Thinkpads Forum

I have my ThinkPad T60p on my kitchen table and a secondary monitor that is 15" and 1024x768. It takes up too much space and the resolution is too low to not be aggravating, however I have not been able to find anything better. At the very least I need 1280x1024 (widescreen is out of the question, no room), so if you know of a smaller monitor with a higher resolution, let me know.

Otherwise I want to take a T60p screen (or something similar) and make a secondary VGA monitor out of it. I found an adapter kit on eBay but they require the model number of the screen itself, which means I have to buy the screen first, take it apart (which is a pain), and send them the details so they can send the right parts and instructions.

Has anyone done this before? Regardless, what do you recommend?

dhinged wrote:I have my ThinkPad T60p on my kitchen table and a secondary monitor that is 15" and 1024x768. It takes up too much space and the resolution is too low to not be aggravating, however I have not been able to find anything better. At the very least I need 1280x1024 (widescreen is out of the question, no room), so if you know of a smaller monitor with a higher resolution, let me know.

Get a widescreen monitor that can rotate 90 degrees into portrait mode, so it becomes a very tall but narrow monitor. I use both of my Lenovo L220x (22.0" 1920x1200) monitors in portrait mode, making the screen 11.66 inches wide and 18.66 inches tall. This way, it takes up less desk space than your 15.0" screen, which is 12.00 inches wide. If you want something even narrower (and much easier to find than the Lenovo L220x), the Dell P2214H (21.5" 1920x1080) is worth considering. In portrait mode, the screen measures 10.54 inches wide and 18.74 inches tall.

If you want to go this route, make sure the screen is not a TN panel, which looks horrible in portrait orientation. It needs to be IPS or at least one of the *VA variants. The Lenovo I mentioned above is PVA, while the Dell is IPS.

pianowizard wrote:

dhinged wrote:I have my ThinkPad T60p on my kitchen table and a secondary monitor that is 15" and 1024x768. It takes up too much space and the resolution is too low to not be aggravating, however I have not been able to find anything better. At the very least I need 1280x1024 (widescreen is out of the question, no room), so if you know of a smaller monitor with a higher resolution, let me know.

Get a widescreen monitor that can rotate 90 degrees into portrait mode, so it becomes a very tall but narrow monitor. I use both of my Lenovo L220x (22.0" 1920x1200) monitors in portrait mode, making the screen 11.66 inches wide and 18.66 inches tall. This way, it takes up less desk space than your 15.0" screen, which is 12.00 inches wide. If you want something even narrower (and much easier to find than the Lenovo L220x), the Dell P2214H (21.5" 1920x1080) is worth considering. In portrait mode, the screen measures 10.54 inches wide and 18.74 inches tall.

If you want to go this route, make sure the screen is not a TN panel, which looks horrible in portrait orientation. It needs to be IPS or at least one of the *VA variants. The Lenovo I mentioned above is PVA, while the Dell is IPS.

Widescreen rotated looks very awkward on a kitchen table and I'm afraid of it tipping over since just typing wobbles the table and I sometimes bump it. I'll check out that Dell monitor but I'd really just like to know how to convert a T6* screen panel into a VGA monitor.

Why not also get a better/bigger kitchen-table at the same time?

dhinged wrote:
Widescreen rotated looks very awkward on a kitchen table and I'm afraid of it tipping over since just typing wobbles the table and I sometimes bump it. I'll check out that Dell monitor but I'd really just like to know how to convert a T6* screen panel into a VGA monitor.

I'm certain that you could find a pre-owned 4:3 or 3:2 monitor on feebay that would meet your needs. Conversion that you're contemplating is not an easy one to perform, and not worth it IMO even if one places absolutely zero value on their own time...

ajkula66 wrote:

dhinged wrote:
Widescreen rotated looks very awkward on a kitchen table and I'm afraid of it tipping over since just typing wobbles the table and I sometimes bump it. I'll check out that Dell monitor but I'd really just like to know how to convert a T6* screen panel into a VGA monitor.

I'm certain that you could find a pre-owned 4:3 or 3:2 monitor on feebay that would meet your needs. Conversion that you're contemplating is not an easy one to perform, and not worth it IMO even if one places absolutely zero value on their own time...

I have a 4:3 monitor; it's 15", too big, and has a low resolution of 1024x768; that's why I made this post.

Having a functional T60p secondary VGA monitor is absolutely worth my time.

dhinged wrote:
I have a 4:3 monitor; it's 15", too big, and has a low resolution of 1024x768; that's why I made this post.

There are monitors in different sizes and with varying resolutions...

Having a functional T60p secondary VGA monitor is absolutely worth my time.

Have fun with that project is all I'm going to say...

ajkula66 wrote:There are monitors in different sizes and with varying resolutions...

I have been maintaining an Excel spreadsheet listing all the laptop and desktop screen sizes and resolutions I have ever heard of. For desktop monitors in normal landscape mode, the 15.0" 1024x768 (12 inches wide and 9 inches tall) is the narrowest, and the OP wants something even narrower (but higher-res). Going portrait is the only solution.

dhinged wrote:Widescreen rotated looks very awkward on a kitchen table and I'm afraid of it tipping over since just typing wobbles the table and I sometimes bump it.

Another option is to rotate a 17.0" 1280x1024 monitor into portrait. Once rotated, the width would be 10.62 inches, narrower than your current 15.0" screen. This 17-incher is 5:4, which is almost a square, so it doesn't look that awkward in portrait orientation.

I am looking through my list of monitors and don't see any other options that don't look "awkward".

dhinged wrote:I'd really just like to know how to convert a T6* screen panel into a VGA monitor.

I don't know of anyone on this forum who has done that. Many years ago, someone vowed to turn the R50p's 15.0" QXGA panel into a desktop monitor but I never heard from him again.

BTW, widescreen in portrait doesn't really look that bad:

You should be warned that what you want, space and resolution as priority, will demand time, money and it may kill you.

Yes, kill you as in death.

If you insist on doing this, get a ThinkPad 1600x1200, 15" LCD panel. There is also an old 2048x1536, 15" panel which is rare, low on bright and perhaps with a resolution too high to be useful for most people (Windows does not scale well, so text on this panel will be small, half the size of a 1024x768 panel of the same size. This doesn't apply for many other operating systems, if you use one of those you will know what to do), and the 1600x1200 panels are a good halfway with better brightness.

Now, for the part that can kill you. Electronic devices can store electricity for a while even after powered off, which is why I would recommend that you should get this done professionally.

With the disclaimer out of the way, get an old 15" LCD monitor, which you will use only for the case. Install the panel and the adapter circuit board inside it. Bonus points if you can reuse the connectors on the monitor. You will want a monitor with support for a VESA mount; this way you will be able to change its support to something perhaps more proper to use in your limited space.