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mike Savage
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Q: Colored vertical lines on PB 17" display

There is a lot of documentation on various websites and discussion boards about 17" Powerbooks with displays that break down after about 15 months of use.

I am unfortunate enough to own a 17" powerbook assembled in April 2005 in China - serial number beginning with W8. I believe this is the same time-period and factory location where hundreds (if not thousands) of identical machines were assembled that are now having the same colored-lines-in-the-display defect as my machine.

All these machines assembled at the same time, at the same place, using the same batch of LCD screens, are experiencing the same defect after the same amount of use.
Something stinks, and it smells like a manufacturing problem to me.

Does anyone know if Apple has man'd up and acknowledged the problem yet?





17" Powerbook G4 1.67   Mac OS X (10.4.9)  

Posted on May 21, 2007 5:36 PM

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mike Savage

Q: Colored vertical lines on PB 17" display

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  • by tuscan,

    tuscan tuscan Oct 15, 2007 1:49 PM in response to JT9
    Level 1 (44 points)
    iPhone
    Oct 15, 2007 1:49 PM in response to JT9
    JT9 wrote:
    Since the PB is heading back to Apple this weekend, does anyone have any suggestions as to what I should tell the Genius (apart from the obvious)?


    why don't you print this thread and hand them the paper when you bring the powerbook? maybe they somehow get an idea your pb isn't the only one they have to repair.

  • by DennisWingo,

    DennisWingo DennisWingo Oct 16, 2007 10:53 AM in response to JT9
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 16, 2007 10:53 AM in response to JT9
    JT9

    If you close the powerbook, hook the external monitor up, do you still have the lines? If not then the problem is the cable that I have identified. Check this thread, look up the pictures, and tell them about it.

  • by Kay Michael Masslow,

    Kay Michael Masslow Kay Michael Masslow Oct 17, 2007 9:12 AM in response to DennisWingo
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Oct 17, 2007 9:12 AM in response to DennisWingo
    As of today, we have exactly 300 reported cases.

  • by mackluv,

    mackluv mackluv Oct 17, 2007 9:17 PM in response to Kay Michael Masslow
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 17, 2007 9:17 PM in response to Kay Michael Masslow
    OK. Grettings all. Just a week ago I got one bright blue line all the way down on my iMac 17" purchased in September of 2005. I read a few posts but hadn't heard about the iMacs failing as well, so decided to post.

  • by camionatmosferico,

    camionatmosferico camionatmosferico Oct 18, 2007 9:43 AM in response to Julian Jaramillo
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 18, 2007 9:43 AM in response to Julian Jaramillo
    I am "one of us" having the problem.

    I think "everyone of us" who calls to Apple, they will say :

    "Oh ! Is the first time I heard about that problem in your screen !!"

  • by camionatmosferico,

    camionatmosferico camionatmosferico Oct 18, 2007 11:05 AM in response to Kay Michael Masslow
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 18, 2007 11:05 AM in response to Kay Michael Masslow
    Dear Kay: thank you for posting and info.

    How do you know about the exactly 300 cases?

    does the "vertical lines of death" kill the Apple reputation? are enough 300 cases to do so?

  • by mhivner,

    mhivner mhivner Oct 18, 2007 3:51 PM in response to mike Savage
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 18, 2007 3:51 PM in response to mike Savage
    Add another to the lines issue (301?). I had a blue line that flickered for a few weeks, then disappeared. Then a white/yellow line showed up about an inch from the left bevel.

  • by fish78,

    fish78 fish78 Oct 18, 2007 11:57 PM in response to camionatmosferico
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 18, 2007 11:57 PM in response to camionatmosferico
    Use google and search for "Bridget Riley Powerbook". You'll find a database where users can report their problem.

  • by quazyjazz,

    quazyjazz quazyjazz Oct 20, 2007 11:41 AM in response to mike Savage
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 20, 2007 11:41 AM in response to mike Savage
    And yet another. Same problem as everyone else. This is the first time I bought a Mac... I can't see myself buying another one unless this problem gets resolved.
    I hope my one yellow line doesn't grow to more.

    Message was edited by: Host

  • by Motorcycle Michael,

    Motorcycle Michael Motorcycle Michael Oct 22, 2007 7:49 AM in response to DennisWingo
    Level 1 (123 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 22, 2007 7:49 AM in response to DennisWingo
    Hi Dennis- Thanks for the photos (requires latest Safari, by the way). I just replaced that entire inverter cable assembly on a 17" 1.5GHz PB with absolutely no change. BUT - the Airport antenna wire passing thru the LH hinge with inverter wires was actually cut, so cable needed replacement anyway. I have an inverter board coming, we'll see if that does it. If not, it might be LVDS cable (which is unavailable) or display itself.

    I should point out a few details as I add to the VL thread: This machine has been dropped/damaged prior to lines appearing. Problem has become so bad as to make screen useless, but it does not show on external monitor. The only difference I see from other posts here is that vertical lines shift and move somewhat with screen redraws and opening/closing windows. Entire screen looks like one big, colorful barcode. -Mike

  • by Adam Prall,

    Adam Prall Adam Prall Oct 22, 2007 12:26 PM in response to mike Savage
    Level 1 (50 points)
    Oct 22, 2007 12:26 PM in response to mike Savage
    As stockholders in Apple, I'm really, really, really disappointed in this. It seems like recent success has made Apple blind to users. I'm absolutely sick of this.

  • by bigdave33,

    bigdave33 bigdave33 Oct 23, 2007 6:10 PM in response to mike Savage
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 23, 2007 6:10 PM in response to mike Savage
    I am an owner of a powerbook G4, s/n starting with W85 with the same problems everyone else is speaking of. started with one green/blue vertical line in the middle of my screen. now, a week later, there are a total of four vertical lines. who can we call to get this issue elevated. i've owned my powerbook about 15months. this is crazy. any word?

  • by alex78790,

    alex78790 alex78790 Oct 25, 2007 8:41 AM in response to mike Savage
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 25, 2007 8:41 AM in response to mike Savage
    Hey,

    Same problem, same serila number, I'm from France (sorry for my bad english), second line since this morning, the first appear 1 year ago… I don't know really have to do, except buy a new screen for 500 euros ! But I found this this morning, if it can help lot of users… <edited by host>

  • by alex78790,

    alex78790 alex78790 Oct 25, 2007 5:06 AM in response to mike Savage
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 25, 2007 5:06 AM in response to mike Savage
    You need to call to the support and explain the problem, the person answered me, tell me I'm just the second person who report this problem. I think we need to call (taxed from France °-(((( )
    http://www.apple.com/support/contact/phone_contacts.html

  • by Motorcycle Michael,

    Motorcycle Michael Motorcycle Michael Oct 25, 2007 6:52 PM in response to DennisWingo
    Level 1 (123 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 25, 2007 6:52 PM in response to DennisWingo
    Hi Dennis, greetings all. Dennis is right (solved?), it appears to be inverter board and/or inverter cable. After replacing both, display is now flawless, not a single vertical line (your results may vary). Problem is, these individual components are not available for the 17" G4 PB, only as part of entire display module.

    If anyone is interested, some pre-fix photos are here: <http://www.ncitymacs.com/apost/g4pb17.html> This is a 1.5GHz model. (Recommend buying extended warranty on notebooks - ANY notebook, from any manufacturer.)

    Thanks Dennis, and thank you one and all!
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