Ticket Options
Question Profile
| DATE | Mar 5, 2007 |
| TICKET | #333493 |
| STATUS | Closed |
| SUBJECT | Powerbook ambient light sensor failing |
| CAT | Computers, Operating Systems, Applications or Connected Devices |
| TYPE | Computer Hardware (RAM, Drives, Video Cards, Motherbaord, CPU, etc) |
| DESC | Motherboard |
| DESC | |
| PLATFORM | Apple Macintosh (PowerPC G3,G4,G5) |
| MODEL | Apple/Powerbook |
| PROC | 1.67GHz |
| RAM | 1GB |
| DRIVE | 80G |
| NAME | Shel |
| USERNAME | unkey monkey |
| TECHNICAL | Lots of Experience |
| ISSUE | Lots of Troubleshooting |
Question Details
TICKET ARCHIVE -> Powerbook ambient light sensor failing
unkey monkey - Mar 5, 2007 - 8:06 pm
I think that the ambient light sensor has failed on my Macbook pro, but was having weird prolems with the back-lit keys before now and I am wondering if perhaps it is just a firmware problem of some sort.
Is there a tool that can check to see if I have some sort of corruption in my firmware? Is there a tool that I can use to see what the ambient light sensor is reporting?
Right now, I think that the computer isn't aware that the light sensor even exists as the dialogs on the preferences/keyboard page have disappeared and when I downloaded the app called "Hardware Monitor", which is suppose to be able to read this sensor, it is not listed as one of the sensors that can be read on my computer. If it were just "broken" I would expect that it would still be readable, but the value would just be wrong. Beacause it seems to be unreadable, I am suspecting the firmware.
Finally, I brought the computer to the Apple store and they booted it from an external drive and it still didn't register as having this sensor in the preferences pane (reinforcing my thinking that it isn't software or hardware, but rather firmware).
Is there a tool that can check to see if I have some sort of corruption in my firmware? Is there a tool that I can use to see what the ambient light sensor is reporting?
Right now, I think that the computer isn't aware that the light sensor even exists as the dialogs on the preferences/keyboard page have disappeared and when I downloaded the app called "Hardware Monitor", which is suppose to be able to read this sensor, it is not listed as one of the sensors that can be read on my computer. If it were just "broken" I would expect that it would still be readable, but the value would just be wrong. Beacause it seems to be unreadable, I am suspecting the firmware.
Finally, I brought the computer to the Apple store and they booted it from an external drive and it still didn't register as having this sensor in the preferences pane (reinforcing my thinking that it isn't software or hardware, but rather firmware).
DeltaMac - Mar 5, 2007 - 11:20 pm
What repair options did the Apple store give you? If the problem is not software, then it will be hardware. If your MacBook Pro is in warranty, you have the right to have it repaired.
You are looking in the wrong direction. 'firmware' is hardware by definition. A firmware updater updates your hardware. If you have already applied any available firmware updates, then you are left with the hardware itself, which will be repaired if you are in warranty.
- Dale
You are looking in the wrong direction. 'firmware' is hardware by definition. A firmware updater updates your hardware. If you have already applied any available firmware updates, then you are left with the hardware itself, which will be repaired if you are in warranty.
- Dale
IF THIS IS YOUR QUESTION AND YOU WISH TO RESPOND, LOGIN HERE FIRST.
