Mac Screen-Swapping
July 12, 2004 9:28 PM Subscribe
Is it possible for me to swap the 12" screen from my G3 iBook into a 12" aluminum PowerBook?
I'm thinking about buying a G4 PowerBook with a broken screen and turning my old iBook into some sort of server. The screens are the same resolution, and identical to my eyes. But if the video card in my iBook is XVGA and the video card in the Powerbook is DVI, does that mean that I'm screwed? I have a soldering iron... but also a slight tremor....
I'm thinking about buying a G4 PowerBook with a broken screen and turning my old iBook into some sort of server. The screens are the same resolution, and identical to my eyes. But if the video card in my iBook is XVGA and the video card in the Powerbook is DVI, does that mean that I'm screwed? I have a soldering iron... but also a slight tremor....
XVGA is the resolution and colors your monitor supports, not its connecting system. I bet you could get somewhere with this idea assuming the primary connections would work. I personally don't see why not, but from what i know DVI has nothing to do with the resolution your screen supports, it's just a different (and newer) way to connect things. In your case, the DVI connection your talking about is made for an external monitor. The internals probably do not adhere to the DVI standard.
posted by Keyser Soze at 9:53 PM on July 12, 2004
posted by Keyser Soze at 9:53 PM on July 12, 2004
No. They're totally different parts (i.e., don't have the same mounts, connectors, dimensions, etc.).
I guess you might be able to figure out a way to make it work, but you'll never get the G4 back to stock.
posted by maniactown at 11:19 PM on July 12, 2004
I guess you might be able to figure out a way to make it work, but you'll never get the G4 back to stock.
posted by maniactown at 11:19 PM on July 12, 2004
How much do Powerbooks with broken screens go for? It would be awesome if it were in the sub-hundred dollar range, but knowing Apple customers, I'm not too hopeful.
posted by Eamon at 6:36 AM on July 13, 2004
posted by Eamon at 6:36 AM on July 13, 2004
maniactown has it: LCDs from various laptops are not interchangable at all. There is no mechanical or electrical standard for the panels themselves, and this would probably involve hacking the LCD controller on the motherboard in ways that are best described as "deep voodoo."
(Weirdly, the exact moment I read this question a Horizontal Line of Failure appeared on my 12 inch Powerbook's display. You broke my laptop!)
posted by majick at 6:53 AM on July 13, 2004
(Weirdly, the exact moment I read this question a Horizontal Line of Failure appeared on my 12 inch Powerbook's display. You broke my laptop!)
posted by majick at 6:53 AM on July 13, 2004
Response by poster: Eamon,
This particular broken powerbook is selling for $500... which is a bit steep, but not crazy: Full-service screen replacement is about $500, and $1,000 would be a fair price for a working used unit.
posted by armchairsocialist at 8:55 AM on July 13, 2004
This particular broken powerbook is selling for $500... which is a bit steep, but not crazy: Full-service screen replacement is about $500, and $1,000 would be a fair price for a working used unit.
posted by armchairsocialist at 8:55 AM on July 13, 2004
I can confirm maniactown's response. An iBook and a PowerBook have different connectors to the logic board, not to mention different points at which they mount into the lid. [The PB display may be thinner, too, because PowerBooks are usually thinner and lighter than iBooks.]
posted by britain at 6:30 PM on July 15, 2004
posted by britain at 6:30 PM on July 15, 2004
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by armchairsocialist at 9:34 PM on July 12, 2004