Anyone know how to 'rig' a cellphone screen?

[Birdie]

I have an old cellphone that I want to insert a custom acetate display into. I want the screen to light up, but not display anything (to illuminate the acetate)

The SIM holder is broken, when the phone is turned on, you just get the 'insert simcard message'. Anyone know if it's possible to disable the graphics but still illuminate the screen?

The phone is easy to dissemble to get at the circuit board, can post pics if it helps.

Any ideas?

 

[comm510]

I've done a few of these for on-screen use and it's best to just gut the unit. Trying to bypass the main board can work but it's a delicate job - the connections you need to access are in the ribbon that leads directly to the screen. They are micro-fine and provide Pos and Neg to the LEDs in the screen. On the ones I've had to rig this has been too time consuming to attempt and I scrapped the idea in favor of using a simple scratch built back-lit screen. Very bright and totally predictable.

B

 

[Birdie]

I've done a few of these for on-screen use and it's best to just gut the unit. Trying to bypass the main board can work but it's a delicate job - the connections you need to access are in the ribbon that leads directly to the screen. They are micro-fine and provide Pos and Neg to the LEDs in the screen. On the ones I've had to rig this has been too time consuming to attempt and I scrapped the idea in favor of using a simple scratch built back-lit screen. Very bright and totally predictable.

B

I thought that might be the case

How did you go about the scratch-build? Did you use El?

 

[tubachris85x]

Yea, Ive tried to take an old cell phone's front display in the hopes of using it for a rangfnder display for a fett helmet. Didnt work out so well, just as stated by comm510, the ribbon is where the connection is. Didnt work out to well lol

 

[Rik1138]

I would think if you just want to disable the LCD all together, just cut the traces that connect to the glass itself. That will render the screen inoperative, but the back light will still work. (I'm not sure what kind of phone you are working with, but the one I opened one time had the LCD sitting on the light assembly, so it was easy to remove the LCD completely while leaving the light inside the phone... Some phones might have all this combined in one unit though).

I have a prop phone from One Missed Call that they just gutted completely and replaced the screen with a piece of electroluminescent sheet that lights up when power is applied. Then you can just stick whatever graphic on it you want. They also put a piece of this behind the buttons to make them light up too...

This is the stuff I'm talking about:
http://www.elshine.it/inglese/magictapes.htm
Google search for 'EL Sheet' or 'electroluminescent sheet', you'll find tons of it in different colors...

You might have to build a small circuit to power it, the phone I have is wired to an external power...

Rik

 

[comm510]

I thought that might be the case

How did you go about the scratch-build? Did you use El?

Birdie - Much simpler than that.. PM me and I'll walk you through it.

 

[Birdie]

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