I have owned a 23″ Cinema Display for the past one and a half years and I really enjoy using it. It recently stopped working and would not wake up from sleep. The problem turned out to be the power supply brick which I just replaced for $80 (including shipping).
I did suspect the power supply and took it in to a repair shop to see if it was the problem or not. It worked fine in the store. However, we did not leave it plugged in for long enough to realize that it would shut down after a minute from a cold start and after a few seconds on subsequent tries.
So, if you have a problem with your Cinema Display, verify the power supply before sending in the whole unit for repairs (~ $400).
man – I have the same exact problem right now! It’s a 23 inches and it doesn’t even turn on now.
Same display and same problem. Apparently this is comon.
Me too the support in Dubai is non existent )-:
Same issue except I was told by Apple that I was to try some of their reseller’s like Macmall or Amazon for the power supply which seems it isn’t very easy to find
I thought the price I paid for the monitor was for quality craftmanship!
I’m having the exact same problem. I bought my 23″ Cinema Display back in June of 2006. I’ve had it almost exactly 1 and a half years. I wonder if this is a specific batch that has faulty power bricks…?
If it’s a manufacturing flaw, I want Apple to pay for it.
Can you guys post serial numbers or something so we can see if it’s a certain manufacturing Lot that is faulty?
When my display is on, it seems to work while I’m using it; but when it’s off it takes a minute to turn on. Sometimes, it won’t turn on at all, and pressing the “touch” power button doesn’t seem to do anything. If I hold the power button down, the little white light will blink on for a split second, and then turn back off. UGH…! I did NOT expect this from Apple!
Same exact problem and symptoms as me, Chris B. Sometimes fine, other times not at all, and the little occasional blinking light is exasperating!!!
Can’t find a serial no. associated with the power supply – the model no. is A1097, probably the same for all of ‘em.
I have exactly the same problem as Chris B. The monitor worked great for a few days and all the sudden it wouldn’t turn on again. The power light would remain off at all the times; however, if I hold the button down for a few seconds, the light would flick for a split second and then turn off again.
I even thought that it was the power adapter as reported here so I bought a new one. The monitor worked for a few days and then it stopped working again!
Did anybody figure out what’s going on here? Any responses would be appreciated.
Thanks!
abillef: Since you lost two power supplies in a matter of days, it could be that you need a surge protector. I think my power supply failed when i was using a power drill on the same circuit and that might have created an electrical surge (just speculating here).
Dear pashasadri,
Thanks for your follow-up. I actually had the power adapters plugged in to a surge protector so I am thinking that there may be something wrong with the monitor’s inverter. Any thoughts? Was your problem solved simply by switching power adapters?
I have the same problem with my 23″. I’m on a 7 port surge protector. Although a bothersome, what I’ve noticed working is switching one outlet to the other on the same surge protector. There probably is really something wrong with the adapter, nevertheless a quick fix(?)…
Im using a 30″ Cinema Display and it didnt turn on with my mac pro. (After switching on & off the mac pro it eventually turns on…)
With Apple Care i received today a new W150 adapter.
Tho the light still flicks for a split second and then turn off again… What is normal? That this ‘power-on’ light is on? Or off?
I believe the light should stay on when the display is turned on. I am not sitting in front of one right now and I can’t remember what it does when it is sleep. good luck… I wish I had a 30″…
same problem here guys… 23″ purchased in June 2006 stopped powering on today. Purchasing a new adaptor will fix the problem? Any feedback from the ones who purchased the adaptor?
Thanks!
not guaranteed to solve your problem. but, it is the first thing to try before spending $$$ on repairs. if you have friend with a similar monitor, you can try powering up your display with their power supply to see if that’s the source of the problem. or you can take the monitor to a repair shop and do the same to verify.
I was wondering where did you purchase the power adapter? I’ve seen it online but for over $100.. Thanks
I called apple’s 1-800 support to order the replacement power supply.
Having same problems with my 23″ Cinema Display. I purchased a new “brick” and it worked great for about 4 days. Then my new brick stopped working. So I plugged my old one back in and it worked again… for 2 days, then stopped.
I pulled one off of another 23″ Cinema Display and tried that, that one worked, then stopped after a few days. Went back to brick 1 and it worked.
So, alternate 3 bricks every few days and your troubles will be solved
What a pain.
My 4-year old 20″ (clear plastic) Cinema Display is still rockin’ though. No power bricks on those bad-boys.
Having the same problem. As my 23 inch diplay is still under warranty I took it back to the supplier and they plugged it in with their power brick and it still wouldn’t come on – just the intermittent little white blinking light.
Looks like this is a common problem. Apple shouldn’t be charging for repairs.
I have a similar problem with my powerbook and 23″ Cinema Disp. and I have been dealing with it for more than a year…
After a long period of frustration I figured out that instead of waking the computer normally (though keyboard and mouse) I unplug the eliptical connection on the displays power brick and plug it back in after 1 or mostly 2 seconds. This method seems to work for me, give it a try.
I have lived with the same problem on my Cinema 23. When it first happened, I visited the Apple store Genius bar and they verified that it was a bad power brick and they replaced it free (since I had purchased it from the on-line Apple store. The new one worked fine for most of a year, but then started having the same issue. If we left the display on, it wouldn’t wake up from sleep. We discovered that unplugging the brick from its external voltage source allowed it to recover after a minute or so, sometimes longer. So our work-around is to add a clip strip for the display power brick and to turn off the voltage supply when we are not using the computer. This is pretty clutsy, but it works.
