Jun. 24, 2024
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Hello there. This is my first Instructable
A while back I was sitting around and wondering what to do with my dead laptop. I knew the mother board was fried but everything else was still in working condition. As a result, I decided to make an external monitor from my dead laptop and proceeded to do the research to find out if this was possible. Below is what I discovered. Unfortunately, there was no way to use the motherboard's VGA connector. The VGA connector on a laptop is used to connect to an external monitor. In any case the VGA connector is output only and wouldn't work for an external screen. As a result, I found that I needed to buy a controller board for the LCD screen, to make it work as an external monitor. This was the main cost but was still less than half the cost of buying an external monitor.
The controller board cost me about $42 not including tax and shipping. However, there are various types that cost less.
I also built a stand for the LCD panel but as you will see, I decided to go a different route.
The information below will illustrate the steps I took to convert my laptop LCD screen into an external monitor.
Lets get started.
Materials needed::
Dead Laptop hopefully with a good and working LCD screen.
LCD controller board
Hobby electronics screwdriver
wire cutters optional
5 inch section of wood 2x3
two 3 inch sections of wood
self tapping wood screws
cordless drill
drill bit for drilling metal
Dremel and cutting disk optional
Note: if your LCD is damaged then don't proceed any further. This instructable will not fix a damaged LCD screen!
Disclaimer: Due note, I take no responsibility for your actions, implied or otherwise. I am not telling you to do anything, This instructable is informational.
Step one. Unplug the dead laptop from any power source AND remove the battery!. The laptop battery is located, usually, on the bottom and can be removed by sliding a release lever. These are lithium ion batteries and can hold a few Amps. The risk of shock might be minimal. However, there is no need to take the risk.
Step Two. To Remove the LCD screen from the laptop, you will need to remove the screws. There are rubber pads on the front of the LCD screen to protect it when the laptop lid is closed. Behind the rubber pads are the screws. Find and remove all the screws holding the front plastic frame on the laptop lid. Keep track of the pads and screws as you will need them to reassemble everything.
Step Three. Remove the plastic frame from the LCD screen. Here is where you need to be careful. The screws are not the only thing holding the plastic frame on the LCD screen! The plastic frame is snapped into place. Carefully pry loose the frame from the LCD screen. Pry it loose gently. Try to keep it as close as possible to the LCD panel while you are prying it loose because you may also find that you need to slide it to the left or right to completely remove it from the laptop. There is a small protrusion of the plastic frame where the hinge is. Because of this protrusion you need to slide the frame, in this case, to the right, to detach it from the laptop.
Step Four. Locate and remove the screws holding the LCD panel to the laptop. These are located on the bottom. The screws are attached to a small metal hinge. this is the component that is attached to the keyboard frame.
Next you will need to remove the LCD screen. Note that there is a cable attached. This is the LVDS cable. It is best to take apart the rest of the laptop and unplug it from the keyboard. However, the cable can be cut at the bottom. Take care not to cut the two wires going into the inverter (that's the slim circuit board at the bottom.
Once the LCD panel is removed, you can remove the LVDS cable and unplug the inverter at the bottom. Unplug the inverter from both ends. Do not cut it. The LVDS cable is taped to the back of the LCD screen at the top. It is the flat cable running up the back. Remove the tape and slid the cable down. Since you need to buy an LCD controller board, you will no longer need the LVDS cable the laptop came with or the inverter. At this point you should just have an LCD screen with a pair of wires coming out of it.
Keep track of the plastic front frame and the plastic backing. You will need them to resemble the LCD screen. On the other hand, you have different fingers, just kidding. On the other hand, you can buy a picture frame and put the LCD screen in the picture frame.
Here is a picture of the LVDS cable and the inverter detached from the LCD screen. Since we will be buying an LCD control board these cables will not be needed again.
Next, once you have removed the LCD panel. Flip it over and look for a model number on the back. You will need this model number to order the correct LCD controller board. I went to E-Bay and found one for $42.00. I bought the LCD controller board and then received an from the seller requesting the model number of the LCD screen and manufacturer. This is because each controller board is flashed, (programed to run a specific LCD) I gave him my model number, LP171WX2 A4K1 and told him it was made by LG Phillips. Since the board was coming from China, I received my order about 2 weeks later. Due note to buy one with a power cord! The LCD controller board has the VGA input connection which allows you to connect it to another computer and use it as a second monitor or as a back up in the event the one on your working computer goes out.
I bought my LCD controller board DIY kit from e-qstore on Ebay. Here is a link:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_from=&_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ssn=e-qstore&rt=nc.
Mention Instructables they might give you a discount.
The LCD controller board is real easy to connect. It comes with all the required cables, except a VGA cable which you will need, in order to connect your LCD to another computer. You can buy a VGA cable from Best Buy or a computer parts store.
The LCD control Bard comes with all the cables except the VGA cable which you will have to buy. Once you have received your kit, proceed to connect it to the LCD screen. Plug the LVDS cable into the LCD panel where you removed the original from. The two wires at the bottom of the LCD screen that were connected to the inverter need to be unplugged from the old inverter and plugged into the new inverter below. Then, plug the power in. Make sure that the LCD control board is not sitting on anything conductive, like metal or it will short and fry. Next connect the VGA cable to the LCD control board and plug the other end of the VGA cable to another computer. Make sure the computer is on before you plug in the VGA cable. At this point you should have the same image that is on the computer you plugged the VGA cable into, on the LCD panel.
