Can the backlight cable on a MBA be plugged in backwards?

Thank you very much. I wanted to ask you. When I was removing the cable from the old cracked screen I pulled apart the black covering from the cable. It has the same design and the cable to slide into the ZIF socket but has no connections. It looks as if it was designed to cover one side of the cable where the contacts are (but on the no contact side) and then the back portion sticks on the cable. It appears to be designed to thicken the flat ribbon cable. Without it the cable slips in an out of the zif with ease. With it on it appears to make it a much tighter fit. Should I glue this back in place on the backlight cable... would I be able to email you some pics? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Before I started this adventure the unit turned on and the screen lit but the screen was cracked. I purchased a new screen and when I installed it there is no backlight and I cant see anything on the screen when I turn the unit on. You can hear the thong sound. It is possible that the replacement screen is defective. Do you know if I should see anything think on the screen even if the backlight is not on? Thank you very much for all of your help.

Hi,

Regarding you first concer, are you talking about the black sticker or the black plastic part within the ZIF female connector? If it is the black sticker, it is just to keep the ZIF cable firmly. If you mean the plastic part, without it the contact will not be established. You will see the black part in the connector in picture 1 and 2. It is placed on the lcd converter board which will come with the new lcd you bought.

You can post your pictures in this topic so that we can discuss more.

Regarding your second concern, did you unplug the battery when you replaced the lcd? If not, this is reason that the backlight driver/fuse is burnt. However without the backlight, you should be able to see the screen even if the backlight cable is not connected. It is not so probable that the lcd is defective already. If you connect the LVDS cable correctly with a little bit of light reflection in the lid you should be able to see your screen. If not, it might be that the LVDS cable is broken, they are really delicate and sensitive. I broke it one then I replaced it and the screen started to work again.

regards

Navid

Hi, Thank you. I just tested the screen with a flashlight and it does work. Now I just need to solve the backlight problem. The black piece I am referring to is not the tab on the ZIF socket that locks the cable in place It is the black flexible piece that looks like electrical tape that is on the actual backlight cable that goes into the socket. When I removed it this tape separated from the cable but it not damage anything. It actually separates from the cable and what you have it a 1/2" piece that looks just like the cable that sticks to the cable but has no contacts. It adds to the cables thickness so when you put it in the ZIF socket and press down the black tab on the zif socket it holds the cable in firmly. Have you had any experience with this? I only need the backlight now and I will be in business. Any thoughts on this. Thank you for all of your help.