Info-Mac 1992 August/info-mac-1992.iso/Report/SE30 External Video.txt

Internet Message Format | 1992-08-28 | 7KB

Date: Thu, 22 Aug 91 10:42:18 CDT
From: Rick Russell <[e-mail]>
Organization: Rice University
Subject: SUMMARY: SE/30 External Video Solutions



Back at the beginning of August I posted a question on the Info-Mac
digest about external video solutions for the SE/30. I didn't receive
very many replies, but those which I did receive were quite good.

Many thanks to everyone who replied. Included below is a digested copy
of the replies, with messages separated by "--" marks.

Rick Russell
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
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> Date: Fri, 2 Aug 91 07:24 PST
> From: "Robert T. Rubin" <[e-mail]>
> Subject: Video displays for SE/30

We have SEs, SE/30s, and have both Radius 2 page displays and
Megagraphics displays, the latter up to 4 years old.  Other than a
burned out power supply in one of the older Megagraphics monitors, we
haven't had any problems with either brand.  The Radius used to be more
expensive than the Megagraphics, but the price gap has closed, at least
from the dealers we use.  The software supplied by both Radius and
Megagraphics works well; we really don't pay too much attention to it,
we just use it!  All-in-all, we now wouldn't work on a Mac without at
least a black-and-white 2 page display; they're just too con- venient to
be without.  I also put a do-it-yourself Mirror Technologies 2 page
display on my old Mac Plus at home; other than a weaker contrast of the
monitor than we get with the Radius or Megagraphics, it's a pleasure to
use.

Robert T. Rubin
Dep't of Psychiatry
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Torrance, CA 90509
[phone]

--

> Date: Fri, 2 Aug 1991 10:45 CST
> From: Dan Lunderville <[e-mail]>
> Subject: Mac SE/30 external monitor...
> X-Organization: University of Wisconsin - River Falls

Hi Rick,

We use the Apple 13" RGB monitor when we need an external monitor for an
SE/30. It works quite well and has good color.  We use a third party
card from Micron Technology, model MG3016.  This card goes for about
$300 mail order or from Micron.  The combination has worked well for us.

Take care -

Dan Lunderville                         Internet:   [e-mail]
Academic Computing Center               AppleLink:  U0095
University of Wisconsin - River Falls
River Falls, WI  54022                  Telephone:  [phone]

--

> Subject: Monitor for SE/30
> Date: Fri, 02 Aug 91 12:54:46 EDT
> From: [e-mail]

I am using the Sigma Designs L-* MultiMode monitor (yes, that is the
real name) with my SE/30.  It is a 19 inch B/W with six different
user-selectable resolutions (36, 48, 60, 72, 90, and 120 dpi, if I
remember correctly).  The resolution can be adjusted while you work,
except that some programs do not work properly when the resolution is
changed while they are running (especially - you guessed it - Microsoft
products).  The 36 dpi mode is great for games - the same image as on
the 9 inch B/W screen, but magnified two times.

It is a really good monitor - low emission, low weight, low energy use,
easy to use, good brightness and focus, good linearity, and so on.  I
will not claim that it is the best in each category, but it is certainly
good.

I paid $1330 for it (card included).  I have seen it advertised for as
little as $1295 by one mail-order house recently.

No special software comes with the monitor - just the driver and a
screen saver.  Screens can be used simultaneously (I would rather turn
off the small screen, but I cannot).  The size of the arrow cursor can
be changed, the font of the menus can be changed.  I really wish I could
reverse the screen, but I have not found anything which works correctly
for an SE/30.

Hope that this is informative - tjp

--

> From: Mark Alldritt <[e-mail]>
> To: [e-mail]
> Subject: Re: SE/30 External Monitor

Hi,

I have a SE/30 with a Radius monochrome two-page display (19 inch)
driven using Radius's monochrome driver card.  This display is capable
of being driven using a gray-scale card (I don't need anything more than
B&W, so the extra cost could not be justified).  I made my decision
based primarily on a series of monitor reviews in MacUser and Mac World.
The Radius was the least expensive of the acceptable monitors at that
time.

Important:  Radius's 19inch monitor is an 82dpi display.  This means
that everything is about 7/8s the size it is on an apple monitor.
Radius sells a 21 inch display that is 75dpi (almost 1 to 1 with an
apple display).

Impressions:

When I first received the monitor I had a number of problems with focus
in certain regions of the screen.  All of these problems have gone away
now that the monitor has hade time to break-in.  In terms of brightness,
the display is not as bright as the SE/30's display, but it does meet my
needs (I have the system in a room near a large north facing window).
The display does have a little jitter.  This is most noticable when the
monitor is cold.

The bottom line is that I can't live without it now, and I can't figure
out how I got along without it before.

Software:

Radius ships a software package with their display systems that provides
a number of usefull features including a screen saver, screen capture,
enlarged menu bar, auto-centering of dialog boxes, and tear-off menus
(no longer available in system-7).  I have discovered that this software
is not required to operate the monitor if you already have these
features as part of other packages.

The relationship between the SE/30's monitor and the Radius monitor is
controlled using Apple's Monitors control panel.  This control panel
allows you to define the point on the desktop at which the two monitors
join, and a number of other things.


-Mark

--

> Date:         Thu, 08 Aug 91 15:50:21 PLT
> From: Jerry Tangren <GSW$[e-mail]>
> Subject:      External monitors for the SE/30

Rick, in regards to your 30 July request on Info-mac

I have been using an Apple 13" RGB monitor on my SE/30 for about a year.
For the most part it seems okay. It's driven by a Nutmeg 8 bit board
which cost us about $300 direct on an educational discount from Nutmeg.

My only problems so far are that I have to designate the internal 9"
monitor as my primary screen to use Pagemaker 4.0, and some features of
Cricket Graph cause a system bomb. So, I quit using Cricket, other
packages work fine, and switch monitors to use Pagemaker.

There was some kind of included software I never bothered installing.

Jerry Tangren
Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center
Washington State University

--

Date:         Wed, 14 Aug 91 09:43:50 CDT
From: Robert Blystone <[e-mail]>
Subject:      infomac

Saw your infomac posting.  We have had good luck running a RasterOPs
board with an Apple RGB monitor on our SE30.  Should you like to know
more.  A former student of mine is now at Rice in Biology by the name of
Tod Romo.  Tod really knows the MAC.  from AUX-2 to OS.  He could give
you much information about equipment.

Bob Blystone Trinity University  512 7367243

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