Chosen Solution
I have a mid 2010 unibody macbook pro 13" which i am able to turn on and use (with a lamp directly on it) but the screen is insanely dim. I was told that these do noty have an inverter (or they are built in) so what would I need to replace or fix in order to correct this malfunction.
Detailed Logic Board Question. No Backlight.. check out this question you will find the usefull info there
Cody, I’m sorry you ran into all this politicking. I know you just came here for a simple answer on how to fix your Mac. Unfortunately there is no simple solution for you. The driver that appears to have failed on your machine is integrated into the logic board. To test this before you go further, please hook it up to an external monitor. If you get a picture then I am wrong and we can go from there. If you get no picture you will either need a professional logic board repair or a replacement logic board ($617 to $800 from iFixit). You can click on Josh’s icon and find his company and get a quote although I hate to encourage this guy. Or, use somebody like DT&T services, their fee is $325 + shipping. Or you can get a flat rate fee from Apple for $280 + shipping and they will fix any and all problems they find for that fee. I did a 2009 MacBook last week, they replaced the logic board, screen and bottom case all for the $280. Apple is not trying to make money with this service, they are trying to keep customers.
Sounds like it is your inverter (found between LCD and Board) usually a slim white plastic enclosed, with wires on both ends, going to the board, and lcd.
I’ve seen this a ton of times, however usually after a liquid spill. You are correct there is no backlight inverter, there is a led driver on the logic board and a backlighting fuse. If you are positive it wasn’t a liquid spill or dropped, take it to apple. Worst case you have to do a depot repair at $280..
