Hacking an LCD picture Frame? Appeal

esecallum · 10-01-2009, 08:14 AM

Challenge and Urgent Appeal--Ereaders Required

I wish someone would turn or hack a cheap $20 or $30 5 inch or 4 inch lcd digital photo frame into a ebook reader for text and rtf files.

I don't want wi-fi, bluetooth, internet access and fancy writing screens,pushing up the price.People who want that can pay extra.

A 4gb flash memory can store 10000 books easily.

Ideally it should have 4gb storage from a internal flash or memory sdd card with a long battery life or the option to turn the backlight off.

By the way why is the amount of memory on the present over priced devices so niggardly?
I mean you can easily get a flash memory of 4 gig for
$3. Most devices have 64 megs or 256 megs.What a joke.

A lcd displays don't consume much power this could extend the battery life.

Eink is unfortunately over priced and SLOW.

Ebook readers like the amazon kindle and sony ereader cost as much as a laptop at present! Rip off pricing.

ebook readers cost from $300 to $800.

They are a rip off.

Manufacturers by keeping prices high are shooting themselves in the foot with poor sales.Very stupid people at the top.

What a rip off.

I mean $300 to $800 for a ebookreader.

You can buy a complex mini netbook for less then a ebook reader now.Only reason I don't use a netbook is due to the poor battery life of only a few hours.

I don't want to pay that much on principle.

Even a mini netbook is unsuitable for ebook reading due to the short battery life.

A low power low cost photoframe would be ideal.

I am surprised that no one has done this hack.

The focus in various forums unfortunately seems to be turning photo frame into video displays for moving pictures which they are not really designed due to their poor frame rates of 8/second! A pointless exercise.

They would are more suited to be ebook readers.

Anyone up for this challenge?

I also appeal to Chinese folk here if you could start producing a simple dedicated paperback sized 4 .5 or 5.00 inch sized screen size thin ebook reader with a lcd screen with optional back light.

Should be able to read text,rtf,pdf,html,word.

no blue tooth.no wi-fi,no hi-fi,no screen annotations,no screen writing,no hand writing,no editing,no coffee making.People who want these gizmos can pay extra for it in mark 2/3 versions.

should run of 2 aa batteries for a month.

should be under $50.

Patricia · 10-02-2009, 09:46 AM

You have asked this question elsewhere on the forum, esecallum.
I've posted a reply in the other place:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...156#post613156

esecallum · 10-03-2009, 07:03 AM

I understand i have posted elsewhere bu the problem with this forum is that it too unwieldy and as a result poor viewing figures per forum heading.

In other words the footfall is very low in each forum.This is called fragmentation of the audience.What that means is that people will NOT go through every forum header.

I urge you to talk to your friends and apprise them of this idea and ask them to forward it on.

Are you aware of the 6 degrees of separation theory?

Especially if you have any Chinese friends (although that is unlikely) who may have contacts with industrialists who may want to produce this or take it to the next level.

I hope this helps you to understand.

HarryT · 10-03-2009, 07:13 AM

I think you're considerably underestimating the power requirements of backlit LCD screens; I certainly know of no LCD device which will run for a month on two AA batteries.

Sweetpea · 10-03-2009, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I think you're considerably underestimating the power requirements of backlit LCD screens; I certainly know of no LCD device which will run for a month on two AA batteries.

I know one! My Garmin Colorado 300 (GPS device)

But then, it turns the backlight off after 30 seconds and is only a 2.something screen

HarryT · 10-03-2009, 07:33 AM

Precisely. It's the backlighting which uses the power.

esecallum · 10-03-2009, 02:16 PM

Can you not read what I wrote? The back light should be able to be turned off and the display readable in normal light using lcd screen.

A lcd display watch lasts a year o a small battery.

PhishStyx · 10-03-2009, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by esecallum

Can you not read what I wrote? The back light should be able to be turned off and the display readable in normal light using lcd screen.

A lcd display watch lasts a year o a small battery.

I think it's you not paying attention. HarryT told you why LCD screens don't do well on battery life; they're backlit, which uses power.

