Slashdot Mirror
Obtaining Used LCD Parts?
davebarz asks: "With LCDs having already passed several generations and become affordable for the average user, one would think the biggest question would be which LCD to buy. But what about for geeks with no budget and no desk space... for instance, college kids? As friends' LCD monitors stop working due to particular components such as inverters or backlights, it's hard to resist trying to take their panel off their hands and try to fix it for oneself. There's nothing difficult about changing backlights or inverters, but after getting just such a monitor from a girlfriend, I've found that it's nearly impossible to find parts. The actual LCD panel works fine, so why throw out a $400 monitor when all it needs is a $30 power inverter? So, my question is, to where should one go to find out exactly what part one needs and then buy a suitable replacement? Specifically, I'm in the market for an inverter for a Gateway FPD1730. The inverter appears to be an Ambit model, but they're no help since they're exclusively OEM. Can Slashdot provide me with any help?"
I do this all the time and my primary suppliers are eBay and lcdpart.com One thing to watch out for which has ruined a couple screens for me is the thin ribbon connectors whill break off if bent too many times. If those break off, you're completely screwed. So don't bend them more then you absolutely have to.
EarthLCD. http://www.earthlcd.com.
One-stop LCD buying shop.
If that doesn't work, enter in the LCD panel part number into Froogle. Usually it can be found, just depends on how much you want to spend.
As I walk through the valley of death I fear no one, for I am the meanest sonova bitch in the valley!
Might want to check out www.eio.com too. They deal with some spare parts and offer diagrams and the likes. Might get lucky.
As far as the minimum order, tell them you are expanding into the sector and want the part of a prototype
Free MacMini
The more obscure your search string, the more helpful Google is.
Last week my dad called me and said his laptop screen went out. I don't usually mess with hardware so I told him to take it to Best Buy and have them look at it.
He took it in - they said the LCD was bad and it would be about $600 to replace. He called me and I told him not to do it and I'd look into it.
I figured I could get a new LCD for less than that. I googled and came across http://www.screentekinc.com/
I called them and the salesman told me it was probably not the LCD and that I should check the inverter first. He told me one place to get parts was Bliss Computers
I didn't have the laptop on hand, didn't have part numbers, so I checked e-bay and found an inverter there for $40 (including shipping). Another LCD site had instructions on removing the bezel.
I took my time since I'd never done this before and so it took twice as long as it should have. In 10 minutes I had fixed it.
It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
There could be problems trying to use a part with similar specs, but different dimensions and screw holes.
I used up all my sick days, so I'm calling in dead.
After my post above- I tried another route. I googled 'Gateway FPD1730'. That got me a hit with a list that had two part numbers - LG708G and LG708K (the second for the TFT model I think). I googled on LG708G and got the ambit part number 6633TZA013A. I googled on that- along with AMBIT and that got me two links that sell the part:
lcdpart.com (which has already been mentioned)
moniserv.com looks like it is the same price from them.
I checked ebay real quick but didn't see anything-- but I really didn't look too hard.
It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
That just happened to me replacing an inverter in a laptop. The new inverter was a touch wider than the old one. If I screwed it down, it wouldn't fit under the bezel. But everything was really tight in there, so I hooked it up, set it in place and just put the bezel back in.
If it had been much bigger though, I would have had to find a different part.
It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
http://lcdpart.com/
They sell backlights, inverts, and such for many monitors. I'm getting a 19inch LCD for about 60bucks because of them. I'm just paying for the backlighting replacement.
The first thing that comes to mind are the PSone lcd screens. These are relatively cheap and use analog inputs (interlaced, even, which is perfect for plain old tv). Guides showing how to disassemble and rewire them with the connector of your choice are available, too.
How are you planning on tuning that many channels at once? Have you found some nifty piece of equipment with a whole bunch of tuners?
"The newly born animals are then whisked off for a quick run through a giant baking oven." --heard on Food Network
The MIT Swapfest, aka The Flea at MIT, is a great place for old or junk computer or radio parts. I've heard somebody tagline it as "Yesterday's technology, today!"
Third Sunday of every non-winter month, next flea is the first of the year, this Sunday April 17th.
Use my userscript to add story images to Slashdot. There's no going back.