The ingeniously ill-fated Apple Display Connector: List of graphics cards, monitors and other peripherals

[Amethyst1]

Is it, that VGA-out plainly doesn't work with the ADC-DVI-Connector at all or that I just didn't have the right adapter

All adapters in your picture are passive adapters and will not work for VGA-to-DVI conversion. They only work for DVI-to-VGA - and that's only because the DVI-A ("Analog") and DVI-I ("Integrated"?) connectors also carry the VGA signal. DVI-A only carries VGA; DVI-I carries both DVI and VGA. These adapters simply connect the existing analog pins from the DVI-A/-I connector to a female VGA connector. They don't convert the signal.

Those four pins at the right of the DVI-A and DVI-I connectors (which look like a square) carry the VGA signal. DVI-D ("Digital") does not have these pins. The Apple DVI-to-ADC adapter’s DVI-D connector doesn’t have the analog pins either.

=> You need a device that actively converts the signal. The Matrox DualHead2Go worked for me. Give that a try.

Funny thing is, that the display shows up in the control-stripe of os9 on an early TiBook (first 'Mercury'-TiBook with only VGA-out), but the display stays dark.

The adapters, while not passing through the actual video signal in your case, still pass through the Display Data Channel (DDC) pins - which allows the computer to identify the display even though it can't actually show anything. Sounds strange, but that's how it works

 

[bobesch]

All adapters in your picture are passive adapters and will not work for VGA-to-DVI conversion. They only work for DVI-to-VGA - and that's only because the DVI-A ("Analog") and DVI-I ("Integrated"?) connectors also carry the VGA signal. DVI-A only carries VGA; DVI-I carries both DVI and VGA. These adapters simply connect the existing analog pins from the DVI-A/-I connector to a female VGA connector. They don't convert the signal.
View attachment 1928836
Those four pins at the right of the DVI-A and DVI-I connectors (which look like a square) carry the VGA signal. DVI-D ("Digital") does not have these pins. The Apple DVI-to-ADC adapter’s DVI-D connector doesn’t have the analog pins either.

=> You need a device that actively converts the signal. The Matrox DualHead2Go worked for me. Give that a try.


The adapters, while not passing through the actual video signal in your case, still pass through the Display Data Channel (DDC) pins - which allows the computer to identify the display even though it can't actually show anything. Sounds strange, but that's how it works

Many thanx! Great advise and overview!!!
Now I understand: VGA-out sends only an analog signal - the ADC-DVI-converter needs a digital video-signal for input.
Did Apple sell any acrylic flat-panel StudioDisplay with VGA-cable at all to match the Cube-G4's primary Acrylic flat-panel StudioDisplay with ADC-cable? Or is the Cube's VGA out only kind of emergency exit?

 

[Amethyst1]

Did Apple sell any acrylic flat-panel StudioDisplay with VGA-cable at all to match the Cube-G4's primary Acrylic flat-panel StudioDisplay with ADC-cable?

Nope.
If your Cube has the Rage 128 Pro, it can’t run two independent monitors.

 

[Amethyst1]

• Added two DVI<-->ADC adapters by New Motion.
• Added a column for the actual LCD panels used in ADC LCDs including links to their datasheets (if known/available).

 

[yakult121]

Any one know whether the LCD panel LG.Philips LM220W1-A2MN for Apple Cinema ADC 22" has a replacement model?

 

[Amethyst1]

Any one know whether the LCD panel LG.Philips LM220W1-A2MN for Apple Cinema ADC 22" has a replacement model?

Panelook only lists the LM220W1-B2MN as possible replacement. The 25:16 aspect ratio was pretty much a one-off.

Updates to the WikiPost on February 2nd, 2024:

• Added an "OS 9" column for GPUs, indicating full driver support including 3D acceleration etc.
• The ATI Rage 128 Pro ADC might work in Mac OS 8.6 like the earlier DVI version does. In the Sawtooth, ADC only works as a DVI port using an adapter. No power, no USB.
• Added more info on ATI Rage 128 Pro and NVIDIA GeForce2 MX.
• Added info on whether both outputs can be active at the same time and show two different images (dual-head).

