Virtual Windows.
What if only your imagination limited what you could see outside your windows? Thinking of this, Ryan Hoagland came up with the idea of creating a ‘virtual window’.

The Virtual Windows above consists of eight 15” LCD panels connected via custom-built cables to two nVidia Quadro NVS 400 PCI video cards, each with four DVI outputs. The LCD backlight inverters are driven by their own power supply (sitting on top of the PC) and the panels get their 3.3v power from the PC’s ATX power supply. The total desktop resolution is 3072x2048. A small Visual Basic app cycles pre-cut images every 15 minutes & Windows manages the arrangement. The only reason the cables are visible is because the stupid fireplace is in the way and that wall isn’t due to be remodeled for quite a while. How to go about it?

Step 1: Proof of concept.

Built a short custom cable and originally used an LM311 to take the DVI power down to 3.3v. But later it was found out that DVI power is unreliable in mass-quantities, so its better if you pull power from the PC’s 3.3v line and ran it up each custom video cable.

Step 2: Power for backlight inverter.

Power for the backlight inverters comes from a standalone PC ATX power supply.

Step 3: Tediously build custom video cables.

These wires are super-tiny. Use two shielded CAT-5 cables to run the video signals to lengths up to 15 feet. At the DVI business end of the cable, there was another plug to attach to the 3.3v power line feeding all the panels.

Step 4: Four panels in a prototype configuration.


After a quick bios update to the video cards, we’re in business!

Step 5: Build the window frames.


Build the window frames. Victorian style doesn’t really match the house, but oh well.

Step 6: Install them on the wall.



Ripped the texas-inspired wallpaper out, painted, drilled, etc. It was a challenge to route all those cables behind the panels to keep the LCD panels as close to the wall as possible. The panels stick out from the wall 1/2”, but the frames hide this fact.