Custom screen mount

After a lot of thinking, I decided to build a custom plastic mount for the screen. This mount should lift the panel enough to give room for the cable (so I shouldn't need to replace it) and air circulation for the CPU to help with any heat issues that may arise.

I cut out 2 plastic pieces about 6" x 1" and JB Welded them to the top sides of the case panel. Before I actually mount the screen I think I will pick up some foam and form a strip to lay down horizontally in the space. This should help with support, even though the plastic is already surprisingly sturdy. I'll add some more JB Weld to the edges when I apply the foam strip.

I finally purchased a touch screen! It's a 10.1" USB resistive touch screen and it cost $42 on eBay. It's shipping from China so it won't be here for a couple weeks at least. I discovered that I may be able to power the touch panel with the USB connector from the webcam. It's worth the sacrifice so I hope it works! I plan to add more plastic on the bottom lip of the panel, reinforce the edges with more JB Weld, and add the foam strip before I mount the screen permanently.

Here is a list of my expenses so far:

• ($8) Paint 
• ($6) JB Weld 
• ($2) Acrylic glass sheet
• ($1) Putty knife
• ($40) LED screen 
• ($38) Dremel rotary tool 
• ($42) Touch screen kit

Additional expenses:

• Sand paper ($5?)
• Foam sheet ($5?)

I am about $150 in this project so far. I really didn't plan on spending this much, but considering the broken screen and lack of a Dremel, I guess it isn't too bad. The iPhone sold for $275, so it has worked out well so far.

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New LED screen

I received the 10.1" LED screen today. Connected the 40 pin cable and booted up... but nothing showed up. I gave it a minute or so, but still nothing. I did a hard shut down, then powered it back on and it came on fine. Looks great, but 1024 x 600 max resolution. Not bad, but still doesn't compare to the 1366 x 768 on the old 11.6" screen. After initial tests, I found that the original 40 in cable may be too short to comfortably reach the connector when I have the screen positioned properly. I'll probably get a new one or an extender of some sort.

 (I don't know why this one is sideways... sorry)

I have found that I am going to need to rethink the entire front bezel/top of the netbook. The metal harness around the screen secures to the top side of it, not the bottom (which I had originally thought). I'll need some plastic pieces and some molding putty to create a custom fit for the screen and touch panel. As you can notice above, I removed the webcam and mic from where they were before. The double sided tape I originally purchased isn't strong enough. Here are my new expenses:

• Industrial strength double sided tape
• Bondo / molding putty
• Plastic sheet
• 40 pin screen cable extension
• 10.1" touch panel kit

I am starting to think that I can somehow rig the touch panel onto the USB connector for the webcam. Something I will try once I order the touch kit (still haven't).

In a somewhat unrelated matter, I received a free (upgrade) iPhone 4 8 GB today too. Since my current phone does the job just fine, I have put it on eBay to help fund this project. BUY IT!

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