How hard would it be to hack a portable DVD player screen?

[javeryh]

I'd want to get it working as a computer monitor or something so it could run MAME.  Could you connect a VGA port to the screen and plug it into the computer and power it off of the computer's power supply?

[BobA]

You can feed it composite very easily especially if it has AV in jacks as some do.  To feed it VGA you would need a converter to send the VGA signal to the composite port.  No easy way to feed in VGA as far as I know.

[javeryh]

You can feed it composite very easily especially if it has AV in jacks as some do.  To feed it VGA you would need a converter to send the VGA signal to the composite port.  No easy way to feed in VGA as far as I know.

I could output composite from a computer though, right?  Also, would the power supply be an easy hook up?  I'm tempted to build a Christmas gift...

[BobA]

If your video supports composite then you are all set.   Usually the portable DVDs will run off 12 VDC (in your car) so it is simple to substitute 12V from your PC power supply.

[Bender]

Hey Jav, I've done exactly that, just remove the battery and get a multimeter out till you find the 12v lead and your done

I got a few Portable DVD players with broken drives really cheap of ebay and hooked em up to  jakks 12 in 1's and had some great min cab gifts for well under $100

[Encryptor]

I'm very interested in this as well. I have 2 of these screens in my closet. They used the wrong power supply and blew up the dvd portion. I was thinking they'd work great in a micro cab.

Google what brand it is and you may find some schematics. There are a lot of people hacking stuff like this.

Encryptor