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Home / I-Appliance BBS General / NEWS, Breaking NEWS Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks Possibility of using LCD control board to control larger screen

Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) kenwilfy Profile | Email I just bought one of the 4" LCD screens from the Computer Geeks. http://www.compgeeks.com/details.asp?invtid=PCM-4 It was a good deal for the money but I would like something bigger. I took the thing apart and it basically consists of an lcd screen superglued into a plastic housing, and a control board. The control board is connected to the lcd screen by a ribbon connector that can easily be unplugged. The end of the ribbon does not actually have a connector on it, it is just a piece of plastic ribbon about 5/8" wide. I have some pictures and info on this website. http://mywebpages.comcast.net/kenwilfy/ My idea is to use this controller board with a larger LCD TFT screen from a laptop. I would need to know what laptop screen would be a good candidate for this and also the best place to buy one. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks, Ken Wilford John 3:16 01-29-2003 09:56:24

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) NormConquest Profile | Email http://earthlcd.com/ would be the place to start. But what are the odds that a controller for a 4" screen has the mojo to handle anything larger? 01-29-2003 16:25:06

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) redwood Profile hey, I was looking at that screen... wondering if it could be used for a 'home brew' projection tv ... using a cheap fresel lens, and directions online... is it very Bright? thanks 01-29-2003 19:19:38

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) zmoz Profile Got a link for those plans? I still got a bunch of 12.1" LCD's from that airport terminal thing... 01-29-2003 19:27:00

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) ··metaCOREtex·· Profile hope this helps: http://www.audiovisualizers.com/madlab/lcd_proj.htm hardOCP recently had a link to another projector project also 01-30-2003 01:07:59

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) redwood Profile let me just post a few links I have in my bookmarks... its been awhile since I readup on this stuff... so, if some aren't any good, sorry... :) http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=281 http://www.geocities.com/zark5150/projector.html http://www.diyprojectiontv.tk/ http://www.hommie.net/ that should get you started.. then, do like me, just 'bumble along' ... you'll find plenty to read.. just DON"T spend money on ebay for these same free plans... 01-30-2003 20:14:36

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) mrorange Profile Zmoz, you wouldn't be looking to sell any of those airport terminals would you? :) Or maybe just the LCD monitor? I missed out on the original deal.... :( 01-31-2003 09:11:02

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) inx3us Profile I also bought 10 of the Airport Terms. and have a few screens left... About the 4" screen, what does that look like hooked up to a tv out on a pc? I am looking for a small monitor for an auto/gps setup. The cost of small color lcd's is pretty prohibitive. I have been thinking about going the mono lcd route but then I would have to have a switch box for gps/lcd to lcd video for the dvd and the kids in the back. If I go with two rca in lcds thats not a problem. 01-31-2003 11:26:20

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) kenwilfy Profile | Email The compgeeks screen is pretty bright. It is TFT so if it is at an angle you can't really see it so well. You have to be looking dead on it. I bought one of the premade projectors from one of the "DIY Projector TV" site links. It only cost around $40. I'll let you know if this works well as a projection TV. I am still wondering about what screen to use with the control card to go larger. I sent an email to Earth LCD but have gotten no reply two days later. Maybe they just don't know either. Thanks, Ken Wilford John 3:16 01-31-2003 12:59:41

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) vwbug19 Profile the site http://www.diyprojectiontv.tk/ is disabled to excessive bandwidth perhap mirror the site? 01-31-2003 13:49:06

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) zmoz Profile I would sell one, but it's probably more than you'll want to pay. I paid $110 for about 30 of those things...selling the screens for $140 each. Made about $200 profit each one... 01-31-2003 16:52:28

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) mp3boombox Profile | Email how is the display on these lcd's? is it fast or does it ghost? 02-01-2003 07:23:56

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) mp3boombox Profile | Email also how is the conversion from composit? http://members.panax.com/bachh/ My EZnet 200 tower, hacking page. 02-01-2003 07:25:07

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) dawson Profile | Email http://www.mp3playerstore.com/stuff_you_need/special/th-5688.htm http://www.consoleaccessories.com/products.asp?id=psx026 Here's some links to other screens. dawson 02-02-2003 01:10:25

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) kenwilfy Profile | Email Many folks have been asking me where I bought the $45 premade projector for the LCD screen to video projector project (as it has now become). Here is a link to the site where you can buy these. \https://www.leevalley.com/gifts/page.asp?page=44193&category=4%2C104%2C45473&ccurrency=2&SID=4XQ03JVAQ1 I have one coming. When it arrives and I use it with the LCD screen I have I'll let you know what the results look like. kenwilfy John 3:16 02-04-2003 09:08:45

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 1 times) Randomluck Profile | Email http://www.leevalley.com/gifts/page.asp?page=44193&category=4%2C104%2C45473&ccurrency=2&SID=4XQ03JVAQ1 02-04-2003 16:49:01

