Chosen Solution
Hi, I have this black Macbook A1181 which has the backlight problem. From what I read on the different forums I checked, it’s not an inverter problem (probably not cable either), since the backlight works for few seconds, sometimes even for minutes after the start and it can be (very shortly) restored after a while by playing with the F1 and F2 buttons or by closing and opening the computer lid. Any suggestion of where the problem could lie?
What I would do on a machine this old is try the inverter and pray. Oftentimes it is the CCFL tube, but the panel is expensive enough to total the entire MB out. It USED to be a possible SMC reset, but once these backlights hit 10 years old, I’ve noticed they are usually bad in most cases. HOWEVER, my strong recommendation is to get a 2012 13” Pro and a new HD cable, along with electrical tape to patch it. These are 10+ years old and use hard to find memory ($$$) and are limited to SATA I (Few currently available drives left with SATA I support). Unless you have a MCP79 (9400M) A1181 (BlackBooks stopped at Intel GMA onboard unless the case was hacked to make it work), you’re stuck at SATA I; the MCP79 northbridge enabled SATA II support and leaves you some breathing room. There are no known compatible drives left other then the Samsung SSDs. Refer to the instructions on this question to patch it: Folder With “?” Mark Into Apple Logo Into Circle With Line & Repeat
