Reply 48180 of 53198, by BitWrangler
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Thermalwrong wrote on 2023-02-25, 04:07:Woah, that's what I do too - they can pop up cheap and they're TFTs. So far each one I've got has been 640x480 but I usually ver […]
BitWrangler wrote on 2023-02-24, 23:24:I got "Schroedingers" LCD monitor today... it's actually a 10" photo frame by Fidelity, and I noticed it seemed to be 4:3, thus an earlier one, and fairly thick front to back, leading me to suspect it was an older less integrated model assembled from commodity components. Get into it and YAY, appears to have a Sharp made (or near clone) screen that does 6:6:6 RGB, 640x480 ... DOeS that sound useful or is it just me? ... The Schroedinger part is, that it ain't actually a monitor for retro hardware yet without some work. There may be several possibilities, retro
bodgemod it into a 386 laptop maybe. Configure a CL or Trident card/monitor combo that could go in whatever motherboard. Be lazy and plug it into a Pi or similar and run emulators on it. Though the last may happen first as it might be the best way of determining all quirks of the screen.Woah, that's what I do too - they can pop up cheap and they're TFTs. So far each one I've got has been 640x480 but I usually verify by reading the manual first if it can be found and it's mostly the chunky ones that are the lower res.
I've got a Toshiba LTM10C209 industrial panel that was obviously recycled out of one, and with some adaptation I was able to use my Advantech SBC with it. Another one I got out of a little DVB tv to improve my Toshiba 400CS laptop: Re: Upgrading a Toshiba laptop from DSTN to TFT panel - The Satellite 400CS becomes a 400CDTThey're not too bad to hook up, but can the pi run parallel TFTs? I thought I read something about that using the GPIOs but haven't tried it. If you've got a laptop with a Chips VGA then there are BMP utilities to modify the BIOS to suit different LCDs, but I haven't got very far with that.
Hey thanks that looks like useful encouragement. Panel turns out to be a LQ104V1DG83 so very similar to one you had there. Think I'll check out the chipset on a Zenith machine I have, that might have the C&T controller. Damn forgetting the model of it, has one of those 386/486 clock doubled cyrix chips in, and is so damn fugly I can only improve it. (i.e. yellowed, scratched and cracked) Might be a Z-star 486SL or something like that, or maybe Znote.
edit: ah specs more easily had for it's Packard Bell badged sibling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packard_Bell_Statesman so turns out it has the 6553x class C&T ... will have to see if that's as "persuadable" as the later model.
editII: at quick scan of datasheet from here (might need to turn on translate to see the download button) https://pdf.ic37.com/icpdf_datasheet_8/F6553_ … /F6553_151.html seems I might get 5:5:5 mode or 5:6:5 mode... looks hopeful, lots of nitty gritty to plow through.
Unicorn herding operations are proceeding, but all the totes of hens teeth and barrels of rocking horse poop give them plenty of hiding spots.