adding a video output

Thread Starter

douglasjames

Joined Feb 10, 2023
12
I was wondering what would be involved to create an hdmi output or a video output from an electronics unit that does not have any output? This unit is a fishfinder and I want to rewire the display connector to add an output signal to an external monitor is this possible?
 

KeithWalker

Joined Jul 10, 2017
3,063
How does it indicate that there are fish if it doesn't have any output?
It may be possible to add an external display but that would depend on many things.
Do you have a circuit diagram of the unit?
What is your knowledge and experience level in electronics?
Have you worked on similar projects before?
What is your budget and time restraints?
etc.
 

Thread Starter

douglasjames

Joined Feb 10, 2023
12
How does it indicate that there are fish if it doesn't have any output?
It may be possible to add an external display but that would depend on many things.
Do you have a circuit diagram of the unit?
What is your knowledge and experience level in electronics?
Have you worked on similar projects before?
What is your budget and time restraints?
etc.
did a few years of electronic engineering.. still looking for a schematic...there are no video outputs just transceiver outputs....I have the time and the budget. I am not sure if i would have to create an additional signal generator for the video output or if i could just make a new connection off the existing motherboard. I am not sure if the board is arm bases or intel based...they keep all that info pretty hushhush.
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,176
I am guessing that the internal display of the fish finder / depth meter is an LCD display. That means a number of pixels across by a number of vertical pixels. So a smart scan converter could mat that to display that could be addressed by rows and columns. It might even be mapable using a single board computer that had a VGA or other output. But it would be far from simple.
 

Thread Starter

douglasjames

Joined Feb 10, 2023
12
i think its a 1080p display..........could't i just use the signal coming out of the motherboard and run a monitor off of that? i know some of the wires are powering the monitor display in the unit but the rest of the wires would be for video..I wont be using the power sid eof the board as new monitors are all self powered..I would just need to find a way to read the display information off the motherboard...displays are not my thing..i can easily design a new board..create other things in electronics but diplays are not my thing..their built in graphics card is propritary and may not output video like a regular graphics card..but it might only be a softwar ething cause linex..android all can run monitors..i wonder if they all use a unversal product to run regular monitors? I know it has wifi out to android tablets ...so when it sizes up to a bigger screen the software must be written to accomodate the size difference so youdo not lose any mega pixals.
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,176
You can understand why that will not work by understanding what the actual LCD display signal ism and what the VGA signal and RGB signal are. They are not brothers or couzens. They are totally different species. Elephants and chickens, as an example. The LCD gets row, column, and intensity. The VGA gets vertical sweep synch, horizontal sweep synch, and 3 color intensity signals.
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,176
OK, now we have comments about a number of display devices, very much confusing the issue. Only one of those is the device that DJ has, and it seems that it does not have any output for an external display.
To add to the confusion there is a photo of a cracked screen, with no comment as to how that relates to the discussion.. So what we need is a statement from the TS as to what sort of output for a remote display is included on the device they have, if any, and if that display is a LCD type.(LCD= liquid Crystal Display)
 

nsaspook

Joined Aug 27, 2009
13,087
I was wondering what would be involved to create an hdmi output or a video output from an electronics unit that does not have any output? This unit is a fishfinder and I want to rewire the display connector to add an output signal to an external monitor is this possible?
There's the old way to only snoop on a computer screen. It's called a video camera (small HD resolution today) pointed at the screen with a standard video signal feed to a remote monitor screen.The primary problem with this method is display to camera frame-rate blanking defects but it works if there are no other options for a remote monitor.
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,176
There's the old way to only snoop on a computer screen. It's called a video camera (small HD resolution today) pointed at the screen with a standard video signal feed to a remote monitor screen.The primary problem with this method is display to camera frame-rate blanking defects but it works if there are no other options for a remote monitor.
If the broken screen in the one photo tells us about the original screen then the camera trick will not work.
 

Thread Starter

douglasjames

Joined Feb 10, 2023
12
There's the old way to only snoop on a computer screen. It's called a video camera (small HD resolution today) pointed at the screen with a standard video signal feed to a remote monitor screen.The primary problem with this method is display to camera frame-rate blanking defects but it works if there are no other options for a remote monitor.
ya..
 

Thread Starter

douglasjames

Joined Feb 10, 2023
12
OK, now we have comments about a number of display devices, very much confusing the issue. Only one of those is the device that DJ has, and it seems that it does not have any output for an external display.
To add to the confusion there is a photo of a cracked screen, with no comment as to how that relates to the discussion.. So what we need is a statement from the TS as to what sort of output for a remote display is included on the device they have, if any, and if that display is a LCD type.(LCD= liquid Crystal Display)
where did all these comments come post about broken screens and such...man this forum is out of touch..
 

Thread Starter

douglasjames

Joined Feb 10, 2023
12
You can understand why that will not work by understanding what the actual LCD display signal ism and what the VGA signal and RGB signal are. They are not brothers or couzens. They are totally different species. Elephants and chickens, as an example. The LCD gets row, column, and intensity. The VGA gets vertical sweep synch, horizontal sweep synch, and 3 color intensity signals.
 

nsaspook

Joined Aug 27, 2009
13,087
I wish they would standardize electronics lol would be so great to have universal everything
They do have standards for digital displays. That's not the problem. Your device has no standard output. It's like wanting 4WD on a 2WD car. You need to disassemble most of the drive train to add it. It's the same with electronics.
 
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