9.7" iPad Retina Screen Perfect for MiSTer, $60 Fully Assembled 😄

[JBeau]

This is from the previously mentioned atrac17 presets.

Thanks, that works! I've been playing with these modes for the other cores too

[MiSTer_Kirk]

Well, I give up on 50hz modes working for me, must be the controller board. Tried everything, including some settings used by some in this thread such as vsync_adjust=2 (this was on, anyway), and video_mode_pal=7 - one thing about this setting, it says in the ini "You need to supply both PAL and NTSC modes", should there be both modes in the ini ?
Anyway, my board must be different because I have access to almost everything, including Brightness, Contrast, Colour, etc.. including backlight - Don't change this if you have it, I put mine on 90% and it was really bright, almost OLED bright, but I started to see image burn-in, on the screen. For example, I ran Pacman for 30 mins, reset, and could still see the Pacman maze on the screen, along with the scores at the top. It seems to have faded now, but I won't be using backlight anymore.

[player2]

Just wanted to clarify something: The dual-HDMI version has 2 mini-HDMI ports, yes? Does it also use the VS-RTD09703-V1 that was mentioned in this earlier post?

I went searching for the VS-RTD09703-V1 on Aliexpress and it seems to come with one mini-HDMI and one full size HDMI. I'm wondering if the board in the assembled monitor uses the same chip but just swapped a connector, or it's a completely different part.

Also, has anyone tried the VGA version of the assembled unit? Asking because I have a different application that could use a VGA input monitor and that could meet both requirements at one go.

[Lightwave]

Just wanted to clarify something: The dual-HDMI version has 2 mini-HDMI ports, yes? Does it also use the VS-RTD09703-V1 that was mentioned in this earlier post?

Yes can confirm, 2x mini HDMI. Not sure about the driver board as I haven't opened the case.

[limi]

Also, has anyone tried the VGA version of the assembled unit? Asking because I have a different application that could use a VGA input monitor and that could meet both requirements at one go.

Yes, one of my friends has the VGA version. Works great for them, the main difference is that it is quite a bit thicker, and can’t be powered off USB.

[pedroTFP]

I'm interested too to know if the 2xmHDMI has the VS-RTD09703-V1 inside it... so I ordered one today and I'll let you know (delivery expected mid-nov). (-:
A question: is the screen a new one of is it refurbished from and iPad 3?

[Vespa]

Got mine today, it seems to have a display issue when viewed at an angle, you can see a cloudy area in the center of the screen

When I first powered up the screen there was a sort of 'test mode' where it would cycle between RGB and White, does anybody know how to access that?

[Brettster]

I bought both the twin HDMI version and the VGA one, The screens in these look to be recycled as there was tape residue and stickers half pulled off inside, that will be why they are so cheap picture quality is great though on both.
I've noticed that 50hz does not work on the VGA model but fine on the twin HDMI one.
I have the Antonio case for my Mister and despite using a 4A mean-well PSU, it cannot power the twin HDMI version from the USB hub.
Not disappointed with my purchase though

[Vespa]

Well, it stopped taking a signal from HDMI so it's pretty useless to me right now. I've opened it up for those who are curious, I'm not optimistic about getting any money back.

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No heatsink on the chip, it did get very warm when I got to play for 10 minutes or so.

[Neocaron]

Well, it stopped taking a signal from HDMI so it's pretty useless to me right now. I've opened it up for those who are curious, I'm not optimistic about getting any money back.
No heatsink on the chip, it did get very warm when I got to play for 10 minutes or so.

This kind of handmade units leave a lot to luck sadly. Mine is not getting very hot I've found. Played for 4 hours straight no pb.
Reading the comments on the seller's page I see people do get refunds or replacement units. Try it.

No thermal pad for such a chip should be fine. Maybe you short the HDMI port? I hope you didn't use the hdmi cable given by the seller, it's awful. XD

[Vespa]

Well, it stopped taking a signal from HDMI so it's pretty useless to me right now. I've opened it up for those who are curious, I'm not optimistic about getting any money back.
No heatsink on the chip, it did get very warm when I got to play for 10 minutes or so.

This kind of handmade units leave a lot to luck sadly. Mine is not getting very hot I've found. Played for 4 hours straight no pb.
Reading the comments on the seller's page I see people do get refunds or replacement units. Try it.

No thermal pad for such a chip should be fine. Maybe you short the HDMI port? I hope you didn't use the hdmi cable given by the seller, it's awful. XD

Yeah, just luck of the draw really. Not too fussed if I can't recoup anything, it's not like it was an expensive item.

[player2]

Yes can confirm, 2x mini HDMI. Not sure about the driver board as I haven't opened the case.