This morning I had this problem and end up here reading for a solution. I was really pissed off not finding any easy solution or respond from my display… until I just change not the power supply (because I didn’t have one) but the power cord I took a black ordinary power cord that fits on the power adapter and it WORKED! its not with grey but my display works now. I hope it could help someone else.
-Marc-
Ran into the same problem. If I leave the display on when the computer goes to sleep for an extended period of time it won’t wake up. The fix for me has been to unplug both the elliptical and the power cable from the brick and wait a few minutes, then plugging it back in it pops right up. Funny that so many people have this problem with displays made at this time…I got mine in June ‘06 as well.
A nosotras nos pasa lo mismo, pensamos que es un error de conexión, lo dejamos descansar desconectamos todo y lo volvemos a encender, es la única solución que hemos encontrado para que funcione.
La pantalla de 23″ la tenemos desde hace 3 años junio 05, y ha comenzado a dar problemas hace 3 meses, pero hasta ahora ha funcionado correctamente.
I’m having same problem with my Apple 23″ display.It doesn’t turn on from sleep. Before this, it flashed off several times after waking up from sleep. Now I have to mess around with power cables/plugs/button and keep finger crossed. My display was bought used, I don’t know exact purchase date. But from the serial# (located underneath the stand, 11 digits), it was manufactured in Dec 2005. You can check the manufacture date at here: http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html
I had the same problem – my 23″ monitor just stopped working one day.
After reading this page, I tried changing the power cable connecting the brick to my surge protector with a black spare one I had from an old PC monitor and it worked – my monitor came back (it’s been about a week now).
Mind you, everything isn’t quite right though.
The power indicator in the lower right corner of the monitor goes out as soon as the monitor comes on, and the USB ports on the back of the monitor don’t seem to work consistently anymore.
Perhaps replacing the brick would fix these last two problems.
I purchased the monitor in the fall of 2006 – I’ll check the serial number for the manufactured date when I get home.
I have the same monitors (2 of them), only one of them has this problem. Both bought in mind-late 2006 as well. Will try swapping the power supplies between them for fun to see if I have the same problem with the other monitor or not.
I have the same problem with my 23 inch display. I purchased it a year and a half ago. I usually connect to my MacBook, one day no image shows up, only a blinking light on the bottom right corner (short long short pattern). I took it to the Genius bar to get it tested with a different brick, still the same issue. He tells me it would be $450 to fix. this really sucks.
shit i just got this prob 2dy . i have 2 x 23 inch screen .. i have my screens for 14 month now damn.
noting works here for me.. its not the power cable . cuz i can use it with my working scree…
but maybe its the cable thats stuck onto the screen ? that is broken somehow
any1 any ideas what i could do .. ?
serial starts with 2A706 ..
I’ll add my woes to the list. I, too have a 23″ Cinema Display. I purchased it from the local Apple Store in July 2006. It was manufactured in March 06.
At first I thought the problem was USB related. If the cpu went to sleep it would not wake up… right away. Then I read somewhere that I might have a bad USB hub. I removed that and I no longer had the problem. Only today, I needed to hook up the shuttle drive and still everything was fine… UNTIL I went to lunch and forgot to unplug the hub.
Upon returning from lunch, I found the black screen and almost nothing worked. Luckily a friend happened to give me an old mitsubibishi monitor and that worked fine… after a few rounds of kernal panics. I tried the dual monitor routine and still, the Apple Cinema display would not work.
So I gave up and reconfigured my office with a HUGE monitor on my desk AGAIN and then I found all of you with the same problem. Since I had my power brick “unwired” after the reconfigure, I tried one last time because it had been sitting unplugged and NOW it is working.
It SEEMS that it was the power brick or some other internal problem – maybe the brick overheats? For now I will keep the current configuration (both monitors) just to get the work done.
I’ll keep reading and post back should the situation change.
Hi,
I have the same problem, and bought it also in Summer/Fall of 2006, I think probably end of August.
Recently I experienced the same problem with the monitor, it won’t wake up after sleep. Previously i noticed that when I turn it off manually with the button on the right, it would turn back on in a couple of seconds, but it was fine. Now, I don’t want to turn it off as it will never go back on. I tried something else though. I logged in from my laptop via remote desktop, and found out that the monitor had lowered its resolution to 1024×768 and probably that’s why it didn’t want to turn back on. I changed it to the full 1920×1200 it it woke up immediately. Maybe the monitor has a switch built in, and if the power adapter gives it less power, it would lower the resolution? But it doesn’t make sense, as the resolution has nothing to do with power management, as all crystals are lit the same way on the display, no matter the resolution. So, can anyone try this method? Changing the resolution back on via remote desktop… Or maybe there is a program to do that, and I can assign it a hotkey (when i press it, it will always go to 1920×1200).
I found a way. Download SwitchResX and set it up with a hot button so 1920×1200 is a key. If the monitor doesn’t want to wake up, press the key combination and this should fix it.
My apple cinema display wouldn’t wake up after a period of sleep and then it just would’t start at all, no matter how many restarts I had. I tried many solutions, even reformatting the hard disk but it only got worse. After searching the internet I understand it is a problem with the power supply but before buying a new one I followed Vince’s advice about lowering the monitor’s resolution and it did work like a charm!.
It’s been three days now and so far so good. I hope that this little trick works for a long time.
Before turning off the computer, go to system preferences, choose displays and select a lower res display. When you restart simply go back to your regular resolution. Don’t forget to lower your res again before shutting down your system. Try it out, it might work for you too.
Same problem here: 23″ cinema display bought in 06.
It sounds like the same problem other ppl are having, if my PC puts the display to sleep it won’t turn back on, likewise if I tap the power button on the display it turns off but won’t come back on.
