Hacking a 30" Apple cinema display

[ProjectManager101]

Hello.

I have two 30" Apple cinema displays ready to be canibalized. Is there a way to buy some other brand monitor and just replace the enclosure?

A friend of mine is looking into it, just pull all the components of the original cinema display, but some other monitor and tweak things to make it look as a new, new screen, 4K possible, you know.

 

[bunnspecial]

Opening them is not straight forward.

Basically, the two white plastic side panels are held in place by locking metal tabs. Each side piece is pried off by disconnecting these. Once done, there are two catches on the bottom of the case that are pulled out and the aluminum enclosure opens like a clamshell. It's not hinged, though-it just relies on the flex in the aluminum so you can't get too overenthusiastic about opening it up. Once you open it, the panel just drops out the bottom, although you'll need to feed the cable through the hole in the back.

Honestly, it's tough to open one without leaving some signs of damage. I cracked open one that was stone cold dead to see if I could find the problem, but even if I do I doubt I'll be able to get it back together and have it look halfway decent.

These still fetch a decent bit of money on Ebay, and if you want a 4K monitor I'd suggest selling the 30" and buying a 4K.