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Accessory Portable LCD monitors for work and gaming, recommendations?

VegetableStu

Shrink Ray Wielder
Aug 18, 2016
1,949
2,619
Yeah, my initial plan for mine was to flip the controller upside down like yours, but the cable's too short and it's blocking the backlight driver board on the LCD :( if only it could
 

VegetableStu

Shrink Ray Wielder
Aug 18, 2016
1,949
2,619
nope, mine's the original one :(
The unfinished display is just sitting at the side untill I have the time to get to it :( can't wait for monday to be over (and it's only 12:50AM here)
 

VegetableStu

Shrink Ray Wielder
Aug 18, 2016
1,949
2,619
Nope ._. mine's like this


If I fold it horizontally the board will cover the LCD's mounting hole. If I fold it diagonally upwards towards the right it'll interfere with the backlight controller board (that thin strip on the right edge)
 

VegetableStu

Shrink Ray Wielder
Aug 18, 2016
1,949
2,619
Was the cheapest ebay auction I could land at the time ._. maybe I should have waited for a cheaper one for an iPad 3/4.
Displaymate says the performance of both the iPad 3/4 and Air 1 is kinda similar, so yeah maybe I shouldn't have ,_,
 

ignsvn

By Toutatis!
SFFn Staff
Gold Supporter
Bronze Supporter
Apr 4, 2016
1,735
1,677
Ouch too bad..

Btw would be great if these portable monitors (including custom build like this) can be displayed in the SFF Wiki as well :)
 

Corruptedfile

Caliper Novice
Mar 12, 2017
24
12
I'm currently working on attaching a recycled iPad mini 2 display that I took apart, but as of right now im waiting on getting the glass digitizer in so I can start sizing on where its going to be placed. Now I was going to cut out a hole to fit the screen, but I just couldn't see my self doing it since I love this case waaaaay too much too start butchering, though I would but if only I could buy separate panels to mod the case. Instead ill be attaching magnets to hold up the screen so that if I decide to remove it, it wont be such a difficult thing to do. I did purchase the controller board from abusemark.com for about 35 bucks shipped which it arrived in about 2 weeks tops! So I was pretty happy about that since I used the cheapest method of getting it overseas. Now TBH I wasn't expecting much from the display as far as color/repsonse times since technically its a mobile display, but I was actually kinda wrong. Everything from the colors to response times were well enough to game on for long periods of time, even though its display is quite small the 326 DPI definitely make it up for it (weeell at least for me it is). Now for temps they really didn't change as much, not sure if its because its only pulling in about 5v from the usb and not 12v. Now I did recently sell my 1070 for a zotac 1080 mini, so ill be soon to testing with that with benchmarks and temps at ‎2048×1536. I'll keep you guys updated with this project.








Oh! I also forgot to mention that I bought a cable extention for the dsiplay so I can hide away the controller board inside the s4 mini. http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-LCD-DISPLAY-TEST-TESTING-EXTENSION-FLEX-CABLE-FOR-IPAD-MINI-1-2-3-Gen/171446351945?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
 
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kogepathic

Caliper Novice
Jun 6, 2017
21
30
tl;dr - unless you want a low power (~10W) or small display (15.6") just buy the Dell P2415Q, it's a finished product with a case, USB hub, and warranty. You'll have a much better time. The price difference is negligible when all is said and done.

I'm looking to order a couple of these for a dual 4k setup, When you say customs is a pain, what exactly do you mean (Never did the Alibaba thing...

You may already be aware, but AliExpress is the consumer side, and Alibaba is the B2B side. I had to pay for FedEx shipping from China ($45) to Germany, and then submit forms to pay customs/duties for the controllers (additional 55€). Each controller cost $100 USD, so in total for two controllers it was ~$300 USD. Combine with the LQ156D1JW04 ($130) and the LQ156D1JX01 ($95) you're at $525 for two displays... or, you can buy the LCD/controller combo on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/HDMI-DP-Boa...sy-LCD-LQ156D1JX01-LQ156D1JX01B-/192187554535

$272+S&H is not a terrible price ($544 for two displays), if you consider that the LQ156D1JX01 alone costs at least $100 USD, and the controller is at least $100 USD + shipping and you have to ensure they provide the right cable and are able to test it before shipping. The eBay seller will also [presumably] ensure that you have the correct eDP cable for the panel. However it is possible to buy them separately for less, though you will have to negotiate with them about the eDP cable, and make sure you get the correct one: The LQ156D1JX01/LQ156D1JW04 use a 40 pin 0.4mm pitch eDP cable, which no other manufacturer uses!

The board I have is the R9511. I once found someone selling it on eBay for around $130 USD + $20 USD shipping to Germany, but I cannot find the listing anymore. If you can find it on eBay, I'd order it there instead of Alibaba because the eBay seller will probably ship it with a cheaper method than FedEx, and they'll also file CN22 so you don't have to fill out the duties forms yourself.

DO NOT buy this board or this combo. It's 40 pin 0.5mm pitch and only for the Samsung/AUO panels, which are NOT true 4K (they are RGBW/PenTile array, so half the pixels are simply white). In case you think "oh but I can find a 0.5mm to 0.4mm pitch eDP cable because the panel pinout is the same" no you can't, I tried for weeks. Unless you know someone at the I-PEX factory in China, it's not gonna happen.