To recap:
1. Plug the LVDS cable into the LCD panel.
2. Plug the LCD panel into the inverter. See picture.
3. Plug the transformer into the LCD control board.
4. Connect the VGA cable to the LCD control Board.
5. Connect the other end of the VGA cable to an operating computer.
6. Press the power button on the LCD control Board-it sits next to the LED.
Next, I attached a 4 inch section of two by four on the outside back of the laptop lid. I needed this in order to attach my stand to the LCD screen. I used 5 screws and screwed them in place from the inside. I did splice and extend the cables going from the LCD controller to the inverter it came with just to have a little more room.
Originally, I built a nice wooden stand for my LCD panel but was not satisfied with it. So, I took a broken florescent desk lamp and dremeled off the section holding the florescent tubes, leaving enough metal to screw on to the two by four on the laptop lid. Before attaching the stand, I drilled four holes in the metal to make it easier to screw it on the two by four.
Next you will need to attach the LCD controller to the laptop lid. To do this, screw in a few sections of wood from the inside of the lid. Then on the outside of the lid attach the LCD control board. Place the wood in an area where the control board can reach.
Next you will need to find all those screws you have been saving and reassemble the LCD screen. I also added some surgical tubing to the top springs for added strength.
By the way a store bought swing arm half the size of this one, I found, cost around $400.00. If you choose to use a swing arm like this one, go with the one that has a magnifier on it and dremel off the magnifier leaving enough metal to attach to your LCD lid. You need one of this caliber to hold the LCD screen. Swing arms with the light attached are not strong enough.
Here is what it looks like on the stand. And Yes, I made the frame for the picture hanging on the wall in the background.
By the way, I did remove the web cam from the laptop lid, wired it to a USB cable, and turned it into and external peripheral. I wired the two microphones that I found next to the web cam and turned them into external peripherals. I dremeled the batteries open and wired them into a 3 million candle power flashlight made from spare parts I had. I have a lithium ion battery charger, so it worked great.
I didn't like the first stand I made. I included some pictures of it above.
Since I was asked about the web cam, I though Should add it to the instructable. There is a nice instructable here at this site showing how to convert a web cam from an LCD screen: http://rntmns.com//02/rebirth-of-a-webcam/
But be careful the guy that did the mod, reversed the power cables.
The USB cable has 4 Wires.
Pin 1 on USB 1. Red- VCC +5V
Pin 2 on USB 2. White- Data+
Pin 3 on USB 3. Green- Data-
Pin 4 on USB 4. Black- Ground
Note, I sourced the web cam from the LCD screen which was a dead HP DV laptop, working on Windows Vista, originally.
I'm not sure if the web cam wire colors change for different models. However, for the DV here is the color schematic.
1. Red wire from web cam goes to Pin 1 on USB, Red USB Wire.
2. Light Blue wire from web cam goes to Pin 2 on USB, White USB Wire
3. Black Wire from Web cam goes to pin 3 on USB, Green USB Wire
4. White or faded yellow looking wire goes to pin 4 on USB, Black USB Wire.
The web cam is now wired for plug and play. However, it only works on another computer running Windows Vista. There are no drivers for windows 7, yet. Since I don't have Windows XP, I don't know if it would work on it. Once you have wired it, open Skype on Vista and click on change profile pic. It will show two web cams in the drop down menu. If your web cam starts getting hot then you have revered the power cables.
I have attached some images of the web cam, it's slightly longer than the shift key on the laptop but about half as wide.
There you have it.
Mine works great on my Vista laptop. If you want to use it for checking plumbing pipes, I suppose you can put a small prism on the web cam aperture so you can insert the web cam in a pipe and view images directly ahead--this would be good for archaeology where you need to investigate tight spaces.
Last few pics.
Grand Prize in the
Reuse Contest
Second Prize in the
A/V Contest
Participated in the
Instructables Design Competition
Participated in the
Make It Glow
There's a simple reason to buy refurbished tech instead of a brand-new device&#;to save money. It's also nice to avoid sending another gadget to the landfill. An added bonus: If you go for a refurbished product, it won't be subject to shipping delays, whereas a brand-new device might.
The problem is that refurbished products had a life before. Maybe it was a short existence with a careful original owner, but maybe not. What you do know is that the product was sent back, and it was given an overhaul to make it workable again or at least checked to make sure it operated correctly.
That all happened under the original product warranty&#;a warranty you may not inherit. You might also have to forego the device's original accessories and deal with physical imperfections.
Here's a quick rundown of what you should know before you click the buy button on a renewed or revamped piece of hardware. If you can't get these questions answered to your satisfaction, stick with purchasing brand-new products, if possible.
(Credit: Karolina Grabowska from Pexels)
A typical open-box product was purchased and opened but returned before it was used. Maybe the buyer or recipient decided they didn't want it, or perhaps the packaging was damaged, so it was sent back unused as a precaution.
