Hi Everyone!

I've been lurking 'round the boards for a couple years and it seems to be the right place to put my question, so I registered

I've not had a lot of luck with my DIY OHP projector so far .. I fried a total of 4 screens so far!

1st one had FFC issues
2nd one (Dell 1504FP) worked just fine, then I accidentally broke the glass plate in half
3rd one (Dell 1504FP) had one of the thin plastic bits that are on the side of the screen fall off after disassembling the unit, rendering it useless
4th one (dell 1504FP) worked really well with my 400 Watt OHP .. until one day the bottom 3rd of the screen disappeared (only lines on screen) .. never got it fixed

After that I didn't bother with the projector idea for a while but now decided to give it another go, and this time do it properly from start to finish,
so I went ahead and bought yet another Dell 1504FP cos they are cheap and I already know they got no FFC issues .. or so I thought.
The one I got now DOES have a FFC issue, as there was a different TFT panel used inside the monitor (a Sharp panel) and it annoys the hell out of me cos
I was looking forward to get my projector up and running again in no time!

I tried to google for flat flex cables but I don't seem to be able to find the right one, let alone a place where I can buy them without being ripped off.
So my last resort is to ask here, at the heart of all things DIY home cinema .. does anyone know which cable I need and where I can get one cheap?

I don't really want to buy a 6th TFT panel, this is getting ridiculous

Thanks guys!

"SunSpire"

Welcome to the world of posting!

There is never a guarantee of getting the same LCD panel in a retail LCD monitor, as the manufacturer will sometimes switch the panel in the middle of a production run (as you've found out).
Those FFCs can be real fragile, as you've also found out. Check out the following Google search: site:lumenlab.com reinforce FFC tape silicone

You might run across a "quirk" when searching using Google, however. If you notice the thread looking "wonky" like this image, simply go up the the top right corner of the thread and click on Options and then Switch to: Standard.

If it comes to needing another LCD panel, you might be able to find a cheap replacement LCD panel by Google-ing the LCD panel make and model number. You should find this on a white sticker on the back of the sealed LCD panel (before you take it out of it's frame).

Note on using the FFC extension kits, How to extend.

Try these guys...i just got my FFC extension pcb board and cable from them...arrived next day no less...
http://www.quadrangleproducts.com/

Thanks for the links guys! I'll check them out in a bit and report back once I found something!

"SunSpire"

Hi, I have just got a 1504FP with a sharp panel inside. I'm going to put it back together now and use it as just a standard desktop monitor, which I'm not really fussed about, but it's a pity.

You can see the ffc bottom left hand corner if you look closely folded over itself to form a turn through 90Ž°. The top of the LCD is closest to the bottom and thus that controller board blocks out a significant part of the LCD