Ashadur

Q: 27' iMac (2011) Screen turns off

This has been going on for me for the past few months on and off, it just randomly switches the screen off but everything else works perfectly, for example if im watching a video on hulu i can still hear the sound, if im doing work on word the documents are still there, iv finally gotten video footage of it.

 

Screen turning off:

http://youtu.be/l6DfD7o_fXs

 

Screenshot of my settings

http://i.imgur.com/pPvUH.jpg

 

To turn it back on i press "ctrl + shift + eject" and then move the mouse.

 

Any help will do, i have contacted Apple support on the phone they did say bring it in, just need to make an appointment. If anyone else has this problem and knows a better solution than having to keep pressing buttons to turn the screen back on please share.

 

Thank you in advance

- Ashadur

iPhone 4S, iOS 5

Posted on Jun 27, 2012 3:39 PM

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Q: 27' iMac (2011) Screen turns off

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  • by spidermanph,

    spidermanph spidermanph Dec 13, 2014 5:58 PM in response to Ashadur
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 13, 2014 5:58 PM in response to Ashadur

    Anybody from the Philippines here?

     

    I bought a pre-owned iMac 27 mid 2010 model. When I tested it from the seller's house it was working fine. When I configured it at home it was ok, until 2 days later I counter the same problem.

     

    I brought it to a local Service Center but the tech there found nothing. He said my iMac is working well.

     

    My iMac is now back home and suffering the same problem.

  • by Andy Woollard,

    Andy Woollard Andy Woollard Dec 14, 2014 7:31 AM in response to spidermanph
    Level 1 (48 points)
    Servers Enterprise
    Dec 14, 2014 7:31 AM in response to spidermanph

    I have had this and tried every possibility including getting apple to replace the graphics card under the rather hidden replacement program on that part. Nothing worked including the graphics card replacement till I finally replaced the backlight board ( part no will be one of these...661-5980, 605-3034, 605-3035, 612-0094).

     

    the trick is to shine a torch at a very acute angle at the black screen and see if the picture is there. If you can see something then the problem is with the backlight.

     

    If its not the backlight then talk to apple about the free graphics card replacement  (there are two schemes for different criteria)

     

    Now been running fine for months.

     

    Backlight board is about £120.

  • by gaztel3030,

    gaztel3030 gaztel3030 Dec 26, 2014 11:24 PM in response to Andy Woollard
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 26, 2014 11:24 PM in response to Andy Woollard

    Well Apple needs to get honest and admit it is an engineering issue.  I have just spent the last hour reading about the same faults as I have had for the past 12 months.  As a once proud Apple user having purchased 5 phones, 3 ipads, 1 imac 27, and a 15 inch mac pro I swear I will never buy another apple product again.  I finally took my 27" imac into the genius bar and was told that I had to replace the logic board ($800 plus!!!!) to resolve the black screen "sleeping" issue.

    I was so disappointed that I was tempted to smash the unit in front of a full shop of prospective Apple customers !!!!!

    We need to start a social campaign to Apple to help solve this issue.   I would even be happy to pay 50% of the cost. 

    I will try the brightness issue and see if that solves the problem, however as a final -cut user I will heat up the unit quickly.

    Off to the shops to buy a new PC, at least I would be able to repair it.

    Good luck to all Apple sleepers for 2015

  • by gaztel3030,

    gaztel3030 gaztel3030 Dec 27, 2014 12:23 AM in response to gaztel3030
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 27, 2014 12:23 AM in response to gaztel3030

    Just downloaded smcFan control and set  ODD to 3700rpm and adjusted brightness to 50% and so far no blackouts !!!!!!

    Here's hoping that might work.   STILL very disappointed in Apple's attitude.

  • by gaztel3030,

    gaztel3030 gaztel3030 Dec 27, 2014 12:25 AM in response to spidermanph
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 27, 2014 12:25 AM in response to spidermanph

    Try adjusting the brightness and install software  smsFan control to speed up display fans as it seems like an overheating issue.

  • by Captain L,

    Captain L Captain L Jan 24, 2015 7:45 AM in response to Ashadur
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 24, 2015 7:45 AM in response to Ashadur

    SOLVED!

