> I have an old PowerBook 170 that I=92m trying to resurrect but it has an > LCD problem. > =A0 > It has light shadowy tinges to the extremes of the display which get > darker and grow inwards after a while of use, so much so that it looks > like you have tunnel vision with only the middle 2/3 of the screen (an > oval in the middle) visible. > =A0 > Is this a common problem, and is it fixable (other than replacing the > LCD)?
I used to think that this could be a fixable thing, but folks on this list have convinced me that it isn't. The best working theory seems to be that the edge seals are imperfect, allowing contaminants to poison the LCD material (water is bad for liquid crystals, so the "contaminant" may just be water). The effect appears to be temperature sensitive, explaining why the display starts off looking okay, then gets worse as the day wears on. People have reported this effect with 1xx and 5xx series displays, and it wouldn't surprise me if others exhibit the problem as well. I would love to get my hands on some defective samples to run various experiments, so if anyone on this list happens to have some lying around and also happens to live near Stanford Univ., drop me a line. Sorry to offer so little hope. Barring a breakthrough in reversing the contamination, it looks like replacement is the only real solution. --Tom -- Prof. Thomas H. Lee Center for Integrated Systems, CIS-205 420 Via Palou Mall Stanford University Stanford, CA 94305-4070 http://www-smirc.stanford.edu 650-725-3709 ph, -3383 fax -- PowerBooks is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Enter To Win A | -- Canon PowerShot Digital Cameras start at $299 | Free iBook! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> PowerBooks list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/powerbooks.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/powerbooks%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
