I'm starting this thread to discuss the use of LCD control boards to possibly reduce the price of getting an LCD setup. I've done a little research and this is what I've found so far:
-----An LCD control board is a stand alone board that takes a video (most commonly just a vga input) and converts it to a signal used by an LCD panel.
-----Many control boards have a list of supported (read compatible) LCD panels and some control boards have a programmable control for supporting a panel not on the list.
-----Some control boards have integrated video scalers

What I'd like to find out:
-----How do you connect the control board to the LCD (physically what kind of cords do you need and/or do you need to customize one based on the LCD pinout of a specific panel
-----How expensive are these things? Retail/wholesale (they seem like they'd be cheap.)
-----Are unsupported panels nessesarily not going to work with a certain board/panel pair?

The reason I'd like to look at this is that I've seen SXGA (1280x1024 pixels) panels run for as low as $100 on ebay. These are often laptop monitor replacements and all the controlling circuitry is missing ('cause they're replacements). If we could find a suitable control board and get all the necessary connectors, we could have a nice working LCD setup for under $200 I'm betting.

Most of the websites I've found are from manufacturers and give detailed specs but don't sell them in single units (wholesale in lots from 10-50minimum) and I'm not finding many retail spots

Here's a picture of what I'm talking about:

Also, I build my projector with that techbench lcdtv kit from ebay some of you might remember. It was basically what I'm talking about with all the connectors needed and a matched board/lcd screen. Everyone who's stripped their LCD monitor has seen the control board it just might be cheaper (and possibly more of a hassle) to get them separately since we don't need the monitor housing or the inverter board (which is a high voltage control for the LCD backlight).

I have also wondered about this myself.
The only 15" SXVGA's I have seen, which would make our lives incredibly easier,
are replacement panels for laptops.

Also, I would just like to know more about controller boards in general.
Like how to (or, if you can) connect S-Vid controllers to a LCD monitor with VGA inputs.

What I don't understand, I guess, is wether LCD panels are specific to their controllers.

If anybody could point me to some good posts or pages that shed more light on this I would be greatful. I have read posts here and there on DIYaudio about this, but there was not very much detail.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...5126419823&rd=1

with rca and svideo

and some lcds to go with the controller ,,maybe
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...6708925955&rd=1
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...6709355805&rd=1

bump

what does "bump" mean?

I've seen some boards that do it all like that one on ebay but most only have vga in which would work great if you're using something like an N6 or TVbox9 to take all your signals in and give you VGA out... I know that certain controllers are matched with certain panels. I've never seen anywhere where it says that if a panel is not listed on a control boards "supported" list that it won't work but I wouldn't buy a controller board/LCD panel pair that weren't specifically stated as being compatible. At least not without further information. My main concern is getting the signal from the board to the LCD. I don't know what kind of cable is used. I've seen 4 different pinout diagrams using different numbers of pins and things. There's also a difference between TTL and LVDS which I believe are different formats for running the LCD and different LCD panels use different formats.

Not to sound like a complete moron, but techbench is that a company or an e-bay company because I've been looking for it on google and what not and it doesn't seem to be bringing anything up for techbench LCD kits and nothign comes up.

mat123, and those others that dont know:

bump, BUMP, etc

means, litteraly, to 'bump' the post back to the top of the boards so that it doesn't get lost in the shuffle. As most people only look for what is 'new' since they were last at the boards, it puts it back to the top, without having to actually 'add' content.

in otherwords, if there was a topic that kinda died down and I was hoping to get it started again, i would just reply

bump

and it would be "new" again for others to see

make sense????

Hope that answers it for ya
Ryan

SethAce, techbench was a seller on ebay, they had this lcd tv "kit" which was just a controller and a panel with appropriate connectors and such for $300 total (I built my projector with it. I'm guessing there was some sort of mark up. I don't see why it couldn't be done for $50 - $100 less if you can find the stuff yourself.

I found a really helpful website from Digital View

http://www.digitalview.com/controller/

They have a huge list of panels matched to controllers and wiring diagrams and other helpful stuff. Check it out if you are interested in this thread. Though again, I haven't found out how to actually purchase these things yet...

Wow man, after reading Very breifly it looks like the way to go!
Has any one found were you might get the actual LCD panels from instead of Ebay?

And am I correct in seeing that this board (link below) has both the physical driver AND the power built on to it?? cause that would be freaking sweet ! It would make for alot less hassel and clutter in the projector case.

Driver/power board

There are a few boards on that site that do it all (scaling/ on screen menus/ every kind of input/ remote control options *and a decent looking remote!* and all kinds of image adjustment options) I haven't got where to buy them or how much they cost but that should be forthcoming info I hope. These boards are mostly 12V DC power so you'd still need a power brick deal to get from house AC to 12V DC but while it's physically big 2x5" it's not that heavy.

