I just found this french forum which I think is very interesting.
link here

I translated it with google but it is very tiring reading translated english for 39 pages . I get that he is making a custom board or something but I couldnt find how much progress he's made. I saw that he got some colors workign and whatnot. Any chance for a bit of a summary?

I think that is not possible, there is a lot of discussion about that , lcd monitor works on digital signal, but vga is analog, to build a circuit to convert that is unavaiable

Check this thread - looks like there are some possibilities after all, and I will try one of them soon.

Check this thread - looks like there are some possibilities after all, and I will try one of them soon.

edit - oops, didn't mean to repost.

Better late than never?

I got stuck on this laptop lcd crap myself awhile back. I wanted a 12" - 14" screen that would fit nicely on my overhead with XGA res. So here's a list of the junk I have to give you an idea of what I have to work with.

Inventory:
LG-Philips LP141X8 (A1) 14.1" XGA C2 from a Dell 2600 Laptop
AU Oprtonics B141XN04 14.1" XGA screen from acer travelmate 220 (with display issues while attached to laptop.)
Samsung LTN121X1-L02 12.1" XGA from iBook G3 700mhz
Sharp LQ121S1LH03 12.1" SVGA from Toshiba notebook something.

Dell 1504fp 15" XGA LCD monitor (D-Sub and DVI) (Genesis 5110 Converter Chip)
Gateway 1830 18" SXGA LCD monitor (D-Sub and DVI) (Genesis 5120 Converter Chip)
Viewsonic 1912wb SXGA (unstripped)

Xbox with VGA mod and homemade cable including LM1881 desync chip

Dukane Overhead Projector

I can use my PC to run the 18" LCD on my overhead and just resize the image for say; a movie, but the Xbox will require the entire size of the LCD for a game. hmmmm..... this is where I want my screen to be a perfect fit. The OHP has 450watt bulb and triplet lensed (or equivalent) standard.

The Dell will NOT take the Xbox even with the desync chip. Neither will the Gateway (noticing the Genesis chip and/or Dell crippling controllers being the cause of this). The Viewsonic will. That's where my tests come in.

I grabbed a dell firmware update for the controller (or converter) card and reset the D-sub EDID. (reset the first 8 bits of hex). Then I thought 'what if I took the Viewsonic EDID and plugged that into the Dell. Would that make it Xbox VGA capable?' The answer is no.

Then I started wondering about the connections and how compatible that would be on say... a laptop LCD. I had done months of research already saying it was close to impossible, or out of my price range. What the hell, it can't hurt though.

Older LCD's ran off that FFC connections which was relatively standard for the first 3 years or so. These days I notice more are run off of the LVDS standard which most forums seem to post are complex and proprietary. Isn't LVDS a STANDARD?? Countless datasheets have all said the same thing.

pin 1/2 VCC 3/4 Ground 5/6 LVDS1 7 ground 8/9 LVDS2 10 ground 11/12 LVDS3 13 Ground 14/15 Clock +/- 16 Ground 17/18 No Connection 19/20 Ground

They all say the same, so how can they not work together? I plugged the 20pin LVDS cable from the Dell 1504fp to the AU Optronics 14.1" and got the same distorted image the laptop displayed. I did the same with the LG-Philips 14.1 and SUCCESS. You could say both were a success. The 12.1" screens are the same 20pin connection, but smaller plugs, so I couldn't test them without the proper cable.
So why my big inventory list and tech rambling?

I sold the Dell and concentrated on the Gateway. This is because the screen was cracked anyway, so I was more interested in the controller card. The Genesis 5120 chip has a capability to do "variable zoom scaling" (SXGA on XGA screen). So I need to make this capable on this controller through the firmware I'm thinking.

The Gateway 18.1" also has a First and Second data collection for the LVDS connectors (30pin connector with 2 sets of LVDS signal sends) And I'm about to try and make a cable from 20pins on the Gateway controller to 20pins on the LG-Philips 14.1" lcd. I need that part to work, then I can concentrate on the 'zoom scaling'. Theoretically if the 15" connected with zero mod to the cable, a simple datasheet comparison between these 3 (GM5120 datasheet, Gateway FP1830 datasheet, and LG-Philips Datasheet) charts should send my signal.

