My PowerBook is a 2005 model, 15inch Alumnium machine. Models differ greatly. I give no warranty that this will work for you, even if you have the same model. I only report my own story - make up your own mind if you would want to risk the beauty of your machine.
I ordered a replacement screen (first I got the AU Optronics B152EW01 instead of the built-in Samsung LTN152W5-L03) from IDParts for USD 395 - a far cry from those 700 GBP (~ USD 1275) I was quoted by Apple repair experts here in Scotland. It arrived after two days, and the IDParts people were fast and friendly, even when it came to exchanging a slightly defective screen unit later on. The price above includes shipping to Europe, by the way...
When doing the repair, planning pays off: Before starting the work , I insisted on getting just the right screwdrivers - socket hex sizes 6 and 8, and a Philips one size 00 (not size 0 as in the service manual - maybe UK/US sizes differ.)
You can download various manuals on the web. You can even get the original Service Source manuals from Apple (for free) - but not from Apple directly. Watch out - models are revised.
My model was revised as compared to the FW800 Alumnium model that was described in the service manual that I looked at. Apple made it easier to remove the top case: one doesn't have to find a tiny little latch behind the DVD drive opening - the top case is just clipped on. (But don't risk it - be cautious!) The fragile, big connector between top case and logic board is gone - only one little cable to unplug. The Airport extreme antenna cable, however, cannot be decoupled any more. I don't know how complicated it would be to actually take the whole screen assembly off because of that.
However, if you're smart, you don't even open the top case in order to exchange the LCD panel. The second time I exchanged my screen, I could just take the display cover off: If you open the two (socket) hex screws on the bottom of the display unit, you can unclip the plastic case behind the LCD panel - the piece that contains the white apple. I undid the sides first and paid great attention as to not put pressure on the top edge of the LCD screen. The bottom edge of the plastic casing came last. Don't rip off the cabels that are attached to the back side! This is your airport antenna! Put the cover down behind the PowerBook and leave it in place.
After that, it was a piece of cake. Two connectors needed to be removed - one at the bottom side, leading to the inverter board (caution: high voltage! expensive!). I took out the inverter board (little PCB on the bottom side, wrapped in plastic) before taking out the LCD panel.
There are eight (little black) screws on the sides (2 each) and the top (4) that keep the LCD unit in place. On the bottom, it's just glued to the frame. I used a screwdriver (caution! use plastic!) to separate frame and panel on the front side. To do so, I pushed softly from the front side of the panel (and not along on the upper edge where it says "Don't touch the white line!".) When fitting the new panel, of course I made sure that I wouldn't get glue on the previous new one... The plastic wasn't perforated (on the Samsung LCD) where the top edge screws go, so I had to be a little courageous.
There's a little magnet attached to the back of the LCD panel - it looks like a piece of metal that holds the casing at a distance (picture), but beware: it's a magnet and it's needed. The AU panel that you can order doesn't have it, but Samsung LTN... panel comes with a little magnet. Important: the exact position of this magnet is crucial. It's used to detect when the lid is closed, so the machine goes to sleep. By using a low-power magnet, hovering over the trackpad while the machine is turned on, you can easily find out where this magnet has to be in relation to the edges of the machine. (You could, of course, just make sure you keep it in the same position where was on the old panel... I needed to reposition the one on the Samsung panel that I got.)
Putting the cover back one worked best for me in the opposite order: sides and the top first, then the bottom side - the little metal latches all have to go inside (and not bent and stuck in the crack!)
The screen exchange took about one hour.
Well, I was very very cautious with this repair. It's not an old beat-up bike - it's masterpiece of delicate technology. Things break easily. I tried not to use metal screwdrivers when opening the case - especially the rubber/plastic parts scratch easily.
Check your display: The AU Optronics panel that I got had two unpleasant problems. I had a "burn-in" effect (after half a day or so) where I would see shadows of stuff that had been showing in the same position for a while, such as an icon on the desktop in the corner of the screen. Also, and more disturbing, the display was missing a few bits of color depth: color gradients didn't look good at all - it was like using a 32000 color screen. No good. Thank God the good folks over at IDParts exchanged it for me at no charge. They sent me a new one before taking the defective one back, and they were so nice as to send me just the right (Samsung) instead of the equally-priced AU screen. You don't get that kind of pleasant service very often in this part of the world!
Well, my PowerBook "Lucy" is back to life - she looks great, and the display is bright and, most importantly, without cracks!
Troubleshooting: Lid seems loose, doesn't pop open when button at front of laptop is pressed. When that happened, I had a look at the four screws near the bottom on the backside of the screen. They need to be tightened (not too much! A Powerbook is not a diesel engine!) for the display unit to have some tension. (I needed to remove the back cover to do this; opening the top case was not necessary.)
Again - I don't necessarily recommend doing all of this yourself. It's your own responsibility. These are not instructions - just a report.
Comment on my little 'repair story' here, over in my blog.
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