Ok, so I came across this thread here on vogons: Upgrading a DSTN display to a TFT in a laptop - is it possible? - there are significant differences between the two - I guess it would require some sort of converter board - could this be done?

It won't be impossible but it requires a lot of effort and it is unique to the particular machine also, there's almost no standardisation at early on from what I have seen.

Tiido wrote on 2021-07-11, 16:00:

It won't be impossible but it requires a lot of effort and it is unique to the particular machine also, there's almost no standardisation at early on from what I have seen.

yeah you're right. Threre's limited standardization for later machines - later pentium 1 laptops, but as you said, it would require knowing the LCD connector pinout for each model....

how about using the VGA port on the motherboard in some way? Maybe a custom printed clip that could be installed on the ends where the d-sub connector is soldered to the motherboard - maybe even using something like this:

But with a slim connector like this:

wired back into the case - it's a bit ghetto, and there still needs to be a way to get power to the LCD pannel and make sure it turns on only when the laptop itself is on. Not very elegant, but it might work...

[EDIT]

I have a Compaq Armada 1592DT and a Compaq Contura 430 (i think) - the Armada's screen has deteriorated to the point it's barely readable, and looks like a black piece of paper that had juice spilled all over. The contura's screen is cracked. I'm going to order something like this: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002393383 … 2039ec5d4337-15 and try to see if I can fit it into the LCD part of the case. The trick will be fitting the LCD controller witch is quite large... maybe I can make room for it inside the battery bay, since both machines have pretty large (dead, useless) batteries, then wire it to the VGA port on the motherboard. I'd also have to find a way to power the LCD along with the laptop...

That would be workable for sure, since there actually are generic VGA/DVI to random LCD panel drivers on ebay etc. The problem will then be finding the right panel, getting the driver configured to that particular screen and then making it all fit in the laptop in question.

Socket3 wrote on 2021-07-11, 11:47:

There are quite a few retro laptops to be had online, some with hardware perfect for playing dos games, older and newer - but most seem to come with horrible DSTN or similar high response time displays.

My question is - would it be possible for an electronics hobbyist to retrofit a newer TFT display in one of these machines? I've found a plethora of 4:3 and 5:4 TFT displays on aliexpress and alibaba, same size and similar thickness as the panels inside these retro laptops, but the video interface is completely different, and most of them (if not all) are LED backlit. Such mod, if possible would make these wonderful useful again.

Maybe an interface adapter could be constructed to allow fitting these modern displays into vintage laptops?

You may want to read this topic Re: New display to old laptops?

@Socket3 - are you interested in a replacement display panel for the Contura 430? I have a dead system board here, but the display might be okay.