How to: 2010 iMac black screen lcd problem solved 

Some comments didn't understand the RU-vidr's effort. Thank you very much, I learn it

I just got started with Mac's full time and I had the same problem. Forgot to plug in the same connector because it was bent when the screen fell out. LOL. The whole piece and connector were together. Bent some pins while praying i didn't break anything, And I was blessed, it worked first time. Forgot also and put in a 250 GB Hard drive, while looking at the 500 GB which i should've been putting in. Gotta have patience with these machine friends! Thanks for your great video and explanation!

Thanks for sharing your experience. I have a 27" iMac on my bench with the same problem. Now I know where to start when I get the time to work on it.

Thank you so much. Very good video and case to study. Yesterday I was facing the same problem on an A1311 that user tried to upgrade HD to an SSD.

I loved this video. Please keep making more, your videos are very interesting to me

Thank you for your videos..I have learned a lot from you.

Long way to go to find out how the iMac screen works :) Have had a similar problem with 2009s (have 2 LED banks and sometimes have half darker screen). The final fix on this 27" was to replace a sticking power button. After it gets depressed, it should come back to being flush with the case and not be "tilted" or partially depressed.

I am in the process of "fixing up" a 2014 27" iMac for my newphew. I wanted to swap out the Fusion drive for an SSD. I googled the procedure of splitting up a fusion drive. I winded up up with two distinct drives which were visible within Disk Utility. The original SSD stick and the HDD. Then I had the option of reinstalling macOS from scratch but I did not. Perhaps that was a bad decision. I decided to install the new SSD which contained the system back up. I booted the iMac back up, got a chime but nothing on the display (black display). I double and triple-checked the cabling and all seems fine. I tried booting into recovery mode but still noting on the display. The first three of the four lights on the motherboard light up. the top one doesn't. Would you have any solution for this situation?

Thank you so much for your great video! Very important info! Saved me from hours of wasted time. I really appreciate it. All the best from Buenos Aires - Argentina.

I have exactly the same problem and I didn't know how to distinguish between the graphics card, the power supply, the image cable, the inverter cable or the logic card, oh! and the screen itself. This video has given me hope and eased my frustration. Thank you very much for sharing your experience!

Very interesting video. This saves me from spending £550 on a new video card and a new screen. I'll fix the old screen! I will check out your other video. Thanks.

Mid 2010 27" i7 2.93 32GB imac is what i have been having the same problem with. First it happened once, then nothing for a while, then more frequent, all the way to a white screen for a second during boot up, then nothing. I bought another monitor (SAmsung UR55) and hooked it up as an external monitor, mirrored it, and it works perfect. I assume this takes the video card problem out of the equation since the external monitor is working perfectly fine ( and my mac stays on about 14 hours a day, if not more) My video cable, while doing an ssd installation, noticed, was not sitting properly, and looked like couple pins were bent. I purchased this used, and could tell they did some repairs on it as some of the lcd screws are missing. I found another video on youtube where he ordered the video cable, and it was very easy to replace. IF you can open your screen and look on the video cable (The thick L shaped one) it will have apple part number, and it is cheap (about $15) This will be my first option to try, to fix the problem. If it is not, i am already looking at late 2015 5K used ones. It may be time to replace this.

I have 3 identical iMac late 2009: as one of them would not show any image on the screen, not even a ghost image, I swapped the LCDs to troubleshoot the matter. As I had read on an iFixit thread that the Vertical Sync connector connecting to the inverter was not critical (the one with the blue-tipped flexicable, on the upper left of the iMac), I decided to check it out on a working machine. So I disconnected the small cable from a working machine, rebooted, and the iMac booted without a hitch.The iFixit user was actually right! No hiccups, no graphical artefacts, nothing adverse happened during and after the boot process. I am at a loss to explain to myself what has happened between late 2009 and 2010 that would make that non-critical cable suddenly become critical... If you still have those 2 computers, it could well be worth your time to check this again with a working screen/machine: just unplug that small cable and reboot, see if it changes anything, just to be sure. Thanks for sharing.