I have been leaving the display’s power brick unplugged from the power when the computer’s not in use and only plugging it in once the computer has been running for a minute or so. This was reliable for a few months but now it’s working maybe 5% of the time at best. So it will gets worse people.
Adjusting the screen resolution in the was described above doesn’t seem to help.
No-one at my local apple shop has heard of this problem (apparently).
Bit lost for options… any ideas?
Exact same problem here.
Initially unplugging and then plkugging the monitor again fixed the problem, now doesn’t work anymore.
Whant we can do, people?
OK, I have another solution…
turn on the computer… and then try plugging and unplugging your display’s power cable from the outlet really fast. Maybe 2 plugs/unplugs per second. In a couple of seconds, it will turn back on. I suspect something in the power supply is wrong and it doesn’t get enough power to turn the display back on, but when you do this trick, there are spikes that go into the power supply which make it go to the wanted Watts. That is why probably the display resolutions works – it might use less power when it’s lower.
Then I use a black screensaver, and never turn my monitor off. That way I don’t have to do the spike nor the resolution method.
I also have the same problem with my 23 inch HD Cinema at work. I am a Graphic Designer and there are 2 other Designers here we all have the G5’s with the 23 inch, and we came to a conclusion that it was the power adapter. We switched out my adapter and put another one from the other G5 and it went on immediately. So she took mine and here screen would not go on at all. So we switched them back and of course mine didnt go on and the other one did.
I rang apple and told them the problem. After being transfered to the service department (i think) I was given a reference number and told to take the display into an apple authorised repairer.
So… I just dropped my display off at an authorised apple repairer and it cost me AU$75 for them to look at it.
Will update when I hear from them.
Hi everybody, thanks for the posts that each has posted I now know I’m not alone in this night mare. I bought my 20′ monitor May / 07 and I have no exrended warrenty I’ve been in touch with Apple and they wash their hands of it. I got the same problem as each of you, I guess I try as each sugested, thanks again for the info. Duncan G.
hmm interesting site. I like to utilize my juicy education Wanna very nice joke?)) What is the most popular wine at Christmas? “Can’t we open the presents yet?”
Update:
(refer to earlier posts)
Got my display back back from the Apple Shop a few days ago where they ordered me a new power brick.
Seems to be working perfectly now.
The power brick cost AU$155
(and since I had already paid $75 when I dropped it off I only had to pay the difference — so total repair cost for $155 Australian dollars)
For reference the Apple Store I’m referring to is actually an Authorised Apple Reseller and Service Agent called Nextbyte.
Update:
My BRAND NEW power brick just shat itself. There was a click noise from the brick (loud enough to hear over music) and my display went dead. It has that hot electrical smell and there was the tiniest bit of black soot on the power cord (the fat cord that connects the brick to the wall outlet) when I unplugged it from the brick.
Not happy…
Same problem here. Apple 23″ display purchased July ‘06. Went to wake up my computer, display stays black, and then the usb hub stops working. Pretty sure it’s the power brick. I heard a loud click that I thought might have been the hard drive when the computer woke up, but now I’m thinking it was the brick frying.
Can someone please get their brick to light on fire so we can get a recall?
This monitor has been nothing but trouble. one pixel that goes green all the time, ghosting, weird discoloration around the edge of the screen. Probably one of the worst products Apple has ever made. I’m a very unhappy customer. I buy a lot of Apple gear, and this just wasn’t up to standard. This product should be recalled.
Hi everyone, I ended up at this page when one of my 30″ Apple Cinema HD’s wouldn’t power on upon start up.
There was no white light, the power button didn’t respond. I swapped bricks (since they’re both the same) but they weren’t the problem (the working monitor worked from either brick), so after reading through the replies here, I unplugged the non-working one from the brick and unplugged the brick from the wall.
About 20 minutes later, plugged it back in and it powered on fine. Hope it stays on! Not sure what the problem was, but it seems completely unplugging it is starting point.
Incidently the other 30″ once started up and was basically bright white, with the desktop showing through faintly. A complete unplug from the power for 30 minutes fixed that too…
23″ HD Display bought in the summer of 06 and it appears the brick is flaking out and/or fried. Can’t get the monitor to go on as of today. After about 15 mins. messing with the cords I finally got the power light to come back on. Started the computer and power light goes out and hasn’t been on since. No picture. Had to buy a VGA to DVI adapter ($12 at Best Buy) and drag out the old Sony CRT to even look for a replacement brick.
I bought my cinema display in June 2006 like many of you and I have the same problems. It will randomly decide to work when I plug it in. My Mac sees the monitor, it is a secondary display, it shows all of the settings for it, I can move my mouse over to where the monitor would be but its like the display just isn’t getting power.
This seems to be a common problem for Cinema Displays from 2006.
I bought my Cinema Display Summer 2006 and it worked fine until a month ago… It comes alive every now and then, and it worked fine at Best Buy, bust for the most part it sits on the back of my desk.
When I talked to Apple they said they had no other reports with similar problems, I’m surprised there hasn’t been a class action against them (I got 50 bucks from a class action for gen 1 Ipods)
Right after I posted this my 23″ Cinema Display sprang back to life!
