Cheap 'n Easy Digital Picture Frame

I basically made this as a birthday present for my girlfriend. Looking for an awesome gift idea? This is it! Total cost was under $100, and could be substantially less if you're savvy.

I know I'm not the first one to come up with the idea of a homemade digital picture frame. I'm not even the one to come up with the idea of using the particular lcd screen and digital photo viewer that I chose. But I can write a darn good how-to about it, and there's no stopping me!

(3/14/07) Edit: For an easier setup, take a look at my new picture frame here.

Step 1: The basics

After reading in a forum about someone who used a Sony PSOne LCD screen and a SanDisk Digital Photo Viewer in order to make a digital picture frame, I just had to try it. He said it was easy, and indeed it was.

The SanDisk Digital Photo Viewer is basically a little black box with 4 slots on the front to accept different types of memory cards from digital cameras. You stick in the memory card, hook up the composite video(or s-video) to the tv, and turn it on. The device automatically plays a slideshow of your pictures, and you don't have to do a thing. This makes it really really useful for this project.

The particular screen I used was a 5" Zenith lcd screen made to attach to the GameCube for people who enjoy playing high graphics videogames on small screens : ) The internals are identical to the Sony PSOne screen or the Zenith Xbox or Zenith PlayStation 2 screens of the same size. If you see any of these on eBay for less than $40, grab 'em!! Considering that suggested retail value is over $100, that's a bargain. I've seen used ones for as low as $25(+S&H). Granted there are other screens that you can use, and by all means go for it. The basic concept is that in order to keep things simple, the screen needs to be large enough to enjoy viewing pictures on and already accepts composite video. It's that easy.

Comments

[chr]

I made a digital frame some years ago using an old laptop with a 15" monitor. I got this old laptop from my school, for free. It's a PII 233MHz or i think, but it's a quality laptop with a screen that goes all the way to the edge of the laptop. This is especially important when finding a laptop to use as a picture frame, this way you can have a narrow frame on the laptop. First thing I did was to remove the laptop casing. And was left with an LCD monitor and mainboard with the keyboard attached. It wouldn't boot without the keyboard.. otherwise i could just have connected the circuit board from a usb keyboard to the usb port. Once I found a frame that matched the dimensions of the lcd somewhat, i cut it to size and glued the lcd in place. To fasten the mainboard to the back of the frame, i put screws into the back of the frame and glued the mainboard to them. The farme runs Linux. I chose Slackware for this application, since it is light weight and no-nonsense. It has really simple init scripts, so it was an easy task to make X start up with no window manager at boot, and then load a small program that recursively shows images from a directory. Here are some pictures of it. I really like the picture where it boots linux, that's like art to me, a picture frame booting linux with a high resolution console :-) Using it to show some kind of network statistics, log tailing or cmatrix would also be neat.

[trume]

when you made the picture fram out of a laptop, did you have problems with colors becoming inverted if you look at it from an angle? and how easy is it to load new pictures up there once it's made? thanks man

[ROMbler]

Great tutorial. I made my digital picture frame using plexi for the box and attached it to a frame I got at Wal-mart. For the matte I decided to go with duct tape at the last minute. I also put duct tape over the plexi instead of painting it. I think it turned out nice. The color of the tape works well with the frame. I have it in my office and everyone stops to check it out.

[joedog86]

Rock on! That's a sweet frame you found - it looks great.

[dorian]

>Using it to show some kind of network statistics, >log tailing or cmatrix would also be neat. Agreed! Long live plain old text! Try hooking up any old atticware to StarTTY.com - all you need is a TELNET prompt. You can get news, stock quotes, weather, time/date, UPS package tracking and more. Hook it up, leave it running, and toss the keyboard! I don't have a picture frame built yet, but here are some old machines set up as StarTTY viewers, some using serial-to-TCP/IP devices:

[fionaleigh]

duct tape rocks my world. i keep a roll in my purse at all time, along with pliers and a pocketknife. you're right, the tape does work with the frame.

[Pocket Universe]

Neat stuff, I know what I'll be fiddling with between Christmas and new year :)

[crazypyro]

aim sure you could find a screen saver that automatically displays pictures from a flickr count, then give it to someone, and when you upload a new picture, they see it.

[junebug69]

There is a screen saver app. for that. It's called Slickr, you can link it to all Flickr accounts or just ones you want.

[ewilhelm]

Digital picture frames are a really popular gift project here on Instructables, and lots of people are searching for digital picture frame how-to's. So, in addition to this great project, check out this guide to some of the best digital picture frames we have:
Instructables Digital Picture Frame How-to Building Guide

[IBreakHeavyStuff]

chr - if you would do an instructable for that would be awesome!

[Duckism]

I am all for DIY and stuff... but a little under 100 dollars? you can buy digital frames that size for way less than the price of this project.

[farmsteader]

yes they are cheaper than dirt now like 39.95 on Geek, but keep'in this trash outta the landfill is a very good thing dontcha think??

[Duckism]

yeah keeping trash out of the land fill is great, but doing it at this scale is seems like such bandage solution and this kind of attitude is what give companies and government to start green washing everything instead of coming up with new and actually pratical solutions. the amount of the stuff that would ended up being rescued from the landfill from DIY projects like this i don't think would even reach 0.01% of stuff that ended up goign to the landfills.

[Screwerman]

WOW. Q` TUANIS

[Computothought]

Normally I would not have looked at this instructable, but glad I did. Use gui so much I forget about the text mode for older systems. Looking at the startty.com comment gave me some great ideas. I feel an instructable coming on.

[indian_99]

If you need a light OS for your digital picture frame you can use this one based on openSUSE11.3: http://susegallery.com/a/OFJVZe/photoframe

[zack247]

is this possible with a lcd screen from a portable dvd player? i have one of those laying around, and i want to do something with it

[cliffyd]

yes me too! I have had this portable dvd player lcd for months and tried hooking it up, can it be done?

