Privacy monitor hacked from an old LCD Monitor

Step 7 Reassemble glasses and enjoy!

Finally assemble the glasses and you are ready for some fun!
People might think you are crazy, staring at a blank white screen wearing sunglasses!
But I guess that makes it even more fun!

Comments

[beaver84]

Neat!

[Electorials]

Really awesome!

[Xarxos]

Any idea if this works with LED monitors as well?

[sethcim]

(removed by author or community request)

[mcavano]

LED monitors have the same LCD matrix, they just have a different back light system, which is of no consequence to this hack. Should work great!

[wwinquist]

I have two questions, both of which deal with one problem: I wear prescription glasses. How well does this thing work if you try to use both your lenses and the polarized film? Also, would getting prescription 3D glasses work with this as well? (What about regular 3D glasses like you can get at Best Buy?)

[nflemming2004]

3d glasses for home tv's work using an LCD-shuttering technology (expensive, but works on home tv's), where the movies use a polarization technology (cheap, but only works for special projected displays), so the 3D glasses at best buy won't work. Then again, the 3D glasses at the movies won't work either, since they use "circular" polarized films, and for this hack you need "linear" polarized films...

[wwinquist]

What about the prescription part? Would figuring out a way to apply it over the lens work or be worth it?

[lis.tesla]

the best thing is to get regular polarized sunglasses
for mine the best angle is to slightly tilt my head to the left but still it's cool

[Irishpyro]

Might I suggest trying to make a sort of clip on for your glasses? Like those shades you can get that attach to the front of your glasses. Am I making sense?

[jumpfroggy]

This is the route I would go. Get a pair of those cheap $5-10 clipons from the store. Remove the lenses. Cut the polarizer into shape for each lens, drill holes, and re-mount to the clip. Then you can clip them to your glasses.

Another alternative is to use the "slide on" / "coverall" type sunglasses - the ones old people use over their glasses. They're basically oversized sunglasses made to fit over normal glasses, which is exactly what we want here. Pop out the lenses, replace with polarizers, and you should be set.

[nflemming2004]

If you can figure out a way to get the filter in front of your glasses (on the opposite side of the glasses as your eyeballs) it should work fine.

If you get prescription polarized sunglasses, they should work halfway, since polarized sunglasses are polarized horizontally, and almost all monitors are polarized 45 degrees from horizontal. The downside of this is that what you'll see is half the light from the image displayed, and half from the "blank screen" effect that everyone else sees, giving you a large reduction in contrast (but you should still be able to see it).

[ninjatesshin]

cool man!!!!!

[clee45]

I think it will work well with the mobile phone. I have a concern about touch function. Anyone ever tried this?

[dado]

Very cool
Just wondering if this can be adapted to work with prescription glasses?

[Light_Lab]

I have modified clip on Polaroids for some of my customers to use with the monitors I and laptops I have modified. These are a bit dark but have the advantage that they just flip up out of the way.

[nflemming2004]

You could wear your polarizer glasses over your prescription glasses... You really can't get prescription polarized glasses that will work well for this

[Uthman]

i went on craigslist and picked up a 14" gateway lcd for 15 bucks. not bad I guess, a buck an inch.

so i tried this and everything works as per specification. what i did notice, however (and what the article neglected to mention), was that the polarization film makes the contents of the screen fuzzy -- especially the further you are away from the monitor. If you are more than 2 feet away from it, then just forget it. as cool as this project is, due to this limitation, it's really more unpractical than anything else.

the filter was made to function while pressed directly onto the glass. even moving the filer an inch away from the glass and you can already see a large degradation in picture quality.

[dimovi]

Look at this image
http://www.instructables.com/image/FS9CRH1GV9CELUY/Monitor-done.jpg
notice how the upper left part of the film is clear, but the bottom right is hazy.
That's because I removed only half of the anti-glare film.

[dimovi]

You must have either the glue or the matte film still stuck on the polarized film.
If you remove everything from the polarizing film it would be crystal clear. The movie above was recorded with the glasses 5 feet away from the monitor. If you can't clean your polarized film just buy some online. If you happen to have polarized sunglasses, you can try it by holding them far from the monitor at 45 degree angle.

[Uthman]

The thing I had was pretty thin, but ill take a look at it again when i get to work tomorrow. Thanks for the tip =)

[RyanWilliamTyler]

Will this work with the Sony PSP?

[Ds HaKa]

It'l work on anything with an LCD screen. So yes, it works on PSP.

[Ds HaKa]

What all these people are realizing is that if you can watch the normal LCD TV with prescription glasses, you can do this.

[smwlkc]

VERY WONDERFUL HACK!, personally i'm not sure i would have ever thought of this myself, I do say tho, i'm not as prone to trying it since i really don't have an extra monitor laying around to rip apart, and knowing my luck possibly ruin. :p

[Solokian]

I'm probably not the first one to get this idea, but could we use polarized filters to block out those pesky video advertising board in the subway?

I guess one would only need 3D glasses with each lens with the same polarization, right?

Now the perfect thing would be to find transparent polarized filters...!

[nflemming2004]

the only problem with this is that not all monitors/displays' outer polarizing filter are oriented the same. if you go into an office cubicle farm and rotate a polarized filter to block out one screen, then look around at the others, you're likely to notice that there will still be a bunch of monitors which you can see

[ljarrald1]

i have about 5 laptop screens from old laptops, all of them would fit in my current laptop, i might modify one of the screens for this (would be brilliant for the train!)

[shtihl]

i was thinking that to. i have a 'spare' laptop i use strictly for doing things that to me are non critical but i might use it for more while on the road with such a brilliant privacy screen. my only issue is i wear glasses so i would have to create a custom clip on for over my glasses

[ofrancis]

but if the screen has a polarity film on it doesn't that mean it's protecting your eyes from the damaging light coming from the screen, and then removeing it is making you more exposed???

[dimovi]

None of the light from an LCD monitor is damaging. The filter is there for a different reason.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_crystal_display

[Xarxos]

The wiki shows that there are two polarizing filters. We only need to remove one, right?

[dimovi]

Yes, remove the one on the glass.

[rscheible]

Also, you're not removing the polarity film, you're just moving it from the screen to your glasses. Either way, it's in between you're eyes and the light, so even if there was any "damaging light" it wouldn't be a problem.

[bhafner]

Would be for people around you, staring at your blank screen without the "special galsses" ^^

[nflemming2004]

no damaging light, they just won't see the image

[Dantex]

no, polarization filter is there because LCD just work that way

about half light is by default blocked by polarization filter, and other half is blocked by crystals (the ones which create image)

[duckef]

Teenagers can now watch pr0n at home with headphones on and no one will suspect a thing!

See this is why I hate being old we never had such cool things when I was a teenager :(

Cool idea though I think I will do it to scare my house mates into thinking I've lost the plot.

[klimb]

Ergh, can't imagine watching porn would be too enjoyable with your parents hovering around.

[nboost]

can i use the polarized glasses for everyday life ?