OK, I know there are readers of this forum with amazing amounts of "MacKnowledge," I hope some one can answer this. Is there a way to rotate the screen image of a PowerBook 180º? That is, so it is "upside down?" Could be either a software or hardware solution.

I have an old PB180 gathering dust and I would like to modify it for use like this: I would separte the screen from the unit and mount the screen under a cabinet above a kitchen desk , where it would swing down for use and up out of the way. The rest of the unit would be inside and at the back of the cabinet above and relatively unaccessible. I would use a separate keyboard and trackball, which would, like the screen, be out of sight when not in use. This PB180 would be networked to my home LAN(Macs upstairs and in basement). Reason for this is I would like an network access point on the main floor of my home, but I don't want to clutter the space with a CRT monitor. We use the kitchen desk for other things as well. Sure I could buy a LCD display - but I already have one unused sitting in the PB180.

And what kind of cable can I use to go between the screen and the CPU unit?

Surely some one has done something similar. I would be very grateful for any suggestions.

[witulski]

Maybe there's a clever and easy way to do it through software, too...
Not that I know of any, mind you... but still...

Yeah, Witulski, it seems like it ought to be possible in software. Its just a matter of how it is mapped to the screen, but I'm no programmer!

I seem to remember some software that was offered around April Fool's Day to turn the screen upside down as a prank. But what it was and whether it would work as an ongoing solution I don't know.

[ibookuser2]

Open the thing up. Farmiliarize yourself with its inner workings. There are about 4 Torx 8 screws on the bottom, remove them. Set the thing in it's normal position, and lift up on the screen. It should separate from the base. Now look at where the screen connects to the motherboard. If you're really lucky you'll have a white ribbon cable that feels bumpy when you run your fingers across it, meaning there are real metal wires going through it. If you're unlucky, you'll have an orangeish or greenish translucent ribbon that is very flat and very smooth. If you are lucky and have the former, then its just a matter of getting ribbon cable with enough conductors as your display ribbon, cutting your display ribbon, and using a heck of a lot of butt connectors to extend the thing. It's a real pain. (better get a good crimping tool, otherwise your hand will be sore for weeks...) If you have the flat orangeish or greenish cable, then you've got to do a LOT more work. You'll have at each end of the cable some connectors which are soldered on. They will need to be desoldered and then have new wires soldered onto them, which takes a lot of skill with a soldering iron (the contacts are tiny) and will not result in a very good end product (the connections will be extremely fragile.)

As for flipping the screen over, I'm sure there must be some kind of software hack out there, but I don't know any off hand... As you can probably tell, I'm more of a hardware person...

Thanks for the tech support, ibookuser2! I have no qualms in opening it up, so that is what I'll do. Do you think merely reversing the connections might flip the screen image? At this point I'm considering not flipping it and instead building some kind of frame around it and using it in its normal orientation.

[ibookuser2]

Using it in its normal orientation would probably be the easiest and best solution. As to reversing the connectors, you would have to reverse only the data, and not the power and other things in the cables. Finding the pinouts for those displays is easier said than done, though

Thanks, ibookuser2, I rather thought that might be the case. Unless someone can give me a software hack to flip the image, I think mounting it in a frame seems to be the way to go. I just thought that the screen/lid combo alone would be more aesthically pleasing than building a frame around it. But ya gotta do what ya gotta do!

You cannot reverse the cable for an LCD display, you will damage the display controler on the back of the LCD pannel. These conections are TTL logic level inputs. Use Software OR open the plastic case of the diplay and rotate the LCD pannel 180º, then close the case (the connectors are now at the top so this might be better or worse depending on how you mount it.

Silicon Skum

Thanks for the tech advice, Silicon Skum. I had assumed it would not be that easy - nice to have the facts. Thanks!