how to kludge a 486 PC into thinking it has a video card?

From: mhstein_at_canada.com <(mhstein_at_canada.com)>
Date: Mon Feb 21 12:37:54 2005

--------Original Message:
Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2005 22:54:30 -0500
From: Scott Stevens <chenmel_at_earthlink.net>


Actually, these days, a 'Hercules Graphics card' is becoming a 'scarce
vintage item.' The junk cards everybody has too many of are ISA VGA
cards. The monitor to plug into said 'Hercules Graphic card' has also
become quite rare. Most of that early stuff is long-ago recycled. The
'junk' these days is 486 to Pentium II based.

I have an original IBM-AT that I still haven't ever powered up, because
it has all original IBM innards, including the IBM EGA card. I know how
to jumper the card to work with a 'TTL monochrome' monitor (EGA
monochrome is a highly usable mode, with high resolution 1 bit
graphics), but have neither a Mono or an EGA monitor to check it out.
I've been holding off on 'corrupting' it by putting in a clone ISA VGA
card.

We're awash in a sea of castoff VGA monitors these days. I watch for a
TTL mono monitor at every auction and sale I go to, and haven't found
one since acquiring the IBM-AT.

-Scott
-----------------------------------
And here I've been trying to make sure that I put at least one monitor out
by the curb each garbage collection day, before they start rejecting them.

Now that I know they're *RARE*!*, I guess I'll have to hang on to them.
Don't really want to ship one, but if anyone in the Toronto area is looking
for one (TTL (even a genooin IBM!),CGA and I think one EGA) in the Toronto
area, come and get it!

mike
Received on Mon Feb 21 2005 - 12:37:54 GMT