How To Build A 23″ Android Tablet

If you’re looking to build a really big Android tablet the trick is not to start from scratch. [Peter] pulled off a 23″ Android Tablet hack using a collection of easily acquired parts, leaving the hard work up to hardware that was designed to do it.

He didn’t really build a tablet, as much as he built a big touch-screen add-on for one. He already had a couple of inexpensive tablets on hand to play around with. One of them has an HDMI out port, which let him easily push the display onto a 23″ monitor. He knew the tablet was a 4-wire resistive touchscreen, but he didn’t know if other touchscreens with the same number of connectors and be directly swapped and still work. To test this, he cracked open a second tablet device and connected its touchscreen to the first one’s hardware. When he was met with success it was time to source a couple of 23″ touchscreen overlays to test with the external monitor. As you can see in the clip after the break, it works like a charm!

[Peter] was inspired to write about his experiences after seeing the 23″ Android tablet video in our recent links post.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGu2meJuT4s&w=470]

32 thoughts on “How To Build A 23″ Android Tablet

    1. Yea; but the Jolly Green Giant might find this to be a bit too small. Me I just want a more affordable 10″ tablet. Preferably with A Linux OS with associated GUI. My reasoning being that there are plenty of Linux apps that I could put to use now.

  1. If it’s not a tablet, can we please not say “tablet” in the article title?
    I mean, I get it… it drives link clicks, etc., but seriously, if you say in the article text that it’s not a tablet, why is it called a tablet in the headline?

    Otherwise, nice project, for an android touchscreen computer.

  2. > Yes, where did you source the 23″ touch screen?

    eBay.

    In the article/blog post referred here I have a section “Ingredients (and where to get or buy)”.

    I list two possible sources you can buy Touch screens on eBay: NjyTouch and VisualTouch. Follow the links and you will get into their online eBay shops

  3. Is there an actual source for the parts? I would love for 23″ Touch Screen Kits to exist, but I think there is no such thing–I wrote to both NjyTouch and VisualTouch and was flat-out told “at present this biggest size is 22 inch.” Are there any particulars that can be shared: part number? brand? SKU? actual source…?

    1. It might be my mistake in the screen size (22 instead of the assumed 23 inch). Go with the flow I would say and go for 22 inch 4 wire Resistive Touch screen and 22 inch (21.5) LCD screen.

      I just bought a Samsung 21,5 inch screen for another project/experiment (Sonic Wave Touch screen) for about 130 euro. The screen is more than decent (and better than the one from the video)

      If you have not bought the LCD screen yet, buying a 22 inch would be the simplest line of action.

      Peter

      1. thank you for the reply! it’s a very cool project, and I’m terribly jealous–the tragedy is I already have a 23″ monitor–and I’ve actually been looking for an overlay! So when you noted a 23″ touchscreen kit I was all, “omfg, the holy grail!” (That’s why I wrote the vendors! I had the credit card out and ready! :) Alas, it is not to be. nonetheless, your work is an inspiration. *drop a line if you find a 23″ kit!

  4. I can see the fun potential for building something like this into a coffee-table and running a retro game on it with conventional game controls.

    What your dupe doesn’t know is that the machine ‘knows’ where somebody put their pint so the game could hide sprites under it to mess with their head…

  5. i wonder if this would be possible to do with my broken htc evo 4g. ive examined the digitizer and its much more complicated then the 4 wire, but id like to use a larger screen and the wifi link from my new phone to have a cheap touchscreen car infotainment from my old phone… any ideas?

    I love the build btw, its inspired an obsessive venture into my own project!!

  6. i would love this i would have it im my bathroom at the toilet lol surf and crap lol can you make this wireless so the tab was say in the living room and the clone was mounted underneath the kitchen cab? or it was under a cleer worktop

  7. Hello I am wanting to build A 21.5″ android touch display using P-cap type touchscreen technology, and are wondering what all I need to do this. obviously I need the 21.5″ HD display with HDMI ports, I need the 21.5″ touch panel, I need an android device with OTG or an HDMI output, maybe some drivers, this 21.5″ Projective Capacitive Touch Screen I’m linking says it will work for android, https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/21-5-Projective-Capacitive-Touch-Screen_1638587893.html
    I have a few android phones and tablets laying around and are wanting to do this for a project
    I was thinking of using an android box like those TV sticks but my phone I think is faster and would be more compatible with apps I use.

  8. I am in the middle of building a 23″ tablet using a Dell S2340T display and a Raspberry Pi 3 B running Android Nougat via EmteriaOS (formerly RTAndroid) and I am at the point where it does “work” but it doesn’t work very well. Lots of freezing and crashing, probably due to GPU. But, hey, it’s a $30 single board computer.

    Are there any better single board computers for building an Android tablet?

    I have seen one intractable for using a Pine64 running Android Lollipop. I might give that a try.

    Anyone else have experience?

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