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Recycled Laptop Super-Monitor DIY

Linkolod
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Sans the long explanation, I'll likely have access to several unwanted, defunct and/or partially stripped/broken laptops (hp Elitebook 2170p) and my plan for the summer is to remove and attach several screens into a huge monitor. Think iMax but terrible.

 

To anyone with any hardware knowledge, is this a viable idea, is this a stupid concept, and what would I have to do to get them all attached?

 

If somehow this is a bad thread, don't hate me I'm new. :D

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If you don't have any hardware knowledge, then there's no way you'll be able to do this yourself. Because laptop screens don't have standard connections (HDMI, VGA, etc.), you'd have to solder wires and know exactly what you're doing, plus the fact that laptop screens are powered by the laptop itself, and you'd have to find a way to power them. Even then, it's not even a sure shot it would work at all. So yeah, it's basically a stupid concept.

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Sounds like a nice side project...

Determine the pinouts first... iirc, there's a standard for the connectors...

you'll either need to make a laptop internal connector -> HDMI/DP adapter for them and combine the displays using something like Eyefinity...

or

find a controller for the multiple screens... which is not cheap as they are more commonly used in commercial and industrial applications...

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Sans the long explanation, I'll likely have access to several unwanted, defunct and/or partially stripped/broken laptops (hp Elitebook 2170p) and my plan for the summer is to remove and attach several screens into a huge monitor. Think iMax but terrible.

 

To anyone with any hardware knowledge, is this a viable idea, is this a stupid concept, and what would I have to do to get them all attached?

 

If somehow this is a bad thread, don't hate me I'm new. :D

It's not really sensible. the connectors for the panels are very different to a standard external monitor. 

 

If all the laptops are the same then you may be able to salvage enough parts to build a couple of working machines.

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You can buy china-made controllers from ebay. Anyone can turn laptop screen to desktop screen with those.

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Moved to Case Modding and Other Mods.

"It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brain falls out." - Carl Sagan.

"I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you" - Edward I. Koch

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