Why do all A1082 Cinema Displays come without AC adapter?

[abdyfranco]

I was looking for an extra monitor to use on my Mac Pro and occasionally on my Xserve, And I decided to buy one of the old Cinema Displays because I like their design, But I noticed that all Cinema Displays A1082 that are sold on ebay, practically none of them comes with the AC adapter included, what's the reason for this?

Did all A1082 AC adapters fail massively?

 

[chrfr]

I was looking for an extra monitor to use on my Mac Pro and occasionally on my Xserve, And I decided to buy one of the old Cinema Displays because I like their design, But I noticed that all Cinema Displays A1082 that are sold on ebay, practically none of them comes with the AC adapter included, what's the reason for this?

Did all A1082 AC adapters fail massively?

They certainly did fail pretty frequently. These displays are so dated with their old fluorescent tube backlights I cannot imagine spending money on one of them. They're really not a good value at any price anymore.

 

[goMac]

Did all A1082 AC adapters fail massively?

Yes, all of mine failed. It's usually possible to fix them by covering one of the pins that I think is used for sensing signal, but that isn't foolproof and I could see no one wanting to sell them that way.

 

[Spacedust]

I already got 4th of such display and I love it. It's the best display ever and the only matte from Apple, but you have to get the right one. Most of them are scratched with some ugly colors.

I've also suffered AC adapter failure. At first it can be fixed with pin sensing, then whole AC adapter dies, but it took almost 8 years of non-stop work.

Current LED displays are either glossy or emits so much intensive blue light that eyes got hurt very quickly.

 

[MacDann]

AC adapters allegedly fail with some frequency, although I've never had one fail on me - maybe I'm just lucky.

However, you can use this to your advantage. I had a setup with four (4) 23" ACDs that I got for peanuts because they had no power supplies. The seller had other displays with power supplies that we were able to use to verify the condition of the displays I bought so I knew they were functioning.

There are a number of DIY threads on the Internets that show how simple it is to use a very inexpensive (under $20-$30) DC switching power supply to power the displays. Yes, you have to cut the power supply cable connector off of the display to get to the bare wires, but when you're paying $50 for a display it's no big deal. Connect the wires to the correct terminal on the power supply, and away you go!

This is a nice setup, as it's easy to buy a single power supply to power multiple ACDs and with plenty of reserve so it's not running even close to design limits.

Here is one of the sources I used for the information:

http://pixelchimp.net/2012/09/18/replacement-power-supply-apple-cinema-display/

MacDann - two 30" ACDs with original power supplies

 

[OldMacPro2]

Posting to this long dormant thread.

I have just bought, for very little money, what I hope is a working A1082 (to complement my 2008 Mac Pro 3,1).
There was no AC supply, of course, and the guy selling it said it belonged "to a friend who lost the supply".
Very flakey story, but I went ahead and gave him the cash and then ordered an AC adapter off eBay for $29 shipped (plus tax).

So, the monitor and AC supply will not be free, but still pretty cheap...something around $70.

Normally I would just buy some random LCD or LED monitor when I need one. It's usually some Dell model at a thrift store. I rarely pay more than $30, but very few of them have 1080p HD level resolution.

For my "vintage" Mac Pro, though, I wanted something a little nicer looking and era-appropriate.

Will report back when the power supply arrives.

 

[MarkC426]

This is the exact model I have, which is retired to it's 'mint' box.
The power supply was flawless, unfortunately there is a single white line of pixels across the centre of the screen.

Would love to be able to get it fixed.
It is still completely useable, just annoying.

 

[OldMacPro2]

Well, I didn’t see this one working, but he assured me that it did, before the AC supply was lost.

Guess I’ll find out in a few days.

From what I read online and saw on YouTube, the main problem that happens is the power supply dies or gets lost.

There was a video showing a guy replacing the LCD panel on the 30” model. Guess it’s worth doing if you find one that’s bad.

 

[MacDann]

The power supplies are the common point of failure. There are generic ones you can buy from places like eBay, or if you're willing to carve up the cables, you can get a 5A switching power supply for about $20 that will do the job just fine.

 

[avro707]

Well, I didn’t see this one working, but he assured me that it did, before the AC supply was lost.

Guess I’ll find out in a few days.

From what I read online and saw on YouTube, the main problem that happens is the power supply dies or gets lost.

There was a video showing a guy replacing the LCD panel on the 30” model. Guess it’s worth doing if you find one that’s bad.

I had one of the A1083 displays which I borrowed from work - it worked well aside from a random flicker then flashing LED) at times. Unplugging then connecting again would solve it. Interesting about replacing the panel. Never imagined doing that, which panel was used?

 

[HDFan]

I went ahead and gave him the cash and then ordered an AC adapter off eBay for $29 shipped (plus tax).

I ordered one from eBay which cost ~3x yours that which didn't work. They did refund me when I returned it.

 

[OldMacPro2]

Mine showed up and it worked, so far so good.

 

[OldMacPro2]

I had one of the A1083 displays which I borrowed from work - it worked well aside from a random flicker then flashing LED) at times. Unplugging then connecting again would solve it. Interesting about replacing the panel. Never imagined doing that, which panel was used?

Actually, after I watched his video, I realize he didn’t replace it. He just showed how to take it apart.

There are a lot of them for sale on eBay form$200-300, so it’s probably not economical to replace the panel, unless you find some source (like alibaba ?) that has a cheap replacement.

 

[OldMacPro2]

The power supplies are the common point of failure. There are generic ones you can buy from places like eBay, or if you're willing to carve up the cables, you can get a 5A switching power supply for about $20 that will do the job just fine.

The replacement that I got looked brand new, a guy in Los Angeles was selling a lot on eBay.

It’s good to know there are alternatives if this one goes out.

 

[OldMacPro2]

This is the exact model I have, which is retired to it's 'mint' box.
The power supply was flawless, unfortunately there is a single white line of pixels across the centre of the screen.

Would love to be able to get it fixed.
It is still completely useable, just annoying.

I am guessing that would be the logic or driver board?

 

[OldMacPro2]

Now on Facebook market, somebody is selling a 30” for not too bad a price.

Figures! 😊