Can I turn my lcd laptop monitor into a desktop monitor?

ugh! just use 1024x768!

 

hi there
i am glad to see this forum with these Hot topics.

i recently lost a grafic card on a old laptop, replace it for a new will cost me 300 euros, so i tryed to take out some parts and see what i could do with it.

i found a nice LP154W01 (TL) (A1) Toshiba Satellite LCD and i wanna try to convert to a Desktop LCD using a DVI connection. anyone can help me here with usefull info please

 

This is quite easy to do with "all in one pc's". However laptops seem trickier.

With "all in one pc's" the solution is to use the pc mainboard as the decoder, strip the mainboard down to a bare board so it can't boot, but it can turn on (ram, hard drive, all expansions slots, fans, the lot)

This means when the pc is turnen on, only the monitor and mainboard turn on. Since the mainboard has nothing to boot, it will just hang and if was connected to a monitor, would display a failure to boot message. However, the monitor is connected elsewhere and mainboard is only being used as a means to switch on the monitor and to decode the signal.

Then all you need to do is redirect the graphics input, which should go into the mainboard where it is decoded, quite a simple solution but only applicable to all in ones pc's that use a standard AGP or PCI-e graphics card

Edit: After doing some research it seems that there are two types of "all in one pc". One type are basically laptops without a folding screen that is attached to the back instead. The other are basically altered desktops pc's crammed into a tight space with standard ram, standard PCI and a standard PCI-e slot when you crack the case open. Obviously it's the second type you need as it's the standard graphics slot that makes the monitor able to be stand alone (by tracing the cable back you can see where the graphics goes into the mainboard (which is the decoded and the signal is passed on to the monitor)

 

why wouldn't this work?
http://www.youritronics.com/laptop-lcd-display-to-vga-interface-project/

 

Wow this is exactly what Ive been looking for! I started reading this post, then realized how long it was...I think this is an awesome topic and a great way to save money. I just took apart a broken dell inspiron but the screen is still in fine condition. Has anyone found an easy way to hook it to a desktop without spending a lot of money or tons of tedious work? There are 21 wires total coming out of the screen, some of them from the screen and some from a circuit right beneath the screen...the power? Anyway, is there a simple way to do this? Sorry if this has already been answered, but i think it has mostly been explained in fairly...high-tech-ish manner....Thanks guys you are all brilliant!

As in afterthought...if i miscounted and there are 20 wires, is there a way to just plug the screen directly into a DFP port if i somehow rig the wire correctly?

 

I was just thinking of doing something very similar. I have a sharp lq141f1lh52 14.1" lcd screen from an old laptop someone busted and gave me. I'm looking to turn it into a monitor of sorts. Just need help figuring out the pinout for it.

What I'm hoping to do is turn it into a monitor that not only has the option to hook into your pc for another screen but also has video input ywr to be able to hook a vcr, gaming console etc into.

any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

works.. ;-)

 

Hello, I've been following the steps of this thread to achieve the goal described in the title.

I decided to turn my old laptop's lcd to a TV as I thought about using it on an old ps2 console.
So I've made it to a fine point but now I'm facing some weird trouble.

First of all, my laptops lcd name is : N154l2 - L02 Rev.C1
I purchased this controller: "R.RT6251 LCD Controller Board/Card Kit(TV/PC/DVD) DIY"
from ebay seller : njytouch (if you search the item on ebay it will popup first)

I've got everything set up correctly, checked up cables are properly connected.
Then I turned it on and checked that it works ok. Meaning the screen turned on and showed stuff.
I could also switch through the input channels as you can see in these two pictures:




Now when I try to plug in some input, av, vga, tv antenna or s-video I get this distorted image:




And then if I unplug the input the screen stays distorted showing no signal again.



Then I have to turn it off and on again in order to get rid of the distortion.
This is really frustrating as I was almost done here and all I get is this.
Does anybody have any idea of what could I possibly be doing wrong?
Did anybody face the same problem? Any help would be highly appreciated!

 

one of the buttons on the controller does auto config when you press it. Can't remember which button. Try that when you get the distorted signal.

also, what resolution and refresh rate is the output on the computer set to? it might be too high resolution for the controller/display or too high refresh rate...

 

Well I checked it again, the auto config button is on the tele-control, it shows auto-config box correctly when no input is plugged in. Also I made sure the resolution and refresh rate output of the vga is 1280x800 @ 60Hz. I also played a little with them a little, set some lower resolutions and frequencies but still the result was distorted. Plus the auto config button does not solve the problem.

It's really weird. If I don't plug any input in, everything's fine!
Any clues?

 

Since it seems to work when there is no video input signal, I guess the output side is fine. Must be something on the input side then.

Your display panel has a resolution of 1280x768 (WXGA). If you feed it with 1280x800, that might cause problems. Maybe start with the basics, like 640x480 or 800x600 @60Hz if you haven't tried that already.

What is the video source you are using? A PC?

Not quite sure what else it could be. Might be a good idea to contact the seller and see if they have heard of that problem before.

 

My main video source is a pc. But I've also tried a ps2 on av and s-video.

As for the resolution, I'm quite sure the diplay resolution I had on my laptop (while it was still working) was 1280x800 @ 60Hz.. But I've also tried setting smaller ones like 800x600 and 640x480 and none of them worked. The only change I see, is that when I change it, the distorted schemes get larger on a smaller resolutions.

Also, something else worth mentioning is the following:
1. I turn on the LCD and browse to the VGA input channel. It shows no signal correctly.
2. I plug in the vga cable from my pc. (I've already set the resolution and frequency for the second monitor on windows, also set it as extended desktop).
3. The image gets distorted. It actually shows my windows desktop in a distorted way. I can figure out the colors, that identify that.
4. I unplug the vga cable from the input.
5. Now the LCD shows the No Signal box but it's still destorted!
6. If I browse through the input channels on the controller they are all distorted until I switch back to the vga channel which is now clean. -OR- if I turn off the controller and turn it back on it gets clean again.

Now what could that mean? Could there be something wrong with the controller or the LCD?
I remember the LCD worked fine until the laptop died.

 

Hmmm... not sure.... Since it also happens with the other input methods, I'm beginning to suspect the controller. I would contact the seller. I've bought from them before and they usually respond quickly.

 

i have an lcd panel (sharp VF200P02 just goolge it) from an old toshiba cds4000...
and what i want to do with it is basically play my ps1 and ps2 games...
so can anyone guide me into the right path and btw i dont have any electrical skill but im a fast learner... tanx