[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Themes, Apps, and Mods] constipatedog:
*updated pics below* Sorry got a bit caught up with kid stuff and some other time consuming projects, finally got a chance to update some pics

Just want to share one of pet projects I've been working on (to keep me sane from a boring non-IT day job and 3 kids lol):

I've been trying to mod iPad 3s into HDMI screens. And trying to fit a Dex adapter inside as well.

I've been fed up trying to find a lapdock that works and one which I need not wait months to arrive.

Considered the options available like Mirabook, Superbook, etc and thought I might as well make a cheap one out of iPad parts and put it into a keyboard cover.

These are not iPad 3s I'm cannibalizing, but rather cheap spare parts from China (Screen+back casing+gorilla glass front ~= US$30). The whole thing including LCD controller and a cheapo 3rd party Dex adapter costs less than US$60.

iPad 3s are best since they are thick enough to accommodate the parts inside and they have retina screens.

The one connected to GPDWin is the first one I did (plain HDMI monitor without Dex). The back casing is more or less intact with slight mods to accomodate the LCD controller's ports.

The second one connected to the "external" Dex adapter and Note 8 is the one with the Dex inside but which I'm still working on. It's "external" as I have yet to complete connecting the "internal" one. It ain't pretty as I have to fit more inside but hey who cares since the ugly parts will be hidden by the keyboard cover anyway. Here's a quick pic of the "internal" one with LCD controller:

It's late here so I'll post a bit more pics on my progress if anyone's interested...

*updated*

This is "Mark I" which is just a HDMI monitor in an iPad 3 form factor. It kinda fits and the back is more or less intact:

Partner that with an iPad keyboard and you somewhat have a lapdock with a retina screen but looking rather ugly.

So I decided to try "Mark II" - I tried to fit everything that went in Mark I into another iPad 3 shell (again from spare parts) , add in a 3rd party Dex adapter and keep the shell intact in a way that it won't look much different from an iPad in a keyboard cover .

Here's some other pics of in the case:

[IMG="Fake buttons, they don't do anything yet for now."]https://i.imgur.com/q7Pde0D.jpg[/IMG]

Fake buttons, they don't do anything yet for now.

[IMG="USB-C connectors sticking out of the port: one is for power; one is for connecting to my Note 8 (which extension cable). Lot of hotglue. Not very pretty though, I didn't have time to make it look nice, as I always had to wait until the kids went to bed..."]https://i.imgur.com/A1UMyrO.jpg[/img]

USB-C connectors sticking out of the port: one is for power; one is for connecting to my Note 8 (which extension cable). Lot of hotglue. Not very pretty though, I didn't have time to make it look nice, as I always had to wait until the kids went to bed...

[IMG="Ribbon HDMI cable so that I can connect it to another computer/GPDWin/PS4/Xbox as a second monitor for flexibility. The end is detachable so I can swap in a male/female/mini/micro HDMI connector. Or simply remove it to hide it behind the ipad."]https://i.imgur.com/HSBPmRB.jpg[/img]

Ribbon HDMI cable so that I can connect it to another computer/GPDWin/PS4/Xbox as a second monitor for flexibility. The end is detachable so I can swap in a male/female/mini/micro HDMI connector. Or simply remove it to hide it behind the ipad.

[IMG="Keyboard cover and iPad lapdock closed"]https://i.imgur.com/qlPVb0P.jpg[/img]

Keyboard cover and iPad lapdock closed

It looks good enough that I wouldn't mind using it outside in Starbucks, etc without looking weird.

[IMG="The LCD Controller board comes with an IR receiver, which I had hotglued to the camera hole. I don't want to bring an extra remote around so I use my Note 8 (with 3.5mm audio IR emitter) instead if I needed to adjust the monitor's settings (e.g. brightness, contrast, sharpness, etc)"]https://i.imgur.com/VfAAK0S.jpg[/img]

The LCD Controller board comes with an IR receiver, which I had hotglued to the camera hole. I don't want to bring an extra remote around so I use my Note 8 (with 3.5mm audio IR emitter) instead if I needed to adjust the monitor's settings (e.g. brightness, contrast, sharpness, etc

So the final pic...mind you it aint pretty inside, and I didn't have the right tools nor the time to cut out a nice hole in the back.

But I managed to fit everything inside, with hotglue and tape. Had some wiring soldered as well.

If i had the time, I would desolder the taller ports and directly solder wires to the board(s).

It looks like a mess, but it works and when it's in the keyboard cover, all of this mess is invisible: