Salvaging the LCD

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Has anyone made an attemot to salvage the LCD screen from a dead
laptop and use it for another purpose? I am considering doing this for
a PC mod project. What are the hurdles that must be overcome when
trying to adapt the LCD to interface with a standard VGA card in a
desktop unit? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

> Has anyone made an attemot to salvage the LCD screen from a dead
> laptop and use it for another purpose? I am considering doing this for

Yes. I've used them with SBCs.

> a PC mod project. What are the hurdles that must be overcome when
> trying to adapt the LCD to interface with a standard VGA card in a
> desktop unit? Any help would be appreciated.

You need an analog-to-digital converter board, which will cost you
more than a complete LCD monitor of equivalent size (and which needs
to be selected specifically for compatibility with your specific LCD).

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

There is only one hurdle, cost (both materials and time). The cost of
doing this exceeds the cost of a new desktop LCD monitor.

How about salvaging it to repair another laptop?

By the way, for anyone interested, it has been VERY easy, recently, to
get desktop 17" 1280x1024 LCD monitors for $199 or so after rebates.

Tiger Direct, eCost and even Dell have had quite a few such monitors.
I've bought two of them, and while they are not the best monitors I have
ever used, they are far more than acceptable.


Jeffrey N. Alsip wrote:

> Has anyone made an attemot to salvage the LCD screen from a dead
> laptop and use it for another purpose? I am considering doing this for
> a PC mod project. What are the hurdles that must be overcome when
> trying to adapt the LCD to interface with a standard VGA card in a
> desktop unit? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[papa]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

I don't know whether or not what you want to do is economically feasible,
but if you are going to do it I suggest that you try to get a service
manual. Some companies have them available for download. I downloaded one
for an HP laptop. It was very detailed.

"Jeffrey N. Alsip" <jeffreyalsip@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:7eebdfb.0411120710.3d8979d9@posting.google.com...
> Has anyone made an attemot to salvage the LCD screen from a dead
> laptop and use it for another purpose? I am considering doing this for
> a PC mod project. What are the hurdles that must be overcome when
> trying to adapt the LCD to interface with a standard VGA card in a
> desktop unit? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[papa]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Thanks. I've seen them locally for $219 (after rebate), but $199 is the
lowest price I've heard of for a 17 inch LCD.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

"Papa" <bikingis@my.fun> wrote in message news:<kMeld.2273$G36.1389@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net>...
> I don't know whether or not what you want to do is economically feasible,
> but if you are going to do it I suggest that you try to get a service
> manual. Some companies have them available for download. I downloaded one
> for an HP laptop. It was very detailed.
>
> "Jeffrey N. Alsip" <jeffreyalsip@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:7eebdfb.0411120710.3d8979d9@posting.google.com...
> > Has anyone made an attemot to salvage the LCD screen from a dead
> > laptop and use it for another purpose? I am considering doing this for
> > a PC mod project. What are the hurdles that must be overcome when
> > trying to adapt the LCD to interface with a standard VGA card in a
> > desktop unit? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks to all for the input. I am attempting this project so that I
can mount the LCD on the back of a test bench...thereby saving
valuable bench space. Thanks to your suggestions I am making headway
on the analog to digital problem. It has not been easy to track down a
service manual, as this poster suggested, for either of the two dead
laptops that I have available. In case anyone might have access to one
(or both) of the manuals, the laptops are:

Toshiba Satellite 110CS
IBM Thinkpad 2635

Thanks again for the past and future help.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Jeffrey N. Alsip <jeffreyalsip@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Has anyone made an attemot to salvage the LCD screen from a dead
> laptop and use it for another purpose? I am considering doing this for
> a PC mod project. What are the hurdles that must be overcome when
> trying to adapt the LCD to interface with a standard VGA card in a
> desktop unit? Any help would be appreciated.

Essentially impossible.
How dead is the laptop?
If it can be got to boot, and use an ethernet PCMCIA card, then you
might use a software solution, such as VNC to display a copy of the
display of the computer.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Actually, eCost had (today, Sat. 11/13) a 17" desktop LCD monitor for
$189 after rebate (I think it was $259 or so before rebate).

2 weeks ago they had a Planar model for $199. Tiger Direct has had at
least 4 desktop 17" LCD displays for $199 since October 1st.

ALL of these have sold out very quickly (a few hours to 2 days at most),
but they always get more in. These are all "no name" models with
one-year warranty, except for the Planar and Dell (see below) that are
well supported US brands.

Earlier this week, even Dell had a Dell-brand 17" monitor for only about
$210 after a bunch of electronic coupons and a rebate.

These are all 1280x1024 17" analog VGA desktop monitors. I've gotten
two of them as holiday gifts for my sons, and I've checked them out.
They are not as good as my older $500 Planar with DVI, but they are more
than adequate. The main thing I found was that to produce a good
picture, they did need some adjustment of the dot clock frequency and
phase. Both monitors had one single dead pixel, near the edge of the
screen.


Papa wrote:
> Thanks. I've seen them locally for $219 (after rebate), but $199 is the
> lowest price I've heard of for a 17 inch LCD.
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

My suggestion is to ebay the display and use the money to help buy
what you REALLY need. Laptop displays go for pretty good prices on
Ebay.h

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

The main problem with salvaged LCDs is finding data sheets to discover the
signals needed to drive them.

I have one from an old ThinkPad, but have not been able to find the data
sheet for it.

I don't even know if it takes 5V or 3V.

:-<