Powerbook G4 15-inch LCD Display "freeks out" Intermittently

One of the Macs at our company is doing the exact same thing. Have you had any luck in resolving this issue?

Powerbook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Please look at this Apple Discussion and join our ranks:
Re: Faulty display or connections with display - what happened to this topic?

This is information you need to locate on your PB G4....
To check display info follow this trail on your PB:
System Preferences==>Displays==>Color==>Color LCD==>Open Profile==>
Scroll down to and select - 13 `mmod' 'mmod' Apple display make and model information:

(this is my information, yours will be similar if not exactly like this below)
Manufacturer: 00000610
Model: 00009C20
Serial Number: 00000000
Manufacture Date: B87B9680

PowerBook 5,4 G4 15" Mac OS X (10.4.8) the bottom 2.5" of Display "wigged out" and the middle is now following as are many Aluminum 15" PBs

PowerBook 5,4 G4 15" Mac OS X (10.4.8)

My display has the same make and model information, and I am having the exact same problems.

I have exactly the same problem, am lost for what to do about this!

I have the identical problem with my PB G4 15-inch 1.25 GHz for about one month, and it is getting worse. My screen info from System Preferences is identical:

Manufacturer: 00000610
Model: 00009C20
Serial Number: 00000000
Manufacture Date: B87B9680

When it started, I noticed that changing the display angle made problem go away (it being an almost complete fadeout to a light blue, with some vertical lines, desktop not visible). Re-start/Startup behaved normally in terms of chime, etc, but no desktop visible in the faint blue image. I assumed that it was a hinge problem. As it worsened (I see more intermittent black full screen or partial screen black rectangles), I had some intermittent luck with VERY SLIGHT flexing (I know, the LCD is glass) of upper case at upper left corner (BTW, no damage or dent there, I treat this out-of-warranty PB with love, care, and lots of cushioning when travelling). After this started, my daughter spilled some soda (high fructose corn-syrupped pop in the midwest) on right keyboard, yielding sticky keys. Being comfortable with electronics (after all, it was built by other humans) and out of warranty, and having reason to do so, I disassembled lower case, removed keyboard, washed thoroughly with distilled water, dried with compressed air, and let dry overnight). While disassembled, I looked over hinge and wires to display and saw no damage, sticky goo, or anything consistent with hinge or lower wire involvement with display problem.
At this point, out of frustration, I removed top bezel in order to expose back of display. The Samsung LCD is an LTN152W5-L02, serial no. UJ347XDXQ8WA; other nos. on label are: 0348 4J3K11517H 010. On the circuit board to which the display contacts are affixed, a label says: T00798C33K0018. A label on the white backlighting, probably not relevant but listed here for completeness: LJ96-01519A 152W5-L02 ST1031121DY05810.

I see no damage anywhere I can look on back of display (I did not probe the white tape areas along top and left edge, heeding the warning label for this sensitive area; why push my luck?). The ribbon cable is OK and firmly connected. At this point I searched the web and found this thread topic. I am probably going to try the slight-pressure approach (beats holding the display corner while using the PB) recommended by "bryanus" post of 10/23/06, in my case with self-sticking velcro fuzzy tape strips placed on the aluminum top bezel at spots corresponding on the display back to where I have success in restoring the display function by pressing.

With the display back off I can get the desktop to reappear when lightly pressing on the upper left corner. It is more likely to work if the computer is warmed up to room temp, with more problems and less success if the computer is near a cool breeze by a window where I work. The laptop does not run hot. As others noted, I had no luck with underwear maneuvers.

My pseudo-intelligent guess (Chemistry PhD, so my "knowledge" is piled hip-deep) is that there may be one or more bad batches of LCDs from Samsung where the LCD glass-to-electrode contacts are somewhat faulty or prone to failing with aging or normal wear and tear. This would explain how pressure can restore function, and why temperature affects performance since glass and metal have different thermal coefficients of expansion.

I am a Mac user from back in 1984 with first Mac 512K, and have owned a number of them over years. Weathered the bad times (and gibes from PC afficionados for my using a computer named after a fruit) before Jobs reappeared and saved the company. My few interactions with Apple repair have been excellent - they once replaced the LCD on this PB outside of warranty for free when I pointed out that I had just read about the white spots on some displays in the PB's early production runs (gotta get out of my lab more often!) and had a few of my own that I assumed were natural for LCDs of that era; Apple even replaced bottom case piece at the same time at no cost. Led me to buy stock in the company.

