Archive for September, 2008

Fixing a PowerBook G4 display

September 10, 2008

I recently had to fix the 15″ display on an Apple PowerBook for a family member. Basically the notebook still worked fine (it was only ~4 years old) but it had been abused to the point where the bottom third of the display was displaying static and acting like it was cracked (even though there was no visible crack).

After some time to observe the machine, I noticed that as I closed the lid, the displayed flickered on perfectly when the hinge was held at about 45 degrees. This led me to believe that the cable connecting the panel to the mainboard was either loose or damaged.

After a bit of exploring inside the guts of the notebook, I was able to get things worked again — and I only stripped one screw in the process! ;-)

Pictures of dissection (this one goes to eleven):

Vectors in real life

September 9, 2008

Vectors in real life! Respect the power of Physics (and the TI-89).

Pictures (taken with none-other than my new 3G iPhone):