[zack247]

well, i had thought i had figured it out, but when i dug it out of the box the screen was cracked! all i can do now is use the cold cathode bulb, i really wish it didn't crack... good luck though!

[agnivohneb]

 I want to do a similar project using a LCD Monitor, and i DON'T want to hook my computer up to it. I seen this project and want to know... Where can I get the SanDisk Digital Photo Viewer and dose it have a VGA out on it?

[china wholesale]

Wow, isn't is so cool to see the how imagination of some of us can build great thinks?! however isn't much easy just to buy a cheap photo frame instead to destroy the laptops?! :)

[rkevans]

Please note that this was originally posted May of 2006.  Cheap digital photo frames did not exist.

[girlteen]

Good work, you earned your intstructables patch!

[ashleyv]

These digital frames are getting more affordable so most can buy one now, but very interesting post on how you built.
<a href="http://www.digitalsmartframes.com/portableusa.html">digital picture frames</a>
I'm sure there's more sense of accomplishment. How did she like it. cheers.

[DrThousand]

. The problem I have is finding a cheap enuf & large enuf LCD. How do I know if the device I find will take NTSC composite video? I want to make a monitor for a C64, to use for programming the C64 to control the LEDs on next year's 5' Star of Bethlehem at our church. (I hope it's considered in good taste)

[Grey_Wolfe]

In the case of our friend here, he bought lcd brands that are designed to accept composite video. You could purchase any one of the screens he suggested, or one for a PS One, and they would all work just fine. You comment makes me want to pull my C64/128 out of the bowels of storage and start playing with it again. :)

[Bigev]

I'm a huge fan of the Toggle Switch.

[FaqMan]

This ible would save me money instead of buying a store bought one.

[etechtim]

Good Job ! Looking forward to giving it a try. Keep up the good work. By the way, the part where you say "The adapter that comes with the viewer is labeled for 12 volts (but I was measuring 15 with my multimeter... all lies!) " has a basis in reality. Power supplies read higher when its just them and a multimeter. Its called "no-load" reading. Like driving at highway speed and you press in the clutch the engine will go to higher rpm's because it is not under the load of pulling the car.

[antennas]

A 7" screen now sells for $90 bucks. All that work to get a smaller screen. I think not.

[joedog86]

You're right - the price has dropped a great deal since originally making this Instructable. Notice the date when I originally posted this? That's right - it was a year and a half ago. If there's a better price somewhere, then by all means go for it. One advantage of making it on your own is that you can choose a frame that, y'know, looks nice and is not made of plastic.

[slim_jim]

"One advantage of making it on your own is that you can choose a frame that, y'know, looks nice and is not made of plastic." No, there is no advantage. If you want a nicer frame, take a working factory-built unit and add a frame. Cheaper and better.

[mspark400]

why are you so against this instructable, regardless of if it can be done cheaper or "better" this project represents something which comes with the pride of success and building something yourself. try to get that in a store now. i see no reason to argue with the quality of this fine instructable. if you don't want to build one then don't but some people might.

[matits]

But it doesn't have apple or sony written on it. Ha ha.

[mspark400]

well that is why the ipods used to come with stickers lol cheers, mspark400

[im_tux]

ahh didnt seee da date ty and sry for anything misyook 4 bashin

[swcrazy]

Hi everyone, I am new to the group and had a question. Is it possible to use an used LCD from a laptop for this project? Or how about a used LCD tv from a minivan? thanks.

[iprefermuffins]

From what I understand, laptop LCDs usually have a proprietary digital connection to the panel, so I doubt you'd have much luck with one.

[killerjackalope]

well if the lcd tv has composite input then yes cos the viewer is for tvs anyway

[Jollyrgr]

An unregulated 12V DC power supply with no load will read 15V easy. Throw a load on it and I'll bet it will settle down to 12V.

[spider36439]

That is correct. When a power supply is not connected to a load the voltage reading is called OCV (open collector Voltage). The OCV will very with rated voltage and current. if the power supply is rated at say 12 volts and you are reading 15 or more. just put a 12 volt light bulb near the rated power out and the voltage should be close enough to 12 volts for most projects.

[gtwest088]

I had an old dell 15" monitor sitting around and decided to make a picture frame out of it. I got on ebay and bought a card reader that hooks up to the tv and sends the signal through either composite or component video output. I had a wire that has component video on one end and VGA on the other. This didn't work. I assume it's because the reader sends out a different format than the monitor accepts. I think the monitor uses analog RGB but not really sure. Its just a standard old dell LCD monitor with only VGA input. Any idea on how to make this work without buying a component to VGA converter box on ebay for $100.00 ???

[jak06]

whats the resolution of the screen?

[Josh_B]

I really like your commentary throughout this instructable. It was amusing. The final product looks great!
Here's what eBay has for Digitial Photo Viewers and smaller LCD screens.

Digital Photo Viewer
PS1 & GameCube LCD Screens

[slim_jim]

Please think twice about spending $100 bucks based on instructions that several times mention the phrase "dumb luck." Just spend the $100 at Best Buy for a working unit.

[awkrin]

it's still a bit easier to just buy a photo frame instead of making one, but it's nice diy

[Elementix]

I'm currently making my dpf using the parts you used. Is there any way you could put a close-up of all the soldering points on the card reader?

[enterfarm]

Nice Post, if you looking for Cheap Digital Photo Frames in USA.

I Recommend

Cheap Digital Photo Frames

[kmodek]

Hi. I have 2 old Winbooks that have parts removed, but the screens are good. Is there anything I can do with the screens w/o a hard drive,etc.? I'd love to make some sort of digital photo frame with them! Thanks!

[im_tux]

yo cool, idea and nice job but nowadays go to tigerdirect.com and you can get a frame for like $60

[joedog86]

Yes, but you're missing the point of making one. It's a lot better gift than saying "I went to the store and bought you this thing with a plastic frame that doesn't really match the decorations of your house. Enjoy."

