We recieved some interesting suggestions in response to our article on options for mini LCD screens to accompany the Mac mini. Click through for tips on how to pimp yours out with an inexpensive LCD…
The goal of this article is to list some mini LCD screen options to accompany the Mac mini. The Mac mini isn’t just for home entertainment or automotive installations though. PowerPage reader JMichael wants a mini LCD for his on-stage music rig:
My need is pretty straightforward: I am a keyboard musician who would like to have a small rectangular 7-inch LCD monitor for use onstage. More and more musicians of all kinds are using computers onstage, but “bigger is better” monitors are heavy to carry around, ugly to the audience, and get in the way. My ideal performance setup would be: Mac Mini, 7-inch monitor, laptop mouse, and no keyboard. Just enough display to let me see my current setup in Logic would be suhweet! If there was one that was 6.5 inches square, attached easily to the Mac Mini, flipped up into position to reveal a scroll pad, and cost less than $250, I bet it would have all kinds of uses.
Some of your suggestions for mini LCDs include:
The first tip is to let your fingers do the walking. Search Amazon.com, eBay, Google and Froogle for the following terms:
7″ LCD VGA
7-inch TFT VGA
LCD monitor VGA
Lilliput, Dynamix and Hami all make 7 and 8-inch LCD VGA capable displays, some models with touch screens and all available on eBay for good prices. Search for “LCD monitor VGA” and sort by lowest price. (Kirkr)
The first site that came to mind was the TunerTricks site featured a few weeks ago on the PowerPage. I looked up the company Xenarc – whos monitor was used for the GTI Mac mini install and then Froogled their name. The lowest price I’ve seen on a 7-inch TFT VGA monitor is US$329, not too bad for a sweet little monitor to add to your stereo system bling! This company seems to have the monopoly on mini TFT’s but remember you can take it with you when you travel. (Garrison, Darren Wilson)
PowerMAX‘s Mac mini workstation bundle (pictured at left) costs US$1069 (with free shipping) and includes a 1.25GHz Mac mini, Bluetooth keyboard & mouse and a 7-inch VGA LCD.
The Innovatek IN-007VT 7″ VGA/USB touch-screen costs US$249. (-topher)
Xenarc‘s 700TSV USB 7″ TFT LCD Monitor w/ VGA & Touch Screen is available for US$400.
The Casio EV-1000 10.4-inch LCD is available for only US$269. The cheapest I’ve seen at that size. (DG)
The Lilliput 619GL-70NP/C/T 7″ LCD Touchscreen VGA Monitor is available for US$260.
CarTFT.com offers the MM400 VGA 7″ TFT w/Touchscreen USB, PAL/NTSC and IR Remote for EUR279 (~US$360).
Ikan offers a range of LCDs ranging from US$99 to US$399. (David)
MP3Car.com offers a number of mini LCD options from Xenarc and Lilliput. They sell the Lilliput 7″ VGA Touchscreen for US$279. (pwrbkdude)
There are a number of mini LCD screen that are made to attach to the Nintendo GameCube that could be adapted to fit the Mac mini.
The Nintendo GameCube measures 5.9 by 6.3 inches and the Mac mini is 6.4 by 6.4 inches so it would need little modification, but the Intec GameCube Screen (pictured top right) is available from Amazon.com for US$150. (Scott Turner)
If you are in the “mod” mood, then consider cannibalizing a Sony PSP (Euro 199) for its cheap LCD screen or, if you want to go touchscreen, pick a Nintendo DS (Euro 149) for its lower touch sensitive color screen. You’ll still need to find a way to interface such screens to the Mac mini. I expect the PSP to be much easier for such purposes. Anyway, it’s gonna be fun and not incredibly expensive. Let’s see who is the first to achieve it. Forget about your warrantee though. (Dino Greco)
Search for PSone Screen on Amazon and you’ll find plenty of little screens for US$50-150 with RGB connectors. (soixantnuf)
Other thoughts on the subject:
In reference your article on small screens for the mini. One guy suggested getting a 13 or 14-inch TFT or something like that. This defeats taking the mini on the road, as most screens if you look around, they all weigh more than a PowerBook. There are no light weight, cheap screens around. In Japan I cannot even find anything under 15 inch anymore and the lightest I’ve found weighs about 3 KG. So now you can buy a 3 KG screen hook it up to a Mini that’s just over 1 KG and you still need a keyboard and a mouse, but at 4 KG total it’s no PowerBook (the 17 inch PowerBook is just over 3 KG). It is lighter than taking the iMac on the Road 8.4 KG.
Your fearless editor is getting motivated to by a Mac mini with all this talk – so stop it! Seriously though, if you want to add your suggestions, send me an email via the “Contact” link at the top of every page. Keep ’em coming. -Ed
