LCD with no backlight

Yes, and no.

The rear cover is part (in most cases) of a clamp system that holds electrical elements in contact with the glass, so it can be removed only by disconnecting the data to the screen.

I've done this, and you can brush the display with your hands or other objects and the static electricity makes it respond.

This is something I've done with early 90's vintage laptop monochrome low-res LCD displays. Don't know how to do it with modern color LCD monitors - I've just never tried. I thought it was moderately difficult to keep the electronics attached to the early 90's vintage low-res displays, I suspect the electronics and interconnects must be much more dense on a modern hi-res LCD color monitor.

Tim.

In my experience it's a flex pcb cable that goes to the glass. On the flex PCB are the gate and column drivers. These are usually bare die flip chip assembled, potted in gunk.

Yes. Actually, I salvaged the screen from the monitor I'm using right now from some sort of stereo-vision monitor. It still has a special polarising filter between the backlight and the screen itself which was retrofitted.

Take a look at the Aruze hybrid slots:

These are actually stepper motor reels behind an LCD. The LCD can block out the the reels, as well as provide different backrounds. I saw tournament versions of these slots recently and they are pretty awesome to look at.

Yes, but I promise you that the novelty value wears off pretty quickly, because it's a pain to actually use your computer that way. ;^)

I've done it. You disassemble the display panel, removing the backlight[s] & the diffuser, then reassemble the panel - with spacers, if necessary. If you were going to make it a permanent project, you'd need to make a big cutout on the back panel, of course.

Yes, they are.

Esp in the dark:-)

Yes. There were some laptops made that way that were convenient for transparency type projectors. That was some time ago though. =3D=3D