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Anyone interested in a Hi-def (1920 x 1200) mod for PB/MBP?

miragebg said:
I would like ask WUXGA users tell me if their screen is back light even, especially when the screen is completely white. And my big request to you, guys, is- could you please upload some pics of your WUXGA screen when your screen has pure white wallpaper? Thanks a lot!!!
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Mine is a little uneven, in that it is a bit darker for 1/4" on the left. Also, not as bright as the screen it replaced. If I cared about it, I'd get a different one but I use my MBP connected to an external display 90% of the time so it doesn't bother me too much.

Cheers,
 
Saluki Alex said:
How's the battery life?
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I'm also curios about the battery life when you install a screen like that, personally i wish the battery life on my MBP was longer, it just seems too short if my screen is set to anything brighter than the first few squares. I've even contemplated buying a second battery, but they seem expensive.
 
SecondDealer said:
I'm also curios about the battery life when you install a screen like that, personally i wish the battery life on my MBP was longer, it just seems too short if my screen is set to anything brighter than the first few squares. I've even contemplated buying a second battery, but they seem expensive.
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Made no difference for me, however as stated above, my screen is not as bright as the original.

Cheers,
 
Well, I have read about 75-80% of the posts here. Yikes, that's a lot to take in. But thankfully, Alex has boiled most of the important stuff down in his Wiki pages:

http://www.greyhead.co.uk/wiki/Installing_a_high_resolution_display_on_a_Macbook_Pro
http://www.greyhead.co.uk/wiki/WUXGA_conversion_research_page

I have the SR version of the 15" MBP and see the Samsung WUXGA LED screen on fleaBay for <gulp> $500. This seems a bit steep for me without knowing for sure what the outcome might be. My stock screen has developed some white pixels that I have little choice but to overlook with busy backgrounds and such. I will likely wait longer, but at nearly two years old, a new notebook becomes part of the equation, too.

I did not see any confirmation in the thread (so far), but it's not hard to overlook bits given the 47 pages so far. So, I will ask:

Has anyone successfully performed the LED WUXGA upgrade on the Santa Rosa 15.4 MBP?

Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread. Especially you, Baxter!

DS
 
Okay, so I plonked down the dough to try it and the WUXGA screen for the Dell M4400 has completely different connectors on the back of the LCD and is slightly too large height-wise by just a couple of millimeters. :(

Looks like it goes back to fleaBay to try and recover some of my money.

Does an LED LCD WUXGA screen that would fit the 15" MBP even exist?

DS
 
Sure. Here goes. Obligatory disclaimer: I am not a good photographer. I tried reducing these, so if you need a larger pic or a clearer one, let me know. It was difficult to get the connector leads clear in the photos.

The first three are the new screen. The two plugs are of different size than the plug on the original screen in the forth pic. In the fifth, overlaying the two screens, I have drawn arrows indicating the direction the plug would insert, so the new screen is inverted in this regard. The bottom of the pic is also the bottom of the screens when in use.

Again, it is a couple of millimeters taller, so it still won't fit even if someone figures out the plugs. I guess I am putting the old one back together.

DS
 

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Macbook 13'3"

Hi All, Long time reader, first time Typer.

I have a Macbook Santa Rosa with a Samsung LCD WXGA. I would love to change out the LCD to a 13.3” WUXGA Screen, Just like Baxterbrittle did with his 15” powerbook… but I will not find a 13.3” WUXGA LCD so that will not happen.

But what I would like to do is change out the screen to a Sony Vaio X Black LCD, to be exact - model VGN-S260. The reason behind this is because it is a better quality LCD and it’s the only LCD I could find with a 20 pin connect, which is the same as the Samsung.

The Connecter on the Sony LCD is also in the same place at the Samsung LCD.

My question is, Are the connecters at the back of the LCD’s a set standard, or are they whatever the manufacture wants them to do? Is there anyway of finding LCD schematics for both Samsung and Sony ‘off the shelf’ components?

Also, would anyone know of any other displays which are better then the Samsung and will work in the Macbook?
 
deadsenator said:
The crickets are deafening! I guess this thread seems to have died. Too bad.

:(
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I think there are a few of reasons.

1. Not enough adventurous folk out there willing to experiment on their existing systems.

2. The 15" 1920*1200 LED screens are significantly more expensive than the non-LED version screens used in this thread.

3. And finally, the novelty of doing the mod is gone now that it's been done on the older models.

Perhaps as more used systems with dead screens become available and the price of hi-res LED displays drops you will see more experimentation.

Cheers,
 
panzer06 said:
I think there are a few of reasons.

1. Not enough adventurous folk out there willing to experiment on their existing systems.

2. The 15" 1920*1200 LED screens are significantly more expensive than the non-LED version screens used in this thread.

3. And finally, the novelty of doing the mod is gone now that's been done on the older models.

Perhaps as more used systems with dead screens become available and the price of hi-res LED displays drops you will see more experimentation.

