Hooking up an SGI monitor to a PC

[gmask]

I've been trying ot make use of my ole SGI monitor and I have bought two different adapters to convert it's connection to an SVGA but neitehr seem to work. Anybody had any success with this or is my SGI monitor not capable of this because it's older/indigo 2?

[1000101-]

Depends on when your monitor was made. Typically the standard SGI/Sun connector carrys the refresh sync on a different pin than the 15 pin VGA connectors do. Thats why many of these have dual outputs on the rear.
If yours doesn't have the dual outs its not gonna work.
Does it seem like the vertical holds gone awry? thts what happened when I tried to plug my sun 21 into an older PC. Though my SGI 21's have VGA outs and i use those rather than the adapter.

[gmask]

At first it wakes up and then it goes back into sleep mode. I have seen a monitor like mine hooked up this .. but I think they have special cable rather than the adapter?

[1000101-]

yeah look on the back of your monitor; mine came off an indigo2 extreme; and they both have 15 pin VGA connectors on the back; which you canbuy at like 15 bux apiece from any computer store.

[gmask]

Nope no VGA... I swear though that this setup I saw was using the funky connector(what's it called)... oh well..

[1000101-]

lemme fish around for an adapter cable around here; see what I can find.

[bacon]

maybe these guys can help
http://www.si87.com
bacon

[jtk77]

yes you can definitly get an adapter I think..
it goes that wacky flatscreen stuff from VGA.

[gmask]

Thanks.. Looks like I'd have to buy the $50 sync convertor and possibly stilll use the adapter I have. Apparently the SGI monitor use sysnc on green whereas the standard VGA/SVGA uses composite sync?? I I wouldn't be surprised if building one of these thing sisn't a matter of byuying two VGA connectors and doing a little soldering to translate the green sync to the composite.

[jtk77]

go for it , it soudns like somthing lame SGI would do to be different.

[gmask]

I thought apple was the company trying to be different

Well I'll have to do a little more research before I break out the soldering iron.. I'm in no hurry. My Good flatscreen monitor's gamma went south and I had lent my older nonflat CRT to my girlfriend but since she got a laptop hardly uses it anymore so I took it back.. man what a relief on the eyeballs.. The point being I don't need my SGI monitor as a replacement now. blah blah blah

[1000101-]

Sun does it differently like that too. But in later models they managed to be so kind to include the VGA connector. You could try to rewire the green over; or rather split it and put half to green and the other half to sync; might miss out on some green in your image though.
Never tried it and lifes too short not to have fun.

[gmask]

.. it's like this friend of mine who used to have to start his car by shoritng out the starter with a screwdriver..

They probably throw a resistor or soemthing in there to make everything nice...

[ncheater]

Yeps
I've had one hooked up that way that only had the W13 connector with a W13VGA adapter.
Moved the adapter to another old SGI monitor and there I had the same problem that the monitor didnt "wake up". Im not an expert here but I think that we have some powersave issues here as well as different sync.

[1000101-]

Some monitors; if thye don't sync; won't bother to fire up the tube. They also don't fire up the tube if you give it a resolution thats beyond its range. They little safety features.