Monday, April 22, 2013

Connecting an iPad retina LCD to a PC

 Update: please read this post

This project was born at the Warsaw Hackerspace, it was funded by my friend Spin, who wanted to use the display in a project of his.

In short, I've managed to drive the iPad retina display at maximum resolution from a regular PC with DisplayPort, no additional electronics required!

This is just a prototype, I'm working on a professional PCB with a DP connector so no wire splicing will be required in the future. :)


The screen

The "retina" LCD panel is LP097QX1-SPA1 manufactured by LG.
It's a 9.7" panel with a resolution of 2048x1536!
It's not exclusive to Apple, it can already be found in a couple of Chinese tablets.


What is great about this panel (except its resolution) is that it has an eDisplayPort interface (which is supposed to replace LVDS in the near future), and as this hack proves it is compatible  with traditional DisplayPort outputs found on all modern video cards.

The panel is also surprisingly cheap - I got mine on ebay for $55, shipped from China.

Hoping that eDisplayPort is compatible with regular DisplayPort (I couldn't find conclusive proof of this), I went on to interface the panel with a DP cable.

The interface board






The FPC of the panel has 51 really tiny pins, and requires a special connector to mate with a PCB. You can find it online just by looking for "ipad3 lcd connector", but I've figured out that it's a Molex 502250-5191 connector. The cheapest I could find was $14 for two of them at aliexpress.


Creating the PCB was fairly straightforward, I just had to route all the FPC connector pins out to pads where I would solder DP cable wires. It was possible on a single-sided home-made board.
I tried to make the traces for DP lanes to be of the same length (that's very important for high speed differential signals), and as it turns out, either my PCB design is pretty good, or DisplayPort is very forgiving. :)

Soldering everything was a little difficult, the FPC connector has tiny pins, but they stick out a little bit, so it's doable with a regular soldering iron.
After the PCB was done, I cut open a DP cable and soldered all the wires in their places.
Unfortunately there is no standard for wire colors, so I had to open up the DP plug to trace them to the correct pins.

You can find the schematics and PCB layout on github.

Power and backlight

The panel itself can be powered from the DP connector, as it should provide 3.3V at 500mA, which is enough for the logic. Although that power is meant for an active cable, so I had to solder an additional wire to a regular "dumb" cable I was using.

The backlight requires some external power source, as it can consume up to 4.4W.
The datasheet is very misleading about driving the backlight, it only mentions something about "12V driver voltage", which is not the proper voltage (fortunately it's too low).
After finding iPad3 schematics, I've found out that the backlight actually requires 20V for operation, as it consists of 12 LED strings, with 6 white LEDs in series, each.

For the prototype, I didn't bother with a proper LED driver, just attached 68R resistors to each cathode, which resulted in a current draw of about 17mA per string.
The 20V was generated from a 5V using a TPS61175 step-up converter.

Results

It works! No glitches at full resolution.
The whole thing cost about $70 in parts.
Here are some pictures for your enjoyment. Believe me, the display looks much better when viewed in person.




262 comments:

  1. Can you say ultimate car computer monitor and interface? Very nice work. Now all I need is a breakout board, a driver and a touch interface and I am all set.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There is no touch panel attached, and if there was, the touch-part on an iPad is not very straightforward, and requires a big amount of electronics to make it work. There isn't something you can just plug into USB.

      Delete
    2. They do make capacitive touch driver boards that take a panel and break it out to USB. Then they translate touches to absolute screen position for the mouse (which is a technically standard way of a mouse behaving - they use it for drawing tablets mostly.

      In fact... add a touch screen and this would make an excellent Wacom tablet replacement for 1/10th the cost!

      Delete
    3. You could use something along the lines of this: http://unitedtouch.en.alibaba.com/product/678126960-214102330/touch_screen_replacement_tablet_10_9_7_4_3_usb_multi_touch_overlay_kit_10_capacitive_touch_screen_tablet_supply_controller.html

      Delete
    4. @Taylor Alexander
      No, it wouldn't make a Wacom replacement at ALL.
      Wacom uses a touch interface that only works with the specific pen (Accuracy and no accidental presses, plus you can rest your hand on it), it has different pressure levels (Hardness of the brush when used for Photoshop), it works from the air (That is actually very convenient, you only have to press the pen down when you're clicking), it has a right click (a button on the pen), and finally, it has GREAT accuracy, unlike most screens. And let's not forget it has a 1:1 representation of the image & screen. And of course the displays used are pro quality with accurate color reproductions at any angles, unlike iPad displays who are blueish just to look more vibrant.

