acer chromebook 11 cb3-132 black screen/screen not working

i've had my acer chromebook 11 (cb3-132 series) for about a year or more now. around last april, i was using it to type up a report and then i closed the lid and when i woke up, the screen was totally black and would no longer work. all the lights (charger light) work, and when i connect it to an external display it's completely fine. i now use a cintiq tablet as a display but it's not practical at all.

if it's worth noting, my father purchased the chromebook from canada from those "tech stores" that refurbish used devices and resell them, and brought it back to libya where i now use it. could it be a voltage issue that messed up the screen?? even though the rest of the device works fine (battery, sound, etc.) i also attempted to boot the os in developer mode, but this was a while before i had the screen issue so i don't think it has anything to do with it.

i've done powerwashes and using various key commands and nothing's seemed to work. i know i might be a bit late but i really need it working again. any suggestions please?

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billsey

Take a close look at the screen when it's up to see if it's the backlight that has failed. If it is you should be able to shine a flashlight on the screen at an angle and see that the normal stuff is there, just not lit up from behind.

shadowhyun

billsey said:

Take a close look at the screen when it's up to see if it's the backlight that has failed. If it is you should be able to shine a flashlight on the screen at an angle and see that the normal stuff is there, just not lit up from behind.

i did that and the screen is completely pitch black, can't see a thing.

billsey

OK, then it's more likely to be a problem with the cable between the display and the motherboard. How comfortable are you with opening it up?

shadowhyun

billsey said:

OK, then it's more likely to be a problem with the cable between the display and the motherboard. How comfortable are you with opening it up?

i'd be willing to do it but i'm not exactly sure how to open it and find what goes where. if i had some kind of visual aid in showing me how to take things apart correctly (like a video etc.), i suppose i'd give it a try myself.

billsey

Ok, this isn't quite step by step, but pretty close...

Start by turning the Chromebook all the way off, you can do that quickly by pressing the power and reload keys at the same time. The reload key is the one just to the right of the go back and go forward keys at top left of the keyboard. The power LED should go off when it's fully shut down. Next remove these screws:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/bh/mdol81jqgs1n.png

You should now be able to carefully pry the cover off. You can flip the case over on the left side and set it next to the bottom piece, that IO board cable is long enough. If it look like it's going to be an issue you can disconnect the IO board cable (B below) by flipping the latch up and then just sliding the cable out of the connector. Now disconnect the battery cable.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/jv/3cafgoz59iu9.png

Now you can remove the battery. This is optional but you are a lot less likely to accidentally short something if the power is completely disconnected.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/y1/fgg514cyvcbv.png

The battery just lifts out from the top, but there might be double sticky type tape holding it. The next step is the eDP cable itself, that's the one that goes up to the display. If it's loose or off we've found the problem, if it seems like it's stuck in pretty good release any tape holding it and remove/reinsert it several times to make sure the contacts are wiped of any corrosion.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/ty/5xeqbzrq2fda.png

Once you have done that go ahead and put everything back together just backwards from how it came apart. If you disconnected that IO board cable you just make sure the latch is still released, slide the cable in place and push the latch back down. Let us kn ow how you progress and whether it made any difference.

Cambron

I have the fix. I believe it’s loose connection of the display. First you need to remove the bezel around the screen using a small flat screwdriver, I started in the top corner. Then you’ll see the connection for the screen at the bottom (probably wrapped in black tape). I then used the screw driver to push the connection up and my screen was working once again.

exposfreak

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1088030#Comment_1088030

You're a genius, I did what you said, it worked!

anawilliam850

Based on the symptoms you've described, it's possible that there is a hardware issue with the screen of your Acer Chromebook 11. The fact that it works fine with an external display suggests that the issue is not with the graphics processor or the internal components of the device.

It's possible that the screen could have been damaged during shipping, especially if it was a refurbished device. However, it's also possible that the issue could be related to the voltage or electrical system in Libya.

One thing you could try is to check if there are any loose or damaged cables connecting the screen to the rest of the device. You could try opening up the Chromebook (if you feel comfortable doing so) and checking the connections. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, you could take it to a repair shop or contact Acer support for assistance.

If the cable connections appear to be fine, then it's likely that the issue is with the screen itself and it may need to be replaced. In this case, you could again contact Acer support or take it to a repair shop to have it fixed.

I hope this helps and you're able to get your Chromebook working again.

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