Several weeks ago my late 2008 model, black polycarbonate MacBook snapped a clutch hinge in a fall. It had been working all right with some plastic tape on the display lid until last week. Now the screen has started going ALMOST black, as if it was still drawing power, but not enough to light up and be readable. I can sometimes get it relit by closing and opening the lid, but if the display shakes at all, it’ll go dark again.
So…I have a new clutch hinge, and a guide to replacing it (basically disconnect everydamnthing inside the case, then change the hinge, then undo the rest of the steps). But!! I notice I have one frayed silver wire (possibly a mic wire) near the busted hinge, which may mean other frayed/shorted connections.
The question: How do I diagnose what EXACTLY is dimming the screen, so I can hopefully replace that part? Hinge? Wire?? What??? And what does that silver wire do that’s fraying?
Photos of the unit to come shortly, as soon as I can get to a Mac with a fully working display.
90+% sure that it’s a broken wire to the backlight inverter. This is a common problem. You can either try to fix it yourself (it’s a delicate job), or replace the entire cable assembly.
Inverter cable assembly? Will that include the silver wire(s) that run along the outside corners of the hinges?
There are a bunch of different cables that run through the hinge - Mic, Camera, Wifi Antenna, Backlight, Video… I think they are all separate cables. Look on ebay, and see how people are selling them.
Have you looked at ifixit? MacBook Core 2 Duo - iFixit
very thorough guides and images, everything well labeled. As for diagnosing the exact problem, No idea. Visually inspect every cable and connection for damage and replace parts that are suspect?
Yes, I have the iFixit guides. Just to narrow things down - plugging into my television via HDMI shows a normal display, and when the MacBook display lights up, it too is normal. When it’s out, I still see what should be displayed - just super dim and unreadable. The above makes me suspect the video cables aren’t at issue, more likely the inverter cables.
Update: Parts are ordered. New Mac is here with its own problems. Old Mac will be Backup Mac if it works, Parts Mac if it doesn’t.