Guess it was upset I was talking bad about it…
Same problems on 23″ Cinema display purchased February 2005 and on replacement unit received on July 28 2005. My “new” monitor worked fine until a few days ago when the internal clock battery died. I had been “never” allowing the monitor to sleep since taking delivery of the newer unit, but have had the screen saver kicking on after 5 minutes. This worked great for me because I usually shut down immediately after use. I am convinced that there is some issue with sleeping the monitor because the problem came back after my preferences were lost with the death of my battery. By the way, I was able to get the monitor back up by letting the power brick sit for a while and lowering the resolution. I’m not sure which of these was the cure. We’ll see what happens after I shut down in a few. I might try using a separate power strip for the monitor alone and never completely power it down. I agree with the folks who are saying that this product is not up to Mac standards due to these problems; a rel shame because the monitor is great in other respects. Good luck everyone
I too started having the non waking 23″ Cinema Display problem. I have a G5 dual 2gig with the 23″ Cinema Display and a 23″ older apple lucite display which is having no problem. The older display is hooked up to the ADC port, the dead 23″ is hooked to the DVI port. I had 2 firewire drives, a MIDI interface and my iphone charger plugged into dead 23″’s ports.
Having gone 2 years with no issues (other than discoloration around the edges of the monitor) I shut the computer down one night, the next morning upon starting, the Cinema Display stayed black. I assumed it was the power supply. I made an appointment with the Geniuses who checked the power supply and found it to be functioning. My next thought was that the firewire drives had somehow put to much strain on the power supply. I bought a firewire hub to handle the drives, plugged the display back in leaving the USB and firewire cables unplugged. The Cinema Display started right up when I restarted my computer.
That lasted about 2 weeks. A couple of days ago when waking my system in the morning, the Cinema Display didn’t wake up. I hit the power button on the side of the display and it started up. This morning again the display was black. I tried the hitting of the power button game, this time to no effect.
I found this thread. I tried mirroring the displays, changing resolutions, nothing happened. Then I started writing this post. Halfway through the dead monitor came to life.
I’m at a loss. Has anyone tried switching video ports or cards?
Same problem. 23 inch monitor bought circa June 2005, possibly later). Power supply serial number = Y56036MNUKDB. Intermittently works after what appears to be a “cool down” period. We have a few of these 23″ displays in our office.
I determined the power supply was at fault when switching to a known working one. I sent in the faulty power supply to the Apple store and was told out of warranty — too bad. When I got it back it worked, and has worked for a few months. Then last night, it failed again. I got it back after leaving it unplugged (both the high and low voltage cables) and it came back on. I left it on and this morning, failed again.
I have had all the symptoms as noted above and wanted to put my two cents in to the thread. I have put up with this for months now, plugging and unplugging the elliptical plug seemed to work for a while, but doesn’t seem to now. No doubt there are many many more who are just putting up or paid the money to but a new power supply (or two). It’s pretty apparent that this is a design flaw and bad product. I will try the resolution, etc. suggestions above, but meanwhile, any new ideas from anyone?
30″ Cinema display, coupled with a mac pro.
After a couple of days away and a merry Christmas, back to my home, and the CDisplay would not start (no white led). I just tried the combination of cables, and the cinema display shuts down when i plug the USB cord on the mac pro. Comes back to live when i unplug it.
So far, in my case, this is just a wire problem, and it comes from the big cord between the display and the mac / brick.
I can leave without the x2 usb hub, since my display’s apple care has expired.
Thx a lot, I tried everything that has been posted on this website and only this trick helped. I hope it will last…
greetz
Michel
Update: After unplugging the brick and letting it sit all night, I plugged it back in. (My G5 power pc was off.) It booted up normally, with the 23″ cinema display acting normally. When booting, the little white light on the display came on for about three or four seconds, then went out and remained out. I have now changed my energy settings so the display never sleeps, just goes to screen saver.
(As a note, I have no USBs or Firewires plugged in to the display.)
I propose filing a class action law suit if apple refuses to fix this. Clearly it isn’t an isolated incident.
Are we up for it?
Yess, sure.
But I am a resident of Belgium… to bad…
Sure, how do we do it?
This problem has been driving me nuts.
I have the same problem with a 4 year old 23″cinema display . I had previous problems as far as the video card was concerned corrupt ram created fuzz, so I upgraded it . The problems went away .
I left for vacation for a month and turned off all the equipment ,including the monitor .
I did not however unplug it from the no-break power surge protector .
I was frustrated that it would not turn on at all .
There was no info in the apple support sites about this problem .
I called for support and was told to take it into the genius(dumb ass) bar . I had taken the display into them two months before when the video card went bad . That’s how I figured the card was the problem , the monitor worked perfect at the store . Brought it back and the problem returned .
So knowing that the video card is not the problem , and that the computer is operating , the ports on the display operate , firewire usb etc . The only other logical answer IS the power supply set-up . And that may include all cables involved .
The Brick is nothing more than a transformer . It changes ac to dc power . The wires route the power to the display , and connect the hub on the display to the computer .
With time the heat produced from this transforming down from say 110V ac to 90W usage with only 24.5 volts can cause heat fatigue
and the transformer becomes less and less consistent . Eventually no longer working .
Halogen lighting transformers are a good example of this . If you have ever plugged too much demand on a transformer and it melts?
Using a voltage regulator before the ups and anything else you plug in is a good way to keep your electronics last longer .
And if you leave for extended periods of time , just unplug everything from the wall . Transformers keep working even if the device is off .
If you ordered a new Brick and it did not solve the problem , then the cables are the problem . They(apple) will sell you the brick along with new cables $87 including shipping and $30 back for the old stuff.
If the new one does not work either send it back again until you get a good one . These things are made in china and they have bad quality control . Apple will make right if you write to them with the complaint after several bricks fail in a row I’m sure .