Okay I found some hints at the price of those nice Digital View controller boards. It looks like the top of the line ones (the multiple inputs, multiple resolutions, scalers and such) are upwards of $600 new. That's a gouge in the pocket for sure. I'm now betting that tv tuners and video scalers like the N6 or TVbox9 would be a cheaper total solution in conjunction with a cheap single supported resolution VGA in controller but I'm still looking for a seller and cables...
Here's a site that sells controllers:
http://www.earthlcd.com
worth a look

Just for those that are wondering:

Earth LCD definately has them, and many on another project site I used to visit (mp3car.com) knows of them well. They are 'known' to be expensive, and there are probably other sources out there that are less expensive. Earth just has a LOT of options.......

I found a guy at ebay, promoting the Realtec a/d boards ~$100
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...item=5126971054.
He said has boards for xga and sxga and will program the EPROM to match your panel's spec. Check the boards spec at www.realtek.com.tw.
I think it is a good, cheap, solution for replace burned boards and for everybody what use notebook panels.

Hey Everyone,

I am also doing research into this. I have contacted a few vendors, and will hopefully hearing back from them soon. I am thinking of sourcing
the boards and then offering them to the community at a resonable cost.

But as part of my research I am curious how much interest there is in using a seperate LCD controller? If you have an interest in it please post the specs that you would like to see in the controller.

Thanks,

Scott

Sbockh01,
Of course the first major issue is panel matching which is a vendor-side issue (not a vendor side-issue) and so that would be first on my list, I want to make sure that I have plenty of options when it comes to panel selection. After that, there are two types of boards that I could go for: board 1 does everything. Has at least composite, svid, and component inputs (VGA in would also be nice) and does up/down scaling for High definition resolution. This would most likely be a fairly expensive board. Board 2 does as little as possible to run the matched panel at it's native resolution and has no extra inputs (VGA only) unless extra inputs would not cost more. This way I could hook it up to a TVbox9 type tuner and let that do most of the work outputting to the native resolution of my panel as well as the scaling. This is what I'm looking for for my next projector project. Thanks for taking up the initiative.

One more thing to add is what type of panels would people like to drive with the controller? If there is a hot list that would help.

Well I guess two What price point would the boards have to be in to make it a desirable option.

Scott

wholesalers liscense coming in handy I'm gonna talk to some of these companies and see if I can purchase from them

I have an existing business that will allow me to do this. I am in talks with a couple of vendors. Let me know what you find out. It doesnt look like there is much interest though.

Scott

Scott,

This sounds like a good option...and I'd be interested as well. To answer a few of your questions from page 1, I'd be looking for VGA input as a minimum (would be nice to have DVI as well). I'd be driving this with an HTPC, so don't require composite, RGB, etc. Min resolution would be 1024x768 - would be nice to have more. Also, would the controller come pre-configured to a specific panel, or would the user have the ability to change parameters to control different panels as needed (that would be cool). Price point for me $100-$150.

One thing I find challenging is uncovering LCD panel specs. Sure you can find lots of cheap laptop panels on Ebay, but do you know a good source to track down contrast ratio, response time, etc?

Sadly, unless you are going to furbish the boards AND the LCD panels, I don't think this will be a good idea. From reading on digital view, it sounds like every monitor (almost) has it's own signal and requirements. While they have less than ten boards that can drive a whole list of LCD panels (not all can drive all though), you have to deal with jumper settings per each monitor.

BTW, they even carry the CHI MEI and Liquid Video boards for those who have fried them in the past.

I have seen an ad on ebay about a toshiba 5100 series top half computer (laptop). I have emailed digital view about a controller solution for this and hope they email back. We will see.

This screen btw is a UXGA 15" with a native resolution of 1400 x 1250. Can also go up to 1600 x 1200 though. I know all this because I'm staring at the LCD panel while typeing this (I have a toshiba 5105-s501). Great stuff.

-Jeremy

I have two ways:
-> Search the panel part number on google.

-> Search the panel part number at the manufacturers website

No response from those? Call the manufacturer and talk to engineering to get a lab spec on it.

I know I just pretty much slammed the idea but if you do get it to work out right.
As per request on the previous page, I would go with a control board that can support at least 1400 x 1250 with analog D-sub out or even DVI for better HTPC connections. Nobody needs sound, an OSD is required, and having front control buttons with a power LED would definitely help. I would pay about $100-$150 as well for this board per my spec.

-Jeremy

I was considering sourcing a few lcds as well. Similar to the techbench setup. Still researching that part though.

Scott

I would be interested in the kit. I would like the ability to connect VGA, composite and S video cabling to the projector. A price point of $150 - $200 would be good

Hi,

I've been researching for this subjet some weeks and someone in the chat told me that each LCD controller must be reprogramed for each LCD panel. I dont know if this is something that is made by the LCD controller manufacturer or we've to program some kind of EEPROMS or something like that. I don't know.