     

    I had the blackscreen/blackout issue (not the backlight) after I added RAM. I had added 2 x 4Gb and kept the 2 x 2Gb in the original slots.  I now had 12 Gb.

    The blackout issue started shortly after this.

    After reading the post (below) I took out the 2 x 4 Gb and replaced them with 2 x 2 Gb from another Mac I had lying around. This gives me 8 Gb with 4 identical DIMMS in the slots. The Black screen did not occur again, no matter how I try to recreate it changing the brightness, screensavers and/or sleep mode.

    I think the RAM solution makes sense, so far working for me, problem looks solved. Try it and let us know! Thanks Sunfiresaturn!

     

     

    Sunfiresaturn including Apple logo changes for feature 126 Apple image including Apple logo changes for feature 126 Apple image ends here

    Jan 19, 2014 5:03 PM

    Re: 27' iMac (2011) Screen turns off

    in response to Ashadur

    [DocumentBodyStart:b21f0b0e-bbb6-4d8f-827a-58c825f45ac6]

    All of your symptoms were indentical to mine and I tried EVERYTHING to fix it.

     

    My realization?

     

    RAM

     

    I have 4 slots open in my 2010 - iMac

     

    2x2GB DDR3-10600

    2x4GB DDR3-10666

     

    For some reason, my iMac couldn't handle both together. At first I thought it was the 10666, but then tried both RAM types separately, and both work.

     

    I guess you shouldn't pair 10600 with 10666 - or at least different ram sizes.

     

    I am going for 4x4GB 10666 now.

     

    I hope this helps everyone because I was losing my mind for a short while.

     

    iMac is happy and on full brightness.

     

    Life is good.

  • by Captain L,

    Captain L Captain L Jan 24, 2015 9:24 AM in response to Sunfiresaturn
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 24, 2015 9:24 AM in response to Sunfiresaturn

    SOLVED!

     

    Thank you so much! You were right, it's a RAM issue. As of Lion the system handles memory differently hence the occurring issue.

    I made sure I now have 4 equal DIMMS in the slots and the problem dissapeared!

    So everyone:  check your dimms and make sure they are EXACTLY the same. It may even be worth installing a brandnew set in case one is faulty. 4 x 2G will run Yosemite just fine!

  • by Sunfiresaturn,

    Sunfiresaturn Sunfiresaturn Jan 24, 2015 11:45 AM in response to Captain L
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 24, 2015 11:45 AM in response to Captain L

    That's great to hear Captain. Unfortunately, my ultimate solution was not long term.

     

    The problem came back. I tried everything.

     

    Had to buy new iMac. Fingers crossed it's just an isolated case.

     

    Good luck!

  • by LexXxus69,

    LexXxus69 LexXxus69 Oct 3, 2015 11:28 AM in response to Ashadur
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 3, 2015 11:28 AM in response to Ashadur

    I have the same issue and I'm fairly certain it's not a memory issue as I have 4 slots of equal ram.

    I'm leaning toward an engineering flaw that apple doesn't want to step up to and admit.

    If Steve Jobs was here he would most likely take care of this huge issue personally. So we now have

    a different type of Apple now so it seems.

     

    I run smcFanControl and keep my monitor at the lowest display brightness and so far it has stayed on

    long enough for me to write this post at least. So I hope this can help what I have posted here.

     

    I'm feeling a "change.org" petition coming on!

     

    *L

    My Specs:

    iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)

    2.7 GHz Intel Core i5

    8 GB 1333 MHz DDR3

    AMD Radeon HD 6770M 512 MB

  • by LexXxus69,

    LexXxus69 LexXxus69 Oct 3, 2015 12:06 PM in response to LexXxus69
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 3, 2015 12:06 PM in response to LexXxus69

    I'm feeling a "change.org" petition coming on! ( I wonder how many people would back that? hmmmmmm)

    Maybe it's my calling to be the El Capitan and steer this ship into battle?!?!?! I'll need me mate's tho arrrrg!

    Call me El Capitan Blackout! the righteous pirate of the black seas!