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) zmoz Profile Think oone of those would work if you just set it on top of an LCD? I know they sell those in craft stores too... 02-04-2003 16:54:47

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) dawson Profile | Email http://www.diyprojectiontv.tk/ is back online. My brother made one of these back in the 70's. Worked fairly decently with a medium sized TV. I think he used a mirror in his box to reverse the image though if I remember correctly. I think the plans were in an electronics magazine way back. The fresnel lens resemble clear vinyl records (square shaped of course). I'm not certain how it would work with a little 4" screen though since it needs to be quite bright. dawson 02-04-2003 22:40:01

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) vwbug19 Profile yeah ive seen one with regular 13" tv and flat fresenel len that was very poor choice of len resulting in poor image quality i'd stay away from fresenel lens it is the worst optical type , stick to real lenses 02-04-2003 23:13:05

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) Groch Profile | Email I would be very surprized if this projector mounted on an LCD screen worked at all. The illumination of the liquid crystals will be totally washed out by the strong front lighting of the bulb in the projector. If you could find a way to shine the light THROUGH the lcd panel from the back (the way real lcd projectors work) you might have something. 02-05-2003 07:21:08

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) D2tw4all Profile ACTUALLY, mounting the LCD to the projector MIGHT work, when I was in college they had these VGA lcd screens that were transparent that they sat on the normal overhead transparency projectors, and it looked fine on the screen. Granted it wasn't nearly as good as the modern expensive digital projectors are, but it was sweet with the lights off. Not sure how it would work with only a 4" screen, and it has to be transparent, meaning you need to be able to look through the lcd so it can't have a reflective backing or anything, but I see no reason why it wouldn't work... Tom 02-05-2003 07:26:21

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) kenwilfy Profile | Email Ok I finally got the craft projector and I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news is that it doesn't work just putting the screen under the projector. You see a really nice clear image of a black screen with the plastic frame projected on the projector screen. The good news is that I took the screen apart some more today and you can very easily take the reflective backlight off of the screen leaving it transparent. So I would say that if you put a light source behind the screen and shone the light through it into the projector that this should work. I have to test the idea and I probably won't get to work on it some more until next week. Just wanted to let you know what was up. kenwilfy John 3:16 02-08-2003 14:18:33

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) mp3boombox Profile | Email kenwilfy I wonder is this projector basicly just hollow on the bottem or have? maby a piece of glass or plexy glass on the bottem? the Professional Scope, 100W is the more powerful of the 2 but how big of an image can it display and HOW far away does the projecter have to be? Can it be like more then 10 feet away with a sharp image? or rather how big of an image while still remaining sharp? An adapter may need to be build to dirrect light down and under the LCD screen. Or an adapter may need to be built just striaght HOUSING a light with fan. I'm asuming the design is like this, the bottem of the device is hollow with a mirror or 2 and a light source. I'd asume the lens is ajustible to fix the focus? am i correct? 02-08-2003 17:35:39

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) kenwilfy Profile | Email Yes the projector is very simple. It is a plastic housing. Inside there spot to put a 100 watt light bulb and there is a metal reflector box around where the light is with the bottom open (this is where you can put things you want projected) and the top open (this is where the light goes out to be projected). There is a mirror at the top of the box that reflects the light to the lens which is focusable (sp?). So far I have to tried to have it focus on a screen that is more than 4 feet away, but it may. You focus the lens by pulling it out or pushing it in (it is a tube within a tube design, very simple). There is no clear plastic under the bottom of the projector. It is an opening about 6" square. I was thinking of making a small cardboard box (for experimental purposes) and lining it with aluminum foil. Then putting a socket with a 100watt bulb in this box. Sit the clear LCD panel on top of this box and then remove the 100 watt bulb that is in the projector (shouldn't need it). This should allow you to project the LCD screen onto the movie screen. I'll give this a try on Monday and let you know how I make out. kenwilfy John 3:16 02-08-2003 19:18:55

RE:Hacking small LCD screen from Comp Geeks (modified 0 times) dawson Profile | Email Hey did you ever get this projector working? Anyhow these little 4" screens are back in stock at the geeks. And for cheaper now - $66.40. Here's my review: This is quite a nice little TFT screen. I connected my DTV receiver and was impressed with the clarity. There is no visible ghosting that I could detect. The contrast dial varies from very dark to quite bright / washed out. The little speaker on the back is hardly adequate for listening in a car since it's hard enough to hear the sounds clearly enough. A earphone jack adapter hack or alternate speaker might be in order. The colours were very nice for such a small monitor. I found the power supply and video/audio cables a little on the short side (3-4 feet?). Overall for the money, this monitor is definitely viewable (we watched Lilo and Stitch as well as Spy Kids on it) for extended periods at an arm's length distance or closer. There was a noticeable "burn-in" plastic smell that was a little annoying, but it seemed to fade with time. The unit does get slightly warm on the back with prolonged use. http://www.compgeeks.com/details.asp?invtid=PCM-4 dawson 04-25-2003 02:35:27

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