How much would it cost to get it fix? Since the problem could be a number of reasons. Would it be worth it, to fix?

Hello, I have a 2011 27”imac A1312 it runs but every time that we turn it on. It gives a quick withe flash on the screen then goes black and u can heard the chime sound and feel the heat of the vents, but there is no image. A few months ago after a couple of hours on it will suddenly give you video and worked perfectly until you turn it off. Any clues of hints of what should I repair or look at? Thank you in advance and greetings from Monterrey, México

I have an old imac with lines running top to bottom any ideas what this might be ?

Hello, i just bought imac late 2015 27 inch (latest version with 6700k and 4gb video card. The thing it it was in the warehouse for a long time maybe like 2-3 weeks and I am not sure how cold it was there, but the seller says it was working perfect before he shipped it to me, but now I now I turned it on and I hear a chime and some voiceover, but there is only black screen and I cant get it to work. Btw, I orderer additional ram to it and putted it on before powering it up, not sure if that haa any impact( but it wasnt reacting when I pressed power button with new ram. I really dont know what to do?

Interesting video as I liked hearing how you worked through the confusing testing results you observed but I also feel that perhaps some editing and more direct summary of the issues, conclusions could help make the video clearer and more concise. In the end you said the internal display port connector might be defective - did you fix this and did you get the display to turn on? I have a 2010 21.5" iMac with the same issue where the iMac will chime, boot up but the LCD screen will not turn on at all. I've tried shining a light onto the display and there is nothing there. I also attached an external display using the Mini DisplayPort on the back of the iMac and I can see the video on the external display and use the iMac that way so I assume the video card is working. For the internal diagnostic LEDs, when I turn on the iMac, LED 1, 2, 3 are lit but LED 4 is off so the iMac doesn't see the internal display. I've tried changing the DisplayPort ribbon cable and the LCD backlight board (those were inexpensive parts to purchase) but neither of those actions made any difference. I was going to research getting an LCD but after viewing your video I will not pursue that option and instead just continue using the iMac with an external display. I wish I could get the internal display working but I don't want to buy any more parts just using trial and error and I don't have the knowledge to troubleshoot further.

if you want to take short cuts just use midi display port cable to html input to other monitor or tv

My imac 27 2011 screen goes black while imac is still working ( Screen sharing to macbook still working too) .. when I press power button for 1s and click on the mouse screen came back on (sometimes i need to repeat it few times) ,,, I've done PRam and nvram reset ,imac was cleaned Gpu ,Pcu termal paste change but did not helped ... Any advice ? ( Screen sharing to macbook still working during black screen on imac ) .. Any advice ?

Could the GPU card be bad if I only have 1 LED on the diagnostic board when plugged in, and already replaced the power supply unit, and still when I press the power button, i get nothing, no chime no fan its completely dead

This video made me re-check my connections to the panel on the motherboard and when I got that stubborn ribbon to go into the motherboard I had video.

Can you help with my 27" Imac power on black screen , pls

Hey I have a 2009 iMac. When I push the power button, nothing comes on. When I unplug the back of the iMac, then plug it back in, I hear the iMac come on but no picture or chime sound. When I push the power button, I hear the iMac power off.Then when I push the power button, nothing comes on.It only comes on with no chime or picture when I unplug it from the back of the iMac and plug it back in. What do you think the problem is? Thanks!!!!

I have a late 2009 imac that I hadn't used for 8 years. Someone wants to buy it but wants High Sierra to run on it. I started it up and El Capitan was running on it. I then confirmed that LATE 2009 imacs can indeed run High Sierra. So I started downloading High Sierra from the app store and during the installation process the screen just went black. Now it no longer turns on so it's "dead" after MANY attempts to force restart etc. It looks like it's probably the screen that's black (and not the imac not turning on at all) because when I attach an external disk to the imac, and try to start up the mac, the little led light on the external disk lights up, so it seems like something is being powered-up (although nothing shows on the Imac's screen).. Anyone know of a fix??