Now truthfully, you're making my troll-sense go off so hard I'm getting a headache. This place needs an ignore list function

Patricia · 10-03-2009, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhishStyx

Now truthfully, you're making my troll-sense go off so hard I'm getting a headache. This place needs an ignore list function

I'm pleased to report that we already have an "ignore" function.
Go to your user control panel ("user cp" on the blue bar near the top of the page); under "settings and options" choose "edit ignore list."
You may add the names of those members whose posts you would prefer not to read.

Bismar · 10-04-2009, 05:21 AM

To the OP, your idea will not work at all. If you have ever taken apart an LCD monitor for repair you'll see that without the backlight you cannot see anything on the screen without a very very bright light.

So before you start rattling off baseless ideas, do us a favour, open up your lcd, remove the fluorescent power connectors and then try to reply to this thread.

LDBoblo · 10-04-2009, 06:31 AM

Lotta hostility here.

HarryT · 10-04-2009, 06:31 AM

"Transflective" LCD screens work in daylight (they are used in LCD watches, the Compaq iPaq Pocket PC, the "JetBook" reader, etc), but they are a lot more expensive than the screens you get in cheap digital picture frames. As you rightly say, such screens have to be backlit or they don't work - as anyone who's had the backlight on a laptop PC fail can testify

.

Patricia · 10-04-2009, 08:52 AM

I see (from his posts in the flea market section of the forum) that the original poster is looking for a very cheap reader. His best strategy might be to search Ebay for a used PDA.

HarryT · 10-04-2009, 08:59 AM

That's a very good idea, Patricia. A used Palm or Pocket PC should be well within the original poster's price range, and they make pretty good eBook readers - I read on such devices for 20 odd years.

Sweetpea · 10-04-2009, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bismar

To the OP, your idea will not work at all. If you have ever taken apart an LCD monitor for repair you'll see that without the backlight you cannot see anything on the screen without a very very bright light.

So before you start rattling off baseless ideas, do us a favour, open up your lcd, remove the fluorescent power connectors and then try to reply to this thread.

That would depend on which type of LCD you're talking about. You have reflective, transparent and transflective (a combination of the other two).

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

"Transflective" LCD screens work in daylight (they are used in LCD watches, the Compaq iPaq Pocket PC, the "JetBook" reader, etc), but they are a lot more expensive than the screens you get in cheap digital picture frames. As you rightly say, such screens have to be backlit or they don't work - as anyone who's had the backlight on a laptop PC fail can testify

.

From what I understood, the Jetbook as a reflective screen. And from what I've seen, a picture frame has a transparent screen.

Reflective = no backlight, all light gets reflected on a kind of mirror behind the screen, so you'll need a lighted surrounding

Transparent = backlit, all light comes from the device as the screen is transparent to light. Surrounding light will not (or hardly noticable) be reflected back and thus you'll always need a backlight.

Transflective = backlit, there is a mirror behind the screen which will reflect surrounding light, but it is also transparent so backlight will also get through. The better PDA's will have a screen like this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

That's a very good idea, Patricia. A used Palm or Pocket PC should be well within the original poster's price range, and they make pretty good eBook readers - I read on such devices for 20 odd years.

I agree, it works perfectly. I can read in bright sunlight without any problem on my PDA and it also works when I'm in a dark bedroom under the covers

