Chosen Solution
Hi Guys, Does anyone know of LCD panels other than the LM171w02(TL)(B2) that work with these iMacs?. Due to the vertical lines issue they are nearly impossible to come by and where i can find them they are selling for more than these units are worth. Thanks in advance Update found this article on the apple support website, by the looks of it the only panels known to work are: LM171W02-TL B1 LM171w02-TL B2 anybody know of any others?
I know its been a long time, but after multiple shipping snafus i finally got everything i needed to do the PCB. It works perfectly. Multiple CCFL output issue is resolved. Mechanical adaptation requires some modification but i dont think it is beyond your average DIY person’s ability. EDID info is stored on 24c02 chip on PCB so no need to remove from screen. No soldering necessary with this PCB. I am going to use this iMac on a daily basis for a little while but based on the past 12 hours i dont foresee any issues. If anyone is interested i can produce more PCB and sell them pretty much at my production cost. i can also make an instructional document for recommended installation procedure.
Hi everybody, I apologize to bump this thread out but I would like to share my experience in this area. To reply to the previous message even if the author might not be interested anymore, I would like to say the answer is closer to “No” than “Yes”. But, if you are a DIY, the reply is “Yes”. In fact, like told in the post “http://discussions.apple.com/message.jsp…, the LVDS cable is not wired like common laptop LVDS cable. You do need to change the wiring to do so. Once done, you will have to change the EDID data in the eeprom. For my own, I directly took the eeprom from my old screen and I placed it to my new one (rather than trying to program the EEPROM). Moreover, you must adapt the screen housing to fit in the Imac (mechanical part). The original screen comes with two CCFL. If you use a screen with only one, you will need to take out one CCFL from the old screen, add black tape on it and place it in the Imac. If not, the inverter will shut down and you will not have back light. If you are ready to do that, you can use near whatever screen you want. For my own, I had success with LP171wp4 and BP170W01 screen. I kept the LP171WP4 in my imac 17 finally. If you are interested to learn how I did, let me know, I will explain it in details. Best Regards Guile
Just throwing this out there, is it possible that this can be done without the usage of the edid chip? While tracing and marking wires on the LCD cable i intend to use i noticed it did not even contain wires linked to the correct pins to read the edid info. I know most windows based computers if unable to read the info will report it as a generic monitor, but it will still work. of course when apple gets involved you can imagine they hard coded something into the firmware to allow only certain panels, though i cant find anything to confirm this.
Great! As Told previously, the wiring used by Apple for this screen seems to be standard for desktop LCD. Thus, for example, LM170E01 LCD: http://www.google.fr/url?sa=t&source=web… Uses the same wiring (except the Apple one does not uses pin 10,11,22,23). The problem is so far I didn’t found any desktop LCD with right angle, resolution and so on which could fit to the mac. Except DELL E1709W but I don’t have one on hand. I hope to hear from your progress!! Regards
Will this work with the LM171W02(TT) screen? Mine has the TT and not the TL. (imac g5 isight). I assume the TT is LVDS? the A4 is NOT. it is TMDS. (like the g4)
Hi, Sorry I don’t have the datasheet for this panel. However, the existing datasheet for LM171W02 A4 exists and says it is rated at 3.3V. However, I must admit that I didn’t check the voltage as I was convinced it was a 3.3V panel. Indeed, I have lots of defective panel in my house and the closest LCD panel I found with exactly same electronics components and same hardware (and with the same vertical lines failure) was a LP171WX2 A4, rated also at 3.3V. I agree it would have been better to check first. I will try to do that next week and will update my post. The hds170mgw1 screen could have been a good replacement for following reasons: -> 1440x900 resolution is Ok -> The mechanical design seems to be the same as the LM171W02 -> The pinout is almost the same But, it will probably not work for following reasons: -> Line 10,11,22,23 seems to be required and that probably means the LVDS configuration is not the same -> No EDID data could force the Imac to bypass the internal screen. In this case, just adding the eeprom could save this point. -> Perhaps the Imac needs 3.3V panel, and 5V makes the power supply to sink too much current (which also could explain why the Imac does not start when this screen is plugged). Keep up the good work!!
I cannot find any information on the LM171W02(TT) series display? They come stock in the Imac G5 isight that I have. and of course it has lines as well. will this solution work? or no? I do know the A4 and TT panels are not the same. (cant interchange them, wont boot)
Senordingdong, I’d very much like to hear more about your results and the PCBs you can build. Did you find a compatible, easily sourced TMDS panel for your conversion circuit?
Hi senordingdong. I’m glad to hear you’ve succeeded with your PCB. On my side, I’m using this modifications for near two months for a daily basis use, and semi professional use, and it’s still working fine. It looks like your solution is the best one to convince those who are in trouble with their screen. @ Laurence Lee: Be careful!! TMDS is not LVDS!! If you need a TMDS screen replacement, take one from an old G4 or G5 (available on ebay). If the screen does not start, you will probably have to swap EEPROM (EDID) from your old screen and the new one. It looks like Mike Bates succeeded in this way. The adapter built by senordingdong and I are only for LVDS screen.
