New 9" SVGA monochrome monitors $70 [eBay]

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Nice sharp bright little monitor. It looks good at 800x600@60, better at 640x480@60, best at 640x480@59. The stock video on the dell 760 I was testing it with had the option of 848x480@60. Looked pretty nice at that. As good as 640x489@60. Don't think a Mac will output that res tho.

800x600@56Hz and 640x480@59Hz are probably juuuuuust close enough to 640x480/800x600 VGA/SVGA @ 60Hz to barely hold sync. It sounds like you need to fiddle with the baseline settings to make those work "right" with slightly out of spec signals. It's almost certainly not a multisync capable Monitor. techknight will have to chime in again, I'm just guessing that higher than 60Hz will be impossible for it to hold sync.

848x480@60Hz is 480p, so I'm really surprised it works, isn't that a bastardization of the 800x600@60Hz SVGA standard?

beans, Al!

 

[techknight]

You can adjust vertical locking, no problems. 

But, the one consequence is when increasing the vertical refresh rate, you increase the scan rate which increases the line/LOPT frequency, And this... is not so forgiving. 

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Al, I'm liking the notion of a Lowrider version of your SmoochieMac. A bezel hack to mask off the letterboxed 848x480@60Hz/480p to look natural would rock. What are the active area dimensions at that setting?

Hrmmm  .  .  .  wide aspect Mico-Lisa anyone? [}] ]'>

 

[trag]

Anyone else noticed these things bouncing around in price? I think I've seen it as low as$53

and as high as $75. I wonder if the seller adjusts the price as sales wax and wane.

 

[Crickett]

Indeed! I snagged one when it was $53. It looked like he was dropping the price close to auction end.

 

[MinerAl]

Still works like a champ. The main difference I observe between its tube and a vintage Mac tube is the tube itself is a lighter gray than a stock Mac.  This could contribute to the bluer look mentioned above.  Sitting next to a stock Mac Classic, neither powered-up, you can pick out the new tube as the lighter of the two.  Powered on they are harder to differentiate.

 

[Crickett]

Has anyone gotten this monitor to sync at 1024x768? When I try 1024x768 @ 60 Hz from my Raspberry Pi B+ (w/Gert's VGA666) it looks like it’s displaying alright, just not synced horizontally (the full range of the H-sync adjustment doesn’t quite get it there). Would a different potentiometer (greater possible resistance) help? (Sorry if that’s a ridiculous question; I’m fairly ignorant on analog CRT electronics!)

 

[Gorgonops]

Earlier someone said it wouldn't do 1024x768@60. Just a guess, but if the monitor *says* it supports "1024x768" I sort of wonder if it only does it at the old interlaced "8514" scan rate, which of course isn't very useful these days.

 

[MinerAl]

"SVGA" is technically only 800x600.  If they are literally SVGA monitors then 800x600 is the highest res they are designed for.

1024x768 is "XGA."  Seems like they would advertise themselves as such if they were capable.

My (not at all comprehensive) testing couldn't get it to display more than 800x600@60 (or 848x480@60), but I didn't try XGA resolution at lower frequencies than 60.  I'm curious to see if I can try the Apple 832x624 res at a lower freq.  My testing window is closing fast.  School starts next Tuesday.

 

[Gorgonops]

1024x768 is "XGA."  Seems like they would advertise themselves as such if they were capable.

There's "XGA" the resolution, and there's "XGA" in the actual IBM XGA card and the matching monitor; originally XGA used the same 1024x768@43hz interlaced as 8514... which, again, is something that's hardly used anymore because 43hz interlaced was deemed massively headache inducing. (The IBM XGA adapter was *rapidly* superseded by an XGA-2 that supported non-interlaced modes.) The total bandwidth (dot clock/vsync) of a 800x600x60hz SVGA monitor are about the same as 8514/A so it's very possible the monitor here supports it. Not that it's useful or anything, though.

 

[cb88]

So... can you use this as a direct replacement for the SE/30 tube? Or is there something I missed there.. looks like you are only using it connected to a separate mac with VGA out at the moment?

 

[Crickett]

Physically, yes. Functionally and electronically, no: the SE/30 is a 512x348 pixel, 1-bit, black-and-white only (not grayscale) monitor, driven by the compact Macs’ unique, non-VGA analog signaling. This monitor is a grayscale 800x600 VGA-signaled tube.

 

[techknight]

Yes, you can use the CRT itself. You would just have to re-fit the deflection yoke. 

 

[techknight]

Physically, yes. Functionally and electronically, no

Correct ONLY if you were to use the entire circuitry and all. 

The tube itself, Incorrect... 

 

[HoJoPo]

I bought one of these on eBay, but my Mac 128k I picked up cheap ($50 plus shipping) works too well to swap this into.  So I'll save the 9" monitor for another project, I'll end up with a dead compact Mac sometime....

As to 1024x768, the manual shows that it only supports the 8514 interlaced mode.  So 800x600x60hz seems to be the best option.

These do look like they were made for point of sale systems.  Mine has an attached male power cord, to plug directly into the power supply of the host computer.