Good 640 X 480 LCD to use on IIci

[IIciNov90]

I posed this question on the "bringing back to life" thread but did not get any response most likely because I slipped it in as an afterthought. Although it works perfectly, I would love to find a "primitive" 640 X 480 platinum (beige) LCD to take the place of the heavy 13" RGB. Does anyone know of any good leads for an LCD of such a modest spec?

I know that I could get a higher resolution one to use with a card but would like to get one that the built-in video could drive.

thanks,

Brian

 

[H3NRY]

The most primitive stand alone Apple LCD was the blue & white 15" Studio Display at 1024x768. It is a multi-sync display so it will display 640x480. The earliest LCDs from other manufacturers were similar, and some like the NEC 14" MultiSync LCD were putty color, so they sort of match a yellowed IIci.

Before that, there were LCDs in portables, but those can't be driven from a standard video signal - they require direct digital row and column addressing from special video chips on the laptop's motherboard. Your IIci is 10 years older than the first LCD monitors. The early 640x400 and 640x480 laptop LCDs looked like garbage compared to the 13" RGB Trinitron.

 

[Dennis Nedry]

If you'd consider getting a newer LCD and using a Mac -> VGA adapter, a display with 1280x960 native resolution will produce a superb, unbelievably sharp image when set to 640x480. Pixels are mapped exactly 4:1.

 

[IIciNov90]

Thanks for the tip it sounds like a good idea but I can't find one of these items. Everything out there seems to be 1280x1024 native resolution. Do you know of any specific models that are 1280 x 960? They must be rare...

thanks,

Brian

 

[Gorgonops]

Do you know of any specific models that are 1280 x 960?

Some 1280x1024 monitors (the standard pixel density for non-widescreen 17" monitors) will scale 640x480 in such a way that it leaves narrow borders at the top and bottom, thus making the pixel matching "perfect". Of course, it's not exactly the sort of thing that gets advertised.

Beware that some (many?) LCD monitors won't like the 67hz sync-on-green signal that comes out of a IIci.

 

[Dennis Nedry]

Beware that some (many?) LCD monitors won't like the 67hz sync-on-green signal that comes out of a IIci.

If you find a Mac to VGA adapter with DIP switches, you can often change the syncing mode. For me, the composite+separate sync setting works well for me on a IIci with a Monitor that doesn't like sync on green. I'm not exactly sure what this adapter does electrically. Maybe it's MAGIC! I've had success with several different adapters in this configuration.

As far as finding an LCD with 1280x960 native resolution, I guess I've never seen one myself, and a quick search turned up NOTHING. Maybe these are unusual or even non-existent. Very interesting.

 

[Dennis Nedry]

Here's some syncing info on the IIci/IIsi:

http://www.applefritter.com/node/6301

Some people say it's sync on green, then another guy disagrees, etc. So it could be an interesting thing to play around with.

 

[jwmcfarlin]

I happened upon this thread and thought I would add my two cents. Hope this is useful and not a "me too" sort of deal.

I have a IIci that I made out of two IIcis, and I was thinking the same thing--I would like to use say a native resolution 1280x1024 Sony model SDM-HS73 TFT LCD with it--it's a straight analog VGA LCD, circa 2003 technology. The IIci I put together now sports a Macintosh Display Card 670--no great shakes but it takes the load off the 8MB on the motherboard and offers some resolution options. System 7.1. I got a Griffin Mac PnP adapter and gave it a try.

By the way, the Griffin Mac PnP Quick Reference Chart is here, in case it's difficult to find--it took me a while and I was fiddling in the dark until I got it:

http://www.griffintechnology.com/manuals/0000/0024/Mac_PnP_Instructions.pdf

I set the DIP switches to 5,6,7,8 on, with the Sony LCD plugged into the Macintosh Display Card. I kept a Apple High Res Monitor plugged into the on-board video. The Monitors Control Panel recognized it as a 21" Apple Monitor and pushes 1152x870 at up to 256 colors. The SDM-HS73 was able to resolve pitch issues through the menu, and through color temperature settings you can get that very nice platinum grey System 7 look, and it scaled that 1152x870 very nicely--after all, 1280/1024 is 1.25 and 1152/870 is 1.32, not too far off.

I'm going to keep my eyes open for a video card that can push 1152x870 at 24-bit color, though I'm in no big hurry.

So, my recommendation is to get some kind of 1280x1024 native resolution LCD monitor and a Mac PnP and give it a try. I'd try VGA first (DIP Switches 5,7 On), then 13"/14" RGB (DIP Switches 6,8 On).

Best,

John

 

[Anonymous Freak]

The closest "match" you'll be able to find is likely IBM's first LCD desktop display, the 9507, which was meant to go with their low power PS/2e desktop computer. (Which was basically the same concept as the Mac mini: Laptop guts in a desktop chassis.) It was released with the PS/2e in mid 1993, and could very well be the earliest "standard connector" desktop LCD display ever made.

It's 640x480 "standard VGA", so even a fixed-frequency Mac-to-VGA adapter should work fine with it.

But, good luck finding one.

 

[Bunsen]

My, that's pretty.

 

[Baboon!]

The most primitive stand alone Apple LCD was the blue & white 15" Studio Display at 1024x768. It is a multi-sync display so it will display 640x480. The earliest LCDs from other manufacturers were similar, and some like the NEC 14" MultiSync LCD were putty color, so they sort of match a yellowed IIci.
Before that, there were LCDs in portables, but those can't be driven from a standard video signal - they require direct digital row and column addressing from special video chips on the laptop's motherboard. Your IIci is 10 years older than the first LCD monitors. The early 640x400 and 640x480 laptop LCDs looked like garbage compared to the 13" RGB Trinitron.

What about the original Apple Studio Display? Good luck finding one, but that's probably the ideal LCD for your IIci. It's not beige, and it's essentially the same thing as the Blueberry LCD H3NRY mentioned, but at least it's closer to the IIci's time.