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Step 8Nothing else to upgrade? Says YOU!
That last upgrade wasn't crazy enough, so now it's time to create my own! Mwahahahaha! Yes, more mad scientist laughter... and this time, I may deserve it.
This upgrade / modification was the result of various tests, experiments, and luck over the past month or two. It involves a bit more than the previous steps, but it will make your little Acer a truly unique one-of-a-kind Extensa :) Here's the low-down:
The GMA965 chipset / X3100 videocard can output higher resolutions than the stock 1280x800. If you remove the original LCD and hook up a WXGA+ (1440x900), WSXGA (1680x1050), or WUXGA (1920x1200) screen, those resolutions become available... however, the display looks garbled. Luckily, I figured out this is due to the LCD cable, and is completely fixable!
The Extensa WXGA LCD cable simply leaves out eight wires used for the secondary data channel, required by higher resolution displays. The solution is as simple as buying a similar used cable, unclipping eight of the wires from both ends, and adding them into the proper place on our original cable. Suddenly our little machines can handle some sweet screen upgrades!
From my experiments, I can say that any LG screen appears to work, even 17" ones (see picture- had a spare one sitting around). Though of course, for best results, choose another 15.4" LCD. The original inverter seems to work fine on them, too, though some have different backlight plugs. I ended up purchasing a new LP154WP1(TL)(A2) 15.4" WXGA+ Glossy LCD, giving me 1440x900 resolution. It had an alternate inverter connector, but I just changed the plug out and it worked perfectly. More desktop space, newer, brighter display, and much more crisp! I would have gone with a WUXGA, but can't imagine reading such tiny text... :)
The next steps will explain the process of changing out the screen and modifying the LCD cable.
This upgrade / modification was the result of various tests, experiments, and luck over the past month or two. It involves a bit more than the previous steps, but it will make your little Acer a truly unique one-of-a-kind Extensa :) Here's the low-down:
The GMA965 chipset / X3100 videocard can output higher resolutions than the stock 1280x800. If you remove the original LCD and hook up a WXGA+ (1440x900), WSXGA (1680x1050), or WUXGA (1920x1200) screen, those resolutions become available... however, the display looks garbled. Luckily, I figured out this is due to the LCD cable, and is completely fixable!
The Extensa WXGA LCD cable simply leaves out eight wires used for the secondary data channel, required by higher resolution displays. The solution is as simple as buying a similar used cable, unclipping eight of the wires from both ends, and adding them into the proper place on our original cable. Suddenly our little machines can handle some sweet screen upgrades!
From my experiments, I can say that any LG screen appears to work, even 17" ones (see picture- had a spare one sitting around). Though of course, for best results, choose another 15.4" LCD. The original inverter seems to work fine on them, too, though some have different backlight plugs. I ended up purchasing a new LP154WP1(TL)(A2) 15.4" WXGA+ Glossy LCD, giving me 1440x900 resolution. It had an alternate inverter connector, but I just changed the plug out and it worked perfectly. More desktop space, newer, brighter display, and much more crisp! I would have gone with a WUXGA, but can't imagine reading such tiny text... :)
The next steps will explain the process of changing out the screen and modifying the LCD cable.
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