I bought from Clientop. They were quite helpful and sent me the datasheet for the R9511 controller. They also sent the datasheet for the Realtek display controller. They also offer a programmer so you can change the display controller parameters if you want to use it with a different panel (though you'll still need the appropriate eDP cable). The programmer is $25, I didn't buy one. The datasheet for the Realtek indicates it's just a UART, so I'm not sure why it's $25, no magic pixie dust in UART...

I had originally planned to buy from CND LCD, as their controller was much cheaper ($65) but sadly they could not get it to work reliably with the Sharp panels, and ended up refunding my payment. CND said they had another supplier who offered a controller compatible with the Sharp (Shenzhen Aptus Technology Co. Model number: BR96G2) for $120, but the controller lacks DisplayPort, so you cannot do display daisy chaining.

I'd suggest avoiding the LQ156D1JW04 (matte) as it has a colour scattering effect from the matte finish. Not sure how any Lenovo P50 users deal with this panel, because it looks terrible. I'm waiting on an LQ156D1JX01 (glossy) but unfortunately the AliExpress seller's shipping company lost it out the back of a truck or something. A replacement is on its way but hasn't arrived yet.

Whew. Sorry that was pretty rambly. Hopefully someone gets some value out of it.
 
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kogepathic

Caliper Novice
Jun 6, 2017
21
30
Hi @kogepathic, I sent you a pm, please check. Thanks :)

Since other people may be interested, here are the plans for the iPad case I designed (license CC BY-SA). Included in the zip file is the inkscape SVG and final PDF I used to have the cases cut at Snijlab (no affiliation, just the cheapest laser cutting I found in Western Europe). The design is for 3mm plywood, but you could probably use any other material which is also 3mm thick.

The design is for 7 cases plus a variety of side mounting panels (with vents, without vents). I did this because I have 4 LCDs and it was most economical for me to get them cut in bulk. If you want fewer cases, just delete the appropriate amount of front/back/side panels in inkscape before sending your design to be cut.

If you do decide to use wood, I'll offer some tips from what I've learned.
  1. Sand the wood with ~400 grit before you spray paint, otherwise the surface ends up very rough
  2. Use wood glue, CA/super glue doesn't fill enough to effectively keep it together
  3. If you cannot find tiny screws to secure the LCD, double sided foam tape works too, though it does mean it's very difficult to remove the LCD later
Please excuse the bad paint job, this was the first prototype and I was learning all of the above. The display cover is made from scrap parts which were extra from my cutting run. If you want to build your own, make sure you cut the side pieces outside the viewport area, and you'll be able to make a cover as well.


I designed an alignment line to go on the inside of the case, but I stupidly forgot that the active portion of the LCD is not centered, so if you want to save some money, delete the useless alignment line. Also there are VESA 75/100 mounting holes engraved on the inside of the rear panel, should you wish to VESA mount the display, you can easily drill the holes. However I do notice now that the placement of the abusemark adapter blocks one of the VESA 100 holes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


I'd be really happy if someone wants to improve the design. This was my first time designing a laser cut enclosure, so there were some things I would do differently next time (e.g. remove the useless panel alignment engraving). I'm providing the design files with a CC BY-SA license, meaning you can make modifications and even sell them yourself (if you want) but please contribute back your modifications so others can benefit.

I'll probably be designing the same style of case for the 15.6" 4K panel, so if anyone would like to collaborate on that, PM me!

Also, I have parts for 3 additional enclosures (unpainted/unsanded) if anyone in Europe wants one. I have solid or vented side panels, your choice. 10€ + shipping costs and it's yours.
 
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Josh | NFC

Not From Concentrate
NFC Systems
Jun 12, 2015
1,869
4,468
www.nfc-systems.com
I'm currently working on attaching a recycled iPad mini 2 display that I took apart, but as of right now im waiting on getting the glass digitizer in so I can start sizing on where its going to be placed. Now I was going to cut out a hole to fit the screen, but I just couldn't see my self doing it since I love this case waaaaay too much too start butchering, though I would but if only I could buy separate panels to mod the case. Instead ill be attaching magnets to hold up the screen so that if I decide to remove it, it wont be such a difficult thing to do. I did purchase the controller board from abusemark.com for about 35 bucks shipped which it arrived in about 2 weeks tops! So I was pretty happy about that since I used the cheapest method of getting it overseas. Now TBH I wasn't expecting much from the display as far as color/repsonse times since technically its a mobile display, but I was actually kinda wrong. Everything from the colors to response times were well enough to game on for long periods of time, even though its display is quite small the 326 DPI definitely make it up for it (weeell at least for me it is). Now for temps they really didn't change as much, not sure if its because its only pulling in about 5v from the usb and not 12v. Now I did recently sell my 1070 for a zotac 1080 mini, so ill be soon to testing with that with benchmarks and temps at ‎2048×1536. I'll keep you guys updated with this project.








Oh! I also forgot to mention that I bought a cable extention for the dsiplay so I can hide away the controller board inside the s4 mini. http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-LCD-DISPLAY-TEST-TESTING-EXTENSION-FLEX-CABLE-FOR-IPAD-MINI-1-2-3-Gen/171446351945?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

I can sponsor you a panel if you pay for shipping. They are black though.