LCD Screen for Under $35 (recycle Old Laptops)

Hello Instructables I've been lurking around and enjoying the vast knowledge here. Ive decided to try and make my own instructable to help others who are on this site. So with this I shall make an attempt at making my first instructable. I welcome any critiques to my work/posting to make future instructable I post better.

Well, I pulled apart an old jetta laptop a few years ago and have had its monitor laying around. I've been saying Id use it for something since I pulled it out over 4 years ago. Its finally seeing the light of day once again. Its going to become a second monitor for my laptop when I have it docked.

Let us begin.

Step 1: Getting Things Ready

What you will need:
Old/broken laptop with a good screen (if the screen is broken then whats the point in using it for a monitor)
a screw driver
a control board for the display (will explain in later in this step)
power supply for the control board
video cables 


Alright, first were going to have to find out what type of control board your soon to be LCD screen will need. In order to find this you will need to remove the screen from its encasement. This is usually done by removing the screws around the screen. They are usually under the rubber pads. (see picture for reference) Once the encasement is off, unplug the cable that is in the back of the monitor and remove the monitor from the case. You will now be able to find out which control board is right for your screen. Look on the back of your screen and you'll see a small box with a model number. (see picture for reference) With this number you can now go to ebay and search for a LCD control board for your monitor. Here is a company on ebay I found with a quick google search http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/njytouch/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from= Find your model number among there control panels and then buy that board. If you have any questions just shoot them a message and Iam sure they will be more then glad to help you find the right control panel if youre not sure. Dont forget to buy a power supply unit for your control panel!! Now comes the hard part. We have to wait to receive the part in the mail. (ok, maybe its just the hardest for me cause I really hate waiting)

Step 2: Putting It Together

Now comes the fun and enjoyable part (atleast imo) If everything was ordered properly and the proper item was sent its almost all plug and play. So go ahead and plug the control board's 50 port jack into the slot you removed the old video cable from. Once this is done you can then go ahead and plug in the power and you video cable. Go ahead and turn everything on. Your laptop should now recognize the screen as a second monitor for your use. Youre now done. If you wish you can make a custom frame or case for the screen or you can remove the old screen encasement from the laptop and mount everything onto that. It is all up to you. I havent decided on what I wish to do with mine yet so I will leave this up to you. I will come back and update this with what I did once I decide what I want to do. ( I posted a picture of what someone else did.) Best of luck to everyone out there who does this. I hope everything is clear and understandable. If you run into any problem while attempting this please message me and I will walk you through/help you out to the best of my knowledge.

I will also be entering the hardware hacks so if you found this helpful or useful please vote for this instructable.

Thank you everyone and best of luck to all.