Thanks for all the feedback everyone.


I'm not surprised if some (all?) of the screens are recycled or very old stock. The iPad 3 was released in 2012. I think the iPad 4 used the same screen, and was discontinued in 2014, 7 years ago. Hopefully if one gets a bad screen, it should be straightforward to get a replacement and swap it.

I'm also guessing there was minimal effort going into the "product" design - I wonder if adding some kapton tape in the area around the board might prevent any shorts. I'm thinking about ordering one and will have to check that out.

[Obraxis]

Thanks @Limi, just had the HDMI version delivered (only took a couple weeks) and using your Amiga settings, it's superb. Crisp, sharp and working great.

Screen quality is just lovely. Really deep blacks, very little scrolling ghosting. Thanks so much!

[bnjones]

Just got mine in, tried to turn it on and…nothing came up! Power light was on, but no picture! Without much to lose I opened it up, and sure enough, the ribbon cable connecting the screen to the board had come loose during shipping. Connected it back, and works fine. Didn’t have time to put it through its paces yet, so if there’s anything else weird, I’ll report back.

Since some have expressed concern over opening it, here’s what I noticed.

I forgot to take note of the part number like a dummy, but it did have the two stickers that the iPad screens usually have on the side, and the part number looked right, at least from my memory. It was pretty well taped down to the front of the case.

Both ribbon connectors in mine had plenty of slack, so I didn’t have to be too worried about stressing anything too much opening the case. The driver board is pretty well secured to the back panel. Looking at the pictures posted before, mine has the same driver board, hope it doesn’t fail like that one.

Pulling apart after unscrewing everything wasn’t too bad with a plastic spudger, but a suction cup made it much easier. I pulled from the side opposite the inputs since the stereo jack prevents the case from slipping apart on that side.

Putting back together was also pretty easy, but since the panel has quite a bit of empty space, having a suction cup really helped align the screw holes without putting pressure on the screen or smudging it.

Edit: Finally got a chance to hook this up to the mister and...more problems. Ended up having to use my CEC-less hdmi cord from misteraddons into a connecter to my mini hdmi cord from amazon to get a picture.

[limi]

experimental slot mask CRT emulation

please tell me more

I guess the “secret” is out — update your Jotego cores, and enjoy shadow masks with your scanlines.

[Brettster]

the Shadow masks look Awesome. what's your fav for the 9.7" iPad screen?

[atrac17]

I'll post up video_modes for the iPad screen this week on github. If you have issues with sync or it not displaying an image, you need a better HDMI cable (mini or otherwise).

[randy]

Hello guys,

Thanks to this thread I also ordered this screen/board/enclosure-set (limi should've gotten a cut from all these sales )

The item arrived last week, roughly 2 weeks after ordering. Unfortunately the display doesn't work correctly. I have vertical lines and no picture at all from the input source; even when opening the menu it doesn't show, just the lines.

The seller was helpful and tried to give support by asking me to open the enclosure and make sure all the connections are tight. Unfortunately this didn't help. I also tried different cables/power brick/input sources, unfortunately nothing. Now I will receive a new display

Looking forward to having a nice working one

Have fun, enjoy and thanks again for letting us know about this screen

[Obraxis]

Playing some Turrican 2, great pixel quality and great scrolling

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[Doozer]

When I first powered up the screen there was a sort of 'test mode' where it would cycle between RGB and White, does anybody know how to access that?

Hi,

To enter the service menu (I think it is what you are looking for), power the screen off and remove the hdmi cable (no input signal must be provided). Now, hold down the menu key while powering it back on. You should see the service menu. In this mode you can launch the burn in test or fine tune the color temperature by adjusting the R G B offsets (hdmi signal have to be provided in that case).

Some precision on the different boards. I own both the Aliexpress version and the VS-RTD09703-V1 board. I can confirm that the two cards are different. I am experiencing the same behavior as others with the VS. Mine does not support 50 Hz signal.
Nevertheless, I am convinced this limitation is only firmware related. The Aliexpress version eeprom (identification RTD2011 FW V001) have to be dumped and written to the VS board. If this is successful, it would allow people to flash any RTD255x version with a firmware supporting full 48 - 64 Hz refresh rates.

[Doozer]

It seems some other friends thought about the same approach regarding firmware upgrade/modification.

https://twitter.com/collingall/status/1 ... 1602118656

viewtopic.php?p=35354#p35354

[Doozer]

Some more info. Dumping the firmware is possible via the I2C interface from the HDMI connector (no soldering needed).

