What to do with 5 monitors? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 09:19:48 am
content: I just scored 5 nice identical working Samsung 15" monitors from the garbage roomWhat to do with them?I'm thinking to mount them on a big frame side-by-side and create some sort of big status display or something.Ideas?20W each, 2.6kg, 1024x768, and VGA only input.Dave.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 09:52:35 am
content: if you have 6 you can arrange 3x2 and all of them display one single image, each monitor with each 1/6 fraction of the image. it should be 10 minutes easy for a person like you

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 09:57:21 am
content: Quote from: Mechatrommer on November 15, 2012, 09:52:35 amNot sure I'm a fan of the big square multi monitor display. I think a horizontal arrangement will look better.But I have no idea what to display on them, or how best to drive them for that matter.Dave.

author: mariush
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 09:59:14 am
content: Use one to do a tutorial style video on disabling internal cfl inverter and replacing cfl lamps with with led strips (and designing a simple circuit accepting the on/off and adjust brightness wires from the display board)Use one as is for viewing scope images and whatever..Remove the cfl lamps from all (4 in each one) and the refracting material (or whatever it's called) and design a light box or something to get higher quality zoom pictures when you use the microscope.Get 4 of them out of the cases and put them in a square formation to have as thin bezels as possible, and now you have 4096 x 3072 monitor. With a bit of attention you shouldn't have more than a few mm of dead space between the panels, with a bit more space between the horizontal sides as you'd need the cfl lights between. Only making them remain stable when you move the new monitor around would be a problem- lights - - lights =- lights - - lights-[ monitor]-lights - - lights -Connecting all the four vgas to a card would be a problem, you need some active hdmi to vga or dvi to vga converters or there should be some active converters which take dvi dual link and split the image in two like "Matrox DualHead2Go" does ... so you'd have 2 x 2048x1536 monitors visible to the system and if you get a cheap Eyefinity card you'd be able to set them in the driver to act as a single large resolution panel.-Or just donate them to some charity/organisation in Australia that gives computers to poor families, or go to a school near you and see if they still use crap crt monitors and donate these. I guess that may no longer be the case in Australia.

author: Rerouter
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 10:01:13 am
content: 5 even spaced across the workspace all mirrored? you can grab very decent 70cm dual pivot wall mounts for like $35 eachno matter what your working on just pull close the nearest monitor and you have everything you need, though a bit wasteful :/

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 10:05:02 am
content: Install one at the wall at your camera corner, it much be tons better than starring at the camera's small screen when recodring for better feedback.While other 4, form a 4x4 behind the bench table or other location that is the best spot for your camera angle in the "live" session, so the audience can watch you and other camera shooting at the stuff you are working at. Great for the chat log too, so you can watch the chat stream yourself rather than have to peek on your laptop occasinally that will distract on what you're working at the live session.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 10:13:42 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 15, 2012, 09:57:21 amDriving them can be a bit complicated with more than 2 displays.The quickest way is to buy Matrix "tripplehead2go" units.http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/gxm/th2go/digital/#closeThey're little boxes which sit between multiple monitors and your videocard. They pretend to be a single large monitor as far as the PC is concerned.The monitors in turn plug directly into the tripplehead2go box.There are a few versions with different options so some research is needed but with PC a videocard that has two outputs each connected to a tripplehead2go you can create ultra wide 6 monitor runs etc..

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 10:22:40 am
content: mon1 (far left): camera to outside of lab (assuming your door is on the left)mon2 (2nd left): camera shooting to your left sidemon5 (far right): camera shooting to your right sidemon4 (2nd right): console showing all the details, room and outside temp, ambient light humidity, your heatbeat rate, oxygen level etc etc.mon3 (middle right infront of you): this one interesting, camera shooting you from your back. didnt your old folks always adviced... watch you back!

author: poptones
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 10:28:06 am
content: I think you're all thinking too conventionally here.4 Raspberries running linux. Do raspberries have VGA? Anyway, 4 small systems. There is software that will allow 4 systems to generate a common desktop. That will give you 2048x1536 resolution. 4:3 approximately. Ah, but HD video is 16:9.Now, use a digitizer pad. You can have an electronic "DaveCad" on the screen next to you, making your videos more personal like a teacher in a room and less about just watching Dave's hands. Or, just use a whiteboard with an overhead camera like I plan to. Either way it would allow you to be on screen with the material, making your presentation more personable.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 10:50:11 am
content: Quote from: poptones on November 15, 2012, 10:28:06 amNo. HDMI.Dave.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 10:58:49 am
content: Quote from: wilfred on November 15, 2012, 10:35:09 am19" is soooo "70s" todays is 23" or bigger.

