Re: Using GS Monitor on a Mac

[mididoc@cola.pax.tpa.com.au (Geoff Peters)]

> >>Can I connect the Apple RGB monitor I have on my Apple IIGS to a
> >>Mac Centris?
>
> >Unless I'm mistaken, no.  Mac monitors are odd beasties in some respects.
>
> Please correct me if I am wrong here but wasn't the RGB monitor sold with th
> MAC IIs, and the RGB monitor sold with the Apple IIs the same monitor?  If t
> is the case then shouldn't the newer Macs be able to support Apple II
> monitors?

No, unfortunately not.

The Apple RGB DIsplay (as sold with the IIgs) and the Apple Hi-Res RGB Display
(as sold for the Mac II) are two completely different monitors. The pinouts
for the video are identical, but the Mac II-based monitor has a far greater
bandwidth than that of the IIgs monitor.

Whe I was working at an Apple dealer in 1987, we received our first Mac II
with 2Mb of RAM and a colour display card, but Apple informed us that an
Australianised 13" RGB monitor was still several months away. One of the
support staff decided to try the RGB monitor from a IIgs on the new Mac II. We
were all suprised when the beast actually woke up, and you could see that the
monotor was doing its best to display the image, but due to the excessive
bandwidth from the Mac II, the RGB monitor could only display the right third
of the display on the left half of the screen, with the rest of the screen
washing out.

We could pick out the menu bar and the mouse pointer, and we got the "Color"
menu to drop - colour from a Mac!! We were chuffed, but somewhat disappointed
that the experiment was mostly a failure.

To the original poster: you'll still have to get a new monitor for your new
Centris, but if you can't afford an Apple one, buy an NEC or something SVGA
capable.





Geoff Peters                                mididoc@cola.flash.pax.tpa.com.au