Help fellow geeks! Looking for small LCD's
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,961
Likes: 2
From: Fort Knox
Help fellow geeks! Looking for small LCD's
This is probably isnt the best forum to ask this, but maybe with the moderate amount of Car PC interest here, somone may be able to direct me. Im looking for 2-4" color LCD screens with NTSC video input that doesnt cost an arm or a leg. It can even be raw monitors as long as it comes with the video sync controller board. Now when I mean cheap, I mean cheap...from the 20-40$ range. Im not looking for something that your average joe can install, im looking for the basic monitor and i'll worry about the mounting and wiring of it. Every place ive found online has been either in england or hong kong, both of which are a pain to order from, and not really worth the effort. Ive hit ebay too with no success, the monitors there usually go from 7" up to 15" and little else, which really surprised me. Id figure these *** companies would be offloading tiny lcd screens, like the one in my $50 digital camera. But im exhausted from looking, so I thought id ask the other geeks here about an equipment source.
Here is an example
thanks.
snoopdan
Here is an example
thanks.
snoopdan
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 40,156
Likes: 45
From: San Pedro CA
http://aeicomp.com/search_result.asp...LCD%20Monitors
They are in the USA...
Another thought, why not buy a cheap LCD TV? Like one of those hand helds?
Just a thought.
They are in the USA...
Another thought, why not buy a cheap LCD TV? Like one of those hand helds?
Just a thought.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,961
Likes: 2
From: Fort Knox
Originally Posted by bogus
http://aeicomp.com/search_result.asp...LCD%20Monitors
They are in the USA...
Another thought, why not buy a cheap LCD TV? Like one of those hand helds?
Just a thought.
They are in the USA...
Another thought, why not buy a cheap LCD TV? Like one of those hand helds?
Just a thought.
not a bad idea, but alot of those cheap LCD tv's have a proprietary controller board that would be a pain in the *** to make accept NTSC video input. I had thought about it though, the PS2 screen expansion modules are probably accept NTSC, but its hard to read into that when looking at specs on them. They dont consider that somone would want to mod it for something else. See, im wanting to put an LCD screen in my C4's dash where the idiot light area its. It has enough space there, and I really dont need any of those lights besides the check engine light, which I can relocate with a LED. A 3-4" lcd screen would fit in there quite nicely...and im surprised no one else has done it.
snoopdan
Last edited by snoopdan; Apr 16, 2005 at 04:36 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 3,306
Likes: 2
From: Wesley Chapel Fl
I have 4 of those Putco screens you have pictured. I am installing them on motorcycles along with a rear facing camera. So far they work well. I think I paid are 30 bucks each off of Ebay for them. I am about finished with putting one (maybe two) on a GSXR 1000...I can post some pics if you like.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 5,572
Likes: 4
From: Los Angeles Ca
way back in the day; 2 cars ago, i had purchased some lcd pulls from www.eio.com you can try there. They will have the control board and everything but the powersupply but there is a good community associated with that site that will give you a bunch of how-to's and what not.
(this was my first attempt at putting a screen in my car but i blew the monitor...woops)
(this was my first attempt at putting a screen in my car but i blew the monitor...woops)
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,961
Likes: 2
From: Fort Knox
Originally Posted by EatRice
I have 4 of those Putco screens you have pictured. I am installing them on motorcycles along with a rear facing camera. So far they work well. I think I paid are 30 bucks each off of Ebay for them. I am about finished with putting one (maybe two) on a GSXR 1000...I can post some pics if you like.
Id be interested to see them. I plan on putting one where my information center is...I figure any information displayed there is really scondary to a problem you already realize.. For example, if the breaks act up, you'll know it far before the idoit light goes on. Same thing with overtemp, security, anything else on there so its removzl isnt a problem for me. I want to be able to put on of those 2.5" screens in there, which I think wont be too big of a deal, maybe I can get away without having to hack on too much, but ya know how that goes...never know till ya do it. If I was to add a bigger screen, id have to get a motorized deck, or put something over on the breadbox, which doesnt really thrill me at all. Only other place I can see putting an lcd other than mirror, sun visors, or dash is the steering wheell, and thats a whole other mess of problems.
