Okay folks. I've done quite a bit of research on this, and everyone seems to believe it's possible but I've yet to find anyone who's done it. Most site the cost as being the primary factor (i.e. costs more than it's worth), but for the Mod project I'm working on I can see no better way.

The overall project is a Desk mod and included in it is taking my old TIBook display and imbedding it into the desk. My TI book is shot due to a logic board issue, but not related to the display, so I think I have a lot of the parts I'll need once I take it a part. My goal is to gut the TIBook save for what I need to make the display work and use the case as a storage drawer with the screen still attached to flip up from the desk.

I'm beginning the project the weekend after thanksgiving and shooting to have it completed by Christmas. What do I need to prep, buy beforehand?

You should start by reading everything you can find about how graphics cards work. There are two ways of doing this I can think of which are technically simpler than having to design your own VGA to LCD converter and write drivers for it:

One way is to find a model of standalone LCD which uses the exact same panel as yours (or one which is pin-compatible with it), find an example of that standalone monitor with a busted panel, then the rest is simple enough.

The other is to get a standalone monitor with a vaguely simlar panel in terms of size, resolution and age (and preferably manufacturer), then find out the pinouts for the panel in that one, find the pinouts of your PowerBook panel, then build a converter which wires the correct pins from your panel to the VGA/DVI board from the standalone. This one is a bit tougher.

Both of these rely on finding quite specific hardware which may or may not even exist. Not an easy task at all....

So how would I determine the make of my screen. Will that info be readily available once I gut the machine? Is it based on model number. I've got the 500mhz TiBook with the ethernet. Are there no documents online about the pinouts for screens?

unfortunately you are entering a world of unknown for the modding community. I have never heard or seen this done. That is not to discourage you or even say it can't be done. Someone has to be the first!

You will need to remove the panel from the titanium screen housing. Its probably a samsung or a Philips/LG panel. There should be a label on it which will be fairly obvious once you remove it. Be careful if you want to put the titanium back on for any reason. The display module is glued together, and if you bend any of the titanium in the process of taking it off, you will never get it straight again.

Well the LCD is made by a 3rd party so you can hassle them for the pinout and such. Yet like we all have said it's just cheaper to buy a LCD desktop monitor. The parts you need will be hard. You might have to fabercate them your self. All what's really missing is the Graphics Arrray Controller (GAC) to the LCD. Sadly they're built into the logic board or intergrated in the Video core.

I've seen a similer mod done before on building a video display into a desk but this was before LCDs. A friend of mine built a desk out of real wood. Not that partical board crud. It came out real nice, he even added some black laminit on the top to make it more flashie lol. In the end though the desk's weight was 200lbs.

Not that cost isn't a factor but, let's just say I'm determined. A friend of mine is pretty sure he can convert the existing ports on the powerbook as an input for the screen so long as the video connections to the logic board are intact. I'm not sure if this is possible or not. I guess we'll just have to pop it open and see.

Well I wish you luck on this mod.

Okay folks. With a little help I've gutted my TiBook to find out what screen I've got. It's a LG Phillips LCD LP152W1 (A1AP). It's not the flat wire but loose ones. All the connections are still good. So now I need to find or make the converter. Any suggestions on where I can either purchase the converter or the parts to make one?

as far as I know there is no converter and I don't think there is a guide either for the wiring. You are going to need to do some research and testing I guess.