imac screen

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imac screen

i got a "old" sunflower imac 20" with a dead screen that i want salvage for my daughter (the mac not the screen). after the screen went to screen paradise i'm now left with a connector and 20000 wires....
the problem with this mac is that it needs a main screen when in admin or install mode and i MUST reinstall the system. so i have to find a way to hook up another screen to the video board not using the external dvi but the remaining wires coming out of the mac.
if i got a lcd screen could i use some of those wires to connect it ?
would the signal be good since i'd be using a lcd and not crt monitor ?
anyone would know wich of these 21 wires go where ?

having very limited knowledge in electronics i'm lost here....

thanks

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The thing is...

if i got a lcd screen could i use some of those wires to connect it ?
would the signal be good since i'd be using a lcd and not crt monitor ?

... It isn't quite that simple, im afriad. You would need a bare LCD, probably of the same manufacturer as the OEM panel. You can't just pop any old DVI or VGA LCD screen on there and have it work. Someone more versed in this sort of thing can probably elaborate, but, basically, you would need to either get the external DVI output working, or replace the iMacs LCD panel.

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Re: The thing is...

[quote=... It isn't quite that simple, im afriad. You would need a bare LCD, probably of the same manufacturer as the OEM panel. You can't just pop any old DVI or VGA LCD screen on there and have it work. Someone more versed in this sort of thing can probably elaborate, but, basically, you would need to either get the external DVI output working, or replace the iMacs LCD panel.[/quote]

i need a main screen because i can't use an external display for all the admin and install tasks; it would wayyyyyy too easy !
i would not have to worry about wiring another screen i'd just plug another lccd in the mini-dvi like i did before until i realised that i could not reinstall my system or be in root

i'll just have to try it and be done with it but i need to know what wire goes where.
i guess if nobody knows here i'll just try one by one
surprise, surprise....

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I unde...

I understand that. What i am saying is that you cannot just pop any old LCD in there.

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would be too easy ! i'll try

would be too easy !
i'll try anyway i got nothing to lose; time maybe...

Jon
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Doesn't the external port jus

Doesn't the external port just do video mirroring? I mean, have you tried just plugging something in to the mini-DVI port and booting it up, or are you just assuming that it won't work?

EDIT: I see that you mentioned it in a later post. Has anyone gotten into OpenFirmware on the external monitor? If so then you should be able to set it as the main display.

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yep, i've tried. i was using

yep, i've tried. i was using an external screen until one of my kids games trashed the system and i had to reinstall it and i could not.
i previuously brought the imac at the apple store, they said it probably was the inverter, cheap repair but it turned out to be the screen that was shot and the warranty had expired... boooohhhh
so i was left with the choice of paying $900 to replace the screen (right !!!) or buying a new mac. i waited that the new 24" white imac came out and put the old one aside until now . i hate to dump it 'cause it works well so i have to find a way to wire a screen.
there, you got the story; hope i did not bore you...

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a great lesson ! 1- never

a great lesson !

1- never trust completly what the "geniusses" at the apple store tell you
2- if you take the main screen completly off the neck or the entire neck but this means to open the imac an gradually work your way through all the screws, disconnecting the wires off the motherboard and then putting everything back into place without omitting the thermal paste..... and than plug in an external display IT WORKS !!

you can go in root, admin, boot, install whatever, like before with the main screen.
so the problem is solved; it was too easy i guess....

3- last lesson: never trust completly what the "geniusses" at the apple store tell you and try it yourself !

thanks for your input

Jon
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Ha, sweet. Now you've got a

Ha, sweet. Now you've got a dome-shaped Mac mini, basically.

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yep almost and with a neck t

yep almost
and with a neck too; i tried it from the outside to see if it would work, now i'm beeing lazy to disassemble the neck;
i'll try to transform it into a lamp or something decorative
i'll post some pics if it's worth it Smile

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