Connect Apple’s Retina Displays to a Single-Board Computer Using an eDP Adapter

German tinkerer Arthur Jordan found a way to connect Apple’s outstanding retina displays from the iPad 3 and 4 to any device outfitted with an eDP (Embedded DisplayPort), such as single board computers. Those 9.7-inch retina displays feature a resolution of 2048 x 1536 (2K) and can be repurposed from bricked or damaged systems that are no longer of use or bought online for about $40 to $60.

Jordan designed his eDP adapter and backlight driver board based on Adafruit’s Qualia driver for their DisplayPort desktop monitor. For his build, Jordan chose to pair the retina display with an UP Core single-board computer outfitted with Windows 10. “The PCB has been made smaller, and the 3.3V buck regulator, ATtiny backlight control as well as the bulky display port connector have been removed since most single board computers already provide 3.3V as well as backlight control,” states Jordan.

Instead of connecting a dedicated eDP port to his board, Jordan chose to use bare pads, where users can solder whatever adapter they need to connect to their preferred device. As for the retina display connectors, they can be found online for cheap; however, Jordan stresses users need to use some quality flux when soldering to the board.

Jordan has uploaded all the files and schematics needed to recreate his build on his GitHub page and has also included a .brd file for a connector for the UP Core’s CN31 eDP pinout for those looking to utilize the same SBC.