DIY Digital Photo Frame

This is something I read about on Lifehacker and just happened to have an old laptop sitting under a bookshelf collecting dust. I've also been wanting one of those digital picture frames, but $100 for a 7" screen just wasn't worth it to me. It took me about a week to find the right version of linux that would just run on it since this laptop has no ethernet port (to update drivers etc) and the flash drive wouldn't recognize either. Linux Puppy is what worked, and after modifying some files to alter the display settings (no screensaver, no standby or power save mode) then completely tearing the thing down to a pile of screws, a motherboard and a monitor I have a new digital photo frame.

The benefits of this laptop are that it has a 5gig hard drive, lots of space for a ton of pictures. It's already setup on the wireless network, so all I have to do is plug a pcmcia card in it and drag the new images over and add them to the slideshow. A 14" display. It was free. And I only spent about $25 for a glue gun and the frame.

Dell Latitude CPx:

After cutting the matting on the frame and the backboard, I put down the screen inside on the matting and hot glued it to the matting. Then put the backboard down over it.


Added the motherboard and hot glued that into place with some spacers I made out of my kids popsicle sticks they use for their projects. Also had to secure the hard drive since it was originally held in by the frame.


Cut up some coat hangers to use for a stand

Plugged it in, turned on the sildeshow and I'm rockin!