Apple Display went black

I thought I'd get some input before shelling the money for a new display.

My 24" LED display wouldn't come back on after sleep one day. I use it as a second monitor. I tried shutting it off and restarting, etc, but it won't stay on. It did come back one day and then went black again. I see my main screen flash when I juggle the thunderbolt connector making me wonder if it's the cable but not sure. Also, if I leave the dead screen plugged in for a while, my monitor will darken and flash like it's trying to go back to two screen mode but then goes back to the main screen.

Is there a way to check if it's something as simple as the cable? Or if it's the screen itself? Is it easy to open and swap the cable? Or not worth it?

The easiest thing to do at this point in time is to swap out the cable with a known good cable. Once you've done that you can proceed to do more trouble shooting if it's not the cable. Also, it woudl help if you could better identify the monitor you're having problems with.

Thanks fro the response. Sorry, I thought there was only one 24 inch LED model. Looking it up it's the same as the MB382LL/A.

OK, I'll look into swapping the cable, however I don't think it's that easy to do. It must be taken apart.

OK, I'll look into swapping the cable, however I don't think it's that easy to do. It must be taken apart.

Click to expand...

Now that you given us the model number, we can better understand the problem. Here is a link to purchasing a new combined cable: http://blog.macpalace.com/home/all-in-one-display-cable-for-cinema-display-24.php

And you are correct about having to take apart the display in order to change out the cable. You can find instructions for this at www.ifixit.com.

Thanks for the info. I've had a chance to look into some of this. It seems that replacing the cable isn't all that simple. And the replacement cable is very expensive, for a monitor that may not work.

While trying to research, I found instructions for replacing the cable of a thunderbolt display. Apparently the connection (inside the unit) is the same as a standard thunderbolt, so it's possible to swap the old cord for a thunderbolt to thunderbolt cord, which is cheaper. I wonder if it's the same with the mini displayport cable on the 24" cinema display? If so, that's a cheap cable and maybe worth a shot. I couldn't find the same info for my display so I'm not sure.

In the end, I may just purchase a used monitor, I've seen some Thunderbolt displays and some Cinema displays for a good price. Either would fit as a second display for my iMac, so I wondered what you thought, other than size and price, is there any advantage or disadvantage to having either? I was either going to get the same as I had before, the 24" cinema display, or a 27" thunderbolt. Obviously having more space/size is great, however the only thing I worry about is the amount of power it uses or the load on processing. IS that something to consider? I have a 27" iMac Retina 5K, late 2014, 32 GB ram, AMD Radeon R9 M295X 4096 MB.

Thanks for any advice, I really appreciate it.

Personally, I would shy away from either another Cinema display or TB display. Both are getting old in the tooth and parts for them are scarce and expensive. You can probably find a used TB display on eBay for a decent price and hope that it will last a few years. I would definitely stay away from any of the Cinema displays though.

I have no idea how much you would be willing to spend on another monitor but you might want to look at what Dell and LG have to offer. I believe your iMac can drive a 4K display but you would need to check on that before buying.

Ok, if I do get something used I'll go with the TB and stay away from another CD. As for budget, I was seeing TB displays used in good condition for around $450-$500. Was hoping to get one for $400 which I think I can swing. And this is just a secondary display, it's not necessary for it to be 4K or high end or anything, mostly for extra room to free up my main workspace on my iMac.

The original Apple price on the 27" TB display was $999.00 plus another $169.00 for Apple Care. If you can swing one from eBay or elsewhere for $400 and it's in good condition, that would be a great buy. Let us know.

Well as I said I decided to purchase a monitor rather than troubleshoot my old monitor. I purchased a used 27" TB display for $375 and I have it connected now. Thanks for the suggestion, it was the right choice, there wasn't much of a difference in price and the CD is getting old at this point. And I have the second TB port on my iMac so no reason to go with the larger and better monitor. So much real estate!!!

Thanks.

Wow, $375 for a working 27" TB display was a great deal. I need to take you along with me the next time I'm in the market for a used car!