RE: OT Convert laptop screen to flat monitor?

["Nikola Kasic" <nikola@xxxxxxx>]

As far as I can remember from some articles, reason is that normal CRT monitors and standalone screens use analogue signal input. VGA signal in PC is converted from digital to analogue, goes on connector and into CRTs. Standalone TFT monitors need digital signal, so every such monitor has D/A convertor, which is expensive and one of the reasons why TFT monitors are still much more expensive than CRT ones.

Because TFT ones are becoming more and more popular and there is no need to convert D/A and back A/D in monitor, some graphic card manufacturers started producing VGA cards with digital outputs, but of course you'll need TFT monitor that can accept that signal. Such monitors should be cheaper, because they don't have A/D convertor, which is expensive.

In laptop VGA cards send digital signals, because TFT screens don't have A/D convertor, because they cannot be detached.

I don't know if digital signal that laptop VGA produces is the same standard as the VGA cards designed for external monitors. Laptop VGA card manufacturers know exactly which TFT monitor will be attached to the card, so they can optimize the card and don't have to follow any standards.

But according to this guy, it seems that it's possible to use such cards.

Those cards can be recognized because they have different connector, with something like + sign. It's a new standard of VGA connectors which has been designed a while ago, and all the monitors should now have such connector (both analogue and digital), but obviously it's not the case yet. Connector is such, so you cannot plug digital monitor in analogue card and vice versa. Monitors that can suport both signals should be able to connect to any card.

Obviously this all didn't work in real life and seems that price of TFT is more conditioned upon market laws than the cost of manufacturing.

That's all I can remember on that topic, when I read about it an year ago.

Cheers,

Nik

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve D [mailto:steve@xxxxxxx]
Sent: 20 June 2002 16:55
To: ukha_d@xxxxxxxSubject: Re: [ukha_d] OT Convert laptop screen to flat monitor?

Stuart I belive it is possible but you need a special  video card to drive
it

Reply from a guy who I saw doing it in a picture on case mods i think
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Hi!

Everybody wanted to know, but it is a great disapppointment to
realize: it is impossible to make without a special video card. They
all thought it is just about wiring....

I have purchased a PCIx690 graphic card from Densitron International
(Trixel ltd, Hungary)
I am sure, you also could find a local distributor or another company
(eg. SAGE) that produce the card you need.
My card has a TMDS (PanelLink) and a TTL rgb output besides the
normaL vga. It is a simple card, with 2MB onboard memory (non-
expandable) and without 3d support.
I recommend you to purchase a LVDS-output and ttl rgb, because this
PanelLink is very rare among display inputs.
I have used a Toshiba 12 zoll display, TFT 800x600x18bit colors and
the exact type is: ltm12c263. It is a simple, ttl rgb input display,
pruchased from a local second-hand computer shop, from a laptop with
dead MoBo.

Be careful, that the drive type of your display must match the output
of the video card - TTL RGB (tft or dstn), odd-even TTL RGB,
LVDS, TMDS, DVI

If you had any further questions do not hesitate to ask me.

Udv:
    BBalazs

http://www.szote.u-szeged.hu/phys/bbalazs/bbalazs.htm
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
His email is >>> BBALAZS@xxxxxxx
Feel free to ask him questions.

HTH

Steve D

"Regular people say 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. Engineers say: 'If it
ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet.'"


----- Original Message -----
From: "stuart_cummings" <stuart_cummings@xxxxxxx>
To: <ukha_d@xxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, June 19, 2002 4:49 PM
Subject: [ukha_d] OT Convert laptop screen to flat monitor?


> I have a laptop with a duff motherboard and I was wondering how easy
> it would be to use the screen as a monitor for another PC. Anyone
> have any idea if the ribbon cable connectors are standard and how the
> would map to the VGA pins and power?
>
> S.C.
>
>
>
> For more information: http://www.automatedhome.co.uk
> Post message: ukha_d@xxxxxxx> Subscribe:  ukha_d-subscribe@xxxxxxx> Unsubscribe:  ukha_d-unsubscribe@xxxxxxx> List owner:  ukha_d-owner@xxxxxxx>
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>


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