So if your Brick is cold , it likely is dead . If it’s really hot , it is going to die soon .
same problem, 23″ cinema display bought in 2006 summer.
any ideas or solutions?
i’m very frustrated like you
respect
Hey guys,
I have the same problem with my 23″…all the symptoms you guys described matched my problem perfectly…but after more research, i think the problem is the DVI port on my powerbook. Here’s why i think this is the case…
There are certain VERY specific situations that the display will work. For example: The monitor display works (every time) when it is in secondary display mode (when the powerbook’s lid is open). But it works only when i unplug everything, plug in the DVI first, then plug in the power brick. The other day even this wasn’t working because i had some speakers plugged in. As soon as i unplugged the speakers, the process worked.
This all leads me to believe that the problem based on different frequencies being put out by the powerbook (based on setting, or what is plugged in).
For me this is not too much of a problem because i am getting a new laptop soon, but i suggest to everyone that you consider your laptop/tower to be the problem before sending out your cinema and paying a ton of money.
Dave
Hi , I got my new Brick and the monitor now works fine .
Dave: use an air compressor and blow out any dust from the laptop . Sometimes the processor heats up too much due to dust and causes these type of failures . But so do the power supplies . Check the video card maker for updates and make sure that when you unplug the extra display , that you return the video card settings to drive only one monitor , the main one . In system preferences click displays , then detect display . Make sure the resolution is the correct one .
Check in system profiler if all the hardware is being recognized properly .
Good Luck
same deal… JUST BOUGHT 23″ ACD and now it won’t wake from sleep w/ my new 15″ unibody MBP.
(i guess i got one of the last ones- they discontinued them the day my order went through – and shipped it 4 weeks late)
I’m actually in law school now and just finished up a section on class actions and coupon settlements, etc… whomever mentioned that before- not a bad idea. considering the # of people i just scrolled through with the same product, multiple set ups but same issue/result and same solution from apple, there is obviously something wrong with the ACD’s under normal use. it’s pretty ridiculous.
To wake monitor from sleep You must put your mac to sleep or turn it off by the button if it is in sleep mode already . Plug in the monitor to video card dvi , plug in the rest of the cables firewire usb then the power to ac . Turn the power on your machine . This should wake it up if it was in sleep . Otherwise I recommend you check the power supply (brick).It worked for me .
Yeah… my 23″ display too… bought in spring 2006.
Just tried the multi quick in-out with the power cord and it worked.
actually i 2nd that – power trick worked for me too. thanks!!!!
Hi all. Thought I’d throw one more on the pile… 23″ cinema display, purchased as a refurb sometime in 06 (to lazy to dig out the info). Just started flaking out this week. So far unplugging for a few minutes and plugging back in brings it back to life. The resolution is lowered when it powers back on. This is almost as frustrating as getting my Airport Extreme and Airport Express working together! Grrr…
Same problem here. Apple support has remained apathetic to the problem.
I’ve been having the same problem of my monitor not turning on intermittently. The problem appears to be especially likely after a period of heavy use.
For a while I stepped around the problem by just never turning the monitor off. I kept it on the whole time. It eventually started turning itself off while not in use regardless of if I touched the power button or not.
I’ve since gone into my Display preferences to disable both the power and brightness buttons. I’ve gone three days of heavy use since and so far so good. I’ve been able to sleep my computer and restart it. The monitor remains on and when the computer is sleeping, the monitor’s on light pulses.
The only odd thing is that the power light is off while the monitor is in active use.
BTW, I also had a similar problem with another LCD monitor that I owned. That one was made by Formac. It tended to happen mostly in very hot or cold weather. The problem was a bit different in that case though. It would spontaneously turn off a couple of times a day. I’d just have to touch the power button to turn it back on. It was annoying, but bearable.
I’m now a bit leery of all devices that don’t have mechanical power switches. I’m not too hot to trot about all these “slick” button-less interfaces the same way I don’t like my smart phone without a physical keyboard.
Hey All! Im glad to say that with much prayer, and the power trick of pulling in and out. . .It came on!! While the MBP was in a restart.
I also have a 23″ apple monitor with a similar problem. I initially bought it used and it worked fine for about a month (the monitor is attached to a apple G4 mirroe drive computer). Now it rarely turns on. I have tried unplugging the system which worked for a few days and now, again, has stopped responding. I am wondering if it would make a difference if the monitor was attache to a more updated computer such as the apple G5 tower. If someone has information in regards to this i would appreciate it.
what about fling a class action??? i’m in, defintely! spent too many euros on this crap…
If the Power supply had heavy use before you got the display I think you should replace it .
When everything else has failed , from what I have posted here before , it means you must reset the PMU or CUDA on the Logic board where the RAM is located . It is marked on the Logic board PMU . This is attached to the mother board . It regulates power and recognizes what you have plugged in . With time , the commands become useless and you must reset them to zero .
A lithium battery with low charge can also generate these problems . It is also located on the logic board . It remembers the time and several other commands .
Go to Apple Support Knowledge base and get the instructions step by step . There is a sequence to doing this properly which they do not address .
But it is good enough to help understand why these things are happening .
I did all this and which I posted before and solved the problem
A class action suit would not proceed as long as some or most of the solutions provided were unhelpful to everyone . In this case there are solutions which have helped some or most .
It is unfortunate to have to invest more money into something that was expensive to begin with . But the problem may not even be the Display alone . People have posted it happens with other displays different brands. So to reiterate , whenever you plug something into a mac , it remembers and uses the last known settings to run the display (video card). Re stetting the PMU
and the NVRAM as well as the PRAM should solve the problems permanently or until the Logic Board PRAM becomes corrupt.
It is hard to diagnose a problem and provide a fix all solution since every one is using a different configuration .All I can say is try this .
Thanks VirjVlinder for that quick response. Albeit a bit technical, I’ll have to take this info and do some research of my own. As to a Class Action, I think it would be a tough proposition going up against Apple.