     

    *L

    My Spec

    iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)

    2.7 GHz Intel Core i5

    8 GB 1333 MHz DDR3

    AMD Radeon HD 6770M 512 MB

  • by xabbess,

    xabbess xabbess Oct 3, 2015 12:35 PM in response to LexXxus69
    Level 1 (79 points)
    iPhone
    Oct 3, 2015 12:35 PM in response to LexXxus69

    I just experienced the black screen this morning on my 2 month old 27", 5k. Called the 'genius' guys and they had no clue. Since I had unplugged it to take it in for diagnosis, on a lark, I plugged it in to a different outlet in my kitchen. It booted right up. Then I tried another outlet in the living room and it booted up again. Finally, plugged it in back at my desk and it started up and is running fine. I don't get it and am now waiting for the proverbial 'other shoe to drop'. My long held faith in Apple is being sorely tested.

     

    Thanks for letting me vent.

  • by LexXxus69,

    LexXxus69 LexXxus69 Oct 4, 2015 10:24 AM in response to Ashadur
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 4, 2015 10:24 AM in response to Ashadur

    So now I'm on day two, and no monitor turning off. Now lets put our thinking caps on here.

    Before, I called apple care and they said it was most likely a hardware issue but also that

    it was an install issue and that I had to do a reinstall of my OS. I did that. It worked for

    about 3 weeks then bam it was back again, turning off when ever the wind decides to blow.

    That 3 weeks ended by way of update and hours after that is when it started.

    Now I have a few apps that monitor my heat in the machine and I have turned up the

    rpm on all my fans and for 2 days straight now coming from turning off even before I can get

    my password typed in it would shut off the monitor.

     

    So let's do the math:

    Follow the advice of apple care puts me into following what ever the choose to pin point the problem on

    (and to avoid high repair costs they put the blame on a hardware issue and expect you to pay for it)

     

    OR

     

    Go online and see the real fact of the problem including the problem of apple not coming forward with the truth(so it seems).

    So go online and see that TOO MANY people complaining about the same problem. I'm not a rocket scientist but logic and common

    sense is telling me this is not "CAUSED" by the user, but the engineer of the device.

     

    How many thousands of people have to knock on your door and you still ignore them with the truth apple?

    Do we really have to start a petition to get you to listen to your loyal customers?

    Thats the way you choose to treat us?

     

    I already know what is the problem with my iMac because I have done something called process of elimination. (very simple math)

     

    But yet I will have to bring my iMac in to have some kid that is labelled as a "genius" tell me it's a cut and paste issue and that it will cost $900+ for the backlit display to be replaced? Don't think outside the box or anything.

     

    I'm getting aggravated so much with this I will be starting the petition on Change.org to get them to wake up to this and show some accountability.

    Think about it, back from I see 2009 these machines have been having this issue. Can you imagine what the cost is for replacing all affected units? WOW!

    No wonder they want to shut up about it, until they get investigated like Volvo and are forced to show accountability!

    When I see no accountability, I get immensely motivated!

     

    I will now start the petition.

    Please let me know all who wish to back up this petition and I will send you the link for signage. Cool everyone?

    If anyone would like to offer help and guidance, we all would appreciate it.

     

    Venting won't do anything, signing a petition moves mountains!

     

    Bless all of you that have been dealing with this already.

     

    *L

  • by LexXxus69,

    LexXxus69 LexXxus69 Oct 4, 2015 1:19 PM in response to Ashadur
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 4, 2015 1:19 PM in response to Ashadur

    Temp Solution:

     

    Reset your SMC and Pram.

     

    Interaction and explanation here:

    http://thenextweb.com/lifehacks/2010/12/04/how-when-why-to-reset-the-pram-smc-on -your-mac/

     

    In my opinion if the SMC has issues, this should be considered and engineering problem and the fact it stops doing it's job

    speaks mounds that it is an engineering problem, either hardware or software related and not connected to the user. So therefore

    the repair should come in at the cost of apple beings there is nothing we can do as users to know what the problem is and fix it.

    Thus giving the lengthy posts here about the same problem over and over again.

     

    Sorry to ask but has anyone at apple even shown that they care and stepped into this forum to lend a hand and get you people up and running again?

    I lean to "NO" .

