Installing a mini-LCD for $40

[RD]

Hi guys,

[TMC]honestplayer of the Mowers Clan here (www.mowersclan.com). Or just Robert in L.A. and a hard core LAN party'er here in California.

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH AN OLD LCD MONITOR AND SOME OLD PLASTIC BAGS? CREATE A KICK ASS MINI-LCD MOD THAT EVERYONE WILL NOTICE! that's what! seriously!

I just heard from my wife that my mini 4" LCD just arrived today and I am still stuck at work. I had a mini LCD in my case before but never took pictures of how I did it nor instructions on how I installed it.

But, since it died (actually I cannot find a replacement ribbon for it and frankly it was too cumbersome and not a clean installation in the first place), I will be doing it once again.

I got my camera ready and the tools set. As soon as I get home from work I am thinking of beginning and getting it done.

First of all - here is the victim (bought for $36 off EBay):

Audiovox Flex Vision LCM-445 4” TFT- LCD Color TV

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...1&from=R8&satitle=5797340168&category0=&fvi=1

 

[RD]

i will be replicating my old LCD (but this time showing how to do it)

i think i was one of the first to do this since my mini-LCD lasted almost 4-5 years but times change and i see alot more of them these days.

i still think though since its fun and easy to do, that its a pretty slick mod to have and people like it.

so i should have some info up soon.

 

[Pete84]

Any reason why you bought that LCD TV instead of getting a PS1 lcd and soldering on the VGA connectors?

 

[RD]

well actually yes, i thought i might try to do a mini-speaker setup with the creative labs laptop speakers and watch TV at LAN parties when i'm bored, heh. good question though.

 

[zapperfish]

i can say 1 thing, i use the same keyboard

 

[RD]

Here is the victim. It turned out it is just a monitor which isnt too bad.

The back plate only had four screws to take out - quite easy.

Just unscrew the screws and take off the back cover.

The controller card. Most mini LCD monitors or TVs have 2 major pieces inside, a controller card to run the LCD and the LCD module. In this case, the controller card is right behind the LCD module.

The controller card to the left and the actual LCD module to the right. The LCD modules are connected by a data ribbon (center) and often two wires, one black and one white for power. This monitor also had the brown/black wires running to the front which are the brightness controls - this is not often the case with alot of monitors, it would depend if you got one with front panel controls for the display.

Removing the LCD module is a snap - I often see them only connected by four screws. This is easily done.

The LCD module and controller card ready for putting in the case.

A better view of the size of the controller card and the small brightness control card (to the right). I usually just throw them into something like a plastic box or something and stuff it in the drive bays.

This is the RCA jack and 12 volt power connects. THe RCA jack just requires a simple cable that is connected to ?whatever? you want, usually the video card in the back of your PC. The 12 volt connect is simple enough, just cut it off at the transformer, and splice the wires into the yellow (positive) and black (negative) wires from a 4-pin molex connected to your PSU.

The LCD module is always in an aluminum cradle which is taken apart so you can tape it to your cases faceplates.

 

[RD]

btw: i'll be adding text etc later - i have to go to a LAN today

so everything will be ghetto until i get a chance to clean up etc.

 

[RD]

The LCD module is housed in a cradle like this. It is not to hard to just snap and take it off so you can tape the cradle to your install.

I had previously used 2 5.25" drive covers with a cutout for my previous LCD. Its pretty easy, just dremel off the approximate area for the LCD between to drive covers, one on top and one on bottom.

The LCD cradle will be taped to the drive bays.

Make sure the LCD module cradle will fit. You can make small bends in it to make it fit, it won't hurt it.

This one fits perfectly.

A better picture to show how the cradle will be taped into the drive bay covers.

I have used double sided tape to great effect in taping the cradle of the LCD module into the drive bay covers. Just stick it all around the cradle then get ready to stick it to the drive bay covers.

A better pic, you can be liberal with the double sided tape. In addition, it also serves as a finishing touch on the screen because you can even the sides all around the cradle sort of like a border when you eventually put the LCD module back into the cradle.

After sticking in the cradle, put the LCD module back into the cradle and VOILA! its installed very simply.

The LCD module fits perfectly! Next up, the controller card. In my two mods with LCDs, i have never been able to find a controller card that will fit in perfectly in the drive bays of my computers. They are always either too high or too wide or whatever, they are never as nearly as compact as the LCD modules fit in. So I have a simple solution coming up...

 

[RD]

my old drive cover setup looked kinda ghetto. with a little paint or whatever creativity you have you can probably do a better job. my idea is to just use the old face plate from the monitor to cover it all up.

The cut out for the screen is the right size.

