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13" screen that i dont know how to connect

hoasov

Hey all ,

 

i just breakdown of components from old Macbook Pro 13" that i was. the screen was perfect and i want to use that screen and connect to Raspberry PI 2 b+.

so i did that tutorial: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pr ... ement/4311

and now i have the screen , what should i need to connect it to the RPI2 that i have?

its look like 30 pin ttl cable and i cant find any driver that will help me (with HDMI)

any help ? please?

 

Pictures at that link : https://imgur.com/a/85DNz1n

 

Also i find that datasheet of the screen (attached)

Attachments:
imageLP133WX2-TLG7-LG.pdf
  • in reply to hoasov

    Hi Daniel,

     

    You'll need the pinout of the display. For that, google possibly may reveal a circuit diagram for the entire Macbook, otherwise if the display says the manufacturer name on it (Apple likely didn't make it - there are only a few manufacturers of these TFT screens) and a part number on any sticker on the back of the display, then google may find you the datasheet and pinout. However, Apple stuff can be custom, so it's not guaranteed you'll find this if the display wasn't sold to other customers. If you can't find it, you may be able to decipher it approximately by looking at the traces on the display and/or the laptop, and identifying the thin parallel LVDS wires, and the thicker power and ground connections. You'll want to eventually get to something like this (this is just an example, it definitely won't match your display):

    image

    If you're reverse-engineering by looking at the traces, then you may not be sure about the LVDS pair labelling. In that case, some trial-and-error may be needed.

    This is still only part of the story. Next you'll need to figure out what voltage the backlight operates at (using the datasheet or circuit diagram if you found it, or by reverse-engineering) and make sure your HDMI controller board can supply that. If it can't, some other power supply will be needed for that.

    Once you have all that, you may be lucky and it all works. But it is a lot of steps. Another way to increase the chance of success is to search for projects that connected that display (or that on a near-similar year Macbook) to a Pi or any other computer. Sometimes the pinouts and details can be near-similar for a couple of models released close to each other.

    If there is no information like this on the Internet, then personally I'd give up and just sell the display on ebay (maybe you'll make $50-70 or more, Apple spares tend to be expensive) and use that to buy a known working display. Elecrow sell a 10.1" display for $119, and it may likely cost you more than that, factoring in the $50-70 value of the display, if you aim to use the Apple display - not to mention the time and effort.