LCD screen as a monitor

[themisfit25]

Hey I'm new here,

I've just ordered a Raspberry Pi and I was wondering if I could use an LCD screen as a monitor for the Pi. I don't know much about hardware, I've only ever been a programmer so this is a first for me.

Here's all the information I have about the screen:

The screen came from an old portable DVD player, it's a 7inch E203460, it has 2 cables coming out of the side (presumably for the back-light or power?) and a ribbon cable coming out of the bottom (w/ 26 connectors, I think). I have the battery from the DVD player and the board the screen was hooked up too. I also have the 2 sets of cables the were connecting the board to the main board. The main board was ruined, so I don't have that. Here are some pictures of the parts I have.

I don't know if this'll help but on the front of the screen it says "TIDAL 236-070", the ribbon cable says "7610009376" "E203460" "S - 1 <-> 1" "94V-0 0747". There's also a sticker on the back at the bottom right corner with a barcode that says "QZ L 685-070-15A 4A-TFT07P-CP3GA"

I have no idea what any of this means, so any help at all will be greatly appreciated,
thank-you in advance,
Joe.

[drgeoff]

This would not be a straightforward project for some one who does know about hardware. Even after you find details of the screen, procure an interface to drive it, sort out power supplies for it and get it all working you are likely to be disappointed with the low resolution - it was for a DVD player not a PC monitor.

[themisfit25]

Would I be better off just buying a small 7/10inch TFT screen such as this?

[drgeoff]

Would I be better off just buying a small 7/10inch TFT screen such as this?

The resolution is given as 480 by 234. Is that enough for what you want to use it for? Netbooks now are typically 1024 by 600. Laptops have been at least 1024 by 768 for years.

[themisfit25]

The resolution of a netbook sounds good, any idea where to get one that will be easy to set up?

[Mobius]

You might be able to find a used, older model LCD monitor for pretty cheap. I'm talking about something like a standard definition (4:3 aspect ratio), 14 or 15 inch. Lot's of folks just set those aside or offer them inexpensively when they upgrade to an big HD monitor. Thrift shops sometimes have them.

[drgeoff]

The resolution of a netbook sounds good, any idea where to get one that will be easy to set up?

I didn't make it clear enough. I wasn't suggesting that you get a netbook screen. I was giving it as an example of the sort of resolution you might be accustomed to working with so that you could relate to the low resolution of the screens you had been thinking of.

Even if you do source a panel it won't connect directly to the RPi's HDMI output or its composite output.

[hgwca]

hello,

i have exactelly the same screen, did you find a solution ?

thanks

[iliketrainz98]

Yeah me to - I have a digital photoframe with this chip and I think I counted that the cable has 26 pins.

Tom

[woskar]

Hey there,
I've got the same screen, also from a photo frame like Tom, did somebody figure it out?
Oskar