 

[mectojic]

Another ADC KVM here, from Compucable

ADC/DVI KVM POWER REACH COMPUCABLE 2-PORT HYBRID ADC/USB SHARING SWITCH ADC/DVI | eBay

COMPUCABLE ADC/DVI KVM, POWER REACH 2-PORT HYBRID ADC/USB SHARING SWITCH ADC/DVI KVM.

www.ebay.com.au

I'm not quite sure how to describe it in the Wiki, perhaps someone else can insert a row for it?

 

[swamprock]

Panelook only lists the LM220W1-B2MN as possible replacement. The 25:16 aspect ratio was pretty much a one-off.

Updates to the WikiPost on February 2nd, 2024:

• Added an "OS 9" column for GPUs, indicating full driver support including 3D acceleration etc.
• The ATI Rage 128 Pro ADC might work in Mac OS 8.6 like the earlier DVI version does. In the Sawtooth, ADC only works as a DVI port using an adapter. No power, no USB.
• Added more info on ATI Rage 128 Pro and NVIDIA GeForce2 MX.
• Added info on whether both outputs can be active at the same time and show two different images (dual-head).

I need one of these panels.

 

[Amethyst1]

Another ADC KVM here, from Compucable

Added.

I need one of these panels.

FWIW the LG 295LM and SGI F220 also use them.

 

[skinniezinho]

Great topic.
Regarding adaptors, normally this one works with the CRT, video here.
Together with a friend we are building/assembling the same adapter and we ran into the same issue that in the video, missing one capacitor. Someone even build a case for it
As soon as I have the adaptor ready I can come and chime in.

 

[panettondoro]

Great topic.
Regarding adaptors, normally this one works with the CRT, video here.
Together with a friend we are building/assembling the same adapter and we ran into the same issue that in the video, missing one capacitor. Someone even build a case for it
As soon as I have the adaptor ready I can come and chime in.

The capacitor is only used to smooth out the output from the power supply, it is not actually necessary for the adapter to work. I believe that the issue likely stems from pin 13, Soft Power, being disconnected, although I'm not sure since the adapter, to my knowledge, doesn't expose it to any of the input ports.

Power up also looks like to be a solved problem. Previously, the only way to use the Studio Display was to jumpstart it with a G4 Mac. I, along with a group of dedicated people on Reddit and Tinkerdifferent, have discovered that the Studio Display manages its power status through regular DDC. u/crt09 on reddit managed to wake up their Studio Display both with WinI2C and a short script written in Python that used the MonitorControl library.

Both ways issue a DDC command that tells the Studio Display to switch from standby to the regular power mode. This means that the Studio Display can potentially be used with any computer capable of DDC.

I'm certainly not the first one to discover this since there's a project on Hackaday that does a similar thing, and, if you look for them, there's also a couple videos on bilibili of someone using a Studio Display with a modern computer. Not sure why this information wasn't more widely known. I hope that more people become aware of this know about this with this comment

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Notes:

1. The 15" Studio Display was first introduced on 1998.03.17, with VGA. It was updated to use DVI on 1999.12.02.
2. The 22" Cinema Display was first introduced on 1999.08.31, with DVI.
3. The Formac gallery 1740 and 2010 were also available with DVI.

Re: 1 - The *VERY* original 15" Studio Display (at your 1998 link,) didn't even use VGA - it used Apple's older DA-15 video connector. The Studio Display was updated on 1999.01.05 to use VGA and to be "Blue and White" color; then it was discontinued in August when the "Graphite" G4s came out, and wasn't available at all until December (your second link) when it was updated to Graphite and updated to have DVI.

Humorously, the B&W one was essentially completely identical to the original "dark smoke blue" other than the video plug at the end of the cable. It had analog composite (RCA) and S-Video inputs, it had an ADB plug, and it had an ADB hub in the base. It was funny that it was an ADB hub, since the B&W G3 came with USB keyboard and mouse! But the B&W G3 still had ADB ports, as well.

The Graphite model ditched the analog video inputs, and swapped the ADB connection for USB. (Good thing, since the G4s didn't have the ADB port any more!)

It wasn't until the "clear acrylic with two big feet up front molded in and one adjustable foot behind" (like the later 17", 22", 23", and 20") that the 15" moved to ADC.

