How to change screen resolution? (LCIII, System 7.1)

[PaulM]

I just got an very nice LCIII on eBay with an Apple IIe card, Apple CD 300, and an apple color monitor. Still exploring how awesome this machine is... its all in great shape and everything is running well. I have read that the LCIII supports different video resolutions but can't find a Control Panel or other way to change it. I can change the number of colors (B/W, 256, thousands) but don't see an explicit way to change the resolution (I have read it supports resolutions of 512 x 384, 640 x 480, 640 x 870, and 832 x 624 - depending on VRAM of course and maybe on monitor?) Thanks.

 

[Gorgonops]

Depending on what monitor you have it hooked to changing resolutions might not be an option. Many of Apple's low-end monitors at the time were fixed frequency and only did the one resolution. (The ones paired with an LCIII were most commonly either 512x384 or 640x480 only.)

 

[PaulM]

Makes sense.... I will research the monitor part number. But, if the monitor and VRAM did support different resolutions, how would I set that? In the same CDEV where you set the number of colors?  Thanks.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

What G said.

Yes, in 7.1 that would be the "Monitors and Sound" Control Panel IIRC? In "Monitors and Sound" and the later "Monitors" Control panels there's a menu choice for "Recommend Resolutions" and "All Resolutions" listings. Many times you can find something that will work much better under "All Resolution" than under Apple's recommendations if you have a more capable (later, multisync) monitor from Apple or just about anything from any Display Vendor outside of Apple.

From the sound of it you'll be wanting to reference gamba's  VIDEO: CPU & Monitor Matrix to see what's possible with the combination you have on hand or can improve upon in terms of color depth. The VIDEO: Card & Monitor Matrix will be more helpful in terms of resolutions. Everything above the "Multisync Divide" is a dead end in terms of getting a better resolution.

Again, as G said it depends upon the capabilities of your display,. From your description, it sounds very much like you're locked into a single resolution on one of Apple's early fixed frequency monitors listed above the divide.

 

[Crutch]

I saw that listing on eBay. Nice purchase. I believe that monitor will be fixed resolution, yes. 

 

[Scott Baret]

In 7.1, it's simply Monitors. I believe 7.6 changed to Monitors and Sound.

Did you find the model number of your monitor?

 

[CC_333]

In 7.1, it's simply Monitors. I believe 7.6 changed to Monitors and Sound.

Did you find the model number of your monitor?

I think 7.5.x had it too, but as I recall, it would only work on certain machines with certain monitors (the version introduced either in 7.6.x or 8.0 was more universal, and supported anything the individual control panels did).

What I always found kinda odd and inconsistent is that beginning with Mac OS 9, Apple did away with Monitors & Sound and went back to having individual control panels for those functions.

What I've never been able to figure out is why!

c

 

[Scott Baret]

Monitors has an interesting history with the early versions. 

If you put the Monitors cdev in the System Folder under System 6, it won't show up in the Control Panel on a black and white Mac. It does open on one in System 7, but won't do much unless you have an external monitor installed. 

As I recall, Monitors and Sound lived from 7.6 through 8.6. 

I see no point in combining the two functions either since they are, as mentioned, completely unrelated. (The possible exception would be if you had the monitor with the speakers). Of course, did anything at Apple really make sense when 7.6 came out?

 

[dr.zeissler]

I can't get my LC475 working on 512x384 on my TFT. I always end up 640x400 in a strange mode that auto-image-correcture does not work.

 

[johnklos]

You can probably get the mode(s) you want by buying a Mac video to VGA adapter with DIP switches. I have lots of universal adapters that don't have switches, but when I use one on my LC II, for instance, I only get 512x348. When I use the one with DIP switches, I can also get 640x480.

 

[cheesestraws]

I think there's an Apple MultiSync control panel somewhere on the Internet that will let you change resolution on some of the switchless adapters.  I have a vague memory that it works on 7.1, but I am not positive of this.