Re: C-Vue LCD questions

[tdiaz@127.0.0.1 (Tony Diaz)]

In article <Pine.SOL.3.91.970420101658.5526A-100000@moose>, Paul Schultz
<pschultz@med.wayne.edu> wrote:

> On 20 Apr 1997, Mitchell Spector wrote:
> 
> >     I finally got my C-Vue repaired, and for the first time, have had a
> > - Is it normal for there to be random garbage on the first few top,
> >   bottom and side lines? (those not used by Apple screen). I noticed
> >   if I turn the power on/off rapdily a few times it clears up more or
> >   less completely.

Especially if you have an accellerator in there. Cycling the power 'fixes'
it, but thats not good for the computer.
>  
> > - Should the top of the display to get slightly warm? (I assume this
> >   is normal since there's a heat-sink attached to the analog board
> >   inside).

Yes.. as explained before, that regulator is doing alot of work, thus..
big heat sink.. and bleeding off the heat.

> >     My only complaint (and perhaps what makes the above almost moot)
> > is it is very difficult to see the display. Not being back-lite makes
> > it require a strong light source behind you and even then it can be
> > difficult to see (too bad, since what I can see is very pleasing!).
> > It's also neat to be using an Apple II and not hearing that familar
> > 15 kHz squeal that old CRT's make (it is dead silent, no fan either).
> > I'm fond of the combination of the Apple IIc Plus and LCD, all I need
> > to carry around (besides the notebook-sized CPU) is a 3-prong plug
> > and the LCD display. It may not be an Apple I or Mark Twain, but it's
> > almost as cool considering how few people own this particular setup. :)
> > 
> Yeah, not being backlit makes using this set-up very trying. You almost
> need to bring a small clamp on lamp with you to ensure that you have
> a strong light behind you.

I backlit an Apple display once, today it would be much easier since you
can buy the needed transformers from Digi-Key and build it yourself, using
as little as a piece of plexiglass with a silver back surface and a teeny
weanie flourescent tube (perferably two, one one each end). You need to
slide the plexiglass in between the LCD and the PCB, not too easy for the
faint at heart. I also have a whole mess of these small plasma display
things that are alike thick paper. Stick about three of those behind there
and use an AC inverter chip, they need very very low current, about 70-110
volts AC, which I have a mini 50 watt power inverter that is the size of a
pack of cigarettes, enough to run a whole IIgs system with the LCD or
small 12V CRT. I also have some RGB 5" Color monitors that run off 12V,
which as soon as I can figure out the horizontal sync problem, a certain
other Apple II user will get a portable IIgs with color.

> I also have the IIc Plus and C-Vue combo. It all fits nicely into a
> shoulder bag for easy carrying. I have a 1 meg board in it and use
> Appleworks 5.1. Once you get the hang of lighting the screen it can
> be a very usable system. I also agree that there are probably very
> few people with this set-up. (probably as many as those who have a
> Mark Twain :-) ). I did own an Apple LCD display for about 2 weeks
> a few years back. It was much better constructed than the C-Vue (it
> was built like a tank!) but the C-Vue definitely has the better 
> display (hard to believe isn't it!)

Well, here's three then :)

I have this //c+ with a 20 Meg drive inside as well as the 3.5" drive with
the C-Vue screen. Funny thing, I also have a Mark Twain. Funny you should
bring that up.

What I have is an internal C-Drive (the Applied Ingenuity thing) with the
3.5" drive mounted on it, and a 2.5" 20 Meg mech just behind the floppy
drive instead of the large 20 meg drive they used. Was a pain to get
going, but thats a portable AppleWorks engine, as well as my Portable
IIgs, which also gets used a lot for AppleWorks.

I have the Prairie Power with it's case & battery for the //c, using the
battery with the small AC inverter I can run the //c+ system too. Lasts
about three hours.

Comming Soon, the Dynamac converted to IIgs. With LCD screen. That should
be the highlight for KFest, I just need to find a physically smaller LCD
screen than the one I have now, that is compatible with a VGA feature
connector. I almost caused a war getting that connector onto the Second
Sight, so it's gonna get used. Actually, on another topic, I've sold
several Second Sight cards on the grounds that schools could connect
overhead projection equipment to the feature connector, if not just using
a standard VGA compatible one as well, but there is alot of stuff that
uses the 26 pin feature connector.

Tony
(If you reply by email, watch the return address)

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