PowerMac G3 Beige lost second monitor

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Level 1

8 points

PowerMac G3 Beige lost second monitor

Dear community, I have a severe problem with my Power Macintosh G3. I have been using two monitors with extended desktop view, when suddenly the second monitor stopped responding on startup. Below is my setup:

Power Macintosh G3 Beige Rev.1 (1997) with 266 MHz processor
OS 9.0.4
Graphic card/input #1: ATI 3D Rage II+ (motherboard) DB-15 (Apple) input
Graphic card/input #2: IxMicro Twin Turbo 128/M2 DB-15 input with driver number not know, But I assume it's not the latest 4.06. Installed on the lowest PCI input, which I think is the 33 MHz slot. One other slot is in use with an amplifier. AGP slot is also connected with the original video input/output, but is not being used.
Display #1: Apple Multiple Scan 720 Display M4552
Display #2: FIMI MGD403NTR MD0709BRM gray scale medical monitor

So, the Apple monitor lights up as normal no matter which graphic card it is plugged in. The FIMI lights up only, if switched to the one Apple monitor was on at startup. If no monitor or only FIMI was plugged (either one of inputs), I cannot get any display signal to any monitor anymore, before restart. All possible sequences were tested on 832x624 75Hz 256 color mode for both graphic cards. I read from somewhere that too big a resolution could affect on monitors, but I don't know if the one used was the correct one.

I have acquired another Twin Turbo 128/M8A, which works similarly with same drivers without updating. No noticeable improvement. I have also:

Tried safe mode (Boot+shift)
Checked the extension manager (Boot+space), but couldn't find anything fishy.
Zapped the NVRAM (Boot+Cmd+Opt+P+R)
Reseted NVRAM from motherboard (small button next to the lowest PCI slot)
Ran hardware test from OS 9 install disk (Boot+ C or D), this was mainly for hard drive I guess, nothing found
Unplugged and changed the motherboard battery.

My questions are: Does OS 9 have somewhere preferences about opening voltage channels and keeping them open, since I cannot get signal from other card after startup? Could I have a bad capacitor somewhere (display, motherboard)? Is there any other magical tricks I could try before updating drivers and/or OS to latest 9.2.2 version?

I'm running some delicate software which I don't know if they'll work after these updates, so I have been careful about those to this point. Could they stop working after such update? What else would you try?

Thank you in advance for any tips and suggestions, I'm really getting desperate here.

null-OTHER, Mac OS X (10.0.x) or Earlier, Power Mac G3 Beige, OS 9.0.4

Posted on Nov 6, 2018 1:21 AM

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Answer 1

caiac Author

Level 1

8 points

Nov 9, 2018 12:39 AM in response to Jeff

Jeff,

Thank you for your answer. I'm about to dig version 3.8 from external .sit package or OS9 install disk with TomeViewer, as you instructed. But I'm still thinking if this solves the problem, since the display signal is ok for the Apple monitor and the FIMI cannot start up even when connected solo. Here are the extension versions I'm using right now for both graphic cards, and these have worked previously with both monitors and even today with the Apple monitor.

I tried to disable all of the ATI drivers (lower image) and boot with FIMI display with the Twin Turbo card, but no luck.

I don't have any other DB-15 port desktops or displays to test with.

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Answer 2

caiac Author

Level 1

8 points

Nov 12, 2018 11:37 PM in response to Jeff

Nov 12, 2018 11:32 PM Re: PowerMac G3 Beige lost second monitorin response to caiac

"I'd also delete the Displays preference file, in case it's corrupted."

Thanks. I think I've done this at least once, but I will try it again. I also managed to try the FIMI monitor with D-sub VGA connector, and the monitor wakes on startup normally on other desktop (G4 power mac).

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Answer 3

Jeff

Level 6

12,058 points

Nov 9, 2018 12:39 AM in response to caiac

"I have acquired another Twin Turbo 128/M8A, which works similarly with same drivers without updating."

The Twin Turbo 128M8A card was manufactured by ims/ixMicro for Apple and shipped with the Power Macintosh 9600s. It was a nice, 8 MB graphics card and problem-free to use. I preferred it to the retail version ims/ixMicro 8 MB graphics card, which had the "sync-on-green" problem requiring a software workaround. The Apple card uses the extension "Apple/ims Accelerator 3.8.1," which is included in the OS and should be found in the Extensions folder. If not, you can extract it from the OS 9 installer tome using "TomeViewer." The "Apple ixMicro Accelerator 4.0.6" extension is for the ixMicro retail product. I just powered up an 8600 (that hasn't seen action in over 5 years), which has the Twin Turbo 128M8A card as the primary display. The onboard graphics isn't being used, so the ATI drivers are disabled, as well as the "Apple ixMicro Accelerator 4.0.6" extension. If you have both the Apple/ims and Apple ixMicro extensions enabled, that might cause a conflict. Use the Extensions Manager and disable the latter if both are checked. The system checks the onboard video output for a display at startup, so there needs to be one connected. If not, there won't be any graphics output. I'd avoid hot-plugging the displays once booted. Incidentally, all 3 PCI slots in the beige G3 are 33 MHz.

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Answer 4

Jeff

Level 6

12,058 points

Nov 14, 2018 11:13 AM in response to caiac

I didn't ask you, but do you have the beige G3 desktop model or the mini-tower? Although they share the same motherboard, the former's power supply has less output than the larger supply in the mini-tower. As for PCI cards, you indicated that "One other slot is in use with an amplifier." Has this been the setup for some time or was that card added more recently? Regardless, I'm wondering if you're having problems with overloading the PCI bus. Have you tried removing the amplifier card and checking for normal operation with both displays connected simultaneously? Also, if the ixMicro card is removed and you connect the FIMI display to the onboard ATI graphics, does it get a signal at startup? Is the FIMI's native resolution a non-standard or unsupported one?

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Answer 5

caiac Author

Level 1

8 points

Nov 23, 2018 5:45 AM in response to Jeff

Dear Jeff (and rest of you)

As for your questions, I have the minitower version,or the "normally standing case", and about the same size as Blue/White G3 or G4. But beige. And as I explained earlier it should be the Rev. A according to the motherboard id number.

For the additional PCI amplifier, this has been connected always. It has external signal source and amplifier with its own power supply, so the PCI side is only for the data input stream.

I did disconnect all additional cards and tried to boot with using only motherboard GPU (Ati Rage). Again, Apple monitor works fine but the FIMI does not. So I think this outlines problems with G3 power supply, when there is nothing more connected than motherboard with CPU and memory.

I found the manual for it (manufacturer was apparently Philips, which sold the display as FIMI). Tried to configure settings from FIMI monitor settings, no luck. I didn't find any "native resolution", but it should support 800x600 that I've mainly used in my tests. I've also tried the 832x624 75Hz which works fine on Apple monitor and FIMI after hotswap.I also tried deleting both display- and monitor settings, didn't have any effect.

I'm beginning to think that the FIMI 1/3-BNC input (cable changes to Apple DB15) is somehow busted. I don't think it's the cable, since I can get a signal after hotswap. I've ordered a D-sub to DB15 adapter, see how that works.

I did not upgrade IxMicro TT 128 drivers to 3.8 just yet, since it works fine on older drivers with Apple monitor and FIMI after hotswap.

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Answer 6

caiac Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 3, 2018 3:03 AM in response to caiac

Progress.

I ordered an Mac DB15 Male to VGA HD15 Female Adapter from amazