Replacing PB170 backlight ... with passive PB backlight?

#1 Mon, 2 Feb 2009 - 03:48

Hi,

Before I go ripping things apart, I was keen to see if anyone had tried the same.

I've a Powerbook 170 - my favourite 68K portable, which suffers from bad "tunnel vision" from the CCFL backlighting slowly fading out over time.

In my posession is a Powerbook 150 and Powerbook 160 (both of which have passive screens, same resolution and size as PB 170), both with good backlighting - could I do a switch of the backlighting guts into the 170?

TIA

JB

#2 Mon, 2 Feb 2009 - 06:42

Regrettably,the "tunnel vision" problem is not caused by the CCFL backlighting slowly fading out -- it is caused by the LCD panel itself. The only cure is replacement of the panel proper.

#3 Mon, 2 Feb 2009 - 12:44

Tomlee59 has given the definitive answer that you should not marry the wrong cure to the correct cause. Depressingly or not, it also has to be mentioned that the backlights and inverter boards of FSTN and TFT panels in PB1nn series Macs are not universally interchangeable. Inverter boards put out from 350 to 500VAC (in monochrome), and care must be exercised in transplanting them from Mac to Mac, and in marrying them with appropriate backlights and displays.

And that's not even to hint at the differences in video signal (flexible PCBs) cables, their routing through the hinges and their attachments to the displays ...

de

#4 Mon, 2 Feb 2009 - 22:33

Thanks,

I did suspect things were not compatible even if it was possible - I'll just have to look out for a replacement screen one day ...

JB