From: urlichs@smurf.sub.org (Matthias Urlichs)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: Bug in my Powerbook 170 (literally)
Date: 6 Sep 1992 19:33:00 +0200
Organization: University of Karlsruhe, FRG
NNTP-Posting-Host: 127.0.0.1

In comp.sys.mac.hardware, article <PHILG.92Sep2152736@zug.ai.mit.edu>,
  philg@martigny.ai.mit.edu writes:
> 
> Something crawled into my Powerbook and died.  Just behind the
> characters there is what appears to be the remains of an insect in
> addition to a couple other specs of dirt.
> 
Ugly. Very ugly. I had something like that (just a largish speck of dirt,
no insect) last month.

> 1) How did the bugs get in?  (I admit to taking the machine to the
> Sierras for a month, but it was in my car most of the time)
> 
The only open area on the display is the gap at the display hinges.
Should be big enough for a bug.

> 2) How complex/expensive is it to get them out?  Can I do this myself?

Your Apple dealer will probably not do anything but send the whole display to
Apple. Taking care of the problem yourself costs nothing but the appropriate
Torx screwdrivers, assuming that you dont make any irreversible mistakes
which cost a new display. There's no way a display is going to be accepted
on warranty when you break it trying to get that bug out.

Thus, the following assumes that you're out of warranty, in a static-free
environment, and very very careful. A room with as close as no dust as you
can get is helpful for obvious reasons.

First, turn off the powerbook, disconnect the power supply, and remove the
battery. Then get the covers off the display's two screws. Find the correct
Torx bits, unscrew, open the cover. Disconnect the display by pulling out
both edges of the connector (they move out about 3 mm) and pull out the
cable; don't touch the contacts. Disconnect the backlighting.
Take out the display; it's held by four more screws.

Next, there's a metal bar on the left side which holds the backlighting in
place. Remove it by bending the appropriate bits of metal which stick through
and around the circuit board -- you'll know when you see them. Next, the
backlighting is also held in place by two rubber nubs -- push them through
the board carefully. Also carefully, take off the snippets of tape which hold
the backlighting's power supply wires to the board. You can now slide the
display's back cover out from under the display.

If the bug is on the cover, you're lucky. Take the bug off and put it all
back together; see below.
If not, you may be able to get it out by sticking a soft object, like a
Q-tip, between the display and the board, and try taking the bug out that
way. If this won't work, you'll have to get the display off its circuit
board. This is not easy, it's even more diffcult to put it back together,
and there's lots of things that can go wrong. I speak from experience here;
I'm actually amazed that I didn't ruin my display in the process. Send me
some mail if you feel you absolutely have to do it.

Putting the stuff back together is straightforward - just put everything
back in reverse order - except for the plastic nubs which seem to be
impossible to get back in without an appropriate tool.  I chose to cut
the edges off the nubs with small scissors; they're not essential.

-- 
Pregnant ropuli. (The snake will soon lay eggs.)
-- 
Matthias Urlichs  --  urlichs@smurf.sub.org -- urlichs@smurf.ira.uka.de   /(o\
Humboldtstrasse 7 -- 7500 Karlsruhe 1 -- Germany  --  +49-721-9612521     \o)/