Modding Old laptop LCD mod

Okay, before everyone jumps at me, I have used the search and have read nearly all of the posts regarding this issue.

Anyway, every month I freqent a trade show of sorts called First Saturday (which is held, *gasp*, the first Saturday of every month), and people have an unbelievable amount of crap...good crap and bad crap, but most (if not all) used. For instance I just bought an old working Dell P133 (with everything included but the CDrom) for 5 whole bucks. Worth it for the spare parts alone. One guy in particular though had piles and piles of old (like P90 or P100) laptops that were not tested and for the most part not working. He was selling each for $15, so I thought it would be worth it to buy one and use the LCD (I didn't though). Through some searching on the 'net I've come to figure out that it is pretty pointless to attempt to use the LCD w/o a controller card. However, I have also heard that some laptops that have VGA input because they have a mini-pci card inside for video and input, so modding becomes much easier.

My question is: has anyone ever heard of such a thing and if so, know which old POS laptops would have one?

Btw, ZapWizard, if you read this, I know you tried to use an old vid card as a controller card, whatever was the outcome to that? Didn't work?

Thanks all,
-JP

 

The simple answer is look at the laptop you're thinking of buying. If there's a HD 15 pin connection on the back (IE a monitor jack) you're onto a winner (just make sure it's a video in and not out).

No, Zap couldn't get it to work.

 

interesting doe sanyone know what age of laptop should have such a connector?

 

I've never heard of an old laptop with a video in before.

 

Edited- To refrain from looking dumb. Silly me, and my lack of reading skills.

 

erm mebbe he said Output

 

Nope, I meant input...but I was also reading that off someone's post in another forum, so THEY might have meant output

Either way, I'll just have to take a look at the connectors on the laptops the guy has next month.

-JP

 

I very much doubt any of them will have VGA in.

 

if the LCD screen has its own controller, like my laptop's one u could use that

 

found this on ebay



http://www.openlocal.co.uk/ebay/s1036c.jpg


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3421842940&category=3712


may this work


also got this reply from a seller quote:


Hi There

I'm afraid I'm no expert in these terms, however, there is a 15-pin socket
(female) on the back which initially looks about the size of a 9-pin com
port but it is actually a tripple deck of 5 holes. Does this make sense???

0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0

Regards

 

im interested... i have that exact screen(screen only, i jacked it from my school cause they had like 20 of 'em donated to them right before we got out, so i took a screen or two)...

 

I have never seen a laptop with VGA in. The VGA socket is for video out, so you can plug in a decent desktop monitor- would you want to work on a 9.5" screen?

Cheers

 

use it in a mod thats what it could b used for eg a tv ,status thingy