[technec]

I have a compaq screen and a store bought Dynex picture frame...trying to figure out how to repalce the store bought screen with my laptop screen....wow.

[computerwiz_222]

It is impossible to use a laptop LCD screen without the laptop. I have much experience working on laptop rebuilds and such... The ribbon cable usually uses a protocol called panel link. This protocol is for transmitting the DIGITAL signals directly off of the video controller. In a full size computer, the video output is digital then it is converted to analog in the form of a VGA connector then back into digital for display on the monitor attached. In a laptop, since they know that you will never remove the screen, they skip the extra digital-analog-digital and simply use digital to digital. The only way to use a laptop display is with an analog to digital laptop LCD converter. These are over 100 dollars plus SH. It is not really worth it.

[anom]

I can't seem to find a decently priced LCD on ebay, anyone have any suggestions?

[markdude]

I was looking into lcd screens and someone mentioned he had a car dvd screen that stopped working. figures the screen is still good. its 4.5" x 7". is this something i should consider for $20? also, the pic attached, is the sandisk shoot and store, now available at xs cargo for $20. can i use these 2 together? what do i need to look at the screen for to make sure it will work for what i need? thanks. Mark.

[mycroftxxx]

If the screen still works there is a greater-than-zero (actually, greater-than-small) chance that the LCD is actually being fed composite video from the DVD-player components. If you are comfortable mucking around inside consumer electronics, this has a pretty good chance of being a deal for you. As for the picture, can you supply a link to this Sandisk Shoot and Store? Any googling I do turns up a line of budget memory cards.

[Pocket Universe]

Great instructible, finally someone who does it properly and don't just turn an old laptop inside-out ;) Does the screen and the reader use the same voltage or did you have to do something clever to make that work?

[davidhammond1]

See step 3.

[jnk101]

gr8 work! i am looking for a similar screen with : touchscreen and/or dvi input secondly, in this category of gadets - screen with video in - which manuf offers the best quality, at this or similar screen size ve a few ideas stuck facing interface pl save me frm taking apart iPhone - LOL

[amaro001]

I have the same question as swcrazy... got an old laptop with a nice big screen. Hot can I get this wired to a card reader? By the way, nice job with the card reader. It seems to be a no-brainer compared to setting up a whole computer in pieces inside a frame

[jumpfroggy]

Most laptop LCD's use proprietary video cards (or hardware LCD driver) to drive the LCD itself, so it's usually not possible to use the laptop LCD without the laptop itself. You could repackage the entire thing like jongscx says, and then you wouldn't need the composite card reader (since you'd just use the laptop itself). In general, laptop LCD's would only support composite in through the laptop itself, given that the laptop itself supported composite in (pretty rare). So a broken laptop is a good candidate for this project, but it'll be very tricky routing everything so it's not a mess. Especially the tiny ribbon cables; look for ribbon cable extensions if you go into this.

[joedog86]

I really don't know how to hook up a laptop screen. The card reader only outputs either composite video or s-video, so you'd need to modify the screen somehow to accept that and I haven't a clue how to do that. If you want to salvage an old laptop, you'd be best off salvaging the whole thing and running the pics off of the hard drive.

[jongscx]

I would package the laptop itself as a picture frame, and have it run slide-shows of images in a drive. Then, hook up a card reader as that drive. Don't know how to automate it though. Maybe just have a wireless or slide-out keyboard/mouse hidden somewheres.

[stuffman]

A great resource for screens that will accept composite input is broken portable DVD players. Most of them have A/V IN so you can plug other devices into them, and it seems the least reliable part of the unit is the DVD player itself, so you end up with tons of perfectly good screens on eBay for way cheap. I guess the only problem is that you have to keep all of the circuitry of the player unit, which adds bulk to the frame. Great instructable, thanks for turning me on to the photo player thingy, I have about 15 of the aforementioned dead portable DVD players in my garage. Good work, you earned your intstructables patch! :0)

[joedog86]

You are quite correct about the screens. Great info and thank you for the compliment!

[roosta]

i just put a magnifying glass in front of my old camera screen and played it off that. works fine. not huge, but then again i not a big picture fan, hence why the magnifying glass is now attached to my ipod (so i can watch videos off it double the size :P) and the camera is collecting dust!

[joedog86]

That's a pretty cool idea

[thisislee]

Strong Magnets + Computer??? you are bold.

[DELETED_peejavery]

(removed by author or community request)

[M_1008]

Flash memory is not affected by magnets as long as they aren´t a magnetic storage device. I don´t think that this is really useful, but is well made and is always fun to make things :)

[joedog86]

Is any picture frame of any type "useful"? It's just meant to be looked at and enjoyed. Also, yes, the magnets are not endangering anything. It's not like anyone is rubbing the memory card all over the magnets before putting it in.

[explodingcow]

Great project I hope to get around to doing this

[idoo-dpf.com]

(removed by author or community request)

[joedog86]

Are you advertising?

[amy2007]

(removed by author or community request)

[joedog86]

Hey I got an idea - how about you stop spamming my Instructable? M'kay?

[trebuchet03]

Thanks for the heads up.... Deleted :)

[joedog86]

Thanks!

[muranoashtray]

Your finished product was pure class. I have a few things on the go but I can't wait to try this one. May I say the chrome border and white matt is very good taste. I know a G3 12" ibook just hankering to be a photo frame...

[dman97]

Could someone post pictures on how to wire the toggle switch and power plug

[Starters]

YOU DONT HAVE TO SOLDER!!!! First of all, great job joedog. I'm currently making one of these right now but I just wanted everyone to know that they do not have to solder to make this work. I have no experience with soldering so I went looking for a way to make this without soldering and I found one! It might be a little more expensive and not as much fun for some people but all you have to do is go here http://www.camerahacker.com/DigitalCameraVideoCable/Video_Transfer.shtml and follow those directions.

