Mac video diagnosis, redux

[unixronin]

After doing some hardware-swapping back and forth with compatible PC bits, I believe I have narrowed down the Mac video problem to a bad cable.  (Specifically, I think there's a bad sense pin in the cable that is causing the 7300 to mis-identify the monitor and, accordingly, send it a video signal that's outside its sync range.)  The monitor and the Mac both work fine; I can get 1024x768 on the 1705 Display connected to a PC, and I can get 1024x768 from the Mac on an Apple Multiple Scan 14" Display which is, unfortunately, in such bad shape that it's usable only for testing purposes.  (It's usable when first powered on, but by the time it's been powered on about 15 minutes it's drifted so far out of alignment the screen is unreadable.)  I was also able to verify with the source we got this Mac from that the video cable was, in fact, untested and not known to be in working condition.

So, if we can just get our hands on a good video cable, we have a working Power Mac 7300 and Multiple Scan 1705 Display for the girls.  (Tracking down another Apple Extended Keyboard and a couple of decent Mac-compatible mice would be a help, too.)

Comments

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

I forget, is a 7300 old enough that it has to have an ADB mouse, or does it do USB?

Funny thing happened to me when I was thinking of reviewing Linux on the X-Box... I went to get a USB keyboard. The ones on the PC side of the house were incredibly expensive. I went over to the Mac section and got one for $10. And it even had a 2-port mini-hub so you could daisy chain your mouse and something else....

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

The 7300 does, indeed, require ADB mouse and keyboard. However, this doesn't look like it's going to be much of a problem -- I found a job lot of three Apple Extended Keyboards II for $7.00 BIN on eBay, and a job lot of thirteen (!) ADB Mice II for $9.99 with no bids from the same seller. The seller will even combine shipping, so I ought to be able to get the lot for under $30 shipped, and for the first time we'll have enough decent keyboards and mice to go around for all of our Macs.

What looks like being more of a problem is finding the correct monitor cable. The 7300 has the standard pre-G3-Mac DB15 out, while the 1705 monitor has HD15 in, but all the Mac monitor cables I can find are either HD15-HD15 or DB15-DB15.

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

That may necessitate a converter. I know I had to have one when I got my 19" Sun.... fortunately, the place I got mine from had'em and even threw it in for free.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

I actually even have one such converter. It came with a Sony monitor, and is intended to allow connection of a standard-VGA monitor to a Mac. It's weird to think of having to use it to connect a Mac monitor to a Mac.
Of course, I don't have a spare VGA cable either, but I'm pretty sure we can pick one up locally pretty cheaply, if I can just find the adapter.