iMac 2011 27inch i7 screen flicker dark left side

I would have sent you mine for sure, KAOS ... for sure!

It's only about 50 euros shipping each way for an imac box (I think you can find it even cheaper if you know what you're doing with postage), and like you say 100 euros would be a great price for you and the person with the broken screen.

the only reason I didn't in my case, was I stumbled on to a replacement screen at a low price so I did that

Sonds like a great idea to me

I would happily shell out £100 to get my screen fixed by Kaos2K, I just can't have my machine away from me for that long unfortunatley. If you was closer I would have done it already. 🙂

Enejus,

Can you please post how you managed to access the connector from the front of the screen? I have the same problem and need to solder it back in place. It's much too difficult to do from the back, but looking at your pictures, it should be a breeze. I'd email you, as you requested, but I can't find your contact information.

Please help, any information you post will help a bunch of people!

Ok, so I tore down my screen and got to where Enejus got. If you feel up to it, here is how to actually get to the circuit board and resolder the connection.

1. Open up your iMac and take out the LCD assembly. (I am sure you can find a guide for this step.

2. Locate the faulty connector, on the rear of the screen, bottom left side. The white connector will probably pull out like mine did.

3. Swear because there is no way you can solder it back in place and the jamming it in place idea is probably not a good long term solution. Here is how you get the clearance required.

You need to get to the other side of the connector like Enejus did.

1. Start by tearing away at the metal tape all around. Do this carefully as there are sometimes multiple layers of it and you might tear a connector.

2. You want to remove the outer mounting brackets. They are held in place with 8 torx screws and glue. Once the screws are out, you'll have to carefully pry the brackets off, make sure you aren'y using any sensitive part of the screen as a leverage point.

(note the screw hidden behind that metalized foam)

3. Take off the metal cover over the lcd logic board (top). (4 phillips screws)

Be careful as a bunch of really really small wires will now be exposed.

4. The outer metal trim will now be freed. However, you'll have a heck of a time prying it off. Raise the screen by supporting it on the LCD. Use some large books to distribute the load...we don't want to crack anything.

5. Pry off the metal trim by inserting flat head screw drivers at the dimple points. I found it easier to start at the top of the screen.

6. Ok, now watch out. There is nothing holding the LCD panel in place now...if you move the screen, half of it will come with you, and the LCD panel will stay there. We now need to take apart the light guide, it's held in place by that black trim. I believe there are a few screws holding it in on one side, and tape on the other. Start by removing these screws and the tape.

7. We can't simply pry off the black trim, as it holds a whole bunch of defusers, the light guide and reflectors, and, sadly, the connectors from the LCD driver to the LCD screen go over it.

I tried to remove the circuit boards, but they appear to be glued in place. Luckily, we can "unroll the connectors". See next post.

8. Move the entire assembly over to a large work surface, cover it with something soft. Lay it down LCD side first. REMEMBER, NOTHING IS HOLDING THE LCD ON, YOU NEED TO HOLD IT AS YOU MOVE THE SCREEN.

Pry loose the black trim on the bottom of the screen.

9. Making sure the black bezel is now detached, grab the bottom of the screen and lift it, the LCD should stay on the soft surface. Do this slowly, taking care to not damage the plastic ribbons at the top. You should eventually be able to "unfold the screen"

10. Now, remove the black bezel, taking care to put it on the LCD. Stack the white plastic sheets back into the bezel in order:

(picture mid-way)

11. Grab a beer superstar, you now have easy access to the backlights and the connector:

Dont bother trying to remove the LCD circuit board. I tried. It's glued on and, even if you get it loose, it doesn't seem to want to come out.

Now, to find a really thing soldering iron and reinstall that connector properly and secure it in place with super glue.

Ok, I tried a it more, and you can, carefully, pry out the LED bar. Then, soldering the connector back on is pretty much a piece of cake, even with the huge soldering iron I had.

1. Clean off the pads and the connector with some sand paper.

2. Tin the pads a bit, so that all you'll have to do is heat up the connectors legs to get a solder.

3. I glued the connector onto the board with super glue before soldering. I don't want this thing coming back off again.

4. Solder:

5. Watch out when trying to pry it back into place. I tried to nudge it into place with a scre driver and ended up cutting one of the tracks.

So, I got it all fixed, and wanted to plug the back lights into the iMac to check that they actually lit. In trying to take out the connector on the other light strip:

After much much swearing:

And finally:

My 27 in Imac started a couple weeks ago with the same symptoms as all the other posts. about the left 1/3 to 1/2 of the screen flickers and then stays darker than the right side. Do we contact apple directly? What is the best method to contact them about this?

If you have the AppleCare Plan you contact them,not that they will solve the problem for you is another ballgame.

They cannot fix this problem. If you have no AppleCare Plan your goosed,has far has Apple is concerned

Mine is a long story in short I got a full refund of £1213,but they never gave me a refund I paid for all the Apps I bought which came to £400.

Now I said I will by a souped up Mac Mini wrong they have a fault too. Intel have owned up that the chip in HDMI Connectivity is faulty but Apple gave a Mac Mini EFI Firmware Update 1.7 which Addresses the HDMI Video flicker Download. Guess what it does not work too.

At the moment I am using a 2007 Mac Mini hooked up to a HD Samsung Monitor,and it`s just say doing the job,because I have trashed most of the Apps on the Mac Mini,and I am going to upgrade my broaband package from 30GB To 60GB,and wait till next year which I was advised by Email by a Proffesional.

apple should have advised u that u must be an electrician before getting a imac 🙂 . this could work very good for the apple's slogan Apple user's - Cool Electricians

The thing is why they dont make a recall like they did on the HDD?

Kaos2K, I am having exactly the same problem, lower LHS of the screen becomes darker within a few minutes of starting the Mac and also having problems with the 27inch slave screen going completely dark at random times. Very disappointed. Apple told me they had not had any other complaints and suggested the lamp needed changing. At approximatley 1200 Australian Dollars which is roughly 950 Euros.

It must be a manufacturing problem limited to a year or so and Apple don't want to admit or rectify... Anyway, they had me as a customer, but the next purchase will be Samsung.

Try a new post on your own behalf ... the one you are responding to is very old and some answers are unrelated to the question. That repair charge seems totally unrealistic. If you had one of the newest Macs it could have understood; they are glued together.

Sorry to hear that. Have you checked my guide to try to fix it? https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4041042?start=0&tstart=0

add me to the list Mid-2010 iMac i3 faulty loud hardrive replaced under the program and stil loud, and left half of screen dim with $510 LCD only option. Sometime's after I use it for a while it get a shade brighter all of a sudden but not as bright as the right.

trying to build the nerve and time to do the repair myself going to shoot to upgrade the processor at the same time. (already got it i7)

I watched the onsite tech take it apart and put it together in 30 mins even though ill be going way further in to change the processor

I'm going to have to wait to see what Apple is going to do about my second Seagate HDD failing.

After I get this thing running right I'm selling it and never buying an iMac again

It appears that I am having the same problem as well. Mid-2010 27 inch iMac and the left side of the screen is dim. It had been flickering for about a week, and now it is dark. I paid $2,000 for this computer two years ago, and now it is going to take $1,000 to fix? I may just take what I can get for it on ebay and make my 2009 mac mini my main computer.