Back to the controller card, it is too high so it will not be a perfect fit for the drive bays. I will need to do something so that it will fit in there but cover all the circuits so it wont short out on the bare metal of the case.

My original idea to just use the old face plate to cover it up. EDIT: I changed this later cause I didnt like it.

One old anti-static bag from a hard drive coming up!

I disconnected the data ribbon cable and the two power wires (one black and one white) from the LCD module to the controller card.

I put the controller card INTO the anti-static bag. (I am now not sure about this particular bag, someone in a later posts says they conduct electricity. I dont know it for a fact, but if in doubt, use a plastic sandwhich bag maybe?) not responsible for anything.

I can say though I have in my anti-static hard drive bag and no problems so far.

As you can see, I also cut holes in the bag for the LCD modules connectors.

Cut three holes in the bag. One for the data ribbon cable to come out to connect to the LCD modules. And two more for the power cables attached to the LCd module. Pretty easy eh?

Reattaching the cables are a snap!

For the other card which came with my LCD, i put it in yet another smaller bag and put it in the bag as well.

 

[RD]

The smaller card goes into yet a smaller bag and the whole thing gets stuffed into the bigger bag with the controller card.

ARGHH EXTREME blurry photo closeup!

You can see the three cutouts in the bag, one for the data tape ribbon, and two for the power cables - all attached to the LD module.

Attach the RCA cable and 12-volt power cable to the controller card, and YES, just tape the whole thing up. Thats it! Really!

The whole setup goes in here - 2 5.25 drive bays.

Stuff the bag inside and then the LCD module and the faceplate.

My old setup was kind of ghetto but I changed this later.

Nonetheless, IT ALL WORKS! yes, mission accomplished!

 

[RD]

i had to ghetto the bay drive covers because i have a LAN to go today. i plan to fix it as soon as i get back.

but in a nutshell, the really unique thing that made this mod SO EASY! is that i used a used electrostatic bag from a hard drive to house the circuits and hid it in the drive bays.

i will get into it later, but it works! and its so easy! and it requires hardly any wiring or need to create any special container to hold the LCD circuits - just pop it in one of those old electrostatic bags and thats it!

 

[RD]

I DID NOT LIKE THE OLD SETUP - with the 2 5.25 drive bay covers - so i took the old plastic case the monitor came in, the dremeled it a bit.

Cut off a bit of the top and a bit of the bottom, and VOLIA! a fit for 2 5.25 drive bay left with a little sanding as well.

Sanded to fit. I did not care too much about the edges, because the original face plate was big enough to cover the mistakes.

Fits into my drive bays no problem. It looks worse than it is because it doesnt have the cover on yet.

With the cover back on, it looks like a TV in my PC.

See the bag? Fits perfectly and its so easy a noob like me looks like a genius!

Didn't think it was so easy - just bag it. I would now recommend a plastic sandwhich bag because I heard some anti-static bags may be conductive. Nonetheless, its too easy.

See, I connected my videocam to the RCA jack and it works perfectly!

And, the bag is too cool. You can't notice nary a thing! Sweet! Looks good too!

in a nutshell i had some time this morning before heading out so i dremeled the faceplate of the LCD case it came in and made it fit my drive bays, then put on the original face plate. it looks like a TV - i was even able to save the brightness buttons on the front.

i will do a small thing to make it more solid - but its lookin like its supposed to.

 

[RD]

 

[SarverSystems]

I was excited to see your how-to until I saw there are no descriptions for your pcitures are showing. That, and a lot of the pictures are so blurry I can't even tell what I'm looking at anyways.

I applaud you for making the post, but please toss the blurry and/or dark pictures, and post some captions so we know what you are showing us.

Also, I see you have an anti-static bag mounted to the back in the one pic. You DO realize those bags are conductive and will short out the board right? I'd recommend a small piece of cardboard or acrylic or something.

 

[V-e-l-o-c-i-t-Y]

Looks good... glad you replaced those ghetto drive covers with the origional one from the lcd screen.

 

[trust_no1]

I was excited to see your how-to until I saw there are no descriptions for your pcitures are showing. That, and a lot of the pictures are so blurry I can't even tell what I'm looking at anyways.

I applaud you for making the post, but please toss the blurry and/or dark pictures, and post some captions so we know what you are showing us.

Also, I see you have an anti-static bag mounted to the back in the one pic. You DO realize those bags are conductive and will short out the board right? I'd recommend a small piece of cardboard or acrylic or something.

btw: i'll be adding text etc later - i have to go to a LAN today

so everything will be ghetto until i get a chance to clean up etc.

He did say why it's not captioned

 

[SarverSystems]

You are right. I was busy scrolling past all the pics that I couldn't understand and missed it.

