DIY Transparent Side Panel From a Recycled Monitor!

Intro: DIY Transparent Side Panel From a Recycled Monitor!

I saw a really cool video of a PC case called "Snowblind", that had a transparent LCD Screen as a side panel. I was amazed over how cool it was. The only problem was that it was really expensive. Therefore, I tried making my own! In this instructables I will go through how I made it, and how you could make your own. The best of all, since it was made from an old monitor that was thrown away, it was basically free! I just added some LED strips on the inside of the case to get better contrast on the screen. You could probably re-use the monitors backlight, but it's safer and easier to just get some cheap LED strips.

STEP 1: Watch the Video!

I made a video documenting the process, please check it out!

STEP 2: Get the Parts

Here is a list of parts that I used:

Case: NZXT H510

Parts:

- Monitor (Dell Ultrasharp 1905FP - 19 inch / 1280 x 1024 / 4:3): Monitor that was thrown away, so I got it for free

- Wires (AliExpress / Amazon) or you can probably reuse some wires from the monitor

- Led Strip: (AliExpress / Amazon)

- Vinyl: (AliExpress / Amazon)

Tools:

- Soldering Kit (AliExpress) (Amazon)

- Wire Stripper (AliExpress) (Amazon)

STEP 3: Dissasemble the Monitor

The first step is to disassemble the monitor. The disassembly is pretty well documented in the video I made. I have also added some pictures so you can see the steps. The steps of disassembling the monitor will not be the same for every monitor, therefore I will not go into detail of every step.

It's just to remove all the screws you see, and pry off the front frame. Be careful with any ribbon cables going to the front frame.

Next, remove the circuit boards, the PSU and the controller.

PS: DO NOT DISASSEMBLE THE MONITOR UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. THE PSU COULD STILL HAVE SOME CHARGE IN THE CAPACITORS THAT MIGHT ELECTROCUTE YOU.

STEP 4: Find the Power Connections

You will have to reverse engineer the controller to find the power connections, and solder a new power connector on. This way, you can use the ATX power supply that powers your computer. I used a multimeter, where I had one probe to the ground plane (For example around the mounting screws), and used the other probe to search for 5V or 12V power on the pins coming from the power supply.

I used the Molex connector, because it has both 5V for the LCD controller, and 12V for the LED strip.

STEP 5: Modding the LCD Panel

First, remove the frame of the panel. It is fixed with clips, so just bend the frame a little and lift the frame up. Next, separate the front LCD from the backlight. For the next step, you will have to be careful. This step involves removing the anti glare film. It is glued to the panel, and therefore it's easy to break the LCD when trying to remove it.

To remove it place some paper towels on top, and then carefully pour water on it until the towels are soaked. Let it sit for around 24 hours. After 24 hours, try to start pealing the layer from the corner. If it sticks in some places, place a wet paper towel on that space and wait some more.

Then you are done modding the LCD! Now, you can hook it up to the panel and test it. Just be careful with the ribbon cables going from the LCD PCB to the panel.

STEP 6: Mounting the LCD Panel and LED Strips to the Glass Side Panel

The side panel of this case fits the LCD perfectly. Just line it up to the side facing the back, and to the top, and use some tape to tape it to the glass. Then, use some vinyl on the outside where the LCD is not covering the glass.

Next, use some double-sided tape to fix the LED strips to the inside of the frame. Then, solder them together in series. You can now solder on a wire and connect them to the 12V line of the Molex connector.

It's really important to have lots of lights inside the case, to make it easier to see the LCD. Therefore, try to fill the case with even more LED strips.

STEP 7: Mounting the Controller in the Case

You are now ready to assemble everything. In this case, the controller fit nicely in the hard drive compartment, so I glued it there and fed the ribbon cable through the hole in the inside of the case. That way it was pretty much hidden inside the case.

Now you can carefully mount the side panel back on the computer. You might have to drill a new hole for the thumb screw in the back to make it fit properly.

I used a DVI to HDMI cable that I ran through the bottom of the case, and then into the graphics card.

STEP 8: DONE!

You can now power up the computer, open the screen settings and set it up for dual screens. You might have to flip the display 180 degrees too. When you have done that, open Wallpaper Engine and set a wallpaper of choice!

Black and white wallpapers works the best:)

Any questions?

Ask in the Discord Channel, or send me a message:)

Comments

[mbiebl66]

After I removed the film, the panel no longer works.

It has no cracks or scratches

[SrakenKraken]

Hello everyone! I have this situation: both 13 and GND are on the left at once. what to do?
Samsung SyncMaster 913N
I will be very grateful help

[Wale]

Hello, I have the same problem, did you found a solution ?

[Nanashi24]

Подскажите, как зафиксировать дисплей на стекле ?

[roedemis]

Hello there, is anyone able to help? I have the following pins on my controller board but no clue where to solder the ground and the 5V (there are two!). Or is this even a 12V display cause there are two 12V pins. Thanks for your help

[DylanM108]

Same issue, I've two 5V and two 12V, and 4 GND, i don't know if I need to connect everything

[roedemis]

I did connect all in the end to the PSU. And it worked… But no guarantee it works for yours as well…

[DylanM108]

Thank you very much for your reply!
So the two 5V on the same 5V molex, and the two 12v on the same 12v molex, right? I'll give it a try later this week and let you know! :)

[MílaS]

Does it work for you? I connected 2x5V to molex black and red cable. The system displays the monitor, but the monitor still won't turn on :/

[DylanM108]

Connect the 2x5V to the molex 5V red cable, and the 2xGND to black cable

[a.asverdlov]

Cool!!! Hi! How did You mount the LCD PCB? I have the case wit the only glass cover...

[frankmaster05]

When wiring I connect the ground of the Molex cable to the ground on the display and the 5v to one of the pins that read 5v on the display just making sure it’s my first time doing this

[AT34z]

Running power to 5v pin on from my motherboard to the controller. My comp recognizes the monitor, LCD not powering up.

Tested everything After I pulled apart, was working. Nothing is broken….help. Thanks!

[Exxor]

I have the same problem, I have read on google that the lcd could also be 3,3v (check if you have 3.3v lanes) so i will be trying to solder a sata cable to it because it comes with 3,3 and 5v connectors but the im not sure if save to use sata cables

[DewilLucas]

It's an amazing project, but isn't there any risk of destroying your psu if you use too much power in games or in heavy tasks?

[Baxboy123]

No, modern PSUs automatically shut off, so it would be more of "PC randomly shuts off when playing game"

[noelb22]

Hey I have a little question, I also have a Dell 1905FP, but I think it's an older model because I don't have a ribbon cable but a normal cable with a plug. My problem is that I have peeled off one film but it still looks like there is a second film on the back because it is still a little blurry. But I'm afraid that if I try to pull them off, my LCD display will break. Maybe you have an idea. Thanks in advance

[bertrand23]

Stunning result ! Bought for 10€ a Dell 1907FPc which is fairly similar to yours. I have trouble identifying the pin layout to find the 5V pin. Did you plug in the power supply to your AC while checking with your multimetter ?

[coopstercoop41]

Looks amazing, just curious how it would look with no backlighting, but instead being having a reflective white piece of paper?

[cheehow]

Great tutorial and video! I'm trying my hand at replicating your process and I even got my hands on the exact monitor. I have reached the point where I've disassembled the panel and controllers, and discharged the capacitors from the PSU, but I am a little stuck at this point because I don't know how to wire up the molex header. I watched your video and saw that you had two wires soldered to the power connector. Which connectors are they and where do they go on the molex cable? Thank you!