Performa 638CD Video?

[jchiar]

Hi, very new Mac user here.

I just got a Performa 638. I was told it works. It doesnt have a VGA port that I can see.

Cant find a manual on line that I can download. Guess its before pdfs got popular. Id like to set it up for my kid to play with, cause i dont want him breaking my iMac

My question is, what kind of video monitor does this work with and whats the cable wire for (TV?)

[The Macster]

Nearly all Macs up until the Beige G3 had a video out port that has two rows of pins, and is slightly wider than VGA - Apple monitors of the time have that connector, or you can get adapters to use normal VGA monitors with them. You can get a user manual (what would have come with it originally) here and a take-apart manual here.

[Charlieman]

Your Performa uses a standard Apple D15 video connector. Adapters that allow you to use a generic PC VGA monitor are relatively cheap. In the UK, the second hand price should be around £6 including postage.

[jchiar]

I just realized this Coax cable is TV tuner card. Pretty cool, guess ill need to find this adapter..

[pee-air]

The manual for the Performa 63x is available in pdf format on the net. You just have to look a little more diligently. I'm sure someone here may be able to point you in the right direction.

[Maccess]

If there's a TV Tuner Input, then the machine should also have the AV input board. If you're very lucky, it may even have the Quadra MPEG Decoder board. Woohoo...

[jchiar]

If there's a TV Tuner Input, then the machine should also have the AV input board. If you're very lucky, it may even have the Quadra MPEG Decoder board. Woohoo...

Yes it has the coax and also a composite inputs . Now if i could just get the display working...

Seems i have a refresh rate issue. Cant see the monitor correct using this vga adapter. Need more time to play with it this week

[madmax_2069]

does that VGA adapter have dip switches, if it does and they are set wrong you will run into that problem. some of these vga adapters dont come with a manual to show you what to switch on or off to get a certain refresh rate.

the one i have for my Performa 475 is a dip switchless one that works automatically with the monitor you have connected to it.

[Maccess]

Have you checked the PRAM battery? There's no video on that machine if the PRAM batt is dead.

You'll need to get an adaptor. The Quadra 630 supports only 640x480, 800x600, and 832x624 video modes and does not support the portrait monitor.

This I find strange, since its predecessor, the Quadra 605 supported video resolution from 512x384 all the way up to 1152x870, plus the portrait display at 256grays on 1MB of VRAM. (Stock was 512MB but it was upgradeable to 1MB).

[LCGuy]

Yes, but you have to remember, the Quadra 605 was a mid-range machine, meant for use in a business environment or whatever, the 630 was a machine designed for home use.