Chosen Solution
Hi all, I have a Macbook A1181 which starts up okay but after about 10 seconds (just after the apple logo appears on the grey background)the screen goes dim. I can see the picture faintly on the screen and if I turn the screen brightness right down and then back up the screen is lit but then goes dim again. I’ve changed the inverter and the problem persists. Is there a sensor or switch that may be at fault or could the screen be at fault? Andy
,i’ve encounter thid problem before with the new macbook not a1181 model…i replace the whole LCD/screen with new LCD which i order here at iFixit… but unluckily it does not solve the problem. the problem is the “onboard video chipset controller”. try to reflow the video chips.
Let’s see if we can narrow down the problem. Hook it up to an external monitor and see if the problem persists.
@Josh, Wondering what the issue is if the screen stays bright with the top case removed? I’m asking because I have a MacBook 1.83 that is doing just that. I’ve replaced the LCD, inverter and cable but it still dims if I boot with the topcase on. For some reason, without the top case it works fine (external keyboard and mouse). Not a long term solution though. :) Please help.
Josh, I think there’s a reed switch in the topcase, somewhere on the left hand side that gets activated by a magnet in the lid. If that switch is getting nudged by something it could set the screen to dim. If you’ve changed the lcd, did you notice the magnet? It could be tucked away in the body. Andy
