Some of you may know this already but I thought I'd pass this on to any who might like to know.

If you're like me sometimes while working on the Psone screen you might scratch it up or smudge it a bit. Also you might notice that it's a bit murky looking. Like this :



Well on the top of the Lcd is a Antiglare layer. It is a protective layer that is on top of the Lcd that also serves the purpose of reducing glare. But it has the side effect of muting colors and reducing brightness. The solution. TAKE IT OFF !!

The easiest way to do this is called the "Water Soak" method.

Here's what you do. Starting with the Ps1 screen stripped down to this:



1. Remove the metal bracket holding the Lcd to the backlight. Ben has a tutorial on this already so I'll spare you the details. (Note : This can be done without removing the metal bracket, it just will take more effort later)


2. Remove the Lcd from the backlight (by just lifting it off) and set it on a towel or similar surface. The pic shows leaving it on the backlight but I have changed this. If you take the Lcd off the backlight then you don't have to wait as long to allow the backlight to dry after performing the mod.

3. Take a couple of paper towels and layer them in 3-4 layers. Cut the paper towels where they cover the LCD precisely and lay them on the Lcd.

4. Wet the paper towels by dripping water on them slowly. You want enough water on them for the paper towels to be soaked, but not so much that the water is dripping over the edges into the backlight. The paper towels can hang over the top edge but DO NOT let them hang over the bottom edge. You don't want the ffc's getting wet for a long time. Also try to get most of the bubbles smoothed out of the paper towels. You want the wet paper towels to make a good contact with the Lcd.




5. Leave paper towels soaking for 4 hours. I repeat 4 hours. Do not soak for less than 4 hours. You want the antiglare to come up in one piece without any sticking or glue residue so it is imperative you wait for 4 hours.

6. Remove paper towels.

7. On top of the Lcd you will notice a thin layer that is covering it. This is the polarizer/Antiglare layer. The polarizer is on top of the Lcd and it is the thicker layer with a tinted look. the antiglare layer is on top of it. It is paper thin and is clear/slightly cloudy. We are going to use the razor and pick at the edge of this dual layer. The antiglare layer will be very thin and will look like a piece of clear but slightly cloudy saran wrap. It will peel off very easily. If the piece you are pulling up is tinted and stiff STOP, you are pulling up the polarizer layer and this will render the screen useless. Once you get the edge of the antiglare up , pull it off slowly in one motion. After the antiglare is removed you can wipe off the excess water with a lint free cloth like an eyeglass cleaning cloth.




This is what the removed Antiglare looks like :




8. After removing the antiglare there is nothing else to do but make sure the Lcd is totally dry and water free , remember water+electronics=BAD. Re-assemble and reconnect the panel after it is dry and enjoy a scratch-free screen with better brightness and colors.




And here's a pic of before and after. It's hard to tell the differences when not holding it in your hands. But there is less of a dull look , colors are more vibrant, and better focus.




Also like I said if you accidentally scratch or scuff your screen , this mod will fix that

AIE!

This sounds dangerous!

and i'm afraid to led mod

SS

Not really, it's easy compared to an Led mod

My friend did this with his PSOne screen projector. Made the picture a zilion times brighter and better. Don't know how much that translates into using the screen as, well, a screen, as opposed to a projector.

Have you noticed all the Laptops and computer Lcd screens lately? They advertise "Tru-Brite" "Super-Brite" screens. All they are are screens with the Antiglare removed. Makes for a brighter clearer screen, but with a bit more glare. But well worth it to me.

Pics of one paper towels removed?

SS

Hey I'm getting there. Doesn't it say "soak for 4 hours". I haven't done any pics of the others I've stripped so I'm doing another one with pics. Patience

Finished the tutorial with pics.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Excellent tutorial! I never even knew you could do that! Hmm, guess that means if I ever get a deal on a used screen on eBay with a few minor scratches it turns into an even better deal for me!

The "modder" in me is very tempted to go do this on a couple of my screens but I don't have any real "need" to right now. So tempting... Maybe on my next project?

Yet another post to add to the sticky! Right now!

Edit: Done!

wow you are pretty far on mario
but this is a really cool thing
those protective layers got to go

I don't know...They're there for a reason.

What about scratches? Do you mind scratching one in the corner to see how it compares? Ihave a feeling it'll scratch much easier...

Yes the Antiglare is there for a reason.
It was put there to reduce glare. It used to be put on all laptops and desktop lcd's. but it's not now because it really just diminishes the quality of the pic without helping that much with glare.

Actually it's about the same scratch wise. The antiglare layer is actually made of a softer material than the polarizer , but they scratch about the same.

Wow, awesome job! I'll have to try this on a portable sometime. Great idea!

CTFan

could one by chance replace the anit-glare withsomething else that one could mainly use as a buffer from the elements? (by elements I really mean accidents and the like)

I had a great idea. Instead of a picture of two seperate screens, why not remove the anti-glare on HALF of a screen, snip it off and take a picture, then remove the second half.

Also, I neglected to see that Joe added this to the sticky! already!