I am new to discussion threads, so if anyone has other info to pass on, or any response from Apple Corporate to this presumably rare display problem, please pass it on. Thanks!

Hello Macu64, Did you resolve and solve the problem! what was the outcome and did you have to send it away for surgery, would greatly appreciat any info, have same problem.

Thanks, HAL.

same thing happening here - gonna drop by the genius bar tomorrow...

Just a short note to say that (knock on aluminum, but not hard), just as bryanus (10/23/06) on this thread had suggested, I successfully restored my display function by adding a small piece of cushy self-stick velcro tape (~0.25" x ~0.50") to the inside upper corner of the top aluminum bezel so it presses LIGHTLY against the LCD contact on the top far right (as viewed from the back side of the computer; would be top left as viewed from display side of opened lid). I still see occasional intermittent black lines when changing display angle, but they disappear. Don't see them if I pivot the display from the middle top edge. Hopefully I'll get a little more time out of this baby before having to visit the land of MBP. Or I'll dig up a spare display on eBay.

I occasionally have a problem with my display, especially when I re-boot;
lines and weird characters cover the screen. Often I have to restart 2-3 times or
shutdown for awhile to correct the problem.

I was going thru the re-install disks in my box and found a hardware test disk.
I ran it in both quick and extended test; both times I got the following error message:
Video Ram error
disp/13/2

Any how I don't know if you ever ran that test disk, but does any one have a clue as to what it means or if It can be fixed??

I ran the techtool disk on my powerbook, and the VRAM failed. The screen is bad enough that I can't see any of the make/model number of the video card - but it's a 2003 1.25 Ghz ALbook, so i'd assume it has what's posted above...


i hate to be a conspiracist against a company i like, but c'mon, 6 months after the apple care runs out the display craters? The machine was working perfectly fine for 3 1/2 years until today.

I'll report what the genius says.

so the genius tells me that my logic board has failed, which stinks. it's either $400 or figure out a temp solution till that fancy apple subnotebook comes out...


right? 🙂

i have the same problem with my powerbook G4 FW800. the display hinge needed to be in just the right position or else only the top quarter of the screen displayed, and the rest was either black or lined.

it has just decided to give up completely, so i have no display at all.

i figured it was just a problem with a connection, but when i took my powerbook to get serviced they tried replacing the LVDS cable with no luck. the service technician is sure it is a problem with the LCD display. the cost of this part means it is not worth getting replaced.

quite depressing when i just bought the computer a couple of months ago second-hand. 😟

any chance of a recall??? - there seem to be a few faulty units out there.

Try this experiment if your LCD panel fades in and out with lines vertically, and no info visible on screen (worse if cold), and comes back irregularly if you change display angle, as described by many others on this and another now non-replyable-to topic (started by Marilyn Howard) shut down by Big Brother(?). In leftmost corner of display as viewed from front, on metal (NOT the plastic/glass surface) bezel just above Apple symbol on menu, clip on a small black paper clip (triangular binder clip type, 3/4" long, 1/2" deep, max opening < 1/4"). This restores display function if you have the problem I've experienced. Not pretty (tell others it is a new type of wireless antenna!) , but restores function when you desperately need it when it happens at the inopportune time. As computer warms up, this often becomes unnecessary. This clip simulates the pressure generated by bryanus's approach on another post, and what I described more recently with a small piece of velcro tape inside the metal bezel: seems as if some metal contacts to the glass LCD plate are coming loose, with pressure restoring those contacts. Delamination of LCD glass-to-metal contacts? Apple ever going to acknowledge it, or just wait out the programmed obsolescence?

Disclaimer: remember that LCD is a glass sheet under the plastic cover. Too strong a clip could break the glass. Use the standard office type binder clip , and put it on gently, not suddenly clamping down.

thanks dr tantalum and bryanus. contrary to what i originally thought, the problem is not related to a connection problem in the hinge, but as you say some sort of separation in the upper left corner (when looking at display) of the screen. pressure here restores the display.

this is obviously a design fault in the samsung lcd panel. as you say, apple should acknowledge their obligations under consumer law to repair or replace. an expensive laptop should last longer than two years regardless of whether you buy apple care or not.

until then (or class action), i shall try your bulldog clip approach, and have a crack at installing a spacer when i have some time.

Hello, yes the applied pressure works on my display also!
so i think this is def, a case for apple to act on. one can only dream!