Reuse LCD screens with the V56 Universal Controller
LCD panels of broken laptops or old TVs can easily be turned into multifunctional displays. You can give them analog and digital inputs and media player capabilities with a cheap universal controller board. As long as the panel itself is functional, you can use the V56 controller board to drive both the screen and the backlight. Reuse LCD screens as media players, video monitors or computer displays and save them from the garbage dump!
Reuse LCD screens: V56 Universal LCD TV Controller Driver Board
The easiest way to repurpose your LCD panel is by using a V56 controller kit that comes with all the parts that you need. I tested the V56 Universal LCD TV Controller Driver Board from Banggood It supports most LVDS panels with resolutions up to 1920 x 1080 pixels. It comes with the following parts:
- V56 Controller Board
- CCFL Inverter + cable
- 1 Channel 6-Bit 30Pins LVDS Cable
- 7 Button control panel + IR sensor + LED
- IR Remote Control (batteries not included)
- Optional IR Sensor
You will also need:
- 2 AAA batteries for the remote control;
- A USB drive for uploading the firmware to the board;
- 12-volt power supply, I used one from an old DSL router.
- Optional stereo speakers
The board has the following connections:
- Power header
- 12-volt power in
- VGA in
- HDMI in
- Composite video in
- Stereo audio in
- Audio in
- Audio out/headphones
- USB
- RF in
- CCFL inverter power header
- 3.3/5/12 volt selection jumper
- Control panel/IR header
- LVDS header
- Speaker header
- I2C pads
Reuse LCD screens: Identifying the panel
First of all, remove the LCD screen from its housing. In my case, it was an old laptop screen, so I detached the lid from the laptop and removed the plastic housing from the screen.
Find the manufacturer name and model number on the back of the panel, it should look something like this:
Then go to http://www.panelook.com/ and look up your panel’s specifications. Take note of the resolution and, most importantly, the voltage:
Setting the voltage jumper
According to the specifications you looked up in the previous step, you need to set the voltage jumper on the controller board. There are 3 options: 3.3 volts, 5 volts and 12 volts. Make sure you set the right voltage, or else the magic smoke might escape!
Reuse LCD screens: Connecting the universal controller board
You will only need the bare panel, therefore remove all cables and the old inverter. Then make all the new connections:
- Connect the LVDS cable to the LCD screen and the V56 board, make sure the red wires line op with pin number 1 (indicated by a ‘1’ or triangle)
- Connect the new inverter to the LCD screen and the inverter power cable to the V56 board
- Connect the button control panel/IR sensor cable to the V56 board
- Connect the speakers to the V56 board
- Connect the 12-volt power adapter (do not power it up just yet).
Installing the firmware
- Download the firmware from this page at Banggood or use this mirrored file:
- Extract the files to your computer
- Look for the file that matches your screen’s model number and resolution. If the model is not listed, then choose the “general” type for that resolution
- Copy the .bin file to the root folder of the USB drive
- Make sure the board is powered off, then insert the USB drive
- Power on the board
- The power LED should be blinking BLUE for a couple of times while it’s loading the new firmware. If it doesn’t upload the firmware, you should try renaming the file from “LAMV45R.bin” to “LAMV56.bin” (remove the R)
- The blue screensaver screen should now appear on the LCD panel.
Checking the active firmware version
- Power on the controller board
- Press “Menu”
- Enter the “Factory Setting” menu by pressing 1 1 4 7
- Select the “SW Information” menu
- See “Panel” for the uploaded firmware type (e.g. “GENERAL_1280X800_SI8L”) and “Name” for the appropriate file name (e.g. “LAMV56R.BIN”)
- Press exit.
Setting the screen language
- Power on the controller board
- Press “Menu”
- Press the right arrow 3 times until you reach the 4 squares symbol
- Press the down arrow once to select the first menu option
- Press enter to confirm
- Navigate the languages with the left or right arrow keys
- Press enter to confirm your choice.
When the color mapping seems off
- Power on the controller board
- Press “Menu”
- Enter the “Factory Setting” menu by pressing 1 1 4 7
- Select the “General Setting” menu
- Navigate to the “Lvds map” setting and press the left or right arrow until the colors look OK
- Press exit.
Hello! I sent you a question via contact form, I hope you see it.
Hi Dave, you asked me some questions about this board:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07879D9TL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I am not familiar with that board, I only have experience with the V56 board I wrote about. But I will try to answer your questions. I will do it here and not by email, maybe it will benefit others too.
The 4 pin speaker connector header on the board is meant for passive internal speakers like these:
1 Pair 4 Ohm 3W LCD Panel Speaker Amplifier Audio Frequency Output For V29 / V56 / V59
The other option is to hook up an amplifier and speakers to one of the external connectors like HDMI, AV out, audio out, etc.
According to the manual, the board has a second internal header, with 5 pins labeled AV1 AV2, I am not really sure what that one is for. Maybe it is meant for hooking up an amplifier and speakers.
The speakers do not have an amplifier built in, they are just very simple passive speakers with some wire and a connector. You can just plug them right into the board. The board has an amplifier circuit to drive them.
You can hook up any kind of speakers to that connector as long as they have the same specs. I got hose speakers because I was sure they had the required specs and compatible connector. They were advertised and being compatible with the board and were very cheap. They are of decent quality for the money if you want something better than I would hook up active speakers to one of the external audio outputs.
Is there a link to explain all the qmap and whatnot in the “special” menu? I wanted to change some features. Like the auto off if no signal detected. Annoying.. Also, how do you know if the firmware works say if you dont have anything on hand to test in/output except a screen..? Like if it boots and can hit a menu and powers screen n stuff?
The link to the firmware is no longer functioning. Would you be able to provide a new link?
I don’t know if the file can be found somewhere else, but I found it in my archive and I have added it to the blog post and the downloads section:
https://oneguyoneblog.com/download/v56-universal-lcd-tv-controller-board-firmware/
Can you use a 2 ch 8 bi 30-pin cable with it?
hi, does this board comes with 40 pin lvds coonector. mine lcd panel has a 40 pin slot. does the board work for it
This board has a 30-pin connector and comes with a 20-pin cable. So I guess you cannot use it with panels that require 40 pins.
See this picture, it is the black connector with the blue and white wires:
HI,
Can I use the Laptops LCD inverter (the one that comes with the laptop screen) with the LVDS baord. If yes what changes are required?
Hi, could you help me? I have T.SK106A.03 and 1280×800 15.6 inch LTN154X3-L06. I cant find right firmware, on bangood or anywheare else, the only one i managed to find is for some suspicious 14.1 inch dispay, please help I really would like it to work and I dont want to lose this board by flashing wrong firmware
HI WILL THIS BOARD WORK WITH INTEGRATED LED BACK LIGHT.
MINE MODEL NO IS B125XW01 V.0 (40 PIN LVDS)
Is there a 1366X768 ntsc firmware available? I have a pair of led lit lcd panels and just bought one of the v56 tv boards. They work (dismembered a laptop, worked fine.) Thanks
Hi. Is possible to have the pinout of the LVSD signal? I’ve tried to conect pins following another description, but not works (i see only confused lines on the screen). Many thanks.
Alex