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I recently had an interesting find at a local thrift store: a mess of televisions used in a correctional facility! Unfortunately, I didn't find any drugs or shivs hidden in mine (would be a bit hard, given the cases are clear) but they're nice pieces of kit for $8 each.
They'd be super handy as external monitors for something like htop or other system monitors, but the HDMI and VGA port appear to be disabled somehow. However, intriguingly, there is a USB port "for factory use only". I can get about 5 more if I want and I can find a good project for them, but I don't really know where to start when it comes to potentially modifying them to re-enable the HDMI port. I figure they just need their firmware configured to enable the ports, but I have no idea where to start. If anyone has any ideas of where to start poking around I'd appreciate it. They're also a rather unusual item, so I'd be glad to entertain any questions you may have about them.
Imgur album with some pictures of one of the monitors in question.
As always, thanks!
[Editor's Note: I've done a bit of web searching, the monitor is marked as AMP'D HDTV Monitor SLTV-1519AP-3S with ATSC Tuner, and others seem to have got it working. It appears to be useful as a gaming display, as well as for other purposes. It is a 15" screen (720p). Anyone with any ideas?]
(Score: 3, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Friday August 10 2018, @05:00PM
Third picture down, in your imgur link. It clearly states, "Don't Touch". I presume you have touched it? Well, that's that.
I'll bet you ignored all those warnings on forms years ago - "Do not fold, spindle, or mutilate." And, you probably tear those "Do not remove" tags off your mattresses. *sigh*
Alright - seriously - you've been given the best advice already. Poke around until you find chip vendor's names and numbers, then to a search for them. Or as Unitron says, search for the FCC ID number. You've got to have a vendor name and some kind of parts numbers to even get started.
Found a very similar monitor, without the letter "P" in the model number here: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/652347/Skyworth-Slc-1519a-3s.html?page=7#manual [manualslib.com] That site doesn't appear to allow download of the PDF, you have to look at it page-by-page. Maybe that will help you to find the correct manual. Good luck!