27" iMac Screen Stagelighting...

[garthvader81]

So, I have a 2017 27" 5k iMac. Late last year, the screen started having a stagelight effect and would only register about 5 units of brightness on the brightness adjustment bar. I know MacBookPros have suffered from stagelighting, but there is SUCH a small amount of info about iMacs. 2 instances maybe. Apple had never even heard of it happening on an iMac(at least phone and chat support).

Has anyone here ever experienced anything like this? I can usually get it to go away by resetting the NVRAM. Hardware diagnostic tests bring up nothing. I'm more than fine taking it apart and replacing something, I just don't know what that something is that I should be replacing. Any help would be IMMENSELY appreciated. Thanks!

 

[kkclstuff]

😉

 

[garthvader81]

😉

I love a good Willie tune! Would love even more to play it on full brightness! 😜

 

[kkclstuff]

the nice thing about the intel iMac is they are repairable. dig thru ifixit.com you could probably grab a replacement screen off a dead iMac on eBay or CL (though I'd probably stick with an actual retail seller)

unplug the stage lighting and plug in the replacement.
good luck!

 

[garthvader81]

the nice thing about the intel iMac is they are repairable. dig thru ifixit.com you could probably grab a replacement screen off a dead iMac on eBay or CL (though I'd probably stick with an actual retail seller)

unplug the stage lighting and plug in the replacement.
good luck!

Totally. I found the ifitit on how to replace one. I also have the only article on there about this issue. Lol. So, would I be looking for an entire screen unit? That versus, say, an LED logic board alone or something?

 

[kkclstuff]

I couldn't say. (checkout the teardown) it will give great descriptions of the parts etc. if the
issue is with the screen (display) itself and not the board, it could be an easy swap. only way to know is either have someone diagnosed it or set aside a day to swap screen displays.

price of diagnostic vs parts for a swap; theres gonna be a modest investment either way. If you're up for the fun of tinkering I'd go for the swap ...Otherwise, 'serious situations' call for 'serious solutions' (take it in)

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Totally. I found the ifitit on how to replace one. I also have the only article on there about this issue. Lol. So, would I be looking for an entire screen unit? That versus, say, an LED logic board alone or something?

Replacing the whole LCD panel will be the simplest repair for this issue. The spare parts can be purchased for a DIY project, or you can get Apple Service Center or any repair shop to do it for you.
Opening the LCD panel to replace the LED bar would taking too much time. You can sell the bad LCD panel for some money. (To iMac owners with a broken LCD and tight budget, I guess.)

 

[garthvader81]

Replacing the whole LCD panel will be the simplest repair for this issue. The spare parts can be purchased for a DIY project, or you can get Apple Service Center or any repair shop to do it for you.
Opening the LCD panel to replace the LED bar would taking too much time. You can sell the bad LCD panel for some money. (To iMac owners with a broken LCD and tight budget, I guess.)

I think this is the way I'm going to go. Thanks for the reassurance! Wish me luck. 🤞

 

[jhyman]

I started having a similar problem with my 24-inch, M1, 2021. After about a year, I first started encountering the starlight effect every hour or so. I found that restarting my computer restored the normal lighting until it might reoccur after another hour or so (maybe only when unattended?). I welcome any suggestions.