LapTop Screen on a Normal PC? ( Only need VGA )

FatRakoon · 14 Jun 2008 at 01:06

This has been bugging me for a bit now.

Basically, I have a Dell Latitude 400 and a 600 that are kind of near death, but the displays on them are every bit as crystal as the day I stole... Erm, bought them.

Now, I have a couple of old Atari systems that are using a couple of screens.

One, the Atari TT has a 640x480x16 Basic VGA Output and thats connected to 12" CRT screen, and the Falcon is running through an ATI Radeon 7500 and is a more useable 1024x768x65535 , both of which the screen is very capable of.

I was wondering if it is at all possible to take the screens off the LapTops and convert them to be simple basic VGA Flat Screens? - its a shame to let them go to waste is it not.

I have tried to look for the pinouts of the cable, but I have failed to find anything that will help me.

reflux · 14 Jun 2008 at 17:30

Usually very difficult, if impossible, as laptops tend to use proprietary connectors, and the required converters either don't exist or require a lot of digging.

FatRakoon · 14 Jun 2008 at 19:29

Connectors are not an problem, I simply intend on simply cutting the ribbon-wire, and then simply soldering the correct wires to the correct pins on a VGA Socket, and then applying the correct necessary voltage to the correct wires left.

So, if its connectors that are the problem, then thats not at all any concern.

You do however say converters...?

From what ?

Sure, the signal is still a VGA Compatible signal? After all, LapTops have both the screen and a VGA port so it will not make any real sense to have the same chip output 2 different incompatible signals surely?

Burned_Alive · 14 Jun 2008 at 20:04

It simply doesnt work like that, there's a reason you probably havent seen this done and cannot find the pinouts.

Gregeff · 14 Jun 2008 at 21:42

I was reading one of the things about the new Display Port interface is that it is going to be the same for laptop screens as it is for normal screens. Thus indicating that at the moment they use a different standard.

Whatever standard they use I would assume it to be a digital one seeing as laptop screens have always been digital.

dbeckett · 14 Jun 2008 at 21:47

The only thing that comes into my mind with this stuff is the xbox/ps3 laptops ive seen people mod before, although theres a chance they may just use a standard lcd screen rather than a laptop one, just a thought but you may find an answer reading up how they did them

dbeckett · 14 Jun 2008 at 21:52

Did a quick search and found this http://www.geocities.com/p9019/lcdpanel - im no expert on electronics so i dont really understand it but may help a bit

edit-also found http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=188314 , but this is just from a quick search

and also http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/faq-emporium/51040-faq-using-laptop-lcd-your-car-pc-screen.html

seems like you need to buy yourself some sort of controller

reflux · 14 Jun 2008 at 22:03

Yeah, some mention of a controller in this thread:

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17886160

DrBombcrater · 14 Jun 2008 at 23:19

I'm afraid what you want to do is difficult in the extreme. It's highly unlikely a suitable controller board is available, so you'd need to construct a controller board that takes the analogue VGA and digitises it, stores the result in a framebuffer then feeds it to the screen via an LCD controller designed specifically to drive whatever type of panel you've attached.

Even for someone with a firm grasp of digital electronics that's a non-trivial and probably quite expensive task. There's a good chance the required details for the LCD panels aren't even available to the public.

FatRakoon · 15 Jun 2008 at 01:42

Its a shame.

I would really have liked to do it for sure, but from what you are all saying, its just not going to happen then is it?

Thanks anyway everyone.