Cannot change resolution on Radius PrecisionColor 8-24X

[Mr. Ksoft]

The IIci I recently picked up has a Radius PrecisionColor 8-24X installed for a graphics card.  I am using a VGA adapter (Griffin MacPNP) as I no longer have any working Apple DB15 monitors.  With or without RadiusWare installed, I can only choose 1152x882, or 1056x807 (WTF?).  It believes I am using a Radius Two-Page Display and will not let me choose a different monitor type.  I have tried all available jumper configurations for the adapter and it does not change anything, and this setting persists over OS installs (I have tried 7.1, 7.5.3, and 7.6.1) so I believe that this monitor setting may be stored by the card.  Plugging into different monitors also does not change anything.  Any monitor that cannot run at 1152x882 does not even attempt to sync with the signal (not even an "out of range" message... just "no signal").

Attached is a screenshot of what I am seeing in the control panel.  I see that it mentions being able to use T or U to reconfigure the card.  I don't have a manual to refer to for more details though, so I have no idea how to do it!  I figured I'd try holding those keys at boot but nothing happens.  Does anyone have any experience with these that could help me get some more resolution choices?  I was hoping to run this with a monitor that tops out at 1024x768, which is still quite nice for a IIci.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Very strange, here's what LEM says it should support:

• 512 x 384
• 640 x 480 @ 66.7 Hz
• 832 x 624
• 1024 x 768 @ 60 Hz or 75 Hz
• 1152 x 870

Do you have the Griffin docs or have you been flying blind? My MAC/PnP's running free range ATM, but I pulled an enlarged copy of the documentation out the video drawer:

VESA 1024 x 768 switches 5,7 On

MultiSync 16" from 13"-19" switches 3,6,8 On

RadiusWare's got nothing to do with it until you get to the acceleration stage or special features. Just use the monitors Control Panel.

What's the date on the card? I don't think any 12" NuBus cards were advanced enough to hold settings for themselves from session to session. You've zapped your PRAM a few times in the troubleshooting process?

 

[Mr. Ksoft]

I have the docs.  I have tried those settings you listed as well as the "plug and play" option (1,2,6,8 ) which it says works under 7.6.1.  I have zapped the PRAM several times (was trying that when I first got it and couldn't get a picture on the 1024x768 monitor I planned to use).  I suppose it won't hurt to try again though now that I have it plugged into something workable and have an OS installed...

 

[Mr. Ksoft]

Hate to double post, but I can't edit the last post any more.  Just wanted to report that after PRAM zaps didn't work, I decided to go more extreme and pulled the PRAM battery overnight.  Unfortunately, it still thinks I have a Radius Two-Page with the same available resolutions.  Maybe it's the VGA adapter in particular.  I may buy a different one and see what that does.  But in the meantime if anyone has other ideas, I'm open to them!

 

[Macdrone]

A CRT monitor. The refresh rates knock most LCD's off thier game.  Harder to find but maybe someone close to you has one you can borrow.  I have a 640x480 LCD that will not work with any radius cards also due to refresh rates out of range.  

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Are you getting the larger resolution to sync on a large CRT or LCD? The screenshot seems to indicate so, but nailing that down will help. Have you done a screen shot with nothing attached? Image should be pulled off the card's VRAM state.

 

[Schafeman]

Since this was my old card.. with my Mac->Vga adapter.. Once I installed the Radiusware drivers, the resolutions showed up.  I'm almost positive its my monitor adapter, since I get the same resolutions with all of my Macs (640x480, 832x624, 1024x768).  With the Radiusware, you change it via the 'monitors' control panel, with my other card I had (a Supermac), you had to hold down the space bar to select resolutions.  The 8-24x doesn't have any on-board memory to store settings.

 

[Mr. Ksoft]

The plot thickens...