So id like to see some of the pustoms' instaled.
snoopdan
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 40,156
Likes: 45
From: San Pedro CA
Originally Posted by snoopdan
Id be interested to see them. I plan on putting one where my information center is...I figure any information displayed there is really scondary to a problem you already realize.. For example, if the breaks act up, you'll know it far before the idoit light goes on. Same thing with overtemp, security, anything else on there so its removzl isnt a problem for me. I want to be able to put on of those 2.5" screens in there, which I think wont be too big of a deal, maybe I can get away without having to hack on too much, but ya know how that goes...never know till ya do it. If I was to add a bigger screen, id have to get a motorized deck, or put something over on the breadbox, which doesnt really thrill me at all. Only other place I can see putting an lcd other than mirror, sun visors, or dash is the steering wheell, and thats a whole other mess of problems.
So id like to see some of the pustoms' instaled.
snoopdan
So id like to see some of the pustoms' instaled.
snoopdan
If the brakes fail, you might get a brake level warning first? And still have enough braking power to act accordingly? Same with low coolant... by the time it over heats, IT'S TOO LATE.
If you want to blow up your car, go for it... but don't say I didn't warn you.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,961
Likes: 2
From: Fort Knox
I was also trying to find a steering wheel with a LCD display in it, and was shocked to see no one sells them. I did see on one ebay a few months back, guess I should of bought it. Its either a screen in the idiot light area, steering wheel, sun visor, or rear view mirror. They're just not many places to put a screen in my car without major surgery. Ive looked into molding a screen into the dash, but I know that wont be easy nor fun to try to do. And on top of that, id have to do something with the a/c ouput vents. So im kinda stuck with only a few options. 
snoopdan
snoopdan
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 40,156
Likes: 45
From: San Pedro CA
then you miss the point of my suggestion! There are plates available that will replace the bread box, modify that and there is your monitor mount.
http://www.ecklers.com/product.asp?p...7UD0TSNHFQ3QM2
http://www.ecklers.com/product.asp?p...7UD0TSNHFQ3QM2
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,961
Likes: 2
From: Fort Knox
Thanks, but no, I didnt miss anything
Maybe this one was just overly tacky because of the carbon fiber stuff.. but I think this looks horrible as well as not very functional/useable for the driver.
I was looking for a monitor for a rear view camera use mainly. I dont have a dvd player and dont plan on one for a while. Im really more interested in SPL than anything else, but im still waiting for my new subwoofer in the mail
snoopdan
Maybe this one was just overly tacky because of the carbon fiber stuff.. but I think this looks horrible as well as not very functional/useable for the driver.
I was looking for a monitor for a rear view camera use mainly. I dont have a dvd player and dont plan on one for a while. Im really more interested in SPL than anything else, but im still waiting for my new subwoofer in the mail
snoopdan
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 8,840
Likes: 43
From: State of Confusion.
Originally Posted by snoopdan
Thanks, but no, I didnt miss anything
Maybe this one was just overly tacky because of the carbon fiber stuff.. but I think this looks horrible as well as not very functional/useable for the driver.
snoopdan
Maybe this one was just overly tacky because of the carbon fiber stuff.. but I think this looks horrible as well as not very functional/useable for the driver.
snoopdan
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,961
Likes: 2
From: Fort Knox
I think there is as much ABS plastic surface area as the lcd has.
but yeah, i didnt notice till now, that its crooked. You should of seen the car this came out of though, it was teh gaye
snoopdan
but yeah, i didnt notice till now, that its crooked. You should of seen the car this came out of though, it was teh gaye
snoopdan
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 6,059
Likes: 2
From: Texas
i have entertained the idea of getting the rear view mirror with the built in LCD monitor but dont have the $$$ currently...i think that it would be cool with a nav or a rear view camera hooked up to it
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,961
Likes: 2
From: Fort Knox
Originally Posted by deiaggie
i have entertained the idea of getting the rear view mirror with the built in LCD monitor but dont have the $$$ currently...i think that it would be cool with a nav or a rear view camera hooked up to it
Plus, its really inexpensive thanks to CCD technology. Some of the even IR cameras were no more than $30, which makes this stuff actually affordable. Someone on the forum posted a thread called "my $400 mirror" a while back, where they took an Alpine monitor and mated it with some rearview mirror they bought at walmart. It looked pretty slick...I forgot which monitor model it was, but I did look it up on ebay at the time and they were going for about $200 - still well within reason for a mod like this.snoopdan