      Delete
    5. @John Cunningham
      Thanks for the link. I contacted the seller and they wouldn't sell a single piece. They have no dealers in North America so there is no way of getting these retail. =(

      Delete
  2. Awesome! Is the logic specific to the DisplayPort spec or can you do DVI->DisplayPort->This display?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unfortuantely this requires DisplayPort.
      There are DVI to DisplayPort converters, but they cost about $100.

      Delete
    2. Oh well. Good thing I'm buying a new card this summer!

      Delete
    3. are you mad? there are ones properly working between 5 and 10 bucks at ebay
      http://www.ebay.com/itm/6FT-Display-Port-DP-Male-to-DVI-Male-Cable-Cord-Adapter-Gold-Plated-1080P-HD-/271183857623?pt=US_Video_Cables_Adapters&hash=item3f23d147d7

      http://www.ebay.com/itm/M1-D-P-D-Male-to-DVI-D-Dual-Link-Female-Adapter-Gold-Plated-/390577211918?pt=US_Video_Cables_Adapters&hash=item5af0374a0e
      -- these are the first results at ebay for "dvi to dp"
      GOOD JOB to the author, i really want to see this project going with eyefinity ^^. I'll be checking this blog for some time to track the progress. I would probably be going for a mass order of about 20 displays soon

      Delete
    4. Those cables don't work the way you think they do.
      You can have a DP output that is backwards compatible with DVI, but those cables won't convert DVI signaling to DP!

      Delete
    5. And @Anonymous
      He's talking about DVI to Display Port, not Display Port to DVI. DVI to Display port would need an Active adapter, and would cost at least $100. It
      s pretty much an external graphics card.

      Delete
    6. Actually there are now Active adapters for about 20 bucks. Sapphire made one. http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/product/?cid=4&gid=1010&sgid=1011&pid=357&psn=&lid=1&leg=0

      Delete
    7. DutchRam, that's not DVI->DP, that's DP->DVI.

      Delete
  3. Just like those tv tuners turned software defined radios, expect a price jump on these displays.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you from all my heart, stranger from the interwebz!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't thank me, thank VESA for designing DisplayPort. :)

      Delete
  5. What is the refresh rate of the display?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/8006/what-is-the-ipads-screen-refresh-rate

      Apparently 60Hz.

      Delete
    2. I found that the ipad3 has a 60Hz refresh rate, but that doesn't mean the display can't put out a higher rate.

      Delete
  6. Would you consider selling the board/cable preassembled?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Is there any way to connect this to an mhl cable? I ess thinking of using this set up to create an iPad screen dock for my android phone. I would buy the Chinese mockups but they have considerably slower soc and lower battery ratings.

      Delete
  7. You'll make a lot of money selling proper converter boards if I can help it!

    I would love to do this, but get a proper bezel machined, too.

    Next step: touchscreen too -- this could be relatively easy and use an official iPad front. Most of them have an I2C interface if they have a controller.

    Nice work!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unfortunately the touchscreen controller in on the motherboard and I think it's a custom chip, so it's basically impossible to use the original touch panel.

      Delete
    2. Nothing's impossible. Maybe not your area of expertise but come on, you just got a display working without any particularly expensive hardware, I'm sure others can figure out the touch panel. If it's i2c then you'd probably just need an arduino or ARM processor to interpret it - that's a $2 processor in many instances!

      Delete
    3. I think you can easily connect Bus Pirate, and if it's I2C, SPI or anything else.. then you can easily try to send something to the registers trying to find out what you get back.

      Delete
  8. What game are you playing in the last image?

    ReplyDelete
  9. High-resolution Oculus Rift clone, here we come!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Please sell this thing and take my money!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Where did you purchase the panel? I would like to buy a LCD, but can't find the chinese sites at $55 you're talking about...

