REUSE ANY OLD LCD SCREEN BY UNIVERSAL CONTROLLER BOARD MT6820

by msameer39

7.6K1119

Intro: REUSE ANY OLD LCD SCREEN BY UNIVERSAL CONTROLLER BOARD MT6820

Assalamoalikum Dear Friends,

Today I want to share my experiment of using my old screen from a Dell laptop which had stopped working.

It went pretty smooth however there were some blind spots where I was not having any idea what to do.

Like there was no catalogue or brochure in the box of universal lcd controller box which tells how to connect cables and power supply. But now I can say it can be done in few easy steps.

Requirements:-

1) LCD screen (either from laptop, monitor or LCD TV)

2) Universal Controller board / Specific board for LCD screen model (with or without inverter)

3) Cable to connect LCD screen with Board

4) Power Supply (PC power supply will work best as it has 3.3volts, 5 volts, 12 volts available)

STEP 1: Step 1: Grab Details of Available Screen

First, look for the model number on the back of your LCD screen and search datasheet.

You have 2 options here

1)Search a controller board for your model. (It may be expensive around 23-50$ but requires less experience and knowledge)

2) use Universal controller board which will be dirt cheap (around 3.6$) and with VGA connector only but you need some experience and also some deeper information about your board and screen.

In my case, I was having an LG LP140WD1 (TL)(M1) which doesn't require inverter (inverter provides high voltage to backlit leds or lamp)

Two important things to grab from manual or datasheet are :-

1) Operating Voltage (in my case 3.3 volts)

2) Backlit Voltage (in my case 12 volts)

3) Maximum resolution and specs (in my case it was 1600x900 , 6bit, 2 channel)

Both options were available in universal controller board MT

STEP 2: Step 2 Connect the Board With Screen and Power Supply

Connecting was a bit challenging as there was no clear information regarding it.

Note that there is no separate connector for power so you have to solder required power to board your way.

(I just inserted the cables over the red connector as I will solder them in future)

CRITICAL:-

Power connection most critical as wrong connection may lead to faulty board or screen or both.

Connection details are as follow:-

GND

GND

5 VOLTS (this is board supply voltage however screen works with 3.3 volts which can be selected by adjacent jumper)

5 VOLTS (both same)

ADJ (this is VCC for backlit leds which in our case is 12 volts)

BL (this is for backlit on /off but in my case, it was not required however if your screen doesn't work, you can give it 3.3 volts )

My LCD screen was having 40Pin LVDS cable connector so I ordered the same and directly connected screen with board. (Note pin # 1 should match which is denoted by arrow or dot or digit 1)

STEP 3: Step 3 Select Jumpers & Final Test

Now just you have to put jumpers on correct location. In my case, as my screen operating voltage is 3.3 volts so I put the jumper on 3.3 volts .

Our screen data sheet showed 1600x900 6 bit, 2 channel . To achieve this, jumper connections are shown on the back of the board. Set jumpers to desired location as per your LCD screen.

Now if you have connected everything correctly then turn on the power supply and say Bismillah.

your screen should start on full resolution.

Thanks for watching. Do let me know if you have succeeded with your screen or if you like the project.

13 Comments

SuyotoM 1 year ago

Assalamu'alaikum
Bro can you help me?, first - you said Vled should be connected to ADJ, but on your picture you connected to BL. second - how about vdc -12 and -5, where should I connected to?
I have same monitor like yours Vcc = 3.3V and Vled = 12V.
Many thanks in advance.

nagamanihegde.nh 1 year ago

i may can help you..
do you have universal lvds cable .?
do you have panel datasheet..?

SuyotoM 1 year ago

Hello Brother,
Yes, Universal controller board with LVDS 40 pin (same with my panel - Samsung LTN140AT16). I don't know about Vled before buy this product, and then find this instruction. The problem is this controller has VCC 3.3V or 5V and VLed 5V, on the other hand based on datasheet my panel require VLed 12V. Do you have the same problem?

nagamanihegde.nh 1 year ago

there is 12v jumper too
which board are you using.. ( driver board name)

Toms 2 years ago

"My LCD screen was having 40Pin LVDS cable connector so I ordered the same and directly connected screen with board."
Hello, how do you connect the 40 pins of the display to the 30 pins of the MT6820, would it be possible to get a link for the cable you ordered ?
Thank you.

nagamanihegde.nh 1 year ago

search "universal lvds cable for your screen model no. "

omer987 2 years ago

If I connect the board to a laptop with the laptop panel,
is the image sharpness will stay the same ?
Is it will stay the same after a week of continuous use ?
Thanks in advance

msameer39 2 years ago

This board can not be connected to a laptop screen which is already connected with laptop. Regarding image sharpness, it will remain sharp for a very long time.

omer987 2 years ago

Thanks.
I would really appreciate if you could address the following questions:
1. I meant to connection from the laptop via vga cable to the board as any external monitor. Is it will be ok ?
2. What 3 wire power supply should be used ?
3. As I understand from the clip the red blue black wires should be connected in the power socket to ADJ , one of the 5V and one of the ground ports respectively .Is that correct ?
4.I have this panel:
https://datasheetspdf.com/pdf-file/868995/CHIMEIInnolux/N156BGE-LB1/1
with Converter Input Power Supply Voltage : Min. (5.0) Typ.(12.0) Max.(21.0)
Is that panel will fit to the mentioned configuration ?

nagamanihegde.nh 2 years ago

i suggest to use universal lcd led board instead of vga board only..
search for lcd led driver board

kiD 2 years ago

Cool project! I'd love to try it as soon as I get my hands on a used lcd.