Well, upon further review, the disabling the buttons trick doesn’t actually work. After a few days the monitor reverted back to its glitchy behavior and stopped powering on when the computer woke up from sleep. I’m realizing that in my case the problem actually happens when the computer tries to send a signal to the monitor.
If I leave the monitor on, it behaves normally in sleep mode. The power LED light pulses on and off slowly. Once I wake the computer, the light will abruptly go off the instant a video signal is sent to the monitor.
I’m having good luck with the trick of plugging the monitor into a power strip that I can turn on and off manually. When I’m not using the monitor, I switch the power strip off.
Keeping in mind that I’m having problems only after a video signal is sent, I leave the power strip turned off until the computer has completely powered back on. I have two monitors so I wait until I see a video signal on my other monitor before I flip the power switch. So far this has worked very well.
What do you mean plugging the monitor into a power strip are you referring to a different outlet. can you also elaborate on the manual portion of your text. Your solution may also work for me. Thanx.
just called applecare about it. im a moron and said it worked fine trying it on another computer (i was trying to get through the call quickly) and the guy immediately said i had no choice but to goto the genius bar. of course, they had no idea what i was talking about either. but he did mention it was when video was sent to the monitor, like the person above mentioned.
this is so annoying.. the thing was $800 and works 8% of the time and is so unreliable. it’ll work for a day, then stop for 2 days no matter how many times i plug/replug the power in. and i agree w/ the last post- please elaborate on exactly how you power the monitor on start to finish.
i tried to switchresX trick mentioned earlier too.. no luck.
as to the class action- who cares if its up against apple? what matters is there’s a problem that is correctable but not being corrected, and its costing us a lot of money for no reason. at the least a discount to those who have to buy a new brick outright would be better than nothing.
Here’s my setup.
I have a power strip with an on and off button. My monitor is plugged into the power strip.
When I put my computer to sleep or turn it off, I just flip the switch on the power strip to the off position so it cuts the power to the monitor completely.
When I power my computer on, I wait until my second monitor shows a video signal and then I flip the on/off switch on the power strip to the on position.
The key is to flip the switch to the on position after your computer is fully powered up. If you turn the monitor on prematurely, the monitor will turn itself off once your Mac tries to send a video signal to it.
This is all technically the same as plugging in and unplugging your monitor all the time, but it seems to work better for me. At the very least, it’s a lot more convenient than having to crawl under my desk all the time to plug and unplug the monitor.
If the monitor really won’t turn on then I try the trick of turning the monitor on and off twice very quickly. This is quite a feat when you have to unplug the actual cord from the power supply. With a switch on the power strip, it makes it a lot easier to do this. I haven’t had to resort to the quick on and quick off twice trick ever since I figured out that I have to wait before I power the monitor on.
Monitor does not wake from sleep ,you tried everything else I mentioned above , now try this:
Resetting the NVRAM .
You must hold down the letter O and f and option cammand all at once while turning the computer on . Keep holding the keys down until you her the start up sound three times . Release the keys once a white screen with commands appears .
Type at the prompt reset-nvram press return
Type reset-all press return
The computer will reboot . You may have to enter time date settings depending on the machine .
This should wake the monitor . Any display , does not have to be apple display .
I purchased a power supply for a 30″ apple cinema, and it seems to be working perfectly now. Thanks so much!!!
having this problem as well. Have a spring ‘06 23 inch display and now no light and not working. if it is in the warranty (which it is), do you think apple will replace it with a new display or get a different power strip. I have yet to call them.
sorry i meant power box
Glad I found this site. I’ve had a 20″ Cinema Display since 05′ or ‘06 and it’s been working great without a problem until just recently. (purchased a new, 2009 Mac Mini).
I’ve been using it regularly on a KWM switch between my old Mac Mini and a PC for all it’s life. When booting the PC, its LED would blink a few times before finally coming on, but it ALWAYS came on. With the Mac it worked just fine. I left the system (including monitor) on most of the time as the Mac Mini served as my Media and WiFi for my AppleTV – the monitor went to “sleep” regularly.
After installing my new 2009 Mac Mini it seemed to work fine… at first.
Then one day it didn’t come on. I checked it later that night and it worked fine.
Days go by and then it did it again. I picked up the Power Brick and it began working, so I thought it was just a loose cable.
Worked fine since then, booting in OSX and Windows (using BootCamp).. until this morning. Stayed black and nothing I did with the Power Brick seemed to help. I will try the “quick power-off” tricks tonite and see if that helps.
Glad to know I’m not alone at least…
I just had one of my two 23″ cinema displays turn off while I was working on my MacPro. Plugging the dead display into my other power supply and DVI port didn’t help. I took the display to my local Genius Bar where they tried some of their own power supplies (which didn’t work) and then told me it would be a $1200 repair because it is out of warranty. Needless to say I didn’t get it repaired. One strange thing is that if I push the power button on the display the power light turns on briefly, but no image appears.
This display is only 8 months old as it was a warranty replacement for a display I bought in the summer of 2007 that had a slight flicker problem when there were too many windows open with a lot of white in them (strange, but very reproducible).
I suspect a fuse issue. I wish I could find some tutorials online to take apart the ACD and fix it myself.
If the Display did not function even at the apple store with their gear hooked up to it , then I suspect it is the “inverter” . It is a costly part that has to do with sending voltage signal to the bulb which lights the display in the back . Or the bulb as well . Do not attempt to take apart the display you will damage it . Can you even find any screws to take it apart ?
Don’t take it to apple they charge too much , find an authorized repair shop .