[joedog86]

Well, yeah, you don't have to solder but that adds bulk. It just depends on what screen you're using. If it already has a jack for video in, then use that if you don't know how to solder or whatever. But what's the fun in that, and can you really say that you made anything? Learn how to solder - you'll be able to do all sorts of stuff then.

[Hsquared]

Wow! this is a really cool instructable. if only it was simpler for us less electronically talented people does anyone no of a simpler, possibly cheaper, method?

[joedog86]

Plug the thing into your tv. No soldering, and you don't have to do anything. Or you could just go out and buy one now. When I first made this project, you couldn't find a digital picture frame for less than $200 (any decent ones, anyway). However, they are getting cheaper so if you don't care to learn anything then do that. Really this project isn't all that hard. Learn some more about electronics and then come back to this one, ok? All it takes is some basic knowledge about how electronics work.

[KingFriday]

The simpliticty of this project is great! I found the SanDisk viewer for about $23 w/shipping on ebay but I cannot find an game system LCD screen for as cheap as you did. I'm considering instead buying a defunct portable dvd player. The electronics should basically be the same right?

[joedog86]

Only if it takes "video in" and that video in is either s-video or composite (because that's what the sandisk viewer outputs).

[amethystjw]

Pretty slick! I like your metal frame. I created a digital picture frame myself using an older Dell Latitude. It displays pictures that I have in my Google Photos account wirelessly over the internet. If anyone cares to see a detailed account of how I did it and loads of high-res pictures, check it out at: http://www.ferhoodle.com

[wigadore]

I have attempted to make this work as you have in the pictures. I am not seeing how the whole power thing works...can you explain how to use one power source as I think I am doing it incorrectly since the screen is acting weird. Could you send me an email with the complete pictures and instructions?

[joedog86]

Last time I sent a detailed email I never heard back from the person or got a thank you. How about you tell me exactly how you set things up and we'll work from there. As for pictures and instructions, I don't know how much more detailed I can get from what I've already posted. Did you read each and every caption on all the pictures? What's the power rating on your adapter? The official PSOne screen power adapter is like 3.0 Amps, but that's becuase it's made to power the PSOne system as well. I've made it run off of a mulit-voltage adapter (anywhere from 3-12 volts) that's rated at 1000 mA.

[wigadore]

I made a power connection from the Sandisk to the Screen and I can see the image but there is white scrolling lines making the image look bad. I was using a multi adapter that ranges from 1.5 - 12V with a 300mA current. I ended up buying two and put one on each unit. The screen works perfect and so does the sandisk viewer. What I would like to do is get a single power supply to power both units. What do I need to do? Thanks so far...your project when working will keep me busy for Christmas.

[joedog86]

Well, it might be that the current for the adapter isn't high enough considering you're now powering two items instead of just one at a time. Aside from that, I don't think there should be any problem. Sounds like you're on the right path.

[wigadore]

Ok I will find a new adapter with a higher amparage and try again. Thanksfor the direction

[crg1400]

Hey does anyone know if magnum212 ever got his 6.4" LG lcd to work? Also, is it confirmed that you have to build the voltage regulator circuit, in order for this thing to work right? I just ordered my lcd, am bidding on a photo viewer, and got a shadow box like Chibichn. So hopefully I can get started on this thing be4 long.

[joedog86]

Well, you have to have the voltage regulator circuit if you don't have a power supply that will only give you 9 volts or less. Any more than that, and it fries the screen or makes it act goofy. I honestly think that is what's caused the image problems people have had - incorrect voltage. So, if you don't have an adapter that gives power in the range of 7.2 - 9 volts, get your hands on a 7808 voltage regulator. It'll fix your problem.

[wigadore]

I have the screen hooked up to the reader as you stated but I am getting scrolling bars(white) that distort the image. I am using an adapter that ranges from 3v - 12v and I have tried all settings and am getting nowhere. Can you setail more specifically what I need to do wiring and voltage for the two units. Thanks.

[eclipse06]

Hey, sweet tut. Im really new at this stuff, so I have a easy question. I am having some trouble getting ribbon cable, can I use some 22 gauge wire I have lying around?

[joedog86]

Yeah, any wire works.

[zachninme]

Also, I would suggest trying out the screen before you build this, so you know weather it's your fault or not :-)

[radio plano]

sorry, im new to this, im using rosin core too, but whats flux?

[joedog86]

Flux helps you make connections by both cleaning what you're connecting and helping solder stick to it. I think you can get some from RadioShack or an ACE Hardware store (get rosin flux - that's the kind you want.) If you're using twisted wire, use wire strippers to strip a little on the end, dip it into the flux, and touch it to a soldering iron that already has some solder on it. The solder will kind of be sucked onto the wire - this is called "tinning". After that, making connections is MUCH easier.

[joedog86]

Ah, here you go - more than you'd ever even want to know about soldering:

http://www.apogeekits.com/ApogeeKits_Free_Guide_to_Electronics_Soldering.pdf#search=%22beginners%20guide%20to%20soldering%22

[radio plano]

hi, ive been working on this but im having trouble soldering it, in new at this but i have had no trouble soldering other items like putting a capitor into a hole thing in the board, but soldering a wire onto the spots is hard, is there a certain type of solder im supposed to use?

[joedog86]

Just rosin core, I suppose. Have you tried using any flux on the wires?

[radio plano]

oh yeah, does it matter what kinda of wire i use?

[joedog86]

Not really - I used some ribbon cable from a computer repair store, but whatever you have on hand will work. It's just got to conduct electricity, so I guess you can salvage your wire from just about anywhere.