To clarify, I had gotten this working at 1152x882 on a rather old Eizo LCD with a max resolution of 1600x1200.  It seems to support syncing to oddball signals, as it's also the only LCD I have that can sync to my SparcStation (1152x900@67hz).  So anyway, as suggested I moved the IIci to my best CRT, a nice Viewsonic that syncs to a lot of signals (including the aforementioned Sparc) and... it didn't even try to sync, just like the other LCDs I had tried!  I would have thought it would sync just fine.  Took a screenshot while it was sitting there blank and it looks like it was just the same old 1152x882 image.  Interestingly, when I plugged it back into the Eizo LCD I had the thought to check the sync information on the monitor... it appears to be picking it up as 1152x882 at 70.8hz Vsync and 64.6khz Hsync.  I find that rather weird-- if it's trying to do 70hz, not only should my CRT pick it up since it does at least 75hz fine, I'd expect it to be an "exact" 70hz, not 70.8hz...  (Also interesting to note, this monitor has dual VGA inputs and on the other input I have a normal PC, and the video card reports via DDC that the monitor cannot accept anything but 60hz!).

I also found a slightly newer RadiusWare version and tried installing that, no difference.  Also looked at the two 1152x882 options (19" and 21") to see if they had different Vsync values, but they are identical.

At this point, I am convinced the VGA adapter is doing something weird to the signal, so I am going to try getting a different type and see what happens.  This seems odd though, as this adapter works 100% fine on my Quadra 800, Power Mac 6100 and 7500, which I have used it on in the past.  I'm able to pick any available resolutions on those.  So maybe the MacPNP and the Radius interact with each other in a way that causes issues.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Getting another adapter sounds like a plan to me.

 

[Schafeman]

For reference, here is my adapter I use

 

[Johnnya101]

Guessing thats not a switch type? Get one. They are amazing. Make any resolution you want as well as different settings (Guessing scan rate). Id get a 6 switch type, no need for a crazy 10... I can link the one I got if you'd like, but just go on eBay and search up mac to vga.

 

[EvieSigma]

I disagree, get a ten switch adapter. It's worth it.

 

[Cory5412]

The "no-switch" (multisync) adapters are appropriate, probably the much better choice if you have cards or Macs that support multisync.

LEM doesn't actually say it supports MultiSync, but given that the list of resolutions it supports is so short, I'm guessing it doesn't.

When you get one of the 6- or 10- switch adapters, you'll be forcing a particular fixed-sync mode, which I am guessing is what this card expects.

 

[Schafeman]

Actually, with the adapter (which I posted a picture of above), I always had my choice of resolutions with that card.  I ran it in 832x624 most of the time, but it did in fact show up in the control panel with all three (and I could switch them on the fly).

The "no-switch" (multisync) adapters are appropriate, probably the much better choice if you have cards or Macs that support multisync.

LEM doesn't actually say it supports MultiSync, but given that the list of resolutions it supports is so short, I'm guessing it doesn't.

When you get one of the 6- or 10- switch adapters, you'll be forcing a particular fixed-sync mode, which I am guessing is what this card expects.

 

[Mr. Ksoft]

Update!  Getting a new adapter was, in fact, the solution.  I grabbed a Belkin one; the rotary dial on it looked intriguing:

For the record, the multisync settings on it did not work, same as my MacPNP adapter.  Setting it to the 1024x768 option also did not work.  However setting it to fixed-resolution 640x480 (Rotary position 3, all switches off) worked!  And more interestingly, this provided me with more than just that:

There we go, 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768 and 1152x870.  Perfect!  Not sure why this particular fixed-res setting does this, but I'll take it.  Worked great on my Eizo monitor, but to get it on my 1024x768 LCD (Sceptre X5) I did have to turn on switches 5 and 6 (which change the external sync mode).  Now I have a happy IIci!

 

[Macdrone]

The non switch adapter is actually the same as the apple branded G3 only adapter that can work with older systems, but as you have found out does not always play well.  

 

[trag]

Just a note...

Radius sold both a PrecisionColor and a later PrecisionColorPro.   They are similar but different.   In threads such as this one, the difference can be important.   E.g. looking up features or resolutions on the wrong model card.  Not saying that happened here, but it's a hazard one should be aware of.

 

[olePigeon]

I have the same problem with my Radius Precision Color Pro 24X.  I can't use a passive adapter, it requires one with switches.  I use a ViewSonic switcheroo.