Hi
I have powerbook g4 titanium and the motherboard is dead. Cost hell a lot to fix that. Was think of ripping the lcd screen and use it as a monitor for my other desktop com, VGA port.
Anyone has any idea how do i make this possible or is there already some tutorial on it?
I think i can figure removing the monitor, just the part about power supply voltages and how to re-route the pins to a vga port.
Cheers
You can't. Not without spending as much as you would buying a new desktop LCD display. Sorry.
Do a search here on AF for "holy grail."
. . . unless you deep-six those fancy "curly quotes" and use the standard equipment model. Even that won't help much here on AF2.0 . . .
Try searching the old AF1.5 forums using the instructions listed in this thread:
"holy(just one word without the space!)grail"
jt
would need an LCD-specific standalone LVDS driver board.
The odds of finding such a beast for any Ti LCD is . . .
* calculates *
. . . zip!
Which model 'Book and why do you think the MLB is kaput? What's its condition otherwise?
dan k
PS: if you could remove the LCD you could replace the MLB, same job really. Not fun or easy though.
So i guess its close to impossible to use it as a monitor without involving huge cost and gotta have good knowledge in this area...
Why i think its dead cause i can't use any of the ports behind. Eg, usb firewire, lan port, modem, vga out s-vid out everything behind except power. Brought it to the service center and they confirmed it. But still able to start it up.
Oh the dvd drive is also broken and there is still a disc stuck in it.
I actually have another one which is working fine, but the lcd is all cracked up.
Which is easier, to move the lcd screen over or the motherboard?
Or are there any better recommendations as to other things i could use it for?
CHeers
Assuming the G4s are the same model, moving the motherboard will be easier. See the free disassembly guides here:
http://www.pbfixit.com/Guide/
Note of course that if you're swapping internal parts it's important that the Powerbooks be of the same "family". The guts differ quite extensively between models.
As for other uses for a G4 LCD, well... I did some research myself, as I recently ended up with one. They're not particularly useful. Most of the easily-obtained VGA "controller boards" (which are too expensive to be cost effective anyway) only support LCDs up to 1024x768. By scrounging through documentation I did discover the faint possibility that I might be able to use it with an LVDS-equipped Mini-ITX motherboard. (I'm basing this primarily on a table of supported video modes and LCD types I found on a page discussing driver issues. I haven't heard of anyone actually *doing* it.) Of course, LVDS Mini-ITX motherboards arn't that cheap, and I have no idea how to get the cables and whatnot I'd need on top of it. My suspicion is it'd run about $500 or so in parts to make it all work, which is awfully pricey just to use a "free" LCD.
--Peace
Oh ok, this just seems too difficult for me...
Thought it was just re-wiring the cables and done. I've gravely mistaken. Is it no possible to make use of the mother board's graphic card or controller..
Btw what's a LVD?
. . . good question!
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/L/LVDS.html
I've always wondered why a generic I/O term is bandied about as if it were specific to LCDs? Is there some LCD industry standard based upon LVDS?
jt :?
Well, yes and no. It specifies a class of LCDs which are electrically distinct from, say, LCDs which use TTL signaling levels. "LVDS" alone as an acronym doesn't specify things like connector shapes, data rates, etc.
It'd probably be more accurate to use terms like "FPD-Link" or "LDI". Eg:
http://www.national.com/nationaledge/may01/lvds.html
--Peace
You've mentioned one 'Book with MLB problems and another with a busted LCD. Which models have you got? The model info can be found on a label inside the battery compartment.
You can use a pre-DVI screen with any TiBook. You can even use a DVI screen with pre-DVI TiBooks, though with odd artifacts on the right and bottom edges.
MLB swap BTW is nearly the same effort as display swap, neither exactly easy.
dan k