Appreciate all the thought that is going into these repairs, you’re all very adventurous and clever as well. I’m wondering if it would be possible to make an adapter that would allow the connection of a stand alone monitor? It would look terrible of course but would be much cheaper for those that don’t have working screens to use. Also, I’ve read elsewhere that these faults are due to the fragility of silver solder joints used in the early days of shifting to ROHS compliance. A solution is to bake the logic board in an 375 degF oven for 8-10 minutes, which others have found reforms the defective joints. Is there such a board that is part of the display?
Ok, I took the lcd LM171W02 (TL) (B2) off my C2Duo Build 10K459, and put the lcd LM171W02 (TT) (A1) from my isight G5 build 9L319 onto the intel unit AND.. after a short burst of the fans - it would not power on. I pulled the lcd cable from the socket - and the C2D powers up. I return the cable into the socket and the C2D fails to power up. I put the G5 lcd LM171W02 (A4) (M1) from my other isight G5 into the C2D and once again it fails to power up after the short burst of fans. Sadly I was fooled by the identical design of the G5 isight and the C2D internals and believed I had the G5 Lcd in the intel unit. Its a pity for all the needful intel users that I was mistaken. Thanks for helping set the record straight here. Regards…
Hi Mike, I’ve looked long and hard look at the G5 lcd LM171W02 (A4) (M1) that Is now working in my isight G5 imac - without any problems swapping the inverter needed for the isight unit and video cable - and I don’t see any pixel line at the bottom of the screen that is blank or not any colour that it isn’t supposed to be regardless what background or screensaver is active.? Maybe just an anomaly. Regards..
I can’t seem to buy an adapter board, are they sold out and where is this eeprom chip on the panel?
just bought an adapter from señor ding dong for $60. hopefully I’ll be able to get my iMac running again. Any suggestions on what kind of LCD to get? part numbers? Thanks in advance! Mike
Does anyone know if the apple laptop displays, also LG, have the same pinouts as the Imac displays?
Just wanted to add my recommendations for senordingdong’s high resolution screen / adapter assembly (in answer to the question - yes). The screen looks stunning - better than my year-old Samsung PC monitor; it’s really brought a new lease of life to my iMac. At $199 for a brand new screen, I reckon it’s a no-brainer (unless you happen to have a good LCD panel knocking about that is, in which case just buy senordingdong’s adapter board). This guy is a real gentleman - his service was first class, he went out of his way to get the screen to me quickly and cheaply. I urge everyone with a broken 17” iMac to buy one of his screens. Thank you senordingdong!
Does anyone know the LCD model that would work with the adapter/board? The models listed under his site are LP171WP6 (1140x900) LP171WU1 (1920x1200) but there are so many variants e.g (TL)(A3), etc.. which variant works? just trying to get a less expensive screen and then get the board. thanks!
This is all amazing stuff, that Apple changed the code on the LCDs self-identifying EEPROM when moving to the Intel base. Can anyone tell me which chip on the G5 iMac/Intel iMac LCD is the EEPROM chip?
I am going to have a go and do the adapter myself. Can anyone share the knowledge of schematics or correct datasheets as my original panel is LM171W02 (TL) (B2) and will be using LP171WP6 with EEPROM (EDID) chip and connectors from my original panel. Any help would be appreciated.
(“Post answer” doesn’t seem entirely relevant but the only button there….) I’d be thrilled if someone could post some sort of guide on sourcing a LCD that WILL work for the mod. I’m confident in my soldering skills and I have swapped parts around on things in the past in a similar fashion. What I’m having trouble getting to the bottom of is what LCDs will make suitable replacements for the chip swap to even work. I just put a new 2TB drive in my Core Duo for barely over $100, and I have a C2D processor chip on the way for $10. I’m working hard to get some new life into my machine. It works great with my 37" 1080p monitor, but I’d really like to get have a 2 screen set-up again. So far, I’ve been told specifically that the 875-2052-x DDC’ panels are not a candidate because they are the wrong type. How do we find ones that will work? What other machine models would be suitable donors, or where to find other makes/models that are compatible? A list or guide would help everybody, whether they swap chips or buy the convenient convertor kit. Thanks, -eric
LP171WP6 and LP171WP6 operate without EEPROM only need to solder adapter for correct wiring LVDS
Hello ! You already watched this page ??? http://www.realmacmods.com/files/unimaci… Ned
I am trying to replace LM171w02-TL B2 from my intel mac, with LP171WP6(TL)(03), I have managed to swap eeprom chips, but I am wonder if there is any diffrence in the lcd wiring?, new screen is a laptop screen, I mac is booting up, but lcd and inverter don’t. Reason that I have chosen this screen is because this one is on compatibility list on realmacmods website to work with unimac v4, and has two ccfl, and it cost me only £15, so it is worth trying, but I’m stuck. Do I need that magic board from SenorDingDong? ;-), if so, how can i buy it??, how to contact him?
matrix AUO M201EW02 VB 20.1 “need urgently flash, stands on the MAC A1224
I found you can purchase for a small fee and adaption kit off eBay and use a generic LCD screen. I don’t see the point in replacing like for like as somewhere down the line you’ll be replacing the LCD screen again. This is a serious manufacturing floor on the part of LG Phillips. Saying that if you wish to go down the line of using a Phillips LCD try speaking to apple support they may do it for free, but as these iMac’s were discontinued a long time ago I don’t fancy your chances.
That high resolution mod is real nice, its almost a pity I don’t have an old Intel iMac to work on. https://realmacmods.com/product/unimac-v…