 

[mectojic]

It's a shame the B&W one didn't have USB-A ports. It's a shame the Graphite one didn't put USB-A ports in the base, where the ADB ports used to be. Being behind that back door makes it quite awkward to use regularly, and looks messy.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

On the graphic card front - the GeForce 2MX was a standard option available for the Power Mac G4 Cube. And while Apple didn't offer it at time of configuration, the GeForce 3 was a supported card when purchased as a user-installed upgrade. (The GF3 had a fan, which Apple didn't want any Cube shipping with a fan, so they made you install it yourself.)

 

[Anonymous Freak]

It's a shame the B&W one didn't have USB-A ports. It's a shame the Graphite one didn't put USB-A ports in the base, where the ADB ports used to be. Being behind that back door makes it quite awkward to use regularly, and looks messy.

Yep.

I may have a few too many 15" Studio Displays.

 

[mectojic]

Yep.

I may have a few too many 15" Studio Displays.

View attachment 2444755

Wow. I am very envious.

I have 1 B&W and 1 Graphite, as well as quite a few ADC displays (even replaced my PC office monitor with a 22-inch ADC).
I don't think I'll ever get to own the Rev 1 15", let alone see one in person.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Wow. I am very envious.

I have 1 B&W and 1 Graphite, as well as quite a few ADC displays (even replaced my PC office monitor with a 22-inch ADC).
I don't think I'll ever get to own the Rev 1 15", let alone see one in person.

The backlight on mine is shot, and the video display has major garbling, so some digital processing fault. (Which you can only tell when shining a VERY bright light source at it.)

 

[mectojic]

The backlight on mine is shot, and the video display has major garbling, so some digital processing fault. (Which you can only tell when shining a VERY bright light source at it.)

How about you put those working studio displays to work with your Mac Studio?

 

[Amethyst1]

Re: 1 - The *VERY* original 15" Studio Display (at your 1998 link,) didn't even use VGA - it used Apple's older DA-15 video connector. The Studio Display was updated on 1999.01.05 to use VGA and to be "Blue and White" color; then it was discontinued in August when the "Graphite" G4s came out, and wasn't available at all until December (your second link) when it was updated to Graphite and updated to have DVI.

Thanks for the correction, I’ll add that. Update: Done.

It wasn't until the "clear acrylic with two big feet up front molded in and one adjustable foot behind" (like the later 17", 22", 23", and 20") that the 15" moved to ADC.

Which is what the table says.

On the graphic card front - the GeForce 2MX was a standard option available for the Power Mac G4 Cube. And while Apple didn't offer it at time of configuration, the GeForce 3 was a supported card when purchased as a user-installed upgrade.

I’ll add the Cube to the GeForce 2MX row. Update: Done.

 

[LightBulbFun]

(The GF3 had a fan, which Apple didn't want any Cube shipping with a fan, so they made you install it yourself.)

do you have a web archive link or such to the GeForce 3 upgrade for the G4 cube? I know of course its a popular upgrade for the G4 cube, but I have never actually been sure if it was, or if any after-sales upgrade for the G4 cubes video card was offered by apple?

as aside on the fan thing for example, the G4 cube *did* ship with the ATI Radeon as a BTO option which did have a heatsink-fan so I doubt the fan on the GeForce3 would of been why apple never offered it as an option

 

[Anonymous Freak]

do you have a web archive link or such to the GeForce 3 upgrade for the G4 cube? I know of course its a popular upgrade for the G4 cube, but I have never actually been sure if it was, or if any after-sales upgrade for the G4 cubes video card was offered by apple?

as aside on the fan thing for example, the G4 cube *did* ship with the ATI Radeon as a BTO option which did have a heatsink-fan so I doubt the fan on the GeForce3 would of been why apple never offered it as an option

Ooh, let me go check the Cube's web cache - I know I had that saved as its home page. I can't find it on the Archive now, but I know it had a cache of it at one point. (Unless I'm 'Berenstein Bear'ing this…)

Edit: Nope, cached copy is from original Cube's launch date Archive cache, pre-GF3-launch. :-/

Maybe I am just misremembering combined with all the eBay sellers over the years selling "G4 Cube GeForce 3":