I know some other controller manufacturers like http://www.gnss.com/lcd_monitor.phtml

and other LCD panel manufacturers or distributors ( cheap )
www.eio.com and we would need the 1024X768 XGA Tft 10,4" http://www.shopeio.com/inventory/details.asp?id=477

i dont know if its possible to do something like lumenslab projector but i post it here to know your ideas.

in_out'2004

I have a monitor from a notebook.
its a CTX Ezbook. I took the laptop apart, and found that the monitor is not controlled off the mainboard, but off a controller much like the pic in the very 1st post.
My question is, can i use the monitor with this equipment handy, if so how do i connect it to a power source. I wish i had some pics handy, but i'll try to get some up soon.
anyhelp is appreciated

You have to figure out where the power plugs into the control board. If you can turn on the computer with it taken apart (dangerous I know) then you can check all the connects (either a red and black twisted pair or a four wire connector with two for positive and two for negative) and find out what the operating voltage going into the board is, usually 12v but some boards run off of as low as 3v and running at a higher voltage could break the board. Once you know where the power goes in, what the polarity is (I blew up capacitors by accidently reversing the + and -) and what the operating voltage is, then you just hook it up to your power source and go. What kind of input does it have? I'm guessing it'd be VGA but it might not be a standard plug, it could be just wired straight up in which case you'd have to pin check to get your signal right. Try to post pictures, we might be able to help more then.

Well the first comapny i talked to wanted 1000-1500 for their board. It did alot! But i think its a bit out of our league I will keep looking.

Scott

One (two ) more place to look around:

Kontron - USA site
or
Kontron Hamburg, Germany - more specific to LCD controller boards

It looks like these guys have been working on this for about 2 years
and down at the end posted on October 7th a user keukpa
cliams to have worked it out with a 15" DELL 1600x1200 TFT Laptop Screen.

I got that from a thread on DIYaudio that is the counterpart to this thread.

If this works out I will definitely be selling my LCD and trying this, there are some very serious laptop screens out there. But, I remain skeptical.

Long story short even if we get a contact and get this rolling it is still a very hard route to go down. Essentially though the flexablilty, upgrading options and specs will be sweet though. The DVI1600 digital view controller board i'm trying to get my grubby mits on is really tasty PIP at projector sizes, oh yeah!

Just curious if there have been any new developments using a laptop monitor.

I am about to embark on my own journey building a projector and all day today I just kept thinking I need to find a 15" monitor...must find...a monitor...need to find.... And when I got home, my roommate has a 14" monitor from her HP Pavillion n5190 laying on the floor disconnected. It is not working and she replaced it and gave it to me.

Wow, I thought, fortune is on my side, a screen is just gifted to me, but it's definitely not on the compatible list. So, what do I do? Is it worth the effort? It would be fun to try at least, if I can find a control board.

If there is any way of getting this unit working with a LCD control board that is compatible and affordable, I would love to hear your opinions.

Marty

Perhaps I need to rechannel my efforts...must find compatible monitor..need compatible monitor

Check Digital View to see if the model number for your pannel is listed. If it's not and you can get the specifications of the pannel from HP, and email them to digital view, I'm pretty sure they will let you know if they have a compatible solution or not.

I'm sure that when my Vaio kicks the bucket, I'll be trying to use the 13.xx" WXGA in there to build a nice lil Hi-Def setup.

What kind of specifications am I looking for? It's a 1024x768 XGA TFT 14.1" LCD. I'll go ahead and eMail this to DV and see what they say, let me know if there is other info/specifications they need.

Make and model of the LCD. SHould have a sticker on the back of it if it's out of the laptop.

I've been trying to do just that at work. I started doing this before I ever heard of Lumenlab. I came across Digital view and Aurora. If you'll notice, the model numbers are the same for some controllers that both have. Dont know which is the manufacturer tho.

It would be nice to start posting the ACTUAL LCD part#....ie

iiyama Prolite e383 = LCD - LG Philips LM150X08-A4

With that info, then you could go to ebay, digital view etc and peice one together possibly cheaper.

When you go to digital view and get the .pdf file for the controller, it lists a wiring diagram (for a few controllers anyway) with the part #'s of the cables. Thats one way.

Second option is there are companies out there that will make the cables for you.

Main reason I shy'd away from this idea.....funds and the risk involved. It would really suck to get that $250 LCD ontop of the atleast $100 in cables and the atleast $100 on the controller....(shew...sorry for long windage)....ONLY to find out that the LCD you took apart will not work 'cause the boards are in the way. Like I said there's a risk when you do that.

Camar068

The problem is that a manufacturere may change the LCD pannel they use witout changing the model name/number for the entier monitor or laptop.

One way to possibly check it is to email the company that made the laptop. Maybe if you provide them with a ser#, they can tell you the pannel they used.

Is the laptop still alive?

I eMailed DigitalView and told them that I had a 14.1" LCD monitor from a HP pavillion n5190 laptop, the Model number of the LCD is UB141X01.

I looked, but I did not see that model number under any other brands listed on the website, but it definitely could be another brand. I believe my roommate still uses the same computer with a new screen, so I could check that out, but don't think I need to. There is a serial number on the back of the LCD visible after I take it apart It reads: DEOH3E9070-0103, Mfg date: 000729, Unipack 2, made in Taiwan

They have a controller compatible with a UB133X01 (could be same as yours except 13.3"), which may work with your pannel.