From: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
At 08:49 PM 1/10/01 -0600, you wrote:
>>and the Redhat install could never get the video correct.
>>
>>I tried Mandrake, and that solved the problem.
>Naw, I tried that too
>mandrake, caldera, debian, corel
>just one after another, different/latest versions. Lots of fun, and every
>time it's failed and it IS that the monitor has non-standard specifications
>that aren't listed anywhere.
First step: Find out the monitor specifications: Start with the label on
the back of the monitor. If you are lucky, you will find an FCCID like:
ABC - CP123
company code---^^^ ^^^^^product code
Then go to:
http://www.fcc.gov/oet/fccid/
and enter the code.
If you are not so lucky, go to the manufacturer's website and search for
information. If you are certain you can work safely around high voltage
(A typical color monitor will hold a charge of over 35,000 Volts for a
long time - it could be dangerous for days after it is unplugged. I once
knew someone who was thrown (by his own muscles convulsing) across his
livingroom when he poked at the equivalent circuit in his TV, over 12
hours after he unplugged it. He could have died, but he woke up about
20 minutes later. Nothing broken, but he was still "walking funny"
because he was sore all over two days afterwards. Inside the monitor,
there will almost certainly be other identifying information - such
as the CRT model number (on a label on the tube, or stuck to the inside
of the case. Also look for a chassis model number on a label, or stamped
into the sheet metal, or other ID on the board.
If you have any doubt about your ability to work around high voltage
(Note that 27,000 Volts can jump about an inch, so you probably should
be doubtful!) get somebody who knows how (such as a TV repairman) to help.
I gather that the monitor is VGA ("D" shaped 15-pin socket, in 3 rows of 5
on the end of the cord), and that you have tried several different
possibilities. One other warning: If you set the video card to too high a
frequency, it is possible to burn out a power transistor - usually in the
horizontal sweep circuit.
As a last resort, you could connect a signal generator in place of first
the vertical signal (disconnect at the connector, with everything else
plugged into the video card), then the horizontal. If I recall correctly,
these are 0 to 5 VDC square waves, while the RGB signals are analog, 0 to 1
VDC. Adjust brightness and contrast so that you can see the raster
scanned. Start with the frequency at the low end of the range and increase
slowly until the screen stabilizes with a single, stable, bar (either
horizontal or vertical as expected. If you get two stable bars, you have
double the frequency. Slow down and try again - this could damage something.
Here is the pin designation for a typical VGA color monitor:
1 Red
2 Green
3 Blue
4 Monitor ID bit 2
5 Ground
6 Red Ground
7 Green Ground
8 Blue Ground
9 Not used
10 Synchronization Ground
11 Monitor ID bit 0
12 Monitor ID bit 1
13 Horizontal Synchronization
14 Vertical Synchronization
15 Not used
Second step: I'm no Linux guru, but you should be able to set the vertical
and horizontal scan rates, assuming the video card can accommodate them.
Boyd Ramsay
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