Turn a $300 PC into a $1000 tablet?

May 26, 2009 2:44 PM

Is it possible to turn my tablet PC into a secondary monitor and still retain its tablet-y properties?

I've pretty much given up on the tablet PC I've got, but I miss being able to write on a screen. I know that I can turn the tablet into a second monitor for my desktop, but I'm looking for a way to use it as a tablet, too (like a Wacom Cintiq, but considerably cheaper).

For the reasons discussed in my previous post (linked above), a software solution like MaxiVista won't work. I'm looking for a way to turn the tablet into what's basically an input/output device, with all (or most of) the processing happening on the desktop, instead of the tablet.

Is such a thing possible?

Is it possible to do it without substantial amounts of deconstruction/soldering/voodoo?

posted by specialagentwebb to technology (6 comments total)

Not really a second PC, but possibly RDP to your desktop? That would keep the processing on the desktop. I'm not sure how the tablet input translation would work though.
posted by wongcorgi at 3:35 PM on May 26

I was going to suggest VNC, which is quite similar to RDP. I think the "writing" translates to mouse movements/clicks.
posted by philomathoholic at 3:39 PM on May 26

I don't think you'll find an easy way to do it. For free hacks to exist there usually needs to be some desire & some possibility on the part of a hacker. I don't think there are many people who want to do this nor many people who have tablet PCs. To put it more mathematically: the intersection of the sets

• have old tablet PC
• want it to be a touch screen
• have the talent to make it happen
• want to make the hack free

is probably a null set.
posted by chairface at 4:26 PM on May 26

I don't think there would be an easy way. However, there is the hard way.
posted by bonobothegreat at 8:30 PM on May 26

...I wouldn't bother though. Unless you were sure that the Wacom drivers and control panels will allow you to spread your desktop across both screens because tabletpc screens are just too small on their own to get much work done.
posted by bonobothegreat at 8:39 PM on May 26

Synergy lets you use your keyboard and mouse across both "screens" (computers on a network). Cross-platform, free, etc., etc.,

It's kind of ambiguous what you want to do, though--you want to draw/write on the tablet PC and have it work like a desktop tablet on your "main" computer? Good God, man, you're better off with just buying a desktop tablet.

I don't think there's a physical input on that tablet for video, but you could maybe hook one of these up to it (VGA -> USB Capture) and use in conjunction with Synergy, and you've got your "second monitor tablet". The only problem - it's pretty far from free.
posted by ostranenie at 6:13 AM on May 27