author: poptones
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 11:01:49 am
content: Don't you know the people are starving in Korea (for 15" monitors?)Generation landslide closed the gap between'em...

author: Rerouter
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 11:02:14 am
content: 70's?? more like early 00's a good 19" LCD on the millenium would set you back quite a few hundred, compared to the 15 or 17" ones that where so popular for offices and schools that felt forced to upgrade from crt's or just got new machines,

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 11:21:43 am
content: If you put it back in the dumpster it will be responsibly recycled, or will it?http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/01/high-tech-trash/carroll-text

author: GeoffS
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 11:23:27 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 15, 2012, 10:50:11 amGet some of thesehttp://www.aliexpress.com/item/Mele-A2000-TV-box-Allwinner-A10-hackable-device/546571245.html,they support VGA.I can't help with what to monitor though except perhaps the increase in electricity consumption all there freebies cause

author: ErikTheNorwegian
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 11:26:41 am
content: I don't know if your office got windows, if not, put 4 of them on the wall, camera outside and make it artificial window..They've done that here in offices without windows, people like it..here is how some people did it..http://www.hoagy.org/virtualwindow/http://windways.org/personal_page/virtual_windows/

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 11:28:15 am
content: If they are all good quality and worth viewing, I'd see if the gap between each would make a viable wrap around monitor, 1-3-1 so it covers you field of view like a visor.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 11:39:07 am
content: IRC at every bench station.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 11:55:07 am
content: Quote from: saturation on November 15, 2012, 11:28:15 ami wish Ms Windows makes better UI for such kind of multiple screen. i've tried 2 monitor setup but its a PITA. i mean there's only one start bar (on the main screen) if i want an app to be on 2nd screen i have to click and bring it from 1st screen. and i always lose my mouse while typing in the 1st screen. when i lost it then i figured out the only it must be is on the second screen sigh. back to one monitor only, like the old days, i have only one brain afterall. i suggest to M$, make the start menu configurable whether (1) in 1st monitor only, or (2) each monitor got one, or (3) the start menu span between both monitor contigously. but i think its too late already and i dont think its coming since M$ going tablet from what i've heard.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 12:07:38 pm
content: Quote from: Mechatrommer on November 15, 2012, 11:55:07 amI've used 2 monitors for quite a while now; it's hard to get used to but I can't go back to one now; in the mouse options you can bind the crtl-key to hight-light the mouse if you get it lost- which is easy to do with lots of windows.

author: peter.mitchell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 12:18:21 pm
content: do a tutorial on lvds?

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 03:10:37 pm
content: Quote from: Mechatrommer on November 15, 2012, 11:55:07 ami wish Ms Windows makes better UI for such kind of multiple screen. i've tried 2 monitor setup but its a PITA. i mean there's only one start bar (on the main screen)Not windows fault. Graphics card. Get a workstation grade card. Im running two 1920*1200 (LA2405wg's) on a quadro board. No problemo. Startbar spans both screens. Its all in how the graph card represents itself to the os.If it represents itself as dual monitor you only have the bar on one monitor. The reson being that monitors can be stacked vertically. Now that would be weird.If the graphics card represents itself as one huge desktop of , in my case, 3840*1200 then windows will display a start bar that spans both screens. The graphics card does the split and decides what pixels to send to where. Windows has no idea there is actually two or more monitors. The nvidia control panel lets you position the screens and sets up the pixel splitting.

author: T4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 03:23:51 pm
content: A HD 6770 if you can still find it, they're 2 DVI+DisplayPort thoughOr if you can find a 5770

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 03:38:50 pm
content: I bought a new LED monitor to use with my scope, just for the larger real estate screen wise. Mounted it to the back of the workbench and it takes up no space.Mount at least one to show the current datasheet you are working on in the video, and another to do the view from the magnifier. That way you can do show and tell easily.

author: Sionyn
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 04:06:44 pm
content: video walldonate them to poor people or charity that gives poor kids computers

author: Achilles
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 10:43:58 pm
content: Oh man....you folks are really lucky to have dumping rooms......Mostly nobody throws anything away here when it's still working or it is stored somewhere in a private cellar.How about a DIY flight-simulator. Otherwise: if you really don't know what to do with them and they work?!....... pass them forward

author: notsob
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 10:49:07 pm
content: Watch this Space - Dave's Fremont Street knockoffKeep collecting more displays, and put them in your ceiling

author: Lightages
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 16, 2012, 03:56:46 am
content: Thinking with my artist hat, I would make them into adjustable colour sources that can be the illumination for different pretty pictures, or in a light box.