[pdx710]

Hey, I have quite a few questions about this, but I'd prefer to do it over e-mail. You can email me at pdx710[at]comcast[dot]net if you don't mind. I really just want to know, where this thing gets power, and a list of all the parts you used. i haven't done a whole lot of electronics work which is why I need the extra help here. I have found places to buy the card, card reader, and screen, and want to know what else i need other than a frame. Where can I find one of those power switches? Anyway, any help would be greatly appreciated.

[pdx710]

that's suppose to say just pdx710{at}comcast{dot}net

[pdx710]

PPS: if you could just tell me what wires go from what piece to what piece and what connection, that would be amazing; i'm thinking of drawing out a diagram to make sure i understand this right, and then I can scan and upload. what i understand so far is that you have: power adapter to screen and SD photoalbum, but i don't really get that, does it go from one to the next or split to both. and then you have composite video from SD to screen and do you need a regulator? what other connections might i need? fast responses would be great because i need to know if i can get some help on this before i start buying parts.

[joedog86]

email sent!

[al_skidoo]

I've started getting the bits together to build my digital frame, I bought a slightly different sandisk model, basically the same and I've gone out on a limb and managed to buy this...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=006&item=160005834371&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1

7.2" ps2 screen from joytech for £13 inc postage (about $30)

Hopefully I'll be able to dismantle it and get the whole thing running ok, will try and post some pics and let you know how I get on, anyone with experience of these screens please let me know, thanks guys

[joedog86]

Cool man. Keep us posted - you got a good deal on that screen.

[radio plano]

hi, i have no clue what im doing this will be the first time ive soldered anything, i bought the sandisk thing but ive got a portable dvd player screen, would that work for this?

[joedog86]

Does it take A/V in? Then yes. Think about it - the sandisk viewer outputs a signal to a tv originally. If you're able to connect stuff to the dvd player, then yeah, it'll work.

[MaximusZTS]

I just ordered all the stuff I need to make mine. I got the PSone screen on ebay for $25 shipped and the card reader for $20 Shipped. Soon I will be up and running. Great tut!

[joedog86]

Awesome, maximus. You make me proud, ok? Seriously, this project's a breeze. BTW, good find on the PSOne screen!

[MaximusZTS]

Okay I got my screen today. This weekend I am all over this.

[MaximusZTS]

Well I dont know what I did wrong. I got the picture viewer working great but the screen was really faint and now does not work at all. I may have gotten a bad screen. Bummer.

[magnam212]

http://lcd-panels-lcds.shopeio.com/inventory/details.asp?id=867&cat=Lcds&sub=Lcd%20Panels

I'm going to try and go with this for a screen....it has a composite video in and is used for Car DVD mods. I think the only tricky part will be the power-up. I'll let you know....

[joedog86]

Looks pretty slick - takes composite AND RGB. Nice. Also, looks like you could just use the adapter that comes with the viewer because that's a 12v adapter and the LG screen runs off of 12v, with a max of 14v. The screen I used only takes 7.5v with a max of 9v. Pretty cool - I don't think the power will be tricky at all!

[magnam212]

After reviewing the specs, I'm going to need the inverter for the backlight...another $15, but your're right, the inverter can take the 12V as well: http://inverter-lcds.shopeio.com/inventory/details.asp?id=1057&cat=Lcds&sub=Inverter

[aqueminiQ2]

I was looking at the specs. They seem to be a bit inconsistent. 12V for Vee most places, but in the pinout diagram it seems to be specified as 5V. My guess is the pinout is wrong. Also it appears you would need some flat ribbon cable (check out their overpriced bundle package, http://lcd-kits-lcds.shopeio.com/inventory/catalog.asp?ACTION=2&cat=Lcds&sub=Lcd%20Kits ) The difference should be the cost of the ribbon cable, which is an unreasonable $44. The cable seems necessary since soldering normal wire to the connections would be near impossible. I'm wondering if the $40 LCD comes with the cable, or at least where I can get some cable like that.

[Skyone]

And that's it? Wont you need a controller for it?

[magnam212]

I don't know? In reference to what? The power supply should (I say should, but we'll see) power the screen, backlight, inverter and viewer. Worst case, I burn down my house :)

[Genista]

I'm noticing that the likelihood of the bars showing up is greatly increased whenever an image is loaded. Sometimes they do come up without any obvious processing going on, but they show quite predictably after advancing the image, and shortly before automatic advance in the slide show. I haven't tested turning down brightness yet, as I've made the buttons quite hard to access in my setup.

[lutus8]

Plastic, can you be more specific? Have you hooked the screen up by itself to the original power adaptor? When you give it power does the screen get more black than when its off? Does the backlight come on at all? Have you measured the voltage input into the screen with a multimeter?

[plasticorange]

now my screen wont power on at all. this really sucks

[lutus8]

You are right, that is a voltage regulating circuit. When you are running both the screen and the photo album from the same source, your load voltage will change. The screen was meant to take care of this problem with the regulating circuit you are talking about but for some reason (not sure)it doesn't always work (especially when you take the screen out of the casing). Ever since I made the extra circuit it has fixed the grey bars 100%. I know it kinda sucks to have to make another circuit, but it will work. Good luck!

[lutus8]

Also, I was able to produce the grey bars even with my fix by turning the brightness way up. So if it looks like your picture is "almost there" try turning the brightness down and see if the grey bars go away.

[joedog86]

Excellent! Good work - this is some good info that I'll share with the guys at benheck.com as well. I've never run into this problem, but it's good to know that there's a decent fix if I do.

[SyBerWoLff]

How does this work? Does it display one picture? is it like a slideshow? Ive never seen a digital picture frame before and I'm baffled, I have a wedding comming up soon and this seems like the perfect gift, just would like to know how it works.

[joedog86]

It plays a slideshow of whatever pictures are on your memory card. You can use the included remote to change how frequently the picture changes, from 1 - 60 seconds between pictures. You can also use the remote to zoom in, rotate, and delete pictures off of the card.