Once again, my understanding is that LVDS is a standard, and that LVDS 1 is G0,R1-R5 (color pins) LVDS 2 is B0-B1, G1-G5, and LVDS 3 is B2-B5, DE, and Hsync,Vsync.

I'm not a certified or experienced electrician either. I don't even have the full grasp of how the panels work. I only have what I've read, and what I've tested. Any input would be GREATLY APPRECIATED.

Cheers.
troi.

One LVDS lcd controler right here. on ebay. $59.99 buy it now. Runs an asortment of laptop lcds.

LVDS is a signaling standard, not a cabling/pinout standard.

It isn't only used for signaling to LCDs, but also for some SCSI devices etc.

As far as pinouts, some panels with identical specs (voltage, timing, resolution, etc) and identical connector pinouts most definitely exist from different manufacturers
Those should be freely interchangeable with a controller that supports one of them (it will support the others, since everything else is the same).

There is one particular controller available that supports 40+ different panels using one firmware version, and the very same cable for all of them. There are another 14 or so panels also supported using another cable, but the same firmware, and another 12 or so using a third cable. All the same controller with all the same firmware.
If I remember, there are about 36 different firmware files just for that one controller, and the numbers above are from the firmware that supports the largest number of LCDs with just that one version of firmware. I think all told that module will drive over 150 different LCDs with the right firmware file loaded. On the other hand, that is a VGA only controller... No Composite, no DVI, No Component, etc, etc.
It's a pretty basic controller. But there are other better ones available with 'better' features.

There are also many controllers out there for many different LCD panels that will only work with one or 2 panels, and that is really mostly based on the firmware written to the board itself, and also, of course, having the correctly pinned-out cable(s). Those are mostly from production monitors and TVs where the manufacturer has modified the controllers software to only work with those specific panels. Proper firmware re-write of those could also make those function with other panels (with proper cables).

Most who have the software, interface tools, etc to program several of the currently available LVDS/TTL LCD controllers tend to hold that information close to the vest, so to speak, as they can make money with it. And it's also a rather expensive 'hobby' to be involved with, unless you are indeed selling controllers in large enough quantities.

On the other hand, there are sources for firmware CDs and also for the firmware writing tools, files, etc that are needed to program several of the commonly used controllers, and they are for sale. I think if I remember the CDs (I think there are 3 or 4 of them available) sell for somewhere around 12,800 Yen, and the programmers are from about 6800 to 16800 yen each (and you need different ones for different controllers) Of course you still also need the tools to create the correct cables, etc, etc

What fun!

Hi guys,
I have tried this LVDS controller with the LCD Panel of an Acer Aspire 1522 Laptop and it works fine !!!
The Panel is made from a Chinesse company called CHI MEI. I dont remember the model right now.

I just stated in another thread the manufacturer of the controller itself (Rowa/CVT), and, they can be programmed for a lot of panels.
By the way, Chi Mei is now the 4th largest producer of LCD panels in the world.

Hey check these people out. I emailed someone there a few weeks back, they said if you send them your laptop screen, they can write a bios for it. I have a 1600x1200 Sager screen waiting for this mod!

http://www.kitsparts.com/shop/index.php?ma...products_id=571

They also have a MP4 player kit there with VGA and TV outs, also on my "to get" list!

Yes this is the same controller that is sold on Ebay.

Ebay controller link

It has been mentioned quite a bit recently in this forum. It will work with the majority of older laptop panels from 10"-15".

well my laptop (forgot model #) has the upgraded 1600x1200 screen, which at the time was a $400 upgrade and was "state of the art" for a laptop. I think i bought it about 4-5 years ago. the thing was $2k back then!

Either way, i guess if it cant support my screen then like they said they can write the BIOS up for me.

It's not just the same controller, that web site is the same people listing them on eBay, but the eBay listing is $13.20 cheaper than the website listing for the one you have a link to there.
They have 3 eBay stores.

I also just ordered yet another one last night for another LCD that I have that has a dead controller.