I have an older Ahanix D4 case housing my main HTPC, one of the main reasons
I bought this case over some of the completion was that it was one of the few
full ATX cases with a parallel port (LPT) based Vacuum Florescent Display (VFD)
at the time. Recently the display started to fade and some pixels have gone
missing while we can debate how useful a VFD is on a HTPC (I still love it BTW),
I think we can all agree that if it’s there it should work. Looking towards my
next HTPC build, the reality that needing a motherboard with a built in LPT port
drastically narrows the pool, where using a quality LPT card not only takes up
valuable real estate but also costs about as much as a replacement display. So
I took a chance and picked up the nMEDIA PRO-LCD (rebranded VLS L.I.S MCE),
which is USB based, instead of trying to find another LPT based VFD.
The good news is that it does work, but requires some modification to the
case and display. This project took me about 2 hours, but much of that was me
staring at the pieces wondering how it was going to fit, so I’d expect it to go
much faster for everyone else. Let’s get started.
Prerequisites:
- Drill and bits
- Masking tape
- Electrical tape
- Pliers, needle-nose work best
- Screwdriver
- Clear acrylic sheet ($4 from Home Depot)
Continue reading this guide over at
MissingRemote.com