3 Feb
1998
3 Feb
'98
5:29 a.m.
But, of course, MY PGA did. I've got a question I've been dying to ask: Why
the heck do (S)VGA montiors have 3 sets of pins, and "older" monitors only
have 2? I mean, the increased performance, for sure, but so many of the
pins are "not used", or used for an odd purpose. Why not say put in 2
differnet plugs of 2 rows each, so that I could use my *surely* functional
SVGA when testing out old computers?
Thanks,
Tim D. Hotze
-----Original Message-----
From: Kip Crosby <engine(a)chac.org>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Tuesday, February 03, 1998 7:25 PM
Subject: Re: CGA Modes (Wuz: Win 3.0)
At 18:44 2/3/98 +0300, you wrote:
Isn't PGA Pin-Grid-Array? (It's probably
wrong, but hay....)
Na-na-na. Professional Graphics Adapter, IBM's "other" attempt (besides
8514/a and XGA) at expensive design-grade video. It never went anywhere,
much.
__________________________________________
Kip Crosby engine(a)chac.org
http://www.chac.org/index.html
Computer History Association of California
3 Feb
3 Feb
6:17 a.m.
At 07:29 PM 2/3/98 +0300, you wrote:
But, of course, MY PGA did. I've got a question
I've been dying to ask: Why
the heck do (S)VGA montiors have 3 sets of pins, and "older" monitors only
have 2? I mean, the increased performance, for sure, but so many of the
pins are "not used", or used for an odd purpose. Why not say put in 2
differnet plugs of 2 rows each, so that I could use my *surely* functional
SVGA when testing out old computers?
Think about it: If they didn't change the plug, system manufacturers would
be sitting on top of a bunch of unsold monitors, because the public would
be buying new systems and keeping their old monitors, just wanting a little
speed increase.
- John Higginbotham
- limbo.netpath.net
6:29 a.m.
New subject: Video connectors (was: CGA Modes (Wuz: Win 3.0))
At 19:29 2/3/98 +0300, you wrote:
But, of course, MY PGA did. I've got a question
I've been dying to ask: Why
the heck do (S)VGA montiors have 3 sets of pins, and "older" monitors only
have 2?
A burning question, to be sure, because the little pins in those 3-row
D-connectors are SO fragile. I've never understood why, if the SVGA
connector had to be 15 pins (which it doesn't anyway,) it couldn't have
been the longer, 2-row, 15-pin D-connector that's used for joysticks.
__________________________________________
Kip Crosby engine(a)chac.org
http://www.chac.org/index.html
Computer History Association of California
3:44 a.m.
New subject: Video connectors (was: CGA Modes (Wuz: Win 3.0))
At 19:29 2/3/98 +0300, you wrote:
Tidbit: Three signals/ground shield pair for RGB (6 pins), 2 pins
for H and V sync, 3 pins for INFO status telling what kind of monitor
attached to video card and one diagnostic pin (when you pull the
video plug off, you get flickering white raster, which is
diagnostic). Also few more grounding pins and 2 is left blank. That
is original IBM's design. Now in newer PnP monitors and newer video
adapters uses 4 pins plus normal 9 pins so win95sux can talk to
monitor for info and autoconfigure for that monitor after the fact.
But those new PnP monitors will work with older cards (no PnP).
So we do need that fragile 15 pin connectors. But with care, you can
have one that last for years from plugging/unplugging. The mistake
was idiotic users forcing all ham-fist it in too hard in bit wrong
way or backwards. Simple solution: look at both shells to see right
way around and that famale one is really VGA connector, fit straight
in and push in, if you feel something hard and connector is not yet
all the way in yet, STOoOPP!
Jason D.
But, of course, MY PGA did. I've got a
question I've been dying to ask: Why
the heck do (S)VGA montiors have 3 sets of pins, and "older" monitors only
have 2?
A burning question, to be sure, because the little pins in those 3-row
D-connectors are SO fragile. I've never understood why, if the SVGA
connector had to be 15 pins (which it doesn't anyway,) it couldn't have
been the longer, 2-row, 15-pin D-connector that's used for joysticks.
__________________________________________
Kip Crosby engine(a)chac.org
http://www.chac.org/index.html
Computer History Association of California
email: jpero(a)cgo.wave.ca
Pero, Jason D.
1:03 p.m.
New subject: Video connectors (was: CGA Modes (Wuz: Win 3.0))
At 14:44 2/3/98 +0000, Jason D. wrote:
So we do need that fragile 15 pin connectors. But with
care, you can
have one that last for years from plugging/unplugging. The mistake
was idiotic users forcing all ham-fist it in too hard in bit wrong
way or backwards.
Agreed, "with care." But too much care for the average user. Even I, who
like to think I know what I'm doing, repeat the mantra "Never jam in a VGA
connector no matter what" whenever I have the D-shell in my hand, just to
slow myself down properly.
Simple solution: look at both shells to see right
way around and that famale one is really VGA connector, fit straight
in and push in, if you feel something hard and connector is not yet
all the way in yet, STOoOPP!
But it's not a simple ENOUGH solution because, when I'm in the field and
detaching a monitor from its computer, 50% of the connectors I look at have
one pin bent in an L and jammed against the inner wall of the shell. The
design isn't adequate to real-world use, is my point -- whereas a DB9, for
example, certainly is. I'm not saying we don't need 15 pins; I say we need
15 THICKER pins, and since this connector is typically the only connector
on the back of a VGA adapter, there's plenty of room.
____________________________________________________________
Kip Crosby, honcho, mechanic and sole proprietor, Kip's Garage
http://www.kipsgarage.com: rumors, tech tips and philosophy for the trenches
Coming Spring '98: The Windows 98 Bible by Kip Crosby and Fred Davis!
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participants (4)
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engine＠chac.org -
higginbo＠netpath.net -
jpero＠cgo.wave.ca -
photze＠batelco.com.bh