Futura II NuBus Video Card - This thing is freakin' awesome!

[olePigeon]

:O

What else can I say? I was flipping through the manual and it has some of the coolest options! And it's an old NuBus card!

Easily the coolest feature of this vintage card is the Dual Resolution mode. If only modern video cards had this feature. If you have a MultiSync monitor and you're using the Virtual Desktop feature, then you have a few options: either pan and scan with the mouse at 100% ppi, or, you can "switch" to a larger resolution without leaving your current resolution... even larger resolutions your monitor isn't physically capable of displaying! So if you have a MultiSync monitor that goes up to 800x600 max, you can set the second resolution to 1152x870 (even though your monitor doesn't support it), then zoom out like in Photoshop so the whole larger desktop fits on your 800x600 screen. Now you have a miniaturized 1152x870 desktop on your 800x600 screen.

I'm having so much fun with this little card. It also supports a DSP or Ethernet daughter card so you can save a NuBus slot. Absolutely awesome.

 

[ClassicHasClass]

Whoa. That *is* pretty sweet. Does it filter the output, or is it simply scaled?

 

[beachycove]

I have one of these with the ethernet card, but have yet to fire it up.

Is the manual online or did you buy one in the box?

 

[olePigeon]

My Futura II came in the box with the manual and software. Does anyone need the software? I can make it available for download.

I might be able to scan the manual in later on.

I'm not sure if it filters the video or not. It's not specific.

 

[beachycove]

Are there Masonic-like secret codes needed to see these features in action or are they all in the Control Panel settings?

I'm going to have to check this out.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Cool toy! Haven't ever done much with mine, but "Virtual Desktop" with a zoom out for an overall preview was hot stuff back in the day. The IIci was the de-facto queen of the burgeoning DTP industry and needed every slot it had filled to get by, a two'fer card was a revelation! Few of the "free lancers" had money for more that the 13" HiRes Display in terms of Color and settled on FPDs-n-TPDs in Single Bit or Greyscale mode for their large work areas.

Big Ad Agencies could afford Multi k$ 21" Color TPDs, not to mention scanner prices 8-o , so the "Virtual desktop" feature wasn't all that important to them. But for the little guy/gal on a budget, the GS TPD workspace coupled with a small Color CRT was a winning combination. PageMaker and later Quark work windows on the Bigass GS TPD with the palettes and previews in color on the small monitor. PhotoShop on the Small color monitor for 24 bit Pixel Punchin' and the palettes on the GS TPD. Illustrator could go either way, but the real pros used Freehand more often than not.

Whatever, it was a great time to be involved at NYMUG! [] ]'>

 

[olePigeon]

It's in the Control Panel as far as I can tell.

The software causes mine to crash in 7.6.1. However, after doing some Googling, apparently there's a version 3.5.6. I have 3.5.5.

I did order an Ethernet adapter from macmetex.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Cool beans! Did he have just the ThinNet Versions left? That's the one I recently got from him, the one on my card is 10bT . . .

. . . but I seem to have misplaced the Card. :

I'll check for the version of the versions of the Drivers that I've got kicking around on some HDD . . . somewhere . . . :-/

edit: I've only found 3.5.5 so far

 

[olePigeon]

He had at least one RJ45 version. $18 with free shipping. Not bad. Wouldn't hurt to email him.

 

[olePigeon]

trag has links to 3.5.6 plus firmware and other updates in my other thread about this card (conquest? and the software one.)