Just call around or look up “inverters for LCD displays”. If you think you can fix it yourself , I advise to get the guide as to how to do it . It is not worth paying 1200 when you can get something else for 200-400 . Any brand of Display will work well with a MAC.
Good luck
Any of you have an extra power supply? Let me know. I need one to test my unit. Thanks.
Same exact problem. I purchased my 23″ cinema display in May 07′ and today it just stopped working.
I took the display into the apple store and it’s going to cost $400 to repair, which is half the price i paid for it a year ago. Does anyone else feel like we’re getting screwed? What are the necessarily steps to take in order to file a class action lawsuit? Surely there are enough of us that this is happening to?
just got my ACD23″ back a few days ago. it worked in the store bu thavent tried it w/ my unibody MBP yet. those bastards had it for FOUR WEEKS. it was under warranty, but they replaced the logic board and gave me a new brick. it took me two hours arguing at the apple store to convince the “genius” that there was an issue. i finally got it to not come out of sleep 3 times in a row on a brand new Air, as well as a macbook from their store. even then they didnt want to take it back because “this never happens.”
fuckers. i know its going to work when i try it again… then stop in 2-3 weeks.
oh, and they also fixed my new unibody mac. this whole purchase has been just a let down!
they replaced: my LCD screen, harddrive (twice), logic board, ac adapter, battery cover, the casing. even though it was all warranty work, the receipt said $1400 worth of repair. they also scratched the body and replaced my hd accidentally w/ the wrong model (5400 instead of 7200rpm).
all i have to say is thank god i bought the 3yr apple care with both the computer and the ACD, and if anyone takes anything in to them be a huge pain in the ass about every detail. they’ll fix it but you must point it out before and after. even take pics in the store of what your computer/monitor casing looked like when you gave it to them. whatever works, my ACD was so flawless when i brought it in… i even had the plastic still on the back. but they still wrote “slight scratches” as a comment and i didnt catch it. luckily it was ok, but the unibody mbp had serious chips in it when i got it back the first time that were not my fault. they replaced it all w.o hassle, but only because i was a pain in the ass about every little ding.
they should sell a “please dont fuck with me” membership card if you buy enough of their stuff. i understand why they fight w/ casual ipod and iphone buyers that claim they didnt drop their ipod in the toilet, but sometimes the fight is just not necessary.
Hi Guys,
I was wondering if anyone can help me out. I was given a Mac screen by a mate with my G4, however on the screen then it is connected to the machine, the power light comes on and i can turn my machine on and off using the sensor on the screen, but the screen does not turn on.
Any advice would be helpful
Ok, so I was having the same problem as everyone else and just yesterday I finally got my new power brick. Once I plugged it in the cinema worked perfectly. You can find these things on ebay. It may cost like $70-100 but it is worth it, much better than the $400 i see Apple is charging to fix the monitor itself.
So my suggestion is to at least replace the power brick, it is more than likely the cause.
DAVE, Please read my posts on how to reset the pmu and vram and pram . I gave solutions to all these problems . Like Dave S. Said if it does not turn on at all , it may be the power supply , 69 dollars from Apple if you return the old one . But it sounds to me that you need to reset the pram , nvram and pmu .
Same problem here. The quickly repeated unplugging/re-plugging the power cord into the brick just worked for me.
I’m going to try turning off the monitor sleep and hope for the best.
thanks!
-Andy
Thank you very much – have the same problem; 23″ Cinema Display bought in 2007 — short – long – short code in the power led.
Apple is shipping me a free power adapter – thanks to this blogpost/thread and others.
Thanks!
Rasmus/Denmark
Recieved the new power adapter today – but it dosent change a thing. Black screen — same code. :/
hi
i have purchased my 23″ around may 2006.
i have had the problem for months now. i get it to work once in a while.
my question is (knowing the brick is the problem)
does getting a 30″ power brick for my 23″ would prevent this of happening in the future?
thanks
does a 30inch brick will work for a 23inch display? TIA
hi all!
for all of you suffering of a ACD 23, that stopped working: BUY A NEW POWER ADAPTER – in case of my display it is a A1097, which powers the display.
my symptoms: a clicking noise, coming from the power brick, when all cables are plugged-in. the noise vanishes, if the display lights up finally (OR vice-versa).
i often had to replug the small cable, to light it up again… some old mac guru (NOT from a Authorized Apple Support Provider) told me, that this can happen, because of bad/broken/melted condensators.
and: call apple support and urge that you want somebody from customer care you can speak to. be polite and tell the whole story: few apple products, also your friends have got apple products. but unfortunately you had problems, and also you friends/family is not satisfied with the whole apple policy.
hope that helps,
jotzet
So it appears that the problem is with the the late 1995/1996 displays.. It’s a shame that Apple has such horrible support for products they sell for an arm and a leg. I thought high cost = quality customer support?
I have the same problem only for me I noticed this problem coming on over the course of a week. First after booting up one morning the 23″ display took about 5/10 minutes to start, after my secondary display had booted fine. Then one or two days later, this happened again, so I brought the machine to work and it worked fine, brought it home and it did not work.. So I replaced my surge protector, convinced that it would solve my problem, and it did for a few days.. Then yet again, BLACK.. and I can’t get it back. I did once for an evening, but alas, right back to it the next morning.
After reading about replacing the power brick for upwards of 100US dollars, I am convinced that I am better off purchasing a brand new “non Apple” 23″ display for 170 US dollars and using my old apple display as an anchor for my boat.. I think the design would lend itself well for the job.
