Some time back (I can tell already that this entry is going to get edited a lot) the backlight in my laptop died. Normally, this would be a problem——what good is a laptop if you can't see what you're doing?—but, as it's a PowerBook G3 Firewire, I plugged in the monitor on my desk and went on with that. (I did have to configure the external monitor as a mirror of the dead display, which involved shining a bright light on the display so as to see what my mouse was doing, but I digress.) Since I don't have a wireless network, and both batteries for the laptop are dead, I was pretty much tethered to my desk anyway.
I've been meaning all this time to replace the backlight. In anticipation of an upcoming business trip, I finally knuckled down and did so today. It wasn't as hard as I expected it to be. Now, a couple of hours later, I've got a working laptop display. I'd forgotten how bright and crisp this thing could be. The old display had been suffering from the PowerBook "pink screen of pain" for some time, and I'm happy to report that it's gone, gone, gone.
Heaping helpings of gratitude, for making this job possible, easier, and more enjoyable, go out to:
- the unfortunately departed website of "Scadboy" at http://homepage.mac.com/scadboy/lcd/, without which I never would have had the courage to attempt this myself
- js_30 on eBay, who sold me a display inverter board, at a reasonable price
- PowerBook Tech, who sold me a new backlight (shipped as a known-busted display with a working backlight attached to it), also at a reasonable price
- the disassembly guide at PBFixIt, which made removing the lid and display from my PowerBook much easier than if I'd tried to figure it out myself
- Connie Dover and Scartaglen, Sarah McLachlan, and Depeche Mode for providing the soundtrack