    ReplyDelete
  12. The connectors are $5.70 at newark (element14):
    http://www.newark.com/molex/502250-5191/connector-fpc-rcpt-51pos-2row/dp/56R1204

    ReplyDelete
  13. I talked to Andrew at AssetGenie, who said the wholesale price on iPad 3 panels went up recently due to increased demand. I ordered two of these panels for $67 each (plus $11 shipping for the pair), shipped today. I also bought the connectors from newark as mentioned in my previous post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are still available on ebay for $55...

      Delete
    2. Really? You must have been using different search terms. I just bought it for $115 (including shipping).

      Delete
    3. You need to search on ebay.com for "ipad 3 lcd"

      Delete
  14. if you decide to sell this, will be able at ebay?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Too bad this isn't .3 mm:

    http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/lcd-ext-breakout-of-05mm-fpc-p-200.html?cPath=175_177

    ReplyDelete
  16. Can you please make adapter with connectors for me? DP + power to this panel? i think pretty many people would buy one :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Great Post, May have to look into building one myself.

    Do you know if this would work used as an external monitor for a camera? the camera has SDI out, I was wondering if after I convert the SDI signal to an HDMI signal, that that can be converted to a DP signal and output my 1080p video?

    Thanks again, and great work!

    Regards.

    ReplyDelete
  18. WTB a few of these adapters :) will be monitoring this post closely!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Awesome work! I will also be watching closely for those adapters. I'd plunk down some serious cash for 'em.

    ReplyDelete
  20. i hope you answer this . i am considering building a diy image projector (power led back light). as seen form the dimension and resolution this display would be perfect. the question is: is there a logic board to support this display or any other way without using a converter dvi to DP?

    ReplyDelete
  21. If we go back to the 'LCD + overhead-projector = beamer'-era, this makes a fancy fullHD+ beamer for not even close to 1k~. Whoah.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Could this be adapted to an hdmi input? I'm asking because this would be an excellent setup combined with a small arm board; however, most of them come with hdmi sockets. In fact, I haven't seen a DisplayPort board.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, it can't be adapted to HDMI without an expensive active adapter. I hope you're not even considering trying to drive a display of this resolution with a Raspberry Pi or similar...

      Delete
    2. Well i would like to run mij Playstation on a retina display. Would be perfect for the small space i'm trying to work in.

      What kind of adapter do you mean?

      Delete
    3. There is one ARM board with embedded DisplayPort, the Samsung Arndale.

      Most HDMI->DP converters on the market are limited to 1080p, so no chance to drive a retina display.

      Delete
    4. Maybe not drive retina scale video, but I don't see how this:
      http://hardkernel.com/renewal_2011/products/prdt_info.php?g_code=G135341370451
      couldn't at least display pictures and browse at the full resolution.

      Delete
    5. Two problems. One is that you probably cannot set high enough clocks on the HDMI output (sometimes called "Fast HDMI") to drive 2048x1536@60Hz .

      The other is that you will not (easily) find a HDMI->DP converter which accepts this as input.

      Delete
    6. great job!
      I'd like to drive this display with a MacMini. Any chance?

      Delete
  23. Have added your blog to my favourites, so the moment you have these adapters on the market, I can buy one!

    ReplyDelete
  24. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Just out of curiosity, what does the display identify itself as to the computer?

    ReplyDelete
  26. That's fantastic work! I'd definitely be up for buying a few interface kits if you do end up getting them made. Be so awesome for my portable work setup.

    ReplyDelete
  27. It's best idea for DYI external display!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Can this board work hit the lcd?
    http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/620223915/lcd_panel_control_board.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Do you found anything else about it? Looked over it and seems there is limit in resolution to 2560×1440. But looks very nice.

      Delete
    2. The board seems to me is capable of driving the display but the connectors are wrong, looks to me hit a ttl type of connector and not a Flex Cable, plus eDP comes in different tips 30 pins 40 pins and ipad's 51 pins.

      Delete
    3. I'm not skilled in electronic - do you think that this is blocker? Or are these connectors replaceable - to connect retina to it? Impossible? Possible? should it work? thx

      Delete
    4. http://wenku.baidu.com/view/26d2b6e65ef7ba0d4a733b4f.html
      2560x1600 max @60hz, edp output (but it seems not enough pins :-) )

      Delete
  29. SAMSUNG LCD is better
    Contrast 1000vs800
    viewing angle 85vs80

    http://www.panelook.com/LTL097QL01-W01_SAMSUNG_9.7_LCM_parameter_17823.html

    http://www.panelook.com/LP097QX1-SPA1_LG%20Display_9.7_LCM_overview_15375.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Find it for $55 with DisplayPort input and I'll agree that it's better.