[prizepony]

I have wired everything up according to what you say. I get a picture on screen and everything powers up probably but I seem to have white lines hover on the LCD screen. Is this a problem anyone has encountered? Everything works fine except for these lines. There are about two bunches on screen and each bunch is made up of about 10 white lines. Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this?

[prizepony]

it looks like when a TV signal hasn't been tuned in.

[joedog86]

Hmmm, I don't know exactly what it is. Could the ribbon cable going to the screen have become partially dislodged somehow?

[prizepony]

Both units are powered. I tried the video out from the digital viewer and that works perfectly on a TV. I've narrowed it down so that it is something with the actual LCD screen. I have tried soldering the video cable, tied simply touching the contacts from the digital viewer to the LCD, and even connected a lead from the digital viewer to the video line which was still intact on my PS2 Zenith screen. The only thing I can think of is that the LCD got damaged somewhere along the way. I have purchased a new PS2 Zenith LCD with hopes that the new screen will be fine. I'll keep you updated.

[plasticorange]

Prizepony im getting something similiar to this too. Ive got the one power source from the screen. I have the power going from that source to the screen. Then i have the grnd and the power of the screen connected to the disc reader. Also, I have the video out of the reader to the screen. And ive got this: http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5490/1124/320/PICT0913.jpg

any ideas on what it could be? I can kinda see the picture back there, but that white bar scrolls up to the top and photo is really bad--almost like a negative.

Thanks for the help.

[plasticorange]

so i got the color to come up, but it is still bad, ie a black bar and two white bars that roll up the screen. I googled it and found this---which is kinda like what I got.

video: http://static.howstuffworks.com/mpeg/q336.mpg

the link: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/question336.htm

any help would be great
j

[prizepony]

i had the exact same problem. i already gave the picture frame to a friend so i'm unable to post any pictures of the final product. But, i feel the author of these instructions left out a rather crucial step in constructing the digital picture frame. throughout the instructions, he hides the power plug in most pictures and rarely, if ever, mentions it. i simply thought i could rip the yellow power plug out of my PS2 LCD screen and use that as a plug to power both devices. unfortunately, that wasn't the case. i ended up buying another LCD screen because I thought i damaged the first one, but in fact... if you take the entire curved enclosure (includes a little solder board w/ power plug and propriatery A/V input) and use that whole piece as the power plug everything will work fine. ignore all the extra wires and only use the power and ground leading out of this enclosure. if you need pics... let me know and i'll try to post some. what screen did you use?

[joedog86]

I used the yellow power plug from a PSOne screen - I just desoldered it from the board. All you need is a power jack that works with your power supply - it's basic electronics. Connect power and ground and you're done. I don't know why it didn't work for you without it being on the board. Did you actually rip it out of the board or desolder it?

[Genista]

I'm very curious about this, since I have the same trouble with my screen. I'll try putting in the rest of the screen setup between the transformer and the plug tonight. In the meantime, do you have a notion of what function the additional parts provide that fixes the problem?

[Genista]

Thanks for that. Here's my original reasoning: since I'm running the screen off it's own power supply, I would expect the electronics of the screen to be able to deal with the output of that supply. So I looked in the screen casing for this voltage regulator, and indeed found a little extra board with two capacitors and three resistors hidden in the base of the plastic mount. I'll try and figure out the size of the components, but clearly this is meant to regulate power input to the screen. I've now put it between the SanDisk power pins and the power in of the screen board, and indeed it got rid of most of the flickering. Now it sometimes just plain works, but sometimes there are still horizontal bars, moving very slowly upwards. I guess that could be due to the addition load from SanDisk, only the voltage regulator should get rid of problems because of that, shouldn't it? I'd go ahead and try building the regulator you worked out, if it weren't for my above reasoning, which suggests that the screen ought to run with its own power supply, so the problem has to be somewhere else.

[lutus8]

Ok, I'll do the hard part for you. You need the following:
LM317T voltage regulator
3.9Kohm resistor
100ohm resistor
680ohm resistor
.1uF capacitor
1uF capacitor

I know this based on the following formula:
Vout=1.25(1+R2/R1)
In this case R2 will be the 3.9Kohm resistor, R1 will be the 100 and the 680 resistor in series, and the box of the regulator will show you the picture of the circuit. Plugging in these values you get this:
Vout=1.25(1+(3900/780))
Vout=7.5V

P.S. Get a heatsink to put on the voltage regulator,RadioShack part# 276-1368.

[lutus8]

Well, the actual regulating circuit I speak of will be an external one that you will solder to a small board, it is not found on the screen itself. You need to go to buy a LM317T voltage regulator and on the back, build the circuit you see. There is a little formula to help you pick resistors in order to get the desired output voltage. This is the circuit you place before the screen (but not before the sandisk photo album).

[Genista]

I took apart the Screen base, and found what I believe might be such a voltage regulator in it, two big capacitors, and three tiny components. I tried putting that into the power chain, with the same results as above. I haven't tried inserting the regulator just between the screen and power, leaving the SanDisk on unregulated power, but will tonight. I also noticed that the black power ground that is routed through the five-pin rotatable connector base in the screen splits into a thick and a thin component, with the thick going to the screen board power input and the thin into one of the multiconnector plugs. I'm therefore wondering wether the screen needs dual grounding (separate video grounding). A final curious note: I disconnected all the cables from the SanDisk yesterday, and still got the bars on my TV, both with the SanDisk power supply and the screens power supply. This rattled me, until I found that switching the SanDisk off and on again using its power switch (rather than disconnecting the power) fixed it. I never really liked electronics.

[Genista]

Sorry, that was misleading. I meant to say that putting the circuit into the power connection did not get rid of the bars and image issues.

[plasticorange]

ive had to buy another sandisk, cause for some reason, mine gets no power now. Power is running into it....anyone know if I can reroute around a fuse or something in the viewer to get this thing back working? my new one should arrive in the next several days. So far im into this project $78 not including the frame. Quickly getting close to retail price.

