🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <2415@tulum.cs.swarthmore.edu> hirai@cs.swarthmore.edu (Eiji Hirai) writes:

>	Howdy folks.  Is there any reason why we can't use an ordinary
>15pin cable bought from a computer shop as the video cable connecting
>the video card inside a Mac II to the RGB monitor? It seems like a sham
>to buy an official Apple video cable when we can buy the same thing
>elsewhere for a cheaper price.

You make the mistake of thinking that all cables with 15 pin connectors on the
ends are the "same thing".  The video cable needed between the Apple video
card and the monitor is different from data cables in that it contains 3
coaxial cables, one each for R,G,B, rather than 15 individual wires.  You CAN,
in fact, buy the "same thing" from other places, more cheaply than from Apple,
and in longer lengths.  Just be sure it IS the "same thing".

>	More importantly, can I just use any RGB monitor instead of the
>standard one which comes with the Mac II, provided I get all the pinouts
>correct on the cables, using the same standard video card?

Yes, you can use OTHER RGB monitors, but not ANY RGB monitor.  The monitor
must have Analog input and be able to run at the correct scan rate.  The NEC
Mulisync and SONY CDP-1302/3 work fine, but require different cables because
the monitor pinouts are different (see previous comment).

Marc Kaufman (kaufman@polya.stanford.edu)