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 samko,

    samko samko Apr 29, 2010 5:18 AM in response to Michael Pitogo
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    Apr 29, 2010 5:18 AM in response to Michael Pitogo
    You are right. I forgot you mentioned you had two "bricks". So by blocking the middle pin creates a "floating" ground inside the display. Something inside the display is 'short circuiting' to the ground? The middle pin carries the ground from the display to the electric outlet ground. So the trick would still work if we just block the ground of the wall plug and not covering the middle pin? I will try that tomorrow.
  • by tgibbs,

    tgibbs tgibbs Apr 29, 2010 7:25 AM in response to samko
    Level 1 (70 points)
    Apr 29, 2010 7:25 AM in response to samko
    The other curious observation is that a number of people have found that affected monitors work properly if they use a 150 watt brick instead of the 90W brick that is standard for this monitor. This suggests that the failure is in the monitor's circuitry that checks for the correct power supply. So maybe blocking the pin "fools" the damaged circuit.
  • by tgibbs,

    tgibbs tgibbs Apr 29, 2010 7:38 AM in response to tgibbs
    Level 1 (70 points)
    Apr 29, 2010 7:38 AM in response to tgibbs
    It seems likely that the monitor performs a check for the correct wattage brick only at startup, since the brick cannot be changed without a powerdown. This would explain why so many people have reported that the monitor was working fine before they powered it down, and then refused to come back up when power was reapplied. Very likely, the power-check circuitry failed sometime before, but it didn't matter as long as the montior was running.
  • by samko,

    samko samko Apr 29, 2010 11:02 PM in response to tgibbs
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 29, 2010 11:02 PM in response to tgibbs
    With the "block the middle pin" in place, and the display running fine, I unplugged the wall socket and taped over the ground. When I connected the wall plug, the display again failed to work and gave me the LED code. Then I took the mini plug out and re-block the middle pin with a thin piece of paper. The fix worked again, as expected. I doubt the middle was just the ground pin. It must also be doing something else. Anyway, I am just happy my display is working now.
  • by tgibbs,

    tgibbs tgibbs Apr 30, 2010 8:04 AM in response to samko
    Level 1 (70 points)
    Apr 30, 2010 8:04 AM in response to samko
    The third pin on the wall plug is not the only ground. I don't know of any device that requries this pin to be connected to operate. It is a safety feature, intended to protect the user against shorts. One of the other two pins (the wide one, if correctly wired) is a "neutral" pin that is a kind of ground, although it is not guaranteed to be at true ground potential. If you blocked all ground, no current would flow, and the device would not operate.
  • by jaggermuse,

    jaggermuse jaggermuse May 4, 2010 9:08 AM in response to tgibbs
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    May 4, 2010 9:08 AM in response to tgibbs
    Another success with the piece of paper method. I am ordering the 150 watt adapter just in case. The paper method is a little tricky, but with enough tinkering I was able to block the middle pin. Thanks to jakobeon.
  • by wxperson,

    wxperson wxperson May 10, 2010 8:19 AM in response to jaggermuse
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 10, 2010 8:19 AM in response to jaggermuse
    Hi...

    Does anyone have a picture of this paper trick? I am not quite getting it yet.

    Thanks,

    George
  • by tgibbs,

    tgibbs tgibbs May 10, 2010 8:31 AM in response to wxperson
    Level 1 (70 points)
    May 10, 2010 8:31 AM in response to wxperson
    It took me a while to figure out also. I don't have a picture, but perhaps some additional description would help.

    You are going to cut a thin strip of paper around 1-2 mm wide and maybe 3-4 cm long. fold it in half. Poke it down into the center of the plug (on the cable from the monitor) as far is it will go. The idea is to block only the middle contacts. Take the "excess" that sticks out and fold it down around the outside of the plug (this creates the "W" that people speak of; the middle of the W is the part that pokes down into the plug, and the sides are the parts that you've folded down around the outside of the plug). You will hold the ends of the strip that you've folded down around the outside to keep it in position as you plug it into the power brick. It took me about three tries to get it right.
  • by wxperson,

    wxperson wxperson May 10, 2010 8:35 AM in response to tgibbs
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 10, 2010 8:35 AM in response to tgibbs
    Thanks.. I will see if I can figure it out.

    Does anyone know exactly what this is doing (or defeating)?

    George
  • by Milauskas,

    Milauskas Milauskas May 13, 2010 7:57 AM in response to matimac
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 13, 2010 7:57 AM in response to matimac
    I was desperate to find a solution after a power outage caused my monitor to go black. This discussion SAVED me, especially the youTube video that explains it all. I was trying this fix but I was using the wrong plug. I thought at first it was the BIG 3-pronged plug that goes into the power adapter--but it was the other small one. It worked on the first try after I watched the video. Thanks EVERYONE!
  • by Logicwaxx,

    Logicwaxx Logicwaxx May 17, 2010 6:20 PM in response to lebungleski
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 17, 2010 6:20 PM in response to lebungleski
    WOW! Whoever thought of that idea to block the middle pin is a genius. How did you arrive to that solution? What exactly is being defeated when you do that?


    The electric company came last morning to shut the power off for 20 seconds because they were "working on the meters." I turned off all my computer equipment, although I didn't bother shutting off the powerstrip and the ACD shuts off anyway. When the power came back on, everything worked as normal. Except the Apple Cinema Display! I too thought it was fried until I noticed the short-long-short LED blinking and went to look it up. I found this discussion thread and tried blocking the middle pin with two extremely thin slices of electrical tape. Worked like a charm! However, I'd like to know what exactly this is doing and why it works.

    Anyway, saved me from spending $400 for apple to fix it! Amazing! Once again thank you to whomever thought of this.
  • by doctordorian,

    doctordorian doctordorian May 20, 2010 7:21 AM in response to jakobeon
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    May 20, 2010 7:21 AM in response to jakobeon
    Jakobeon, thanks!
    I work in a firm where EVERYBODY has a 20" Cinema Display. We've had this problem twice already. We're on our way to move to a newer building and I believe half of the displays will show this problem when plugged on at the new location. So, thanks! You saved our money now and I believe we'll save money in the future.
  • by chriskuhlmann,

    chriskuhlmann chriskuhlmann May 20, 2010 10:00 PM in response to lebungleski
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 20, 2010 10:00 PM in response to lebungleski
    I had the same issue with my 20" Cinema display and I futzed around with shaving little pieces of plastic like the linked youtube video, but I couldn't quite get it. But a small sliver of paper folded into a "c"shape worked perfectly! Sweet fix!

    Still a bit worried about usong this solution for the long run. Has anyone had an issues with it? How long have people gone with the paper covering the grounding pin?
  • by hutchfilms,

    hutchfilms hutchfilms Jun 6, 2010 6:33 AM in response to lebungleski
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 6, 2010 6:33 AM in response to lebungleski
    The paper trick worked. Pure genius.
    I also suffered this problem when I switched the power off at the source for a moment. This clearly is a fault with the display. But I was dreading explaining this to apple.
    These discussions are a god send. Thanks.
  • by Dick Lenham,

    Dick Lenham Dick Lenham Jun 7, 2010 12:39 PM in response to lebungleski
    Level 1 (86 points)
    Jun 7, 2010 12:39 PM in response to lebungleski
    After a recent power outage my Cinema Display (23-inch DVI Late 2005) was giving the short-long-short LED signal. After reading a lot of the posts here and given Apple's assurance that the 150W power brick was suitable for my display I purchased one from SunsetMac in LA. It arrived this afternoon and my display is again operational!
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