Re-use the Playbook hardware for something else

Hello CrackBerry,

I try to find some information about the Playbook hadrware and most of all compenents connectors in the beast.

As you know, it's a "close to death" tablet, or at least not evolving one anymore.
So I was thinking about taking some components (most of all the screen) and use them for something else.
However, I tried to contact Blackberry via email, which is impossible to do, and on their support forum (answered by fans), the answer I get was in simple word: we can't help you.

So before opening the beast, I was wondering if someone knew what are the screen connectors? Are they standard? My idea would be to plug it to a Raspberry Pi. While it may be less performant, I could at least install stuffs, and play with it.

Thanks a lot in advance, hoping I'll get some answers :)

I'd be pretty surprised if it was that simple myself..

The screen on a tablet is not just a screen.. it's also the input device of course.. touch sensitive screen, touch sensitive bezel.. those input commands along with the display itself, brightness controls etc are all controlled by drivers which are built into the OS and we're never made available for anything else because of course it's proprietary hardware..

In regards to the connectors.. it's not going to be a vga plug or something like that if that's what you're asking... it's going to be a ribbon that goes to the Playbooks mother board.. I'm sure physically it could be adapted for your raspberry pi but that would only be the tip of the ice burg of the problems you'd face.. once you got it connected it simply wouldn't work as far as I'm concerned.

Posted via CB10

Thanks for your answer :)

You're indeed totally right about the drivers, but there is a DSI display connector on the Pi, which seems made for it. Which is why I was wondering if the "ribbon" connector of the screen was or not a DSI.

But as you mention, the issue is then the proprietary drivers. I'll try to ask BB for the driver, as a friendly gesture (yes, I'm dreaming a bit :) ) .

Thanks for your answer, already it is infinitely better than the one I received from the forum on their website :)