attach laptop screen to PC?

[XPogiGTIVR6X]

hey, Im currious if its possible to use an old Laptop screen and attach it to a PC? I plan on using it in a Mp3 player for a car. I have yet found a flat plasma sceen using Reg RCA, as thin and as big as a laptop screen. if you found something TELL ME! heh

[Yodums]

Originally posted by XPogiGTIVR6X
hey, Im currious if its possible to use an old Laptop screen and attach it to a PC? I plan on using it in a Mp3 player for a car. I have yet found a flat plasma sceen using Reg RCA, as thin and as big as a laptop screen. if you found something TELL ME! heh

I don't think its possible although that'll look cool. Looks like a cop car lolz. Computer.. flat screen schweet.

[iggybaseball]

no, ive seen it done. But it is VERY difficult. You wopuld have to be really good with a sodering iron. Plus I dint think there are any guides out for it.

[Ridenow]

Doable, yes...easy, no. Laptops are proprietary. This means that they are all different. To do what you want you would need to make an adapter. To make an adapter you need to know the pinouts of the connectors involved. You would have to know exactly what laptop the screen came from and get detailed specs from the manufacturer.

Also remember you would need to power the screen. Some are AC, some DC.

[iggybaseball]

Originally posted by Ridenow
Doable, yes...easy, no. Laptops are proprietary. This means that they are all different. To do what you want you would need to make an adapter. To make an adapter you need to know the pinouts of the connectors involved. You would have to know exactly what laptop the screen came from and get detailed specs from the manufacturer.

Also remember you would need to power the screen. Some are AC, some DC.

:D muybien:D

[XPogiGTIVR6X]

I have a laptop, Old Toshiba laptop, Im sure I can get the pinouts, just wondering if there are any companys out there, I think EarthLCD.com is one that makes the controller cards, I never understood what a controller card does, and a inverter, blah blah blah, anything would be helpful!

[Crash893]

overclockershideout has a lcd screen that has a svideo input you can attach to your computer.

kinda what your thinking

im 100000% sure you can find it cheaper some where else so look around. i think jameco has some stuff like that as well.

[Phugbox]

I was aking myself that earlier today. I'm wanting to put an entire computer in a Suitcase, Monitor keyboard and all, and not wanting to purchase a flatscreen like that, and was hoping I'd be able to hook up a laptop display to it, I figured it was possible, just figuring out how, I'll see if I can get pinout plans for my buddy's laptop that has a dead mobo. I'd have to do some cable splicing wouldn't I.

I figured if I looked long enough I'd find this one here, before I asked myself, found it after searching manually through 17 pages, not the sart way but it worked

[Diggrr]

Laptops are digital displays, so you must have a digital display card, as well as the screen mfg's pinout diagram.
The inverter is for lighting the screen. Some laptops have them built in, and some have them in the body of the puter. I'd recommend finding one built in cause one mistake and either you or the screen fries. (some inverters are high voltage)

I've been looking into this for a couple of weeks now, as I have a couple of old Zenith data systems laptops. For some reason, the bozo's that make cards to do this want $300 bucks for the digital video card. ATI makes one with both an analog and a digital connector for $150 or so. (better choice, more flexibility) A card that comes with a digital flat screen monitor isn't necessarily digital. Most convert to analog, and the monitor has an analog to digital converter inside it. Buyer beware.

Anyway, that's what I've found so far.

[Phugbox]

so if I were to... say.... want to hook the display from a Compaq Armada 1530DM up to a computer, I'd need to pinout diagram. and a digital display card, and hope that it has the inverter allready in it, or some light, maybe plugged into a USB port to see the screen.

Any idea where'd I'd be able to find what I need?

[XPogiGTIVR6X]

bump!

[Phugbox]

"bump!" ? I'm confused?
i would say I'm canamafused, but I'm not stoned

[MadMan007]

Phugbox:
"bump!" ? I'm confused?
i would say I'm canamafused, but I'm not stoned

ROFLMAO

Oh, and.....







BUMP! :D :D :D :D :D

[Phugbox]

GAH!, don't DO that! you frighten me,

stressful day, with no rents in house now, and Gf-type person all the way across town not helping.


GAH!

BUMP! BUMP WHAT! GAH! AGH!

Help me, I'm melting

[XPogiGTIVR6X]

bump mean, to the top of the Thread. Same TTT( To The Top)

[Phugbox]

ok, so i bumped, so it's you started the thread, what am I supposed to tell you? that I've found a laptop that's dead but the monitor works? but that other than that I've no clue what to do with it?

[XPogiGTIVR6X]

Originally posted by Phugbox
ok, so i bumped, so it's you started the thread, what am I supposed to tell you? that I've found a laptop that's dead but the monitor works? but that other than that I've no clue what to do with it?


well, ok you need the pinouts, THEN you need a Controller. Witch is made Specificly for the Screen, That Attaches to the Video Card RGB then you attach the Screen to that Card, Then you need to power it.

[Phugbox]

ok , so where do I go for the pinouts, and having accomplished that, how am I going to find a controller card, and how much can I figure it's going to run me, this is Canadian dollars.

You'll have to aprdon my ignorance, every day I come across a few more new terms

[Terra Knight]

Well, I'm that buddy. Actually, I've got TWO dead laptops with funtionning screens that definitely won't need inverters, which is a plus. Are you all saying that we'd need to get a control card tailor made for our specific screen requirements?

If there's a simpler solution, I'm planning on giving one to Phug for his suitcase/briefcase idea and keeping the other for myself and my, get this, locker. Nothing like DOS or ROOT in a student's home away from home!

[RoadWarrior]

Here's a couple of video standard LCDs that would work with a TV out card....
http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=365&item=LCD-50&type=store
http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=365&item=LCD-62&type=store

I think someone did a case mod with one of these, put it in his drive bay, drove it with his Radeon.

I think I know where there's a LCD capable card for sale for $100, however, can't look for it right now since I think this flaky old win 95 system is about to crash soon, so I'll make another post when I reboot and find it.
Road Warrior

[JDXNC]

If you want to find a good little laptop display cheap, you can get the one from the NEC versa in the laptops section on ebay, they sell the whole top assembly for $20, which includes the screen, speakers & plastick stuff, nowI know from owning one of these laptops that they just have a little ribboncable that plugs onto the mobo... its like 8-10 pins, thats all, very nice little screen too.

[Phugbox]

allright, so saying that you got one of those laptop top assemblies with their nice 8 pin or so ribbon cable connector, sure you can plug it into a regular laptop, if it's the right brand, but how can you hook that sucker up to a regular desktop videocard?

what kind of vid card would you need to get after you've soldered the wires to the right pins on a monitor cable?

[JDXNC]

I supposed any vid card thats suppots 800 x 600 res would work.

[Phugbox]

I'm getting all sorts of seemingly different variant answers, it irks me, is there no one answer?

[JDXNC]

I would say that is because there is no exact answer for this mod. It won't be easy... but it is possible.

[Crash893]

Originally posted by Phugbox
I'm getting all sorts of seemingly different variant answers, it irks me, is there no one answer?

the answerd is:

do it yourself and report back to the collective

jdnxc is right

no one ( or verrrrrry few) people have done this so there is not base of expertiece for you to draw from.

however this gives you the chance to do it yourself and write an article.

[Guero]

http://www.earthlcd.com/controllers.htm

Does not seem like a very cost effective project. Those controllers are not cheap!

[Phugbox]

well, looks like my next big project, gonna be hard though you're right