It’s just upsetting to me that they still charge a premium for the power brick replacements when it can’t cost them anything to manufacture them.. I guess they are just like any other big business.. they want you to buy a new shiny replacement from them instead rather than servicing the old ones..
Anyone opened there brick up to see if there was anything visibly wrong with it?
Hi sean , I have posted several issues here related to the apple display which can be the problem . There are many things involved not just the screen . The main issue is the power brick . it Is NOT 100 $ if you send the old one back it is 64$ . Those power supplies get hot get old. It is heat fatigue . Also it can be you need to restart the PRAM and NVRAM in your machine .
I will not post anymore here since apparently people don’t read up . The solution is what I stated in previous posts .
Also ANY display brand will work on the mac . I recommend VEWSONIC , but anything will work .
Apple makes good products but as everything they do have lifespan . If you are going to buy an used apple display I suggest you test the power supply at an electronics store . They can see if the voltage is right or if it is fried or about to be .
hey guys same prob here… maan there so many people with this problem! Well my issues is almost the same here, LED flashes short, long, short. BUT THIS IS THE WEIRD THING: the led flashes event thou it is not even connected to the computer! i just plug in the power chord but not the DVI nor the usb and firewire and display still flashes with the code.
Also when it is connected to, my imac i see the display under the displays settings and it shows me the right resolution (1920X1200) I dont know whats the problem here. I have tried every single method there is on this long and painful post.
I tried calling apple and I WASN’T EVEN HELPED BECAUSE MY WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED, the guy asked me if i wanted to purchase a $50 1 time support thing and I was furious. He told me the geniuses at my local apple store can have a look at and have an appointment tomorrow at 8 pm. I hope it can be fixed, It took me like 2 years to save for this monitor.
Mike
My problem persists intermittently. I find that the digestion of unplugging the monitor power until the Mac is completely booted up seems to work everytime. Plug in the power after that and it works.
From reading other posts I’m not convinced a new Power Brick will solve things. I’d love to hear from folks who HAVE spent the $$ on a new Brick. And wether or not their monitor problem returns.
This page really helped. This is the first time my display wouldn’t wake up. It happened right after a big lightening storm. Not sure if a power surge messed things up. Disconnecting the monitor from the power source did the trick
Ha, great recommendation.
S.
Please read all my previous posts, they include many reasons why this happens and how to fix it . The problem is NOT limited to the power supply alone I have solved the same problems people keep posting here . I have posted how to fix it several times .
Since My last post several months ago, I have had absolutely no problems with monitor , I am now using it with My MAC MINI as well .
For best results since this blog does not post results ,please look for my posts as I don’t have time to repost it all.
Thanks
I just ordered a new adapter from Apple.
It will cost me $66 after I return the old part.
I’ve been having the “black screen” problem for the past few months, but had about 2 1/2 years of use with no problems.
I’ve used all of the fixes listed above, all of which work some of the time and don’t some of the time.
My best solution has been to never turn my computer off.
You need to reset the NVRAM and the PRAM . The NVRAM is reset by turning machine on while holding the keys option -apple-o-f at the same time and wait to hear the startup tone 3 times then let go off the keys and you will get white screen with command console, type in :
reset-nvram press enter
type in reset-all it will reply ok and reboot .
You also must reset the pram it is a button located in the computer bellow the ram sticks it its marked PRAM . To reset buton you must disconnect all from the computer and also the power . Press button only once . Reconnect and restart .
Look for info at the apple knowledge base . Resetting PRAM and NVRAM This should fix problem permanently . Whenever you change major hardware it is good idea to reset it .
The power supply is key as-well it gets old and stops working properly .
I thought I’d post an update on my situation. My 23″ Cinema display is still alive after I assumed it was on its last legs due to the power up problems I was having. I kept “fixing” my problem by rapidly turing the monitor on via a power strip with a power switch I could flip quickly a few times.
I haven’t had to do that in a while… maybe in months. I seem to remember that even before I started having these power up problems that my Cinema Display was occasionally slow to turn on occasionally, but only in the winter months.
I don’t know if the weather really has anything to do with this. You’d think it’d be the other way around with the monitor having problems in the hot summer months and no problems with the colder winter months helping it dissapate heat.
I have similar problems with my 23″ ACD, and there’s nothing new I can bring to that, but I’m just wondering why I do not have any display specific power button -settings on my system preferences > display settings. I mean, it’s been mentioned on this and some other forums as well, that changing the display’s power button settings sometimes help, but I do not have them iat all. Is there any ACD software or driver’s that would include them..?I don’t even have any driver cd’s – I guess the display never had any driver cds and is supposed to work directly when plugged in?
I have a g5 power pc dual processor, os 10.5.x and the aforementioned 23″ aluminium ACD + a Wacom cintiq display as a primary screen. Would the OS version be the culprit for not having the power button settings?
Hi all,
I had the “short long short” blinking led problem with my
23″ ACD after a power outage which left my screen blank and
my cheek wet with a tear for my baby. I read somewhere that
a guy was getting a 1 volt reading on the middle pin of his
damaged 90 watt power block. I figured maybe the display might
work if I could somehow block the middle pin. So I cut a small
strip of paper wide enough to block just the middle pin and long
enough to cover both sides and it looked like a “W”. I gingerly
pressed it into the brick receptacle with a toothpick leaving
just a little slack so it would not tear when I pushed in the
small white plug. It was a bit of a tight fit but guess what.
IT WORKED… I am now enjoying my beloved monitor anew and saved
$$$ on replacement brick or repair.
If you want to try it and you feel you’ve nothing to lose, make
sure you cover just middle pin (both sides) and you may have to try a couple of times. It worked for me hope you have good luck too.
Regards, Moozler