      Delete
  30. Shut up and take my money!

    ReplyDelete
  31. I did this last year, minus the ghetto part.
    Includes a proper backlight driver, ESD protection on eDP port, 3 buttons for power/brightness/whatever, STM32 MCU for control, accelerometer (for whatever purpose), and a RGB led.
    http://i.imgur.com/1XFMqaM.jpg
    http://i.imgur.com/TPB91F5.jpg

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Perhaps you can share your schematics?

      Delete
    2. There's absolutely nothing special in the schematics. And it's pointless to duplicate this on home-drilled protoboard as you need 4L for differential lane impedance matching etc.

      Delete
    3. Hi timmy. I would be interested to see it still, even if using as a starting point. Getting some 4L boards printed wouldn't be a problem. Are you doing backlight control over USB? Regards

      Delete
    4. Yeah, I forgot to mention this is USB "bus powered" (lol) drawing around 800mA (but hey, what doesn't draw > 500mA these days?). STM32 has it's native USB pins connected, so it can enumerate as HID or whatever, there's actually a HID Monitor spec that Apple displays use for brightness/etc control from keyboard hotkeys.

      Someone earlier asked what does it show up as on PC, the displayport part enumerates as "Apple Color LCD"

      Delete
    5. Give us anything needed to replicate it, or sell it on eBay. Or both.

      Delete
    6. I am curious what you used for the back light driver, if you don't mind sharing.

      Delete
    7. I believe its a LP8545 if im not mistaken

      Delete
    8. Hi Timmy, love your build, it looks so professional!!!!

      Would you mind to share more build info with us?

      Thanks

      Delete
    9. We did it last year too and now we can offer it to public - interface boards for sale at http://dp2retina.rozsnyo.com/

      Delete
  32. Now I know what I want to use next as a monitor.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Is it possible to get it without (much) of a bezel so you could make this into a 3x3 display for gaming on a recent AMD card (eyefinity)?

    Would be pretty damn awesome, you don't see stuff like this often :D Ultra high resolution gaming :P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The bezel you see is part of the panel, there is nothing left to remove.

      Delete
    2. You need would need to spend at least $600 in graphics cards to actually be able to run three of these displays at a respectable FPS in a game. Three displays is almost 9.5M pixels, a standard 1080 display is only about 2m pixels.

      Delete
  34. I dont know if anybody said this before but you should definitely have it mass produced or at least do a kickstarter run!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Does someone has that PDF around? it's taken offline.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you don't mind it being in chinese, oh well datasheets tend to have important bits in universal format.
      http://www.displayalliance.com/storage/1-spec-sheets/LP097QX1-SPA1.pdf

      Delete
  36. Would love to use this on my DYI overhead projector! Please take my money!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Is the brightness of the display evenly lighted ? From the picture it look like the upper part seems darker than the lower part, or is it just a reflection ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Only half of the backlight LED strings were connected during that demonstration.

      Delete
  38. You can do boards and sell them.

    ReplyDelete
  39. On Ebay this display costs EUR 88 minimum :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But I found cheaper ones searching for "ipad3 lcd display"

      US $62,88
      Circa EUR 48,25

      Delete
    2. try with "ipad3 panel"
      Found some for 53-55USD.

      Delete
  40. Great hack! Was wondering if you know a way to remove the backlight panel (or if it seems easy to remove)...so it could be replaced with an overhead projector light :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Having taken apart several similar tablet LCD panels, the backlight and reflector assembly is generally held on with adhesive and quite trivial to remove.

      Delete
  41. now install one of these into a macbook air 11 inch. i wonder if the pinout is the same. they are both edp. i wonder if the mba has the edp 4 lane that will support it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That was exactly what came to mind for me, id love to retina up my MBA, I would definately support a kickstarted or buy anything you get put together this is a great idea and I think a lot of people could use this for all sorts of things when it gets out to the masses (Hopefully soon)

      Delete
  42. I wonder if the same thing could be done with the iPhone displays...

