Chosen Solution
Hi, all! I have a 2.2 C2D MacBook that’s less that three years old but becoming almost unusable as the screen backlight goes dark unless it is partially closed. This is something that has gotten progressively worse over time, from one “bad angle” to a wider and wider arc and now it is really bad. I have been told it’s a cable issue or an inverter issue or a display issue…how to narrow it down?
Try using the computer with an external monitor. If it functions properly the you are looking at a LCD, inverter or cable problem. My best guess based on your description is a faulty cable and I would try that first. However if it does not work with the external monitor then you probably have a logic board problem. Ralph MacBook Core Duo Display Replacement
I recently fixed a friend’s macbook that had this issue - the backlight shutting off as you open the screen. In bright light/sunlight you can see the display is still on and everything else is working fine. When you close the lid, the backlight would come on just an inch before it was closed. The backlight power cable runs on the left side, it’s quite short, and I assume due to poor assembly (refurb?), the cable is easily routed under the left hinge (which holds the cable down) in a way that it pulls it loose in some positions. You may see the connection to the logic board on your left, it’s rectangular and tiny. I removed the display bezel, left hinge and round cover over the center on the bottom of the display. I probably took apart more than I needed to. Reposition the cable so it has a little more slack behind the hinge. You could move it around until it doesn’t pull tight and then tighten the hinge down, (and the display backlight stays on in any position). As far as I know, the problem has not reoccurred. Good luck.
I too had this problem (twice) with client computers. In both cases (for me), replacing the backlight cable that connects from the logic board to the inverter, fixed the issue. It’s also worth noting that you don’t have to completely remove the optical drive, display, etc as the iFixIt guides show. You can simply pop the top cover off and remove the LCD bezel and go from there, saving lots of time.
The major problem with the mac book proof is the monitor cord which lead to the screen. I have develop this same issue of the backscreen going off. The first thing to do is to pull the computer screen, once u get into it u must ensure that all the screws that lead to the monitor is tighten, the solver for this problem is to gentle pull the power cord that lead to the monitor in order to release the tension on it. The power cord is next to the left hinge so when you flip open your laptop too much pressure is on it so the monitor light will go off I have done this to mine and two more friends as well and neither of us never ever see the problem occurring again. Also please please be careful how u open the screen it can be of real hassle.
This used to commonly be the little cable going from the inverter to the board. In 2014, this machine being six years out of production, it can be absolutely anything. The screen light, the board, the inverter board, the cable. Also expect every one of those cables you find on eBay to be pulled out of laptops used for the past eight years and for them to be almost as dead, if not as dead already, as the cable you are taking out of your computer. This is an absolute nightmare to fix in 2014 because all of the parts you will be buying are junk. :(
I had this same issue, where the display backlight would not work at certain screen angles, and it got worse over time until the backlight just wouldn’t come on at all. I was able to take off the back, and push some of the display cable back into the screen channel by the hinge and it would turn back on. I also bought a replacement part from ifixit, but once i saw i could improve it again without going through the entire process to heat gun and remove the glass from the screen to get to the connectors i decided to leave it as is for now since it is workable again.
