A: Yes We do, Most MacBook Pro models 13″ and 15″ (A2251,A2289,A1990,A1707,A1989,A1706, A1708 ) have a potential design flow that will probably show up some time during the life time usage of the laptop, in these models Apple moved away from using the Standard LVDS Cable you can find in earlier MacBook Pro models, to a flat ribbon type flex cable that connects the screen sub systems(LCD, Camera and Back Light) with Flex cables that are soldered directly to the screen assembly on the LCD side, and connects to the Laptop Main board with designated “snap in” connectors board side, this is normal practice in electronic design, however, one of the flex cables in this arrangement(back Light) is too short in length, and with prolonged usage, will eventually break and cause display issues
How do I know if I have the FlexGate issue with my Mac?
The problem can manifest itself in many ways, the most common are when you open the Laptop Screen, the Back Light cable is becoming stretched and under stress due to the fact it is too short, and after some cycles of opening/closing the screen the cable will start failing internally due to the stress it is under, some time the failure starts with partial back light LEDs failing Causing a “stage light” effect
Sometimes the failure manifest itself with a complete black screen when opening the Laptop screen to a full working position, with partial or full display when opening the screen slightly, in some cases, your screen will display distorted colors, and in some cases Back Light will stop working completely resulting in a complete dark screen.
Will Apple Fix this issues ?
Apple has Acknowledged the issue and offered the MacBook Pro Display Backlight Service Program to service some models of Macs that are affected by that problem, however if you own a 15″ model MacBook pro you are out of luck, more over, by 2022 most of the Mac owners for the model years affected are likely without warranty, and may found themselves without a solution
What are my Repair Options For the Flexgate Problem
There are several solutions for resolving this issue, and unfortunately outside of replacing the whole screen assembly (inc the screen) non are considered 100 Percent fault proof, these are the options available for you as an owner for the affected model
Option 1 : Replace the whole Screen, this is the most expensive option for repairing the problem but the most reliable, a new screen assembly is extremely expensive, especially outside of Apple Warranty programs, however, these screens are available and can be purchased by us with a slightly reduced costs than the Apple sold ones, This will provide the best reliable solution, however very expensive
Option 2 : Cut off the Connector and connect the cable directly into the Logic board
Cutting off the connector and soldering the wires to the Logic board is not solution we recommend ,potential problems that are typical with this, apart from the low reliability, is the fact that the wires are “permanently” soldered to the board, and when there is a case that the screen need to be serviced due to other issues or problems, it may cause difficulty in working with the screen in the future, this solution is NOT recommended by us.
Option 3 : Elongate the existing Flex Cable
The work involved in this solution is highly delicate and relatively difficult, in this case we will cut the existing cable to half (passed the breaking point), get a new Flex cable and cut it to provide additional 3 – 5 mm in length over the older cable, this will ensure that the cable will never be stressed and forced to break again from opening the screen, the older cable stem will be scraped and cleaned to expose the cable traces, same as the new connector side, and the trance will be meticulously rejoined with thin wires to recreate the lines.
The flex wire will be scraped to expose traces on both sides of the flex cable to be joined with 0.3 mm wires between the traces
After joining the cable, the join will be tested for continuity and covered with UV cured Conformity Coating to maintain integrity of the join, the Flex cable will be ready for testing and at that stage will be connected back to the laptop, This solution is proven to work best and considered reliable, the additional 3-5 mm added in length will prevent stress on the cable and reduce chances of failure and re repair, This is our preferred technique to get this issue resolved, no unnecessary wires to the Logic board and no ugly and unreliable soldering on your mac.
At OmniDataPlus we have the tools and the knowledge to deal with FlexGate problems and advise you how to get your laptop fixed, feel free to drop in and/or call us at (647) 490-4144 for advise on how to repair your Laptop and get your screen working without the need to replace it
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