD is dead with an intermittent flashing LED - I assume the pattern mentioned above, I need to check.

    It was a perfect monitor so I'm not at all inclined to replace it, I will try the pin-covering trick.

    But Apple, if you ever read this, I'm disappointed that such an expensive display should exhibit an obvious design fault.
  • by DrStupid,

    DrStupid DrStupid Sep 7, 2010 1:19 PM in response to DrStupid
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    Sep 7, 2010 1:19 PM in response to DrStupid
    The pin covering trick did the job - first attempt (with Post-It sticky part), thanks!
  • by numbers1,

    numbers1 numbers1 Sep 8, 2010 3:14 PM in response to lebungleski
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    Sep 8, 2010 3:14 PM in response to lebungleski
    Ditto here!
    I took my ACD HD 23" to the Genius Bar last week and was told that they have zero knowledge of this problem and that the forums are full of inaccurate posts!!! I supplied them with a copy of this post and still received the same response. My monitor worked perfectly fine one day and stopped working the next. A surge protector was attached. Power could of gone out but I am not 100% certain since I do not use it as my primary monitor and therefore cannot pin point the exact time that it stopped functioning but I am 100% certain that it was not touched or harmed in any manner. I DO NOT have any blinking lights though. Does anyone else have the blank screen with no power lights? The 90W brick is working normally. Genius bar did not hook it up to the 150W brick and I was to upset to remember to ask. Also, if you do not wish to fork over the $400, does anyone know of any reputable repair service providers in San Diego, CA? Shipping is not an option. I once shipped a 30" ACD in the same packing material it came in via Fed EX and ended up with a cracked screen. Also, relied on my assistant to ship and she accidentally left off the insurance. I wish APPLE would step up and take notice. I own multiple mac computers and monitors and for them to blatantly ignore this obvious product defect is shameful!!
    Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
  • by Milauskas,

    Milauskas Milauskas Sep 14, 2010 2:20 PM in response to Milauskas
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    Sep 14, 2010 2:20 PM in response to Milauskas
    Following up... blocking the middle pin worked for a few months UNTIL I had another power outage. Same thing, black screen (although on startup I saw the gray apple screen before the whole thing went black). I tried again to block the middle pin into the power supply. No luck this time. I kept re-reading all the posts and decided to try the 150w power supply. I found a refurbed one online and ordered it.

    I plugged it in and... still black. I unplugged everything from the back of my mac pro that was connected to the power supply and unplugged the power supply cable from the power strip it was attached to. As I fretted about whether I needed a new video card I rebooted the mac. To my delight, the screen popped to life! I'm back up and running. Just posting what I experienced in case anyone else runs into the same problems.
  • by kktreb,

    kktreb kktreb Sep 17, 2010 8:56 AM in response to jakobeon
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    Sep 17, 2010 8:56 AM in response to jakobeon
    THIS 100% worked - sweet - took me a few tries and found the right paper. Looking to maybe replace it with the plastic straw piece instead. Cheapest fix I have ever seen for an $800 monitor!
    Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!
  • by Milauskas,

    Milauskas Milauskas Sep 29, 2010 3:01 PM in response to Milauskas
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    Sep 29, 2010 3:01 PM in response to Milauskas
    Latest problem in this saga...

    I bought an APC Backups (1500va model) to avoid any further troubles when power outages occur. However, When I plug my Mac Pro and 23" Cinema Display into the backup unit the display remains black.

    I know I'm nowhere CLOSE to the max load (my load hardly registers on the unit) but the display stays black.

    I took the Mac Pro and display power cables from the backup and just plugged them into an old power strip and booted the Mac. This time the display worked fine.

    Does anyone have any insight? I just plunked down $200 for the backup to try to solve any future problems but it's not helping me at all. It's preventing me from doing any work.

    BTW I bought a new 150w power supply for the display after trouble with the original 90w following 2 outages. Could this be causing any problems?
  • by Mike Ebner,

    Mike Ebner Mike Ebner Oct 8, 2010 5:59 AM in response to lebungleski
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    Oct 8, 2010 5:59 AM in response to lebungleski
    I just wanted to add to this thread so that Apple sees there is a defect with their cinema displays. I run a lab where we have around 25 of the 20" cinema displays. In the last month and a half three of them died after power hits.

    I'm calling Apple Care as soon as it hits 9 EST. I'll let you know what I find out.
  • by ATLship,

    ATLship ATLship Oct 14, 2010 8:23 PM in response to lebungleski
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    Oct 14, 2010 8:23 PM in response to lebungleski
    I've had the same experience as all of you. The ground work-around solved my monitor problem for months. However, now I notice that the power plug leading from the monitor is showing signs of overheating and the plastic shield shows signs of melting.

    Has anyone experienced this? It appears that I have just postponed the inevitable, a trip to the Genius Bar.
  • by scheibenreiter,

    scheibenreiter scheibenreiter Oct 15, 2010 8:33 AM in response to ATLship
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    Oct 15, 2010 8:33 AM in response to ATLship
    ATLship, that sounds frightening! Although I'm not sure, which parts you mean. Could you post somewhere some pictures of the damages? Or send them by email? Thank you.
  • by ATLship,

    ATLship ATLship Oct 15, 2010 9:29 PM in response to scheibenreiter
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    Oct 15, 2010 9:29 PM in response to scheibenreiter
    I'm discouraged. I thought I had this beat. Apple had replaced the power block twice and now it's out of warranty. I have two of these displays and both have gone south despite being on an APC. Only the "V" solution has kept both of them operating.

    Now, the plug that leads from the power block to the monitor show signs of overheating and melting. The plastic surrounding the plug has also turned brown. I can only assume that this is a result of using the "V" paper solution.

    I may be an isolated case, but I'm sure it will be a costly one. I'd like to hear if anyone else has seen signs of this.
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