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Recycling Laptop screens

Rob | April 11th, 2008

I’d like to know how to turn my laptop screen into a flat panel monitor, to use with other computers.

2 COMMENTS on “Recycling Laptop screens”

  1. Oklahoma Manager | April 11th, 2008 3:19 pm

    you’re going to have to find the video in cords or where they connect. Basicly find the wires that run from your video card to your screen. From there you will need to find a way to turn those wires into something readable by a normal computer (vga) Atleast in theory that is how it should work.

  2. Tyler J. | April 13th, 2008 10:27 am

    Rob, this could be a drooling task. But heres what you’d need to do:

    Parts needed:
    1x 15-Position HD Male Solder D-Sub Connector (276-1501)
    1x 6 Ft. Male-to-Male SVGA Monitor Cable (260-0276)
    1x Size M Panel-mount Coaxial DC Power Jack (274-1563)
    1x 75-Ft. UL-Recognized Hookup Wire (20AWG) (278-1222)
    1x AC > DC Power Adapter (Voltage/Amperage/SKU will vary with screen)
    1x Adapt-A-Plug, size M (273-1716)
    1x SPST Rocker Switch (Black) (275-0693)

    Tools Needed:
    1x Anti-Static Wrist Strap and Coiled Cord (276-2395)
    1x 15-Watt Soldering Iron with Grounded Tip
    1x Standard Rosin-Core Solder (0.5 Oz.) (640-0017)
    1x Kronus™ 4.5″ Mini Diagonal Cutters (640-2951)
    1x 29-Range Digital Multimeter (220-0813)(Recommended, most multimeters 10A+ will do)

    Your first step would be to (ground yourself with the anti-static wrist strap) figure out which type of screen it is. Just like flat panels, laptop displays come in both VGA and DVI versions. For this, we’ll assume it’s a VGA display. Figure out the configuration of the wires in the ribbon cable and note this schematic in detail for later reference.

    The same ribbon cable from the laptop may also carry the power to the screen. This isn’t very hard to find out though. Unplug the cable from the screen’s control board, and plug the cable into the laptop motherboard. Turn it on and test each wire with a multimeter to find out which wires provide said power. Be sure to keep the ribbon cable unplugged for easier access to the terminals on the opposite end.

    *** Ground the multimeter to a grounding post on the computer (one is usually located somewhere near the battery). This will ensure that you don’t accidentally short something out which would make further testing very difficult. Also, make note of both the placement of these wires and the voltage and amps the motherboard puts out, as you will need to replicate this (by way of a AC/DC power adapter) for proper functionality.***

    After matching everything up (and being sure to draw a very detailed diagram), cut the ribbon connector off of the control card (usually a small PC board attached either to the back of the screen or by another ribbon cable) and the connector off of the cable.

    Note: If you’d prefer to create a port for a cable to plug into, you would simply solder leads to a port. Keep these leads as short as possible to prevent interference. I included the D-Sub 15 Male connector in the parts list for this reason.

    Solder the wires from the cable into the correct spaces. For the power, you can either place leads for a power jack or the jack directly onto the PC board (if space permits).

    ***Be careful if attaching the jack onto the board. If the board is shorted out, the screen is useless. I recommend creating a jack on the housing and running leads to the board. This also allows you to install a switch to turn off the monitor when it’s not in use. ***

    In most situations and with a little modifications, you can use the housing from the laptop for the monitor. You can also get creative and make one from scratch (see “Make a PDA Notebook”.). Be sure to leave room for any cables or ports you’ll need to integrate.

    Mount the screen into the new housing, along with the control board and any ports/cables needed. Before buttoning it up, plug it into a computer and test it. For example, if the screen does not power on, it can be a simple connection issue that is easily accessed while the parts are in the open.

    This project can take several hours, so be sure you have everything you’ll need and a day or two off to do it.

    Let us know how it works out for you. Take pictures and/or videos if you can.

    Have fun!

    Tyler J.
    WSM 01-2065

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