Any official word on connecting a laptop LCD to a PC?

[Beta Geek]

This has most likely been discussed here before, but a friend of mine and I got to thinking about the possibility of hooking up a replacement laptop LCD to a PC. I would have several applications for this if I can get it to work, but my major hang up is getting a digital signal that is useable by a given laptop LCD.

I haven’t been very successful getting answers through searches, and a lot of people contradict each other on how to do it. While the most feasible method appears to be using an analog-to-digital converter and a compatible LCD driver device, this kinda defeats my original idea of a dirt-cheap solution. I’m afraid that’s why I don’t see these mods all over the web, but I still want to try to make it work by other means.

Besides the above method here are a couple other ideas that I’ve either read about or have come up with:

Someone said that laptop LCDs (the ones being used were off of Dell laptops), have a pinout (I’m guessing solder points on the LCD’s controller board or whatever) for the option of analog input. So, based on this theory, one could use a standard VGA cable chopped off a CRT and solder the wires to the correct pins (R, G, B, etc) and therefore use the output from a standard VGA card. Is this pure BS, or is there any merit to this at all? Doe’s anyone have any spare laptop LCDs laying around to check to confirm this?

Another option could be using a newer video card with a DVI interface and use a DVI extension cable, chop one connector off and match the pins up with the pinout of the LCD screen’s digital connections. Then solder those onto the LCD’s controller board (after removing the standard wiring that connects to the laptop’s mobo. Is this at all feasible?

I know I would need to find the pinout for the LCD’s connections, but that (I hope) will be the easy part. I can cross that bridge once I find out if a low cost solution is doable. Also, I’m not at all afraid of rewiring connections, soldering onto PCBs, etc. I have done plenty of that in my electronics class. Also, I’m broke, and that’s the whole point of this project. A very low-cost solution. I can find (what are said to be) good, working laptop LCDs on e-bay for around $20 give or take. If this project involves $150 for A-D converters and controllers, it will take this project out of my reach. If I had gobs of money, I’d just go out and spend $500 of flat-panel displays... No, I wouldn’t because I still love doing projects like this! :D

Thanks!
Beta Geek

[saphalline]

It sounds entirely feasible, if you can find the correct pinout info. LCD's in laptops have some degree of proprietary-ness (is that a word? :p) but I assume they are standard enough to work with a desktop. The one thing you have to be concerned about, tho, is not the correct image signal pins, but the power requirements of the LCD itself.

That part should be relatively simple with a volt/amp meter on the power wires coming out of the laptop, but it may prove to be at least as important as the image signal!

[Beta Geek]

Thanks for the advice and encouragement, saphalline. From what I've read, those LCDs typically run on +5V dc, but I'll make sure to double check with the specific screen I buy.

Does anyone have any experience with laptop LCDs? :confused: I really don't want to spend $30+ on something that won't work. Yeah, I'm that broke!

Anyway, I probably will buy one (that I can find pinouts for before I buy it) because this project is really starting to get at me. If I can get this to work, I'll be sure to let y'all know.

[saphalline]

Just a far-fetched idea, but...

If you can document your project well enough (with pictures and notes as you go along) you just might be able to sell it to one of the many PC mod sites out there. :D

Hehe, just as much a joke idea as a good one, it's just crazy enough to work...

[bassman]

Did a Google (www.google.com) and came up with THIS (http://www.mini-itx.com/projects/spacepanel/page2.asp#spacepanel0003)

This Mini-ITX program is way:cool:

Good luck

[Beta Geek]

Yeah, that's pretty tight. I'm planning on basing at least one of my future builds off of a Mini-ITX board.

Unfortunately, that is a retail LCD with instructions and all spelled out. And it needs a special program to drive it and use the parallel port. I'm looking for some way make a laptop LCD the primary (or even secondary) display for Windows on a PC.

Thanks for the link though! It was very interesting. Maybe I'll try that later down the road as well... after I have more cash for things like that.

Oh-well, it looks like this is something that I'll have to go into blind. But that's half the adventure right there... Right? It'll probably be a few months before I can really afford to try this project without knowing for sure that it will work.

I'll get back to y'all when (hopefully) I get something working.