Hi all,

After two years of using my PowerBook 17'' - 1,33 Ghz without a problem, I now have awful vertical solid lines of 1px (and 1px distance from each other) all the way down on the display, which affect only specific colours.

Recently the display developed those vertical lines everywhere where there was a black colour! The lines are solid blue and 1px thick, with 1px distance. When I move the black picture around the lines move as well, so it is not a fixed position on the display.

On external monitor everything is fine!
All hardware tests show no problem and re-sets don't improve the issue.

Originally this began re-appearing every time after ca 20 min of using the PB. When PB is cold and starting up, even now, the display is fine for few minutes, then it goes wrong. Lately the same effect started appearing also on the red colour (pink lines) and green colour (light green lines). Also blue pixelated shades appear around windows.

Although no warranty (2 years old), I went to a Apple certified service (in Bulgaria) to find out the cause. They opened it and think it's the display cable, although it could be the display matrix as well (they say). No visible isues inside. Apparently, one cannot order only the display cable (unless second hand), but has to change the whole display.

Questions:
Do you guys think it could be the cable only? How come only specific colours are affected? Can the cable "see" the colours? Is it not likely to be some computations and electronics involved?

Thanks for your valuable comments

It is most likely the display itself not the cable, but you are correct its hard to buy just the display cable. It is more expensive but you are probably better off buying the display since we aren't positive if its a display or cable issue.

Thanks,

I will soon try and post photos from the screen to illustrate better.

What is weird is that if for example we have a larger black square, the blue lines would not begin from the first px on the left side of the square, but about 10px to the right!!! So, the first left 10 px would be fine and solid black colour and afterwards the lines would appear. This is the same with all damaged colours!

So, it doesn't look as if some colour is completely "damaged" and the LCD doesn't give back that colour correctly at all. It looks to me as if some electronic sends faulty signals to the display itself...

The following pic was taken with video camear, so it is very blurred and it seems as if there are two different (small and big) kinds of lines, which is not the case.

Notice how the beginning of the squares the colour is fine and then the lines begin:
http://www.metodi.de/pb/Vertical_Lines.jpg

Are the squares your desktop, or is this the image that comes on the display. If the image is like this, the problem is likely your logic board. Does it output to an external display properly?

-Bradley

I made the squares in Photoshop to show how the different colours are affected by lines. On external displays (also through S-Video) the picture is perfect! Only internal LCD has lines.

Finally!
I have photos of my screen.

The techies amongst you will be able to tell what is wrong I think, if it's the LCD, the cable or the whole motherboard.

On EXTERNAL MONITOR - NO LINES, all fine!

http://www.metodi.de/pb_screen/


What do you think?[/url]