     

    So here I am, someone who cares about whats happening and giving it a voice!

     

    I hope with my endless efforts into searching for a solution, that this one at least fixes the problem until you can bring your iMac in

    to one of their genius bars and get told a cut a paste answer that diverts apple's accountability over onto YOU, the end user, and you

    get to pay for the repair. Remember, just because they say it is a hardware problem, doesn't mean it's your problem.

    (Like why have they not fixed this blatantly obvious issue?)

     

    I have been BLANK SCREEN free since I have installed SMC Fan control (turned up my fans) and reset my Pram and SMC.

    SMC Fan control only worked after the SMC was reset, nothing before then even though I have restarted my computer many times.

     

    Hope this post helps.

  • by MarkusWinter,

    MarkusWinter MarkusWinter Oct 4, 2015 1:47 PM in response to LexXxus69
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Oct 4, 2015 1:47 PM in response to LexXxus69

    @LexXXus69:

     

    First off: cut down on your ranting. Your credibility might improve.

     

    Secondly: there are a number of different types of the screen blacking out, like the backlight failing or the whole screen. There are also several possibilities of why each problem might be.

     

    On my Mac it can run fine for three weeks or go down every few seconds. It started after the hard disk was replaced, and I can see that it is the backlight failing, not the screen. It also works fine with an external screen so for me it is not an SMC issue either.

     

    So your "very simple math" is just not sufficient.

     

    Thirdly: there are not THOUSANDS affected but at best a few hundred people out of MILLIONS who bought iMacs. "Suggs" to be one of them (and I do have the screen blacking out on my 2009 iMac) but that error rate is still much lower than for other computer manufacturers, so keep things in perspective. Exaggerating and screeming just peeves off everyone, even those who are affected too (like me).

  • by LexXxus69,

    LexXxus69 LexXxus69 Oct 4, 2015 7:56 PM in response to Ashadur
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 4, 2015 7:56 PM in response to Ashadur

    @MarkusWinter

     

    Sorry, I wasn't asking you to be my mentor on how to act on the net. I'm well off in that aspect being on my way to 50.

    I'm old school Son.

     

    When you have been dished out cut and paste answers as much as I have, you tend not to just post a simple complaint any more.

    I'm a critical thinker, so I just don't accept an answer that doesn't equate out in the end given my EXTENSIVE knowledge and education of

    electronics repair.

     

    I will however conduct myself in the way I feel suits my needs and I definitely don't need or asked for you to come by here and try to "MODERATE"

    my post. If you have nothing positive to add to this post then don't even bother. We are all here to complain about how apple is not stepping up

    to this very serious issue of a very possible engineering flaw, starting with this problem that the OP posted.

     

    If you feel the need to be Net Nanny, please find another thread to personally attack people.

    Me personally, I don't care who you are or what your issue is. So if you have the same issue as listed and reported here, then by all means

    CONTRIBUTE SOMETHING POSITIVE. If not, be the silent observer.

     

    I'm here to bring a change to this problem that has been persistent for years. And it's not just hundreds, it's thousands of people all over

    the internet, not just this forum. I'm trying my best to stand up and give this problem a voice. Stop trying to bring shame to this mass effort.

     

    Everyone here has been knocking on the door of apple with little to no results.

    I'm here and I'm banging on there door until someone answers and I'm making as much noise as I need to!

    I'm here to get results MarkusWinter, are you?

    If you are, pipe down and back up the peoples's voice so we can get our faulting iMacs that we paid way to much for the reputation of being reliable and stable.

    You shouldn't attack someone that is trying to protect your financial interests when purchasing your faulting iMac.

    This is not just small money to some people and you have to realize that and respect that.

     

    So think about it, if the system is having an SMC issue then the blame is on apple because I guarantee that there is nothing the "Basic" user has

    control of to stop and avoid heat issues and this can definitely cause heat damage and degrade the life of the electronics inside. And yet, this iMac has

    had this issue for years with no resolution (since 2011). 3 years of a $5000+ iMac running fine and just turning off when ever it feels the need.

    I'm surprised you can't feel my frustration through the lines of the net.

     

    Any ways, Keep on topic please people.

    Keep this ship steering in the right direction.

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