Do I need a new LCD cable?

[levi]

Hi supporters, Over the past few weeks, my Pandora's screen has started exhibiting some blue/cyanish tints to the right of coloured artifacts which seem to depend on hinge angle (as opening and closing the lid often changes or fixes them).

More recently it's started showing pinkish/magenta tones under similar circumstances, and today it started showing magenta glitches after a battery-out reboot (after I forgot not to close the lid while in-game with the newer SGX driver ).

I didn't move the lid manually, though it's likely it moved slightly as I was waving the unit about. I have some photographic evidence:

On the fresh boot, magenta tinting off the main panel:



On opening the menu, some cyan tinting replaced much of the magenta (extra saturation applied to show the tints):



But some magenta/pink tinting still appeared (additional saturation applied here too):



Finally, on closing and opening the lid, the problems abated (note the sun had gone in when taking this photo, so the case looks warmer, but I took the colour reference off the LCD in all cases):



So, my question is do I need a new LCD cable, or is it more likely mine has just become slightly unplugged or something?  Where the artifacts occur, if it is cyan/magenta that means some bits of the red/blue channels are missing, but I'm not too familiar with high-speed data errors - perhaps the localised effects indicate a termination issue caused by poor contact, not sure.  I suppose a crack in the cable and a partial disconnect at the plug/socket would give the same effects then though.  Mind you, dodgy termination should result in signal reflection, and this isn't ghosting at a fixed delta like I'd expect in that case.

Perhaps I'll just have to open up both ends and reconnect the cable to find out.  Perhaps it's not the cable at all, though I can't see it being a software issue given how it responds to the hinge moving (or perhaps just the screen being blanked).

 

[EvilDragon]

Yep, looks like the LCD Cable.

Please RMA.

 

[levi]

Thanks for the diagnosis.  I was thinking of ordering a new cable when I preordered the aluminium case and fitting it when I changed the case myself, although given this was a self-fitted LCD cable that's failed perhaps getting it professionally refitted might be more efficient (although it's lasted 18 months of regular use since fitting).

If you're confident it's the LCD cable itself, I'd still like to replace it myself and avoid the customs delays that always seem to occur when sending anything more complex or larger than an LCD cable from Germany.  I'll check the connections at both ends before doing anything else though, in case it's just worked loose.

 

[EvilDragon]

Okay, let me know when you need a new cable.

 

[T.T.]

~~ The question from Matthewmongan has been split into a new thread as it was a new issue ~~

 

[levi]

FWIW, my LCD cable finally gave up the ghost today with as much opening and closing of the lid not bringing some sort of picture back, so I opened up my Pandora to take a look.

Both ends of the cable look fine, but there's some scuffing on the back of the cable inside the hinge which has gone through to the tracks, although that might have been caused by me trying to tease the cable out of the hinge. In the end I couldn't coax the motherboard end back through the slot without ripping the cable, although if the cable had cracked there the rip may have just continued that crack.

So now I need a new cable after all. Shame they're not in stock for any tom, dick or harry to order at the moment.