author: GK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2012, 11:41:33 am
content: You could watch five episodes ofEmbarassing Bodiessimultaneously.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2012, 05:54:39 pm
content: Quote from: free_electron on November 15, 2012, 03:10:37 pmAh, so they totally didn't change that in Windows 8 because it was a Windows limitation, they just did it for fun. It has nothing to do with the graphics card at all. Presenting multiple monitors as one display is a hack which shouldn't be required for simple desktop usage.QuoteNo, the reason being that Windows never supported multiple displays properly. Having a taskbar on the side of the screen is possible, and I see no issue with one on the bottom of a display above another, either. You could have one on the top of the lower display and the bottom of the upper display!QuoteWhich means that Windows can't let applications know there are multiple displays with borders, giving rise to such issues as inability to snap to edges, and information being split across multiple displays in such a way that it's unreadable.And, just FYI, you don't need an overpriced 'workstation grade' (read: entry to mid-level card with some zeros tacked onto the end of the price) to do that.

author: T4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2012, 06:57:14 pm
content: Of course all you get with a few zeros tacked on is highly-optimized drivers for CAD apps per se. And better reliability but heck,

author: Short Circuit
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2012, 06:59:43 pm
content: Quote from: Mechatrommer on November 15, 2012, 11:55:07 amThere are tools to get around that;Quotehttp://www.actualtools.com/multiplemonitors/

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2012, 07:03:03 pm
content: Quote from: T4P on November 16, 2012, 06:57:14 pmNot with the vast majority of cards you don't. I'm not talking about the high end processing cards.

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2012, 07:45:57 pm
content: Use them for design work!I run 6 monitors at work (2 up, 3 across) and 4 at home (3 across the bottom, 1 in the top middle). All but one at least 23in widescreens. You can get cheap wall mount arms from ebay for 15USD each. I'll never go back to even 2 for doing anything other than surfing.Doing design work is perfectly suited for having at least 5 monitors.Monitor 1=SchematicMonitor 2=PCB layoutMonitor 3=Data sheet/App noteMonitor 4=Web Browser/Spreadsheets (email, digikey, EEVBlog / BOMs, AVL, etc)Monitor 5=Solidworks 3D Models for metalwork and stuff like housingsMonitor 6=Bonus!That's assuming you are just doing that hardware. If you are doing embedded systems where you have to do the software as well.... That can take up 3 monitors by itself.You will be surprised at how much more efficient you become when you have all that data available all the time without having to change what's on the single screen. Plus your neck gets a good workout.I was recently doing a two board design and I could have both layouts and both schematics up at the same time while I was working on them + more. Being able to compare between two revisions of a PCB side by side is also super nice.With modern motherboards it's really easy to get 6 monitors worth of outputs. They usually have at least dual PCI-E slots so that's 4 monitors right there. If there are 3 PCI-E slots you are all set for 6. No need to buy expensive cards with more than 2 DVI ports. If you only have 2 PCI-E slots, you can still get PCI graphics cards with dual DVI. Only thing to watch out for is make them all the same brand. It will save driver headaches later. Windows actually handles multiple monitors really well all the way back to XP. I run one continuous desktop across all the monitors using just the built in windows system.Plus your office looks really impressive with all those monitors. The usual comments are:"I didn't know NORAD/NASA/MissionControl had a branch office here""Are you the guy from Swordfish?""You must be doing something important. I'll leave you alone."Too bad they aren't CRTs anymore. All that radiation really helped with my geek tan back in the day.

author: Pat Pending
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2012, 09:04:11 pm
content: Possible uses for LCD monitors,- Light box (either light only or showing an image) for Sagan to trace artwork and the like.- Extra flat panel lighting for the camera or ceiling- Make a 3D display using 2 orthogonal displays and a pane of semi reflective glass- Somewhere in Ubuntu multiple desktops can be shown arranged on a virtual cube >> Build it in real life.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2012, 02:36:44 am
content: A cheap way to use more monitors than what your video card supports is to use another PC (can be an old one) alongside your main PC, then use Synergy. You won't get terribly good performance on some of the monitors, but how much do you need to view datasheets anyways? Of course, if your motherboard has multiple PCIe x16 slots, you can just add more video cards. (You don't need a great video card for your secondary displays. Even an old 9400 GT can be used.) It can even be done with PCIe x1 slots if you don't mind cutting up the slots and/or secondary video cards.It's also possible to use a VGA monitor as a display for a microcontroller by bit banging VGA, possibly with help from the SPI module or external logic. There are even PIC24s that have basic built in GPUs to do the majority of the work.

author: jeroen74
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2012, 10:41:33 am
content: There are also USB video adapters. Like these:http://eu.startech.com/usb-video-adapters

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2012, 02:44:31 pm
content: USB video adapters are really a last resort solution. The performance just wouldn't match even a standard PCI video card.