Semi-OT: PMac 6100 DOS

From: Chris <mythtech_at_mac.com>
Date: Fri Mar 15 14:14:16 2002

>I've never heard these called "video dongles", and while they don't
>come in the package with the 6100 DOS board, the manual says it's
>needed, shows its picture, and says it comes with the computer in
>which you're trying to install the board.

Well.. there are two different video "adaptors" that were being refered
to in that thread.

One is the HDI-45 to RGB adaptor, that came with all the "AV" powermacs
that had the AV video port. I think that was limited to the 6100, 7100,
8100 series (but may have included others). This was needed to connect a
standard RGB monitor to the HDI-45 AV video connector. Or, Apple prefered
you bought an AV monitor that plugged directly into the port and provided
video, audio, ADB, and for some reason I think color calibration (but I
might be wrong on the last one).


The other "adaptor" or dongle that was being refered to, is the Video
Loopback connector for the DOS cards. The two DOS card styles I have (the
"Houdini" from the Q610, and the later PC Compatability cards for the PCI
Powermacs), required a video cable that plugged from the DB-26 port on
the DOS card, looped into the RGB port on the Mac, and had an output for
RGB. It enabled you to use one monitor for both DOS and Mac, or if you
don't connect the loop to the Mac's RGB, you could use two monitors, one
for each world. Also, the Q610 version provided a Joystick/Game/Midi
port. That port was not on the cable for the PCI version, as the
Game/Midi port was right on the DOS card.


The question that seems to have come up is, does the 6100 DOS card have
that loopback connector at all? The PCI DOS cards can either use the the
external loop connector... OR an internal connector for Macs that support
it (you need the GIMO slot, which many of the PCI Powermacs had). There
is a possibility the 6100 card does something similar.

But, if the 6100 DOS card needs the cable, is most definitly should have
come with it. The Q610 came with it, and the PCI cards came with both the
internal AND external cables as far as I am aware (I have never bought a
PCI one new... two of mine came installed in a 4400 from Apple, and
included the external, but not internal cable, and my 3rd came installed
in a used 7200 with an internal, but not external... but the eBay ads I
have seen for boxed ones, always say they have both internal and external
cables, and since you need one or the other cable, and Apple had no way
of knowing which PCI Powermac you planned to use it with, it would have
made sense to include both styles)

-chris

<http://www.mythtech.net>
Received on Fri Mar 15 2002 - 14:14:16 GMT

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