For more LCD Screen Manufacturerinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.
I'd argue that to be a true refurb, a device should require some kind of repair, cleaning, or sprucing up. Legally, though, there's no real definition of "refurbished.&#; It can signify whatever a vendor or seller wants it to mean. You may also see terms like "pre-owned" and "reconditioned," which are synonyms&#;until they're not. All returned products that are resold tend to be lumped together, no matter the condition.
Thankfully, US laws prevent companies from selling returned products as though they're brand-new. You benefit from that, because once the refurbished label is on a product, the price should go way down. Ask the seller about a product&#;s origin, and hope for an open-box product; you may not be the first owner, but you could be the first user.
Not all restorations are alike. It's possible a third party did the work and is reselling the product. In general, sticking with the original company handling the work is the smarter move. It will have the right packaging and parts to make the product as close to new as possible. Look for "factory-certified" or similar nomenclature.
That said, you can see real savings from a third-party refurbish. That said, it's an arena described by some as the Wild West, as there's no real way to determine a product's quality until you've already bought it. Buyer beware.
(Credit: Zhang Peng/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Opening an iPhone box and not finding a charger is a sad experience (especially if the item is brand-new, but that's a different problem).
Refurbished products often come without the accessories included with a new-product purchase. That's another reason to try to find refurbs offered by the manufacturer; you're more likely to get all the accessories. You might get the product in something close to the original packaging as well, if that's important to you.
Don't buy any product that is marked "as-is," because that removes any implied warranty the product might carry. The buyer risks getting hardware that may not even work properly. Simply because a device can turn on doesn't mean it can go online, get a signal, and so on.
Used products in many states do have an implied warranty, by law. A device has to be able to do what it was designed to do, even if sold used. A has to make calls (phones still do that, so I'm told). A laptop must boot up and connect to the internet. A webcam had better make you look good in that Zoom meeting.
Your best bet is to ask the seller directly whether a warranty or guarantee is in place. It's more likely if the device was refurbed by the original manufacturer. Without a warranty, the price discount may not be worth the risk.
Also, confirm the length of the warranty. Six months for a device that originally had one year's protection is risky.
(Credit: South Agency/E+ via Getty Images)
There are no rules on how to grade a refurbished product, beyond the fact that the seller can't say it's brand-new. It can, however, say it's "like new."
That might mean the item was never used. It could also mean that the product was refurbished to that state after a hard life. Maybe a scratched or cracked screen was replaced, for example. It's worth knowing exactly what "like new" means, if you can find out.
After "like new," the options are all "used" in some form, from "gently" on down. You'll find variations on those listings from site to site and from vendor to vendor.
It takes a while to notice problems in some products. You want at least a month's window for returns (not much to ask for, when companies selling giant mattresses give you 100 days). That should go for refurbished products as well. If you can't get at least two weeks to futz with a product with the option to return it at no cost, don't bother. Many will say "sale final," and you don't want that (unless the savings are truly astronomical).
Buying refurbished goods is exactly the kind of transaction in which you should read the fine print. When you receive the product, do a thorough inspection the minute you open it. You might want to take advantage of that return policy right away.
That's ultimately up to you, but we recommend avoiding the following:
Items that touch your skin a lot (headphones and earbuds)
Mechanical items (keyboards)
Hard drives or solid-state drives (They can't really be reset to factory settings.)
TVs (It's hard to tell how old and used a TV might be.)
Some of those purchases might be OK if you trust the company behind the renewal of the product. Conversely, you should only buy refurbished products from select companies because their products are too expensive when new (cough, Apple, cough).
(Credit: wkmike/Shutterstock)
Probably. Many credit cards extend warranty coverage, assuming a warranty came with the product. This includes refurbs&#;in most cases. Wallethub says 87% of all cards cover refurbished products with pre-existing warranties (up from 66% in ), while 42% will extend a separately purchased warranty (down from 47%).
Extended warranties are a perk on many cards, but not all. You need to use that card to make the purchase. Look for it on cards from Citi, Chase, Capital One, American Express, and quite a few others. (Discover and Wells Fargo do not offer it.) Even several no-fee cards offer it.
Before you buy a refurbished product&#;especially something high-end such as a smartphone or laptop&#;call your credit card company to be sure it has your back. When you make a purchase, keep the receipt and a copy of the original or refurbished warranty. You may need repair estimates to fix a device in order to file a claim.
No. Do some price comparison. When you find a cheap refurbished item, go to another refurb site and see if the same or similar model is available for even less. That said, don't let price dictate everything. Sometimes you might trust a site or vendor enough to make the extra money spent worthwhile.
Here's a quick list of tech vendors that offer some of the best refurbished-product programs. If your favorite vendor isn't on this list, Google its name along with "refurbished," and you're likely to find the (fixed) goods.
Retailer stores and mobile carriers are also in the refurbishing business; many rebuild products to resell them. These sites are a good place to find an open-box returned item, as well.
Then there are the refurb-specific sellers, places that do nothing but sell renewed goods at a price that you can both agree to. Usually, they even include a warranty.
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