    ReplyDelete
  43. I want one too. This would be a great second screen for my MBP and it's portable.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Those who wants to have buy an interface board, have a look at mine:

    http://dp2retina.rozsnyo.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Emailed you, looking forward for your reply.

      Delete
  45. what about other apple displays (iphone, ipod nano?)
    its same eDP interface?

    2x ipod nano lcds would make cool 3d glasses :)

    ReplyDelete
  46. Can the bezel be sawed off without killing the display?

    If so, maybe you can make a 29'' 6144x4608 screen by gluing 9 of these guys in a 3x3 pattern

    ReplyDelete
  47. Polak Potrafi. Miejmy nadzieję, że uda ci się stworzyć w pełni profesjonalny model

    ReplyDelete
  48. good job! Pena que vai ser difícil e caro encontrar a tela do ipad aqui no Brasil :(

    ReplyDelete
  49. Now this is great for the iPad 3 Retina Display.

    Here's someone talking about the 15.x Retina from the Retina MBPro.
    http://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/92815/What+is+the+model+number+of+the+2880x1800+LCD

    I am wondering on your thoughts about the same for 13.3 inc MBPro Retina Display.

    If they all use eDP/ Display Port variant and not LVDS.

    Do you think we could find / ask if there are any LAPTOPS besides the Retina MBPs that would also be using eDP and possibly be modded/ hacked with a Retina Display.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have a Sony Vaio Z1.. few years old but has a Full HD 13.1" display. Connected with 2 lane DP. I think that the motherboard won't be wired with 4 lanes in mind.

      Delete
  50. are there bigger panel options for the hi-res display? looking at 15 or 17".

    ReplyDelete
  51. This project is awesome! Will work perfect with photo and video editing as a side preview screen. Is there a schematic available for your board?

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  52. Combine the LCD with some lenses and you got yourself a DIY projector

    http://www.optolife.com/diy_projector_lenses.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yeah! i'm planning to do so. LCD is on the way from HongKong, now the interface board. After that the show shall begin :-D

      Delete
    2. Did you ever get it working? As someone mentioned above I was wondering how one gets the back light reflector off without damaging the rest of the screen.

      Delete
  53. How do I run that codes in the github's website to eagle pcb design?

    ReplyDelete
  54. ctrl + s
    save as
    run eagle - open sch or bdr file

    ReplyDelete
  55. Why is everyone more concerned with projector projects than getting this thing running in dash? For projectors go smaller, like the display in the HTC One!
    I look forward to your work on this monitor idea, good work!

    ReplyDelete
  56. Will this work with the mini DP on a macbook air ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i emailed him and asked if it would work with my macbook pro 13in mini DP and he said it should.

      Delete
  57. any idea when a reasonably priced ($15-$30) adapter will be available, i saw one is available for $99, which seems high.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Agreed. Paying more for a mostly passive adapter than an ultra high resolution screen seems a bit rich.

      One of the first comments was someone else showing their version which is exactly what we are looking for, but he didn't release schematics "Because it was too simple to bother" (to paraphrase). Thing is, as has been said, we are dealing with high frequency signals that don't like different lane lengths, and most of us don't have the expertise to design them. Building from a schematic is far simpler. Or at least we can ask friends.

      tl;dr Eagerly awaiting for the more professional schematic.

      Delete
    2. this is the one we are looking for, posted from timmmy earlier, looks simple, and should be fairly cheap to manufacture

      http://i.imgur.com/1XFMqaM.jpg
      http://i.imgur.com/TPB91F5.jpg

      Delete
    3. That $99 adapter of mine would go for $49 (+shipment) if we can reach about 1000 orders.

      But doing a low cost version in low volume - 10 pieces or so, is not viable. The biggest issue is that the backlight significantly changes its properties with temperature (there are 84 LEDs) - that really needs a constant current driver to guarantee that the wear-out of the back-light is low.

      Arguing with the low price of the hi-def display is not correct here - try to buy a standard model, even the Z1's replacement screen (FullHD on 13.1") costs $300-$400. The thanks here goes to Apple, that it spread its devices on so big scale.

      So at the end, the total cost is divided by different ratio than with a standard solution.

