Very Simple Tft Mod...
This is a "simple" Instructable on how to mod a Tft or Lcd display very easily and very cheap. It doesn't involve electronics for those who are not experienced, and it can be done by almost anyone.
I started my Tft/Lcd mod because of the movie "Fortress 2" where I saw a nice design for my boring white Tft flat screen. You can make any other design as complicated if you want, it depends on the materials you are gonna use and your experience. Drawing a design on paper helps a lot with getting the details right. My project is just example of what you can do with some simple non-complicated things and material...
I started my Tft/Lcd mod because of the movie "Fortress 2" where I saw a nice design for my boring white Tft flat screen. You can make any other design as complicated if you want, it depends on the materials you are gonna use and your experience. Drawing a design on paper helps a lot with getting the details right. My project is just example of what you can do with some simple non-complicated things and material...
First: find out witch design your gonna use for your flat screen. Write down witch materials your gonna use and draw your design on paper to get a idea about the technical difficulties and the hole thing itself.
You can use the drawing you made from your design to write down the measurements en details.
Print screen's of the original from the Internet or movie can help, here was my idea from the movie "Fortress 2." I drawled simple lines to get an idea and printed it out. In the photo's you can see the guide lines I used to get the right measurement and shape. Then I toke my flat screen measurements to get the design at the right size. This step involves a lot of drawing and thinking, it toke a few hours and a trip to my local hardware store to look around for the right materials.
(and yes I know its Crt in the movie, I made a Tft version of it)
You can use the drawing you made from your design to write down the measurements en details.
Print screen's of the original from the Internet or movie can help, here was my idea from the movie "Fortress 2." I drawled simple lines to get an idea and printed it out. In the photo's you can see the guide lines I used to get the right measurement and shape. Then I toke my flat screen measurements to get the design at the right size. This step involves a lot of drawing and thinking, it toke a few hours and a trip to my local hardware store to look around for the right materials.
(and yes I know its Crt in the movie, I made a Tft version of it)
Making It...
I gettered material s and started drawing the shapes I needed to make the thing.
After sawing them out I sand the edges down and cut out a piece on the back. It was the first time for me so I toke first a piece of wood to practice on. But a part of it came lose anyway so I clued it back into place. I really recommend using a sawing machine because this project involves a lot of sawing. And take your time with this, because you and other people will see it for a while on your desk... (hopefully)
Next I cutted out some aluminum profile to size en drilled holes on the back to hold the hole thing together. You can see I used special screws that sink into the aluminum so nothing sticks out. You can also see why I cutted out the holes in the wood, because again I wanted nothing to stick out..
Then I test fitted the front to see if everything was right. (looks cool right?)
After sawing them out I sand the edges down and cut out a piece on the back. It was the first time for me so I toke first a piece of wood to practice on. But a part of it came lose anyway so I clued it back into place. I really recommend using a sawing machine because this project involves a lot of sawing. And take your time with this, because you and other people will see it for a while on your desk... (hopefully)
Next I cutted out some aluminum profile to size en drilled holes on the back to hold the hole thing together. You can see I used special screws that sink into the aluminum so nothing sticks out. You can also see why I cutted out the holes in the wood, because again I wanted nothing to stick out..
Then I test fitted the front to see if everything was right. (looks cool right?)
The Foot...
In this step you can be creative in any way you like, because you don't have to make it look like the display on the photo's. Or if like to, you don't have to make a new foot foot at all, I kept is simple and in the same style like the display itself. But do keep the dimensions from the old foot the same, because if you make it smaller it can fall over more quickly then normal if you don't. And of course keep it strong, it needs the to hold weight from the display and the force to readjust it manually.
After making the base of the foot, I toke the dimensions (the hinges) from the old stand and applied them on the new one. Getting the center was a little bit difficult but with a few lines I got it right.
After making the base of the foot, I toke the dimensions (the hinges) from the old stand and applied them on the new one. Getting the center was a little bit difficult but with a few lines I got it right.
Paint and Decoration
After gathering all the parts and double checking for any errors, I painted them with three cots of grey paint. Take your time and let it dry well, gives the best results in the end. In the mean time I made the logo's of the evil company "Mentel" so it looked like the same thing. I made screen copy's of the logo's in the movie and printed them out. Then I used double sided tape to make them into stickers.
The front is being held up with very strong mirror tape, simple but effective. (and it doesn't damaged the screen.) For the foot I used special scratch-free stick-on feet's for a firm and steady stand. Of course if you make your own stand you can add stuff or decoration in any form.
The front is being held up with very strong mirror tape, simple but effective. (and it doesn't damaged the screen.) For the foot I used special scratch-free stick-on feet's for a firm and steady stand. Of course if you make your own stand you can add stuff or decoration in any form.
Putting It Together...
Next is the most rewarding step of putting the hole thing together:
I fitted the front on the Tft display and the mirror tape does the rest. It leaves no ugly holes behind if you take it off again. Same goes for the foot witch I will keep afterwards.
A little mistake became clear when I mounted the foot the screen, my screwdriver did not fit in the screw head because the foot "decoration" was in its way. Thankfully everything else was easy, stick the front on the display and assembly the foot en and screw it on. With the original hinges it is still adjustable and it looks much better now. The power supply on the back was months earlier fitted because it was ugly to see it laying around.
And the end result: A very cool display to look at, of course you can apply this instructable also on any size of Lcd or Tft flat screen you happen to have.
I fitted the front on the Tft display and the mirror tape does the rest. It leaves no ugly holes behind if you take it off again. Same goes for the foot witch I will keep afterwards.
A little mistake became clear when I mounted the foot the screen, my screwdriver did not fit in the screw head because the foot "decoration" was in its way. Thankfully everything else was easy, stick the front on the display and assembly the foot en and screw it on. With the original hinges it is still adjustable and it looks much better now. The power supply on the back was months earlier fitted because it was ugly to see it laying around.
And the end result: A very cool display to look at, of course you can apply this instructable also on any size of Lcd or Tft flat screen you happen to have.