A2338 Screen replacement - Clarification needed. What do you actually loose when replacing the screen with OEM Pulls?

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  • AJ847.63e
    Senior Member
    • Aug 2020
    • 168
    • Africa

    #1

    A2338 Screen replacement - Clarification needed. What do you actually loose when replacing the screen with OEM Pulls?

    Hi All,

    Just wanted to get some clarification on replacing screens on M series machines (M1,M2,M3,M1pro,M2pro,M3pro) as there is so much conflicting information out there. Some say even when using OEM pulls you lose True Tone and only that, others say you lose that and webcam, others say you lose those two and also the lid sensor will not work, others say you lose nothing as long as you use OEM pulls.
    So, which one is it actually? Using original OEM pulls. That seems to be what has caused the confusion, people using cheap aftermarket than being surprised when it does not work and assuming it's part paring.


    We've got a A2338 with a flickering display I've attached photos, but I have just spent 4 hours reading 100 different pages with 100 different stories on what will happen, so I just wanted to clarify before I go spend 400 bucks on an OEM pull to find out the screen stays black because the angle lid sensor is not calibrated to the screen.

    Thanks for the clarification. Click image for larger version  Name:	IMG_2012.jpg Views:	89 Size:	2.46 MB ID:	3230078
  • Answer selected by AJ847.63e at 03-07-2024, 05:46 PM.
    piernov
    Super Moderator
    • Jan 2016
    • 4435
    • France

    Originally posted by mon2
    Don't.

    If it's not 14"/16", by replacing the LCD assembly with a good used compatible one, on M1 and newer machines you'll lose only True Tone. To keep True Tone you need to keep the original camera/ALS module inside the assembly. If you lose camera and/or you get low brightness it's a non-compatible assembly, bad camera/ALS module inside assembly, bad flex cable, or you damaged the main logic board by unplugging the display while there was still power going to it.

    14"/16" have a lid angle sensor that needs to be calibrated when new, tools are available ( https://logi.wiki/index.php/Macbook_...or_Calibration ) but you can keep the original one.
    However the main issue with 14"/16" is that the LCD itself is paired to the CPU, without calibration procedure from Apple you get artifacts and shadows at the top of the panel. This can be fixed by transplanting ICs from the original T-Con board but this is a huge amount of work.

    Comment

    • mon2
      Badcaps Legend
      • Dec 2019
      • 14076
      • Canada

      #2
      Trust Dan’s comments posted here:

      https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/...1#answer731111

      Comment

      • reformatt
        Badcaps Legend
        • Feb 2020
        • 1403
        • Australia

        #3
        As the design of these displays is so awful, I give them a wide berth and send them directly to Apple. The flex cables are very easily damaged by dirt or grit that has easy entry if the laptop is placed in a bag etc. Most MAC's I see are filthy dirty and the owners are grubs. So if you have a laptop present this way, guarantee the customer will damage it again the same way with a replacement, and hit you up for warranty. It's just not worth the hassle or loss of reputation.

        Aftermarket displays you get 90 days warranty (if any) and if those flex cables get damaged by grit or sand, warranty is void straight up. If you do buy an aftermarket display off Aliexpress, choose a store that has been around for some time. Most stores that sell these displays disappear after 2 months so there is absolutely no warranty unless the display is damaged out of the box.

        Make sure when ordering you have the year of the MAC exact. Often the camera will not work if you get the year wrong.

        Comment

        • piernov
          Super Moderator
          • Jan 2016
          • 4435
          • France

          #4
          Originally posted by mon2
          Don't.

          If it's not 14"/16", by replacing the LCD assembly with a good used compatible one, on M1 and newer machines you'll lose only True Tone. To keep True Tone you need to keep the original camera/ALS module inside the assembly. If you lose camera and/or you get low brightness it's a non-compatible assembly, bad camera/ALS module inside assembly, bad flex cable, or you damaged the main logic board by unplugging the display while there was still power going to it.

          14"/16" have a lid angle sensor that needs to be calibrated when new, tools are available ( https://logi.wiki/index.php/Macbook_...or_Calibration ) but you can keep the original one.
          However the main issue with 14"/16" is that the LCD itself is paired to the CPU, without calibration procedure from Apple you get artifacts and shadows at the top of the panel. This can be fixed by transplanting ICs from the original T-Con board but this is a huge amount of work.
          OpenBoardView — https://github.com/OpenBoardView/OpenBoardView

          Comment

          • piernov
            Super Moderator
            • Jan 2016
            • 4435
            • France

            #5
            Some additional info mostly related to 14"/16" (so not A2338 but still good to know) from an experienced technician:
            Originally posted by leshuq
            1) you cannot swap lids between 14" and 16" no matter which CPU.
            On 14" you will get graphical artifacts at the top of the screen and weird backlight issues (because miniled backlight is smarter than regular ol' strip of leds.
            On 16" you will get no graphical artifacts on the screen, but backlight issue would be present as on 14".

            So the LCD itself must be programmed with correct serial to the cpu in order for lcd to function correctly.

            ALS+camera is as usual only affects truetone and will noy affect picture or backlight.

            Lid angle sensor is whole different story and can be swapped freely if 'calibrated' fron new state or freely swapped from another laptop. It's not bound to anything.

            2) airs A2681 and i always forget which model that is of 15" lids can be swapped freely. All you will get is absence of truetone (because of als) and error in apple diagnostics VFD001 (because screen SN don't match)
            If you want to be cleared of VFD001 then you need to dump SN from old LCD and transfer it to the new LCD.
            That is from practice, not just theory or some yt vids.

            I've successfully replaced 14" 16" pros as well as 13,6" and 15" airs.

            here is mine vid of example what will happen in you just swap a whole lid on a2442 without soldering dp855+eeprom from old lcd.

            https://youtu.be/afGzYJqnFvQ?si=PQaVvFCNZJxa1lzd

            Don't mind the audio, I'm targeting russian audience, but the whole thing here is in video.
            OpenBoardView — https://github.com/OpenBoardView/OpenBoardView

            Comment

            • AJ847.63e
              Senior Member
              • Aug 2020
              • 168
              • Africa

              #6
              Thank you everyone for the info. I'm going to push my luck take it to the Apple store and get them to do a warranty job. Not worth the comeback risk, let alone the worry of did I get a original screen or not. Just because the supplier says it's "OEM Pull" doesn't make it true, learned that the hard way.

              Comment

              • bobotheklown
                Member
                • Jan 2021
                • 13
                • United States

                #7
                There is now a non-apple method to do screen angle sensor calibration - google nerdtool . Hoping someone picks one up so I can get a copy of the bios , the components should only be about $10

                Comment

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