[lutus8]

To all those with rolling bars on their screen or bad contrast... I also had this problem when I hooked up my Zenith Xbox screen but it seems there is one piece missing. Some screens (not sure the criteria) are very particular on their input voltage. The wall adapter that came with my screen said 7.2V but it measured 11.8V on the multi-meter. You need to insert a voltage regulating circuit in between the wall power and the screen but not between the wall power and the photo album viewer. Do not fear, this circuit is only a couple resistors, a couple of capacitors and a variable voltage regulator. I believe the name of the regulator is LM317T. They have them at Radio Shack (You've got questions, and so do we!!!)... morons. Anyways, when you buy this part ( I will confirm the name by tonight ) on the back of the package it instructs you how to build the circuit in order to get any output you want. I will give more details later when I get home but I did this and it fixed my rolling bars on the video. And by the way, go to www.benheck.com to really get your screen answers. (and buy the book).

[plasticorange]

ive bought the goods for this project for my gf's birthday. Screen cost $13 shipped, sandisk was $21 shipped. And i have an 8, 16 and 128 mb card laying around. Im interested in relocating the card slot so that you can access the card without having to take apart the frame. Has anyone done this yet? thanks j

[joedog86]

No I don't think so - go for it. Personally, I think that'd be more work than it's worth - there's a lot of little wires you'd need to connect.

[prizepony]

for my picture frame, i placed the picture viewer instead the frame towards the side then cut out card holes for the Compact Flash and Sony Memory stick. Now, the two memory cards can be stuck into the side of the frame and they will go directly into the digital viewer. Works great. Unfortunately, I scraped the ability to use Secure Digital and the other one because the cards are too small and its too difficult to slide one of those cards through the thickness of the frame.

[Genista]

Hey, this is great, thanks a lot for it. I'm trying to build a digital Brewster Stereoscope from these components, and have almost succeeded with the imaging part of it, but I have a similar problem to plasticorange above. I suspect a ground loop, but I've hooked everything up exactly like you described, and if I disconnect the ground, I get no image at all. Where does the second wire connected to ground on the SanDisk board go on your setup? In other words, is your ground connection just between that spot on the SanDisk, and the scraped location on the LCD board, or did you connect any of the plug grounds, or any of the spots labeled GND on the LCD board?

[joedog86]

Yes, the ground connection is just between the spot on the SanDisk and the scraped location on the LCD board. I'm sorry you're having problems - this is the second Zenith/PSOne screen that I've taken apart, and I've haven't had that particular problem yet. You might check out the benheck.com forums if you need more info about the guts of the PSOne screen.

[Genista]

Wow, quick response. I should maybe mention that I got the XBox version of the Zenith, just for completeness. Looks exactly like yours, though.

[cobracf2]

this is the PS1 screen hooked up to the Camcorder Cable with a coupler to a sega saturn.
http://www.saturnleague.com/mxbb/index.php?page=5&smartor_mode=album_cat&cat_id=10
just click pics to enlarge

[joedog86]

Well, I don't know - the funny thing is that the Zenith screen IS the PSOne screen. I guess they bought the rights to it or the patent or something. It's the exact same board, just a different plastic case. There's an extra capacitor on the back, but I think that's to get cleaner video. I don't know what's going on with your particular setup. All I got to say is that it should be working.

[speed_racer]

So perhaps I'm a bit niave in this...just ordered all the parts, but it seems that the electrical connections don't creat a complete circuit. Am I missing something. I see the power in and ground, is that all that is needed? Also, I assume the connection on the far left of the san disk (2 wires soldered to the board at the same place) is for ground? Thanks so much. Look forward to getting this up and running!

[speed_racer]

Bueller? Bueller? Please help...thanks...

[joedog86]

Umm, did you connect video? You need video, power, and ground. Connect the video connections, the power connections, and the ground connections. And yes - the two wires in one spot on the sandisk is ground. In most electronics, there's a whole bunch of places to get ground, and I just chose that spot because it was convenient. Perhaps you didn't connect ground between the two? That's normally something I miss...

[tbrad054]

so...dumbed down to the basics...the way this works is that you are connecting the video out cable from the card reader to the video in cable in the lcd screen?

[tbrad054]

and is there any way to do this without soldering?

[joedog86]

Ha ha - not securely. I suppose you could tape it into place or hot glue it, but soldering is what makes the electronics world go 'round. And yes - you got the basic idea for how the thing works. Think about it - it connects to a tv. All I did was make a permanent connection between it and a screen.

[dchidest]

very cool use of technology. i wish i was tech savy enough to do this myself. I think i will go the purchase route since the prices of these have dropped now to about $150 for a 7 inch screen like this one from edge.

http://www.edgetechcorp.com/accessories/digital-picture-frame.asp

[hjjhjhgjjh]

http://www.instructables.com/ex/i/D4DE69D04BAC1029AC23001143E7E506/?ALLSTEPS
Check out my solar powered - 9volt usb altoids charger its pretty sweet

[cobracf2]

This is a bit off topic but ive been trying to get my Xbox Zenith 5" TFT to play using any of my videogames systems using a camcorder cable and a RCA coupler. The PS1 screen works using this method. For some reason the Zenith screen for xbox does not. anyone have any ideas how I might achieve this? I figured since you guys basically have gutted the thing you might know. There is nobody out there who has worked with the Zenith screens.

[ChibiChn]

Hey there! I wanted to show you my final project and thank you for the help/how-to.

http://students.ou.edu/D/Michael.K.Do-1/frame/8.jpg

I happened to notice that you're an Oklahoma college student, and it happens to be that am too! I'm a computer engineering student over at OU. How about yourself?

[joedog86]

Hey, that's pretty sharp! Very professional looking, and I like the frame - maybe I'll go with that look for my next one. Ha ha - that's really cool. Us Oklahomans gotta stick together. I'm studying chemistry at UCO.