      And remember - in any piece of electronics, you are wrong if you see just the components cost.

      Delete
    4. Very nicely done, A couple of quick question if you don't mind: How many layers is your pcb? I am guessing 4. Did this really only take you a week or were you working on this before blog post.

      Delete
    5. Daniel Rozsnyo:
      If we were to attempt to aggregate orders, how do you recommend doing it? 49USD (x2 in my case) + 15EUR shipping is a much better price than before.

      I will apologise for the comment I made before about the price being unreasonable. Having actually looked at the product page, it is a fair bit more complex than I expected. I guess I was expecting it without buttons and a switcher, and forgot about variable backlight control. Personally I wouldn't be using the switching (surely passive adapters would cover DP to miniDP) but backlight control is important.

      Delete
    6. Well.. it would make sense to create separate DP and miniDP models later. The PCB is 4 layer and it was put together over a weekend. We had the schematics from the prototype (a 10x10 cm board on the pictures) and also from modules (separate backlight, DP in, DP mux, ipad out) which we use for development of more complex systems.

      To do aggregate orders - you would need some way to reserve the amount from the buyers credit card for few months until the delivery can be made from a significant batch. I am not sure how fast can one gather that number of orders.

      In few months we will introduce other products and for those to order and pre-order we will definitely have to setup a deal with a credit card company. But now the priority is for me in engineering those products.

      If you reply, please drop a copy of the message to my email too.. I am not going to regularly checking this site, thanks.

      Delete
  58. How would we go about running a 13″ or 15" MBP Retina Display with eDP as an External Display?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mac retinas is the same thing
      you need only make straight forward adapter board + proper PSU

      Delete
  59. Does anyone know if there's a list of screens that use eDP? It would be nice screen options for something like a DIY Oculus Rift.

    ReplyDelete
  60. few screens with eDP connection:
    M116NWR1 R5 11.6" 1366×768
    B156XW02 V2 HW0A 15.6" 1366×768
    N156BGE-E21 15.6" 1366×768
    B140XTN01.0 14.0" 1366×768
    LP140WD1-TPD1 LG14.0" 1600×900
    B131HW02 V0 13.1" 1920×1080
    B131HW01 V0 13.1" 1920×1080
    CLAA133UA03 13.3" 1600×900
    LP133WP1-TPB1 LG13.3" 1440×900
    LP116WH4-TJA1 TLA2 TPA1 LG11.6" 1366×768
    LTN116AT01-A04 11.6" 1366×768
    B141PW04 V1 HW0A 14.1" 1440×900
    LP156WH6-TJA1 LG15.6" 1366×768
    B116XW05 V004 V001 V1 V6 11.6" 1366×768

    and more and more...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The following ones from your list - Which laptops have them and would it be possible to plug in a MBP Pro Retina in their place?

      LP140WD1-TPD1 LG14.0" 1600×900
      B131HW02 V0 13.1" 1920×1080
      B131HW01 V0 13.1" 1920×1080
      CLAA133UA03 13.3" 1600×900
      LP133WP1-TPB1 LG13.3" 1440×900

      Delete
    2. It would be possible in theory, but in practice it would take a lot of work trying to fit in the panel.

      Delete
    3. Let say I dont care about fitting the panels.

      What could I used to successfully and conveniently drive a 13" or 15" Retina Display as external screen, using a laptop that supports DP/ miniDP output.

      Delete
  61. Love the project, hope you are trying to make a board that you can sell. I would love to see the ability for the board to hook into an ipad 3/4 battery pack for it's power though instead of forcing an ac plugin. I like to remain completely portable for as long as possible :) The batteries are only 50$ on ebay too, so not adding to terribly much to the cost.

    ReplyDelete
  62. will you need an external power supply in order to make it work? or is it emedded in the DisplayPort flow?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The one in this hack and the one at http://dp2retina.rozsnyo.com/ both require external power at the moment. I suggested modifying the circuitry to connect to the ipad 3 battery so we could get around that though (1 cell of that battery has the right wattage, but not voltage...)

      After browsing through all the posts I see one about the 15in MBPro retina screens and would much rather shelve out the extra $ to get one of those, but these boards don't appear to work with it.