Cheers,
Click to expand...

If I were do this conversion I would need the following:
1) A lot of time
2) A lot of patience

Plus in the process, I would Dremel my current glossy LCD cover and cut the bezel out (so I can retain the original bezel opposed to the TechRestore matte conversion method). Plus it his means I voids my warranty, which I'm not yet ready for.
 
alphaod said:
If I were do this conversion I would need the following:
1) A lot of time
2) A lot of patience

Plus in the process, I would Dremel my current glossy LCD cover and cut the bezel out (so I can retain the original bezel opposed to the TechRestore matte conversion method). Plus it his means I voids my warranty, which I'm not yet ready for.
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you missed::

3) money.

i would def do this if i had some spare cash up my sleeve, but i dont :(
 
DoFoT9 said:
you missed::

3) money.

i would def do this if i had some spare cash up my sleeve, but i dont :(
Click to expand...

Now if you are talking about modding that 2.16 in your sig, it's a lot less expensive to do so. Those non-LED screens can be found near $200 or less.

Cheers,
 
panzer06 said:
Now if you are talking about modding that 2.16 in your sig, it's a lot less expensive to do so. Those non-LED screens can be found near $200 or less.

Cheers,
Click to expand...

oh yes im well aware of that, but i dont have $200US (im aussie so like $300Aus) lying around.. i cant spare any money.

alphaod said:
Well I was referring to myself ;)
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oh true, sorry i shouldnt of blurted in.
 
panzer06 said:
I think there are a few of reasons.

1. Not enough adventurous folk out there willing to experiment on their existing systems.

2. The 15" 1920*1200 LED screens are significantly more expensive than the non-LED version screens used in this thread.

3. And finally, the novelty of doing the mod is gone now that it's been done on the older models.

Perhaps as more used systems with dead screens become available and the price of hi-res LED displays drops you will see more experimentation.

Cheers,
Click to expand...

If you'll refer to my post above, I did give it a go, but the physical limitations of the screen size and connectors got in the way of success (my ignorance certainly contributed much!). I may have been able to procure some M4400 connectors and done some sort of x-over patch, but the screen was also a few millimeters too tall.

Please forgive me, but I will repeat my question: does anyone make a WUXGA LED screen that fits the 15" SR-MBP?

DS
 
The thing with the super high res screens is the text size.

I remember cursing everyday that I got a 1600x1200 15" LCD via a free "upgrade" with my Dell Inspiron 8200, I had to zoom in to read everything unless I felt like straining my eyes.
 
l.a.rossmann said:
The thing with the super high res screens is the text size.

I remember cursing everyday that I got a 1600x1200 15" LCD via a free "upgrade" with my Dell Inspiron 8200, I had to zoom in to read everything unless I felt like straining my eyes.
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I don't care how small the text is, I really must have the screen real estate. I could never go back to 1440x900. I use an external monitor with the MB and the Sony is 1920x1080 on a 16x9 16" display. If I need more detail a zoom in.

deadsenator said:
If you'll refer to my post above, I did give it a go, but the physical limitations of the screen size and connectors got in the way of success (my ignorance certainly contributed much!). I may have been able to procure some M4400 connectors and done some sort of x-over patch, but the screen was also a few millimeters too tall.

Please forgive me, but I will repeat my question: does anyone make a WUXGA LED screen that fits the 15" SR-MBP?

DS
Click to expand...

Well that's very interesting. I just took a closer look at your photos. Looking at your photos it seems these LED screens have very different connectors (than the old systems). Is it possible to get a bare screen and remove all the connections from the original LED? Where did you go for the take apart on the LED equipped MBP?

You don't think Apple would have some sort of proprietary connector to discourage this sort of thing do you?

Cheers,
 
Agree with Panzer06, WUXGA rules... especially on OSX and on a 15" screen. I love my LG glossy 15" WUXGA franken MBP C2D 2.16. I also had a matte Samsung screen (also 15" WUXGA) but it was much dimmer and had worse angles of view c/w LG one.

Real estate is key and font are very crisp and readable on the LG screen.

I think we should keep trying to find a solution to the LED screen conundrum as C2D 2.16 and 2.33 GHz models are getting scarce.

I dropped a 160 X25M SSD Intel in the 2.16 FrankenMBP and it screams. FWIW
 
l.a.rossmann said:
I wonder if there'd be demand for a high def LCD upgrade service...
Click to expand...

I definitely believe there would be demand for a reasonably priced Hi-Res LED upgrade for the Santa Rosa through current Uni MBP, and to a lesser extent the older 2.16 & 2.33 CCFL based LCD MBPs.

I think there would be some demand, just as there is for the Modbook Tablet, however, it would be preferable that the company doing the mod also be an authorized Apple Service Center thereby eliminating any warranty issue for non-screen related components. The modding company could also provide a limited screen warranty (say 12 months).

Cheers,
 
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