[bmwe30is]

That's sweet!! But one question, does anyone know if that card reader supports pictures at 8MP?? I use my dad's digital SLR quite a bit...

[MaximusZTS]

If not you can resize them on a PC.

[bluthgeld]

Sweet, thanks! It's an intec 5.6" lcd.

[joedog86]

Well, here's the deal - if you're able to very carefully open it up and see if there's a video adjust board that's separate from the lcd board, then you're going to have to do a bit more work than I did. Check it and see.

[vivacharlietuna]

I have listed a number of similar projects on my laptop digital picture frame resource site: http://likelysoft.com/hacks/pictureframes.shtml

This project is listed there, and the others on the site might be a good resource for anyone inspired by this project to create their own digital frame (I have two!)

[joedog86]

Cool! Rock on...

[Sleepy888]

Any ideas on how you can use an LCD screen from an old laptop? I've got 2 of those at home... now that would be a nice large picture screen...

[joedog86]

Not unless you're using the rest of the laptop with it. Those tend to be digital, whereas composite video is analog.

[ChibiChn]

It works! You were right, it was easy easy easy! I made mine with a zenith ps2 screen. It was a little bit odd to crack open, but not too bad. The only thing I need to do is to find a way to secure the lcd module to the circuit board. I actually found the same frame you used at Walmart, but I stopped by Hobby Lobby and found this "shadow box" frame that was the perfect depth. It's like a small wooden box with glass in the front and a normal frame backing. All I gotta do is get a custom mat cut for the glass and mount everything inside. Perfect. Much less work! However, when you're having the Sandisk display an image on the screen, can you get the picture to fill the entire screen? It seems as though I have to live with an approximately 1/2 cm border around the image. Any ideas? Or is yours the same way?

[joedog86]

Mine is the same way - there is a bit of a black border, but it's pretty small and honestly I think it looks great when centered with the custom matting. In my opinion, it makes it look a bit more professional.

[bluthgeld]

I'm really interested in putting one of these together. I picked up the sandisk photoalbum ($20), but have been hesitant to buy one of the PSone screens, as I have an Xbox screen from my brother, would could sell the xbox but not the screen. Is the screen quality vastly different between these two lcds?

[joedog86]

Is it a Zenith XBox screen or something else? Tell me what brand you have and I'll see what I can find out.

[magnam212]

Have you looked into using a TFT with a composite input? You can get an LG 6.4 in for about $40.

[joedog86]

Are you talking to me or people who were asking questions about screens?

[magnam212]

I was talking to you joedog. I've already ordered the card reader off ebay for $20 shipped, but I'm not too wild about using the PSone screen (although it looks and works great). I was going to try using a TFT LCD with a composite input. There is a nice one on www.eio.com for about $40.

[riario]

this look great... i can't wait to make one

[fc9k]

Hey, I had a psone screen kicking about so thought I'd build this. I've bought the photo viewer, now I'm looking for a frame. Can you give me some dimensions of the one you've got? Like viewable size etc?

[joedog86]

I'm afraid not - it's no longer in my posession. Honestly, I just kinda eyeballed a lot of it. The design for the whole project was basically made up as I went along.

[ChibiChn]

Hah. One last question: Could you tell me approximately how thick the lcd + photo viewer are when put together like you have done? I'm going to try and find a premade frame that will fit all of the components while I wait for my parts to come. :)

[joedog86]

So you're actually making one? Cool! I feel special... On step two I mentioned that it's just below an inch and a half. I'd make an exact measurement, but I already gave the thing away! Make sure to check out all my pictures - I put a lot of info on those, too.

[ksosh]

What kind of wire did you use to connect the screen board to the media board? Sorry, i'm a noob at this.

[joedog86]

It's the stuff I use for all my electronics projects - ribbon cable! Just go into a computer repair store and ask them to cut you off a length. They have miles of the stuff. I spent like $4 on a long stretch months ago and I still have plenty left.

[ChibiChn]

Oh yeah, I forgot to ask, what's with the dangling 1000uF cap?

[joedog86]

Well, it's the only thing that's different between the sony psone screen and zenith screen. I guess I lied earlier. Aside from that though, that's the only thing that's different. It's just there, so I didn't mess with it too much.

[ChibiChn]

I know that the Sony PSone screen has a small controller board that is seperate from the main board, and was wondering if the Zeniths were the same. I assume that the board is unnecessary, since you can just solder the connection you need right onto the main board, correct?

[joedog86]

Yeah, you just need the board that the screen connects to - it's pretty much one unit. Way easy to use. For our purposes, the Zeniths and Sony PSOne screens are the exact same.

[dokein]

Cool project. I've been looking for a source of inexpensive smaller LCDs for various other projects. And in checking prices I found that they sell small photo frames for about as much as you spent on the gamecube display and cardreader combined. See http://www.sparco.com/cgi-bin/wfind2?spn=W13083

One of these could be simply be transferred from its cheap plastic enclosure to a handsome frame like yours, making this more of a case mod and less of a hardware hack.

[joedog86]

You're free to do whatever you want to, dude. I was just having fun.

[joedog86]

Thank you for the compliment on the frame, though.

[Barleyman]

Nice, I hadn't seen one with such a cheap LCD before, any way to make this flickrized via wifi, even if it would up the cost $50?

[joedog86]

Ah, but you're missing the whole "cheap and easy" part... I dunno - I wonder how much bulk that would add to the whole project.

[puffin_juice]

Nice job...your project seems to be quite the hit. two other web blogs have published it

[joevennix]

hey i know you from benheck picture frame looks great, you got lucky with the matte too i see

[joedog86]

Ha ha where do you think I got the idea?

[iam7805]

I know both of you from Benheck so ha! Back on topic, that picture frame looks leet. Very professional looking!

[radiorental]

flowers also work (o; nice project all the same