Thankyou Very helpfull sir, i have the exact problem.

Thanks for Grate explanation.

I wood suspect lcd connectors on the computer side, with to test the computer is use mini display cable to html connect to tv or computer monitor

Hi, after fixing the "dark side" problem by soldering every single wire, the process ended up with a different problem. Now many of the leds are blue (mostly in the center) not white. Can somebody give me a hint what happend and how to fix it.

Image (data) backlight (power) 2 diff circuits. If backlight is gone youl still get image. Its an lcd backlight. Its uses an inverter to power the backlight lamp/led strip. Image is created from gpu, again a diff circuit.

@ Derek Millenbaugh.... sincerely thank you 🙏 Waited for something after that time stamp and literally laughed my head off when he said “most computers” ! Seriously, most computers are pc/windows. But with respect, he didn’t really get to the point, did he? I was too distracted by the lounging and white sock brigade.

Thanks i'm facing same problem....can u tell me about which pin i have to check for image

Hi, there! Thank you for the video! I'm having exactly the same problem and I would like to know what happened. My iMac is the same model (mid 2010), I had to change the HD (it was broken) and put a ssd. I've let the sensor disconnected as I didn't find what to do with it. I've installed ios and other softwares I use and it was working fine. The next morning, I couldn't wake it up. I shut off and start again but the screen was black. It clearly on as I could hear the sounds but the screen was black. I connected to the tv monitor but it didn't work. I've followed all routines (safe mode, recuperation mode...) with no results. I opened it again to check the cabes still connected... noting. Then, I saw your video and I would like to know what happened with the mother board or so. Have you fix it? Do you have any other advice to give me? Thank you so much!!

Where are you based ? I have no idea how to fix my screen but have the same issue on the same IMac model

12:40 that's when the video starts

Very good detailed explanation! I'm not a repair technician and don't have 2 iMacs to test like you did. Can you tell me how do I detect a bad connector when my LCD won't come on?

I have had a similar issue with my 2009 27inch Imac whereby the screen will go black if i turn brightness up

Hi and thanks for good video, i have a customer that tried to upgrade ram and ssd and broke the 60 pin connector both on LCD and motherboard, i have replaced them proper, the computer starts up, the three leds om motherboard turns on and fan starts up, but No sound or LCD turns on, black screen, it is a iMac 21,5 2019, i have tried that screen on my own imac 2017 and No problem so nothing wrong with customers LCD, do you have some tips or solution that i cant try? 🙏

Can you test the MAC with an external monitor?

I am having like problem my video screen don't work and this video gave me a working understanding.

Great vid

I need help about old "Early 2009 24 A1225 Imac" Display! Can i replace a LM240WU2(SL)(B4) with another LM240WU2(SL)(B2) Display? Could someone help me please?

Hello, I have the exactly same problem, are you going to make a video on how to fix it? :)

I have more or less the same problem. In my case (iMac 27" 2009), I can move brightness up and down, but always is a light in a black screen. I can see the light, but anything else.

I have only two lights on my motherboard, what does that tell me even with all connected!

i have Imac , the screen went black. So i connected external monitor and it works. This happened a while back but the Imac screen started working? Does anyone help as to what might be the issue?