I have extracted the two firmwares and they are showing the same mode identification for the build product tree:

Code: Select all

(prot(monitor)type(LCD)model(RTK)cmds(01 02 03 07 0C E3 F3)vcp(02 04 05 06 08 0B 0C 10 12 14(01 02 04 05 06 08 0B) 16 18 1A 52 60(01 03 04 0F 10 11 12) 87 AC AE B2 B6 C6 C8 CA CC(01 02 03 04 06 0A 0D) D6(01 04 05) DF FD FF)mswhql(1)asset_eep(40)mccs_ver(2.2))

The flash type is the following:

Part id: ZB25VQ80ATIG
Manufacturer: ZBIT SEMI
Type: FLASH-NOR
Short id: 25VQ80
Description:（8Mbit）SOP8 1M Flash

Flashing can be done if pin 3 is lifted up from the board. Otherwise, special RTD25xx flashing tool is needed. I have ordered one, but I am also tempted to lift the pad to test directly.

Things are going into the right direction for the moment.

[jca]

Don't forget that LaserBear is in contact with the manufacturer of this board
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R4W8H6K/
in order to have custom aspect ratio in the menu. May be you can contact him and see if these 2 projects can be merged.

[Vespa]

When I first powered up the screen there was a sort of 'test mode' where it would cycle between RGB and White, does anybody know how to access that?

Hi,

To enter the service menu (I think it is what you are looking for), power the screen off and remove the hdmi cable (no input signal must be provided). Now, hold down the menu key while powering it back on. You should see the service menu. In this mode you can launch the burn in test or fine tune the color temperature by adjusting the R G B offsets (hdmi signal have to be provided in that case).

Some precision on the different boards. I own both the Aliexpress version and the VS-RTD09703-V1 board. I can confirm that the two cards are different. I am experiencing the same behavior as others with the VS. Mine does not support 50 Hz signal.
Nevertheless, I am convinced this limitation is only firmware related. The Aliexpress version eeprom (identification RTD2011 FW V001) have to be dumped and written to the VS board. If this is successful, it would allow people to flash any RTD255x version with a firmware supporting full 48 - 64 Hz refresh rates.

Excellent that does work. It's a shame that the board does not pick up on any HDMI signals, I assume something has been shorted but a handy tip to see the service menu.

[player2]

Some more info. Dumping the firmware is possible via the I2C interface from the HDMI connector (no soldering needed).

I have extracted the two firmwares and they are showing the same mode identification for the build product tree:

Code: Select all

(prot(monitor)type(LCD)model(RTK)cmds(01 02 03 07 0C E3 F3)vcp(02 04 05 06 08 0B 0C 10 12 14(01 02 04 05 06 08 0B) 16 18 1A 52 60(01 03 04 0F 10 11 12) 87 AC AE B2 B6 C6 C8 CA CC(01 02 03 04 06 0A 0D) D6(01 04 05) DF FD FF)mswhql(1)asset_eep(40)mccs_ver(2.2))

The flash type is the following:

Part id: ZB25VQ80ATIG
Manufacturer: ZBIT SEMI
Type: FLASH-NOR
Short id: 25VQ80
Description:（8Mbit）SOP8 1M Flash

Flashing can be done if pin 3 is lifted up from the board. Otherwise, special RTD25xx flashing tool is needed. I have ordered one, but I am also tempted to lift the pad to test directly.

Things are going into the right direction for the moment.

Nice job! I'm waiting to get my hands on my display and once I do maybe I can try to dump the firmware from mine as well.

I've been poking around trying to figure out what's needed to configure these things, but I might be out of my depth on this one.

[BasketSnake]

I got two of these and one of them only played audio. I opened it up and the ribbon cable wasn't pressed down with the clamp. I reseated it and it worked fine.

[Gaor]

I'll post up video_modes for the iPad screen this week on github. If you have issues with sync or it not displaying an image, you need a better HDMI cable (mini or otherwise).

Still waiting, good sir.

[Stairwaytoevan]

Can anyone recommend a screen protector for this? Difficult to find one that just covers the screen. My 2 year old loves to play with me, and he thinks everything is a touch screen.

[epistaxis]

I'll post up video_modes for the iPad screen this week on github. If you have issues with sync or it not displaying an image, you need a better HDMI cable (mini or otherwise).

Still waiting, good sir.

You don't really need to wait, it's technically already done:

https://github.com/atrac17/MiSTer_Integ ... _alt_1.ini

[atrac17]

I'll post up video_modes for the iPad screen this week on github. If you have issues with sync or it not displaying an image, you need a better HDMI cable (mini or otherwise).

Still waiting, good sir.

You don't really need to wait, it's technically already done:

https://github.com/atrac17/MiSTer_Integ ... _alt_1.ini

Kinda, yeah. They all work.