Upcycling an iPad into a Touchscreen Display for your PC
Summary
Tucker Osman's innovative project transforms iCloud-locked iPads into functional external displays, utilizing a Raspberry Pi Pico for touchscreen capabilities. This creative upcycling approach offers a sustainable solution for e-waste, with detailed guidance available on GitHub.
Key Insights
What is an iCloud-locked iPad, and why is it suitable for this project?
An iCloud-locked iPad is a device protected by Apple's Activation Lock feature, which prevents unauthorized use by requiring the original owner's Apple ID credentials after a reset, often rendering second-hand devices unusable. This project repurposes such locked iPads as they can still boot into iOS, enabling their display and touchscreen to be hijacked via a Raspberry Pi Pico without needing full access to the iPad's software.
How does the Raspberry Pi Pico enable touchscreen functionality on the upcycled iPad?
The Raspberry Pi Pico interfaces with the iPad's display and digitizer hardware to capture video input from a PC and process multi-touch inputs via SPI data, effectively turning the iPad into a universal touchscreen external monitor without relying on the locked iOS system.