That was very intresting! Thanks. I am working on a 2011 iMac 21.5 - it chimes but the display stays black. First the screen was only flickering badly. After an attempt to repair it - i was thinking the graphics card is done - I seem to make something wrong. Or maybe broke one of the cables or something. Sh...t. What do you do when the connector is broken? Greetings from Germany

My iMac won’t boot, except the fans. Please what would it be? Thanks

My mac screen will turn on but it will go black at random moments

My mac after 8 years suddenly starts and the screen is black, taken out ram and put back in and restarted and still nothing. What can you recommend. Im really stressing

MY exact problem. At first thought, it was the inverter power supply board

I liked your video a lot. But its not quite what I was searching for. I know my screen is working, cause if I put an external harddrive on my iMac I have the start screen gray with apple logo. But if I take it off and start him up, it turns black and that's it. I know the iMac is working cause after a long time waiting the iMac "talked", asked me to type in stuff, since I started him up in recovery mode. 🤷‍♀️

A mí me pasaba lo mismo con una imac 2011 de 27in, y logré encontrar el problema, en mi caso fue la tarjeta gráfica, al cambiarla por una de repuesto que tenía comenzó a funcionar con normalidad

But did you know did if you have a failure rams or ram and not make picture on screen

mine goes gray... cant restore on the hardrive or internet. after a while the screen fade to "grey".and nothing more happened.please help-

Just check the schematics it will show you many interesting things about iMAC. i can tell you more - if you forget to connect the LCD sensor or some other sensors will fail, you will have 90% CPU throttling and almost unusable MAC with fans on

research all my research leads to black screen mine is white..imac work well with sec screen...tried cmd option r p...don

u are not a good you-tuber but u are a pro mac repairman

Oh man, this is helpful info, and thank you for that. But pretty please (with sugar on top) next time just start saying what the actual problem was and later explain your process to get to the conclusion. With all do respect, It's not a quiz, but people like me are trying to find a solution to their screen problem and watching 17 minutes of video just to find out if the problem is simirar to mine does not help to speed up the process. The important part actually starts at 13 min. Just my 2 cents. Thanks and greetings from the Netherlands.

The first 7 minutes was boring , but worth it. Thanks for the solution to my problem. If your video`s can fix problems i dont mind having a few boring minutes :) Thanks again :)

2x speed helps

so he had to replace the mother board..

Hi, thanks for sharing your experience, it definitely helps :) I experienced the black screen of death on my 2010 iMac yesterday. I'm now wondering if I can plug this iMac into a TV to use, have you had tried this? I'm also thinking if the motherboard has died, maybe that's it and no external screen will work either.

So in other words if its the motherboard youre screwed. Damn. I had turned on an old computer that i havent turned on in a long time and it was working fine then i turned it off next day turn it on and the screen doesnt work. I think its the motherboard

Isnt it dangereous telling people that the PS will zapp them only for 15 minutes? As far as I know the capacitors can hold electricity for months and even years. Not so on the iMac?

Solution is make sure you have both connectors connected for the screen to light up, no light no image on an iMac. Most likely it's the light strip, the cold weld? comes loose, easy fixed. Now to fix mine. 😂 Also use a second monitor to check the iMac is working properly.

Replace the Backlight Inverter Board

The suspense.

You robbed 10 mins of my life!!!! Stop rambling man and get to the point! You worked out your problem, how do I fix it!?!?!?!

Problem identified at 8:10.

i got to the end. Didn't see nr 2 working. Sorry.

problem seems obvious to me but perhaps just know more. took 13 minutes before getting to the point

I’m off to watch some cat videos.

Main board problem

Should of told Her to go Play with Herself!!!

dislike cuz the title says "solved" which the problem still exist. but thanks for the video.

first of all this is a 2011, and second thing you are talking nonsense......

Morí con este video.. intentando traducir y se va por las ramas.. alguien explique en español.. muchas gracias

So boring!

Fucken Apple...

This video doesn't tell you anything how to solve the black screen issue. What a waste of time. Why does one need 17mins to explain that he didn't know which connector is for what?

u talk to damn much!! get to the dam point!!

Ya encontré grafico esta mal boberia limpia congoma contacto Ya funciona 🤣🤣🤣

this video is extremely frustrating. I think I have the same issue but the guy is just rambling and its hard to pick out the important info! Please write a clear script before you film and get straight to the point!