Need help with a case monitor - Overclock.net

BlackandBlue · 04-19-07

Ok, so I got an old portable DVD player from work the other day and want to make a case monitor (like one that shows the temp, frequency, yada yada). I ripped the bad boy open and found the following connections on the monitor:
9v, ground, Y, C, and Bright
They were nice enough to label the board. So, I can find 9v somewhere. Since the PC runs on 12v, I can use a resistor to drop the voltage or possibly the 12v + and the 5v -, dont know have to play with it.

So, where does everyone get the input from? Is it a kit or do they use a video card? I have Y and C for the video. Is there anyway I can get these from a VGA plug? I have an open PCI slot and an old, old video card, but dont know if I can use it with my SLI setup. Probably like a sound card, you either use the onboard or a card, not both.

I found that the Bright is just a resistance. If theres no resistance on the wire, the brightness is all the way up, if its grounded, the brightness is all the way down, so I'll bust out the fluke to find what that needs to be.

So, my main problem is where to get the input signal, what software to use, and if I can use these Y and C video inputs in the computer environment. As you can tell, I've never done this before and am open to any suggestion. I couldnt really find anything, but I'm going to keep looking. I dont have much to do at work today. Thanks guys.

BlackandBlue · 04-19-07

ok, I have my EVGA 7600gt's in SLI. I found out that the C and Y signals come from a s-video connector. The cards have that output on the back. So, do they still support TV out while in SLI? Is that what I want?

**pjlietz** · 04-19-07

As far as I know when in SLI you can only output to one source. A third card should still be able to display on another monitor though, so running s-video out of a pci card may work.

BlackandBlue · 04-24-07

Ok, got it to work. Kinda a pain and a good amount of research. Had to disable my SLI to get it to work, but its definetly pretty cool.

Made the harness with 4 diodes to drop the voltage to 9v, 12.5k resistors for brightness level (need a potentiometer so I can adjust it), and about 15k resistor for the color, since there was no C ground wire input on the screen for the s-video input. I'm happy with it.

Mr. Mojo · 04-24-07

Sweet, you should write that up as a tutorial. I've been kinda hunting for a small LCD to use when I get around to modding my case, maybe I'll just go pick up a cheap Wal-Mart portable dvd player

Rep+ for the tip!