      Delete
  63. Emailed re: some pin mapping clarifications, looking forward to your reply. Will be posting up a GPL-licensed adapter board with miniDP connector and back-light power circuitry once those clarifications are supplied.

    ReplyDelete
  64. Hey, could you connect 6 of these displays as one huge resolution display? You'd obviously need a badass computer with 2 or 3 graphics cards (like HD7970).

    It would be cool to make a 3 horizontal by 2 vertical at a mega huge resolution in eyefinity.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. you will need a system that support 6 displayport there...

      Delete
    2. I have dual 7970s and they can run 5400x1920 across 5 1080p monitors, but for games like Metro and I'm sure much newer games, it chugs. I wouldn't bet on the investment being worth it, but if you have the money, why not?

      The main card has 4 displayPorts and in my opinion, it's the exact card you need to run Eyefinity. Attempting to use a card that doesn't use 3 or more DP on one card, will result it screen tearing.

      Delete
  65. in a 1-2 months I will make 3x1portrait retina ;)
    so I will get 20" 9:4 4608x2048 res monitor

    ReplyDelete
  66. Any updates on the adapter? MiniDP support? I want to combine one with my wacom tablet to make a DIY cintiq.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My next prototype PCB, with a DP connector, is already manufactured, now I'm waiting for delivery.

      MiniDP is only different mechanically, you can get an adapter to DP for $3.

      Delete
    2. That sounds great, can't wait for an update.

      Delete
  67. what about estimated price?

    ReplyDelete
  68. Hi fond a alternative screen, its from the nexus 10.
    http://www.powerbookmedic.com/Google-Nexus-10-LCD-and-Digitizer-Assembly-p-24377.html

    its using eDP and I believe to be better for most people needs.

    I'm not sure of the confectioner :/

    16:10 aspect ratio, 2560×1600 pixel
    LCD Type: PLS
    Luminance : 450 nit
    Viewing Angle : 85/85/85/85
    Response time(ON/Off) : 16ms
    Power consumption(B/L) : 2.26W (Max @W/O LED Driver)
    Interface : eDP (Ver 1.1)

    spects from
    http://www.howchip.com/shop/item.php?it_id=LCD1010A

    ReplyDelete
  69. Have just encountered your page and I guess you should be complimented for this piece. More power to you!

    ReplyDelete
  70. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  71. Hi, did anyone here buy the ROZSNYO adapter? If so, did it arrive? They mentioned May 6th as the day the first batch would ship so it's about time for it to reach the customers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did, I was on the first lot but ROZSNYO says there were last minute delay and it was shipped about 21 May, and no, I still haven't got mine.

      Finger cross.

      Delete
    2. There is one guy from Germany who had already confirmed the receipt of the board (and send me a screenshot, not a photo of the setup). Others are further away in the world. The 1st series packages were sent out actually on May 22.

      Delete
    3. Thanks Daniel, confirm received the board, am in office now so cannot test, will update you info with the build!

      Delete
  72. does any one know if there are smaller size lcd panels with edp conenctor? maybe a 5" one? these will be great for a low cost hd projector

    ReplyDelete
  73. How can i open the schematic and PCB layout?
    I use Eagel 6.2

    Loading C:/Users/cassiopeia/Desktop/ipad3_lcd.sch ...
    error:

    Line 5, column 6: This is not EAGLE file.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is an Eagle 6.2 file, make sure you downloaded the file from git correctly.

      Delete
  74. Ohhh thanks... it works!

    ReplyDelete
  75. Hi
    There this is slightly off topic but have you or anyone in these comments thought about doing this for the 15 inch macbook pro Retina Display? I'm not sure what the interface is, it may not be eDisplayPort so that could be a problem, iv been trying to find out what it is without success for the past hour, but you can definitely buy the lcd panels on ebay! :-) It would be so epic to have two of these 15 inch retina displays hooked up to my desktop!

    ReplyDelete
  76. May I know the overall cost of these project and can it be used as a PC monitor?

    ReplyDelete
  77. Amazing tutorial! I will definitely be using this display for my carputer!

    O.T. Does anyone know of a circuit to breakout the 8 channel audio available in the displayport cable specs? My only other option would be to use a 2 channel headphone jack. =[

    ReplyDelete
  78. Have you ever tried to display a protected video stream from a DVD? According to the specs this display does not support HDCP, but ASSR, which I doubt a regular graphic card to speak.