10-01-2009, 08:14 AM	#1
esecallum Banned Posts: 29 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: none	Hacking an LCD picture Frame? Appeal Challenge and Urgent Appeal--Ereaders Required I wish someone would turn or hack a cheap $20 or $30 5 inch or 4 inch lcd digital photo frame into a ebook reader for text and rtf files. I don't want wi-fi, bluetooth, internet access and fancy writing screens,pushing up the price.People who want that can pay extra. A 4gb flash memory can store 10000 books easily. Ideally it should have 4gb storage from a internal flash or memory sdd card with a long battery life or the option to turn the backlight off. By the way why is the amount of memory on the present over priced devices so niggardly? I mean you can easily get a flash memory of 4 gig for $3. Most devices have 64 megs or 256 megs.What a joke. A lcd displays don't consume much power this could extend the battery life. Eink is unfortunately over priced and SLOW. Ebook readers like the amazon kindle and sony ereader cost as much as a laptop at present! Rip off pricing. ebook readers cost from $300 to $800. They are a rip off. Manufacturers by keeping prices high are shooting themselves in the foot with poor sales.Very stupid people at the top. What a rip off. I mean $300 to $800 for a ebookreader. You can buy a complex mini netbook for less then a ebook reader now.Only reason I don't use a netbook is due to the poor battery life of only a few hours. I don't want to pay that much on principle. Even a mini netbook is unsuitable for ebook reading due to the short battery life. A low power low cost photoframe would be ideal. I am surprised that no one has done this hack. The focus in various forums unfortunately seems to be turning photo frame into video displays for moving pictures which they are not really designed due to their poor frame rates of 8/second! A pointless exercise. They would are more suited to be ebook readers. Anyone up for this challenge? I also appeal to Chinese folk here if you could start producing a simple dedicated paperback sized 4 .5 or 5.00 inch sized screen size thin ebook reader with a lcd screen with optional back light. Should be able to read text,rtf,pdf,html,word. no blue tooth.no wi-fi,no hi-fi,no screen annotations,no screen writing,no hand writing,no editing,no coffee making.People who want these gizmos can pay extra for it in mark 2/3 versions. should run of 2 aa batteries for a month. should be under $50.

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10-02-2009, 09:46 AM	#2
Patricia Reader Posts: 11,504 Karma: 8720163 Join Date: May 2007 Location: South Wales, UK Device: Sony PRS-500, PRS-505, Asus EEEpc 4G	You have asked this question elsewhere on the forum, esecallum. I've posted a reply in the other place: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...156#post613156

10-03-2009, 07:03 AM	#3
esecallum Banned Posts: 29 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: none	I understand i have posted elsewhere bu the problem with this forum is that it too unwieldy and as a result poor viewing figures per forum heading. In other words the footfall is very low in each forum.This is called fragmentation of the audience.What that means is that people will NOT go through every forum header. I urge you to talk to your friends and apprise them of this idea and ask them to forward it on. Are you aware of the 6 degrees of separation theory? Especially if you have any Chinese friends (although that is unlikely) who may have contacts with industrialists who may want to produce this or take it to the next level. I hope this helps you to understand.

10-03-2009, 07:13 AM	#4
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I think you're considerably underestimating the power requirements of backlit LCD screens; I certainly know of no LCD device which will run for a month on two AA batteries.

10-03-2009, 07:33 AM	#6
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Precisely. It's the backlighting which uses the power.

10-03-2009, 02:16 PM	#7
esecallum Banned Posts: 29 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: none	Can you not read what I wrote? The back light should be able to be turned off and the display readable in normal light using lcd screen. A lcd display watch lasts a year o a small battery.

10-04-2009, 05:21 AM	#10
Bismar Connoisseur Posts: 76 Karma: 928 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Down Under Device: Kobo eReader	To the OP, your idea will not work at all. If you have ever taken apart an LCD monitor for repair you'll see that without the backlight you cannot see anything on the screen without a very very bright light. So before you start rattling off baseless ideas, do us a favour, open up your lcd, remove the fluorescent power connectors and then try to reply to this thread.

10-04-2009, 06:31 AM	#11
LDBoblo Wizard Posts: 1,385 Karma: 16056 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Asia Device: Kindle 3 WiFi, Sony PRS-505	Lotta hostility here.

10-04-2009, 08:52 AM	#13
Patricia Reader Posts: 11,504 Karma: 8720163 Join Date: May 2007 Location: South Wales, UK Device: Sony PRS-500, PRS-505, Asus EEEpc 4G	I see (from his posts in the flea market section of the forum) that the original poster is looking for a very cheap reader. His best strategy might be to search Ebay for a used PDA.

10-04-2009, 08:59 AM	#14
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	That's a very good idea, Patricia. A used Palm or Pocket PC should be well within the original poster's price range, and they make pretty good eBook readers - I read on such devices for 20 odd years.