Seriously though, I didn't see that part.

 

[RD]

Just did a quicky text thing! This is toooooooooo easy! Everyone should do it. Just be cool with whichever bag you use, but the bag trick is what's so unique about all this.

Got a cool new LCD mod - I just came from the LAN and had my videocam plugged in to the RCA jacks and everyone did a doubletake over it.

Getting noticed is what's it all about with pimpin the PC, and this one is cool and easy to do!

Later Peace Out!

 

[RD]

Hell I'm lazy and I work too much to have enough time to do alot of the mods here in Hard OCP. But, this one I did quickly and easily and I bet 99% of everyone can do it and still have time to LAN party their asses off. That's the point!

 

[SarverSystems]

The bags are what are called "semiconductors, and they have tiny metal wires in the plastic to create what is a called a Farraday Cage. That Farraday Cage is what keeps the Triboelelectric charge from reaching your components inside the bag.

At any rate, I would immediately remove that bag and replace it with a piece of acrylic or cardboard as I mentioned in a post above. Or better yet, mod the original back to fit back on.

 

[SarverSystems]

Also, here is a good FAQ I wrote a few months ago about static bags and static electricity.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=812518

 

[HekoAridese]

Can you suggest what cheap LCD-mini TV's to look for?

 

[RD]

i would just check ebay for whatever is the cheapest one around.

you can try this search for example:

http://electronics.listings.ebay.co...QQsacatZ48606QQsascsZ1QQsocmdZListingItemList

i heard people can put in bigger sized LCDs - it just depends on how you get it to fit your drive bays. i like the 4" models because its less obtrusive. just go with whatever you like

it is a pretty cool mod.

BTW: i replaced the anti-static bag with 2 simple plastic GLAD sandwich bags - one inside the other. works well as a replacement.

SO CHANGE THE BAGS IF YOU TRY THIS MOD. i don't beleive GLAD snadwich bags are conductive LOL - plus it preserves the ease in doing this mod.

 

[SarverSystems]

What is the purpose of putting ANYTHING on the back?

The plastic sandwich bags are a much better choice for what you're doing with them, I just don't see a reason to put anything at all on there.

 

[RD]

the LCD controller card needs to be protected because of all the exposed circuits. it touching the metal case in any way would create a short. i kinda don't like the idea of trying to do anything extra because alot of us don't have the time to cut acrylic or whatever, so just sandwhiching it between two peices of cardboard would work. but i hate the ghetto look that would do, so i just threw it in some plastic bags which is alot easier, and cut 3 holes for the data ribbon cable and power lines. plus, the bags are easy to work with - you can shove it all the way to the front on the drive bays - and its not noticable at all. cardboard is ALOT less flexible.

 

[qbackin]

that motivates me to try this. Thanks OP

 

[RD]

i say go for it - as you can see from the pics there are 4 things to watch for 1) the LCD module 2) the controller card (which needs to be covered somehow to protect the circuits) 3) the data tape ribbon that is connected between both 4) the 12-volt power cables (one white and one black that are conntect between both as well).

that's it!

i will updating this as i am going to make a stock aluminum faceplate with a dual 5.25 drive bay cover (when i find one online) as well next.

 

[RD]

anybody know where to get a dual 5.25 drive bay bezel cover? going to work on this some more.

 

[bladeiai]

I know crystalfontz makes them for there displays to go in, it might be about the right size

 

[bladeiai]

how thick is that lcd, I was thinking about puting on inside my case that you could see thru the side window and was just curious how much room I would have to give up

 

[RD]

the lcd module is 1/2 thick depth at best. from working two of them, they are real easy to put in the drive bays. the lian li's, if you keep the 3.5 drive bays open are a perfect fit for the screen with no need for any cuts.

the hard part is usually the controller card, i have yet to find one that would fit the 5.25 drive bays perfectly, i usually have to keep them upright at some angle because they are usually wider than the bays.

in my coolermaster case, the window does not go high enough to the upper most drive bays, so its largely invisible. if you use a plastic bag or casing that matches your internal colors of your case - you probably won't notice anything if you keep the controller card near the front - actually the whole thing only goes out about 2 1/2 inches from the front of the front bezel inward - incl. the LCD module and controller.

 

[RD]

I know crystalfontz makes them for there displays to go in, it might be about the right size

if you see the pics pretty closely i have a crystalfontz LCD up - they charge way too much for the bezel covers (i think the dually 5.25 is like $30). i was hoping for something a bit more reasonable that i can paint, sand, and clearcoat a matching blue with the side panels.

 

[TotalEclipse]

This could be done with a 6" or 7" monitor also correct? Then used as a second monitor to show performance stats and other stuff?