Laptop Hack...

[JDSkydiver]

OK...

For my next project that i have in mind, i need to know how easy it is ti separate a laptop's LCD from the base portion/CPU.  I will be getting (gratis) a very old/outdated Pentium II laptop with little RAM, a small hard drive, windows 98.  basicall your old beater laptop. 

I want to have the top with the LCD screeen seperate from the base CPU portion but still operational.  I need about 36 inches of separation.

Is it easy to basically BUST the hinges and extend the wires?  Do I need any special wires or adaptors to extend the LCD?  Is it pretty easy for someone who can wire a CP in a MAME cabinet, but that is the extent of my "expertise"?

Any help, advice or step-by-step directions would be great.

My other VERY EXPENSIVE OPTION would be to just buy a LCD flatscreeen monitor and use the VGA/MONITOR cable.  But I'm trying to do this on the cheap-cheap.

Is this doable?

Is this doable by me?

Is this even feasable cost-wise?

Thanks in advance!

- JDSkydiver

[M3talhead]

Laptops use a paper-thin ribbon cable about an inch wide to attach the LCD to the video adapter. Normally, they are between 2-3 inches long and have a proprietary connection at one end, while the other is usually soldered onto the LCD itself. Technically, its possible, but you need to have some experoence soldering micro electronics and can fabricate your own cable, using the manufacturer's connector.

So to answer your question, yes it can be done....if you're willing to work for it.

[JDSkydiver]

M3tal:

Working at it is not a problem.  I love my little projects!  I guess my question is "Is this practical?"

Could I split the ribbon down the center and splice the two ends back together with annother ribbon or seperate wires using something else besides soldering?

I can keep the wires straight (ordered) but want to make this as simple as possible.

Will wires connected but twists or connection "blocks" work?

Thanks again.

-JD

[screaming]

I want to have the top with the LCD screeen seperate from the base CPU portion but still operational.  I need about 36 inches of separation.

  3 feet is very long for any ribbon cable.  Remember that you will have to compensate for interferance and signal loss  Your cable will need to be high quality and shielded heavily.   Any monitor cable will be heavily sheilded and those are about 3-4 feet or so long so you'll have to replicate that.  I'm sure there is some standard out there that will give you some clue as to how long you can realistically extend the laptop LCD, but I don't have any websites or other references

  With that in mind, I think your best chance would be to use a standard 15p-dense monitor cable off an old monitor, chop off the ends and connect them that way.   If you could find a set of female/male connectors that will fit your laptop LCD ribbon cable, you could try it without harm to the LCD or LCD ribbon cable.

  The other option would be to break off the plastic hinges and bend the laptop LCD all the way back.  You'd probably still have to extend the ribbon cable, but maybe 4" instead of 36" giving you more options (daisy chain a spare ribbon cable for your laptop from a laptop repair shop, maybe?).

-sab

[M3talhead]

M3tal:

Working at it is not a problem. I love my little projects! I guess my question is "Is this practical?"

Could I split the ribbon down the center and splice the two ends back together with annother ribbon or seperate wires using something else besides soldering?

I can keep the wires straight (ordered) but want to make this as simple as possible.

Will wires connected but twists or connection "blocks" work?

Thanks again.

-JD

Doable, yes. Practical? Not really. Below is an example of a ribbon cable used in laptops. They are by no means easy to solder or make yourself, and you'll need to find a cable with the same attenuation characteristics. To give you an idea on just how small these ribbons are, imagine a quarter on top of the ribbon. The diameter of that quarter would take up most of the width of the cable.



36" is not unreasonable for something like SCSI or EIDE, but to be honest, I have no idea how you'd make a cable that long.

[JDSkydiver]

Looks like the best way to go is an external LCD flat screen.  I wanted to save the $150, but of well.  In for a penny, in for a pound!

Thanks for all the input guys!

-JDSkydiver