My Acer XZ322QU monitor intermittently powers on with visible backlight but shows only a black screen—no image and no OSD menu when I press buttons. Interestingly, macOS still detects the display in System Settings, and I can move my mouse cursor onto that screen space (though I can't see it).

I've already tried:

- Different cables (HDMI and DisplayPort)

- Different ports on both the monitor and Mac

- Power cycling and leaving it unplugged overnight

- Connecting to a different computer

The issue happens randomly—sometimes it works fine, other times it doesn't display anything despite the backlight being on.

Which internal component is most likely failing (T-Con board, main board, panel itself)? What diagnostic steps should I take before opening it up?

Diagnostic Steps Taken:

• Voltages: Checked the Panel Driver board input; 12V rail is stable. (multimeter)
• Cable Check: Checked and cleaned the main 51-pin LVDS/eDP cable. (Note: The metal housing on the connector was removed during inspection, but pins appear to make contact).

Half-Screen Test:

• When I disconnect the Right Ribbon Cable (the bridge connecting the left and right panel driver boards), the monitor displays an image on the left half sometimes (and the other half is white screen). if not this, then the entire screen is still the backlight on no display type.
• When I reconnect the ribbon, the entire screen goes black again without any reason or patterns.

I am looking for the solution to isolate any short. i am unable to locate fuse, VGH, VGL, AVDD. since there are no markings on the board.

As it appears, i am not sure where the problem is, there is also this method i tried from yt videos to see if a semiconductor is short, but i would like to get insights on how to check if the main board has a failure, panel board, or just the screen itself. i also would like to learn how to check for shorts properly.

after attempting the above stated steps, i figured it is best to assemble the monitor and give it a try.

1. The bootup logo now shows up almost everytime i unplug the power cord from the back of the monitor and plug it back. (earlier it only showed once in a blue moon).
2. after 1.5 hours of regular powering off the monitor, unplugging the power cord, reconnecting the dp1.4 to usb-c cable to my macbook, it decided to work randomly. I am now using it for almost about 2 hours (stable, no issues)
3. one more thing to notice - while the macbook is connected to monitor and the display is working, if i connect the MAGSAFE charger to my MACBOOK, the display on monitor kinda like goes black for 2-3 second and unlucky that it may or may not display for next couple of minutes if not hours. idk how that is possible. Connecting macbook to power changes the display on the external monitor connected.

i left the monitor plugged in overnight but had the monitor turned off. surprisingly i turned on my mac and connected the DP1.4 cable, it worked the very first time, no struggle. Then i wanted to check the reliability so i checked with hdmi with PS4 Procurement and Inventory Executive, unfortunately after 2 minutes it started doing the 2 second blackout thing.

⟐ Commented February 08, 2026 at 6:38 MST