    Cheers and thanks for that great hack

    ReplyDelete
  79. Thats cool, i am looking such kind of information on lcd screen.Thank u for giving the information on LCD screens to connect with Screen.

    ReplyDelete
  80. Kickstart this already man

    ReplyDelete
  81. I have a DP2Retina display adapter for sale on eBay.
    http://bit.ly/14SSAlb

    ReplyDelete
  82. I would be interested in buying one of these already set up and ready to work with a usb input.. I have a microscope that I work with and need a good monitor.
    If you are interested I am interested in paying for one complete.

    ReplyDelete
  83. I'm also after the best place to get replacement lcd screens - - but occasionally other

    ReplyDelete
  84. I'm also after the best place to get replacement lcd screens but occassionaly others.
    Many thanks

    ReplyDelete
  85. To echo others I would be very interested in buying a pcb from you, I don't know if you could do a group buy or something but I'd like to buy a couple.

    Also, I love openttd. Good game.

    ReplyDelete
  86. Did you try this adapter with a large scale display panel ? like a 27in. I think 27 inches from all-in-one computers use embedded displayport. Same as Ipad screen ?

    thanks

    ReplyDelete
  87. I have a cheap HD TV with HDMI input so I can connect my camera to directly to view my images. I'd love to use one of these monitors as a mini tv with hdmi input so I can view my video or images from my camera while I am out in the field. If anyone has the proper parts I'd be very willing to put together a camera viewing monitor in HD. Yes, I am sure I'd have to have a portable power source but I do actually have a nice 12volt Lithium battery that is very light to take in the field to use as my external power source. Easy to carry and rather light weight.

    ReplyDelete
  88. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  89. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  90. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're looking at an entirely different datasheet, I used the TPS61175 from Texas Instruments.
      The schematics are in the datasheet.
      There are hundreds of different step-up converters that you could use instead.

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    3. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    4. Hello Emeryth. What are SV1 and SV2 in the schematic?
      I think that maybe are the resistors?
      How are the connection inside of SV1 and SV2. If you have used a array of resistors maybe you can give me the part code to find on the Internet the data-sheet.
      Thanks in advance and God bless you.

      Delete
    5. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    6. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    7. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  91. Finding a DP video cards is no problem, but anybody know of any mini-itx motherboards with internal DP? Say maybe, for an all-in-one type PC?
    i found a Gigabyte MSH87DI with internal LVDS 24bit, but it wouldn't work for retina display. I ask cause I'm working on a All-in-one case mod and don't want to run the cable back into the box.

    ReplyDelete
  92. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  93. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  94. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  95. Hi,

    great work so far:)
    But I am working on a little bit more robust Layout and I was wondering if you check how many data line pairs the iphone display needs to work. 1 or 2 or 4?

    And did you know anything about the needed impendance for each line?
    Thanks!

    Best Regards Jonas

    ReplyDelete
  96. Hello Emeryth, in the PCB layout made with Eagle the tracks are too narrow and has too small clearance between the tracks.The Kicad PCB is double side and has narrow tracks and small clearance too. Any solution?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The tracks have to be narrow because the LCD connector has very narrow pins, there's no way around it.

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    3. Hello Emeryth. How you solder the tiny LCD connector?
      Have you try to drive the LCD just with 2 or 1 eDP LANE?
      Will be nice for example to drive two LCD by splitting the cable in two.
      Driving each LCD with just two lane is possible?.If is working with only one lane then maybe one cable can drive 4 LCDs.
      Would you be so kind to try it out?

      Delete
  97. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  98. A "hacker" was originally an employee at Bell Labs, who developed Unix. Communication and networking was ofcourse an aspect of Unix, and it may be that the expression "a hack" came from amateur radio, where it was used in a similar way, about for instance, improving performance of the radio.

    This is very interesting. But can you jack up the HZ to 72?

    ReplyDelete
  99. Thanks for sharing this knowledgeable information. And I learned a lot. Thanks for post it.

    ipad repair Sydney

    ReplyDelete
  100. Would be possible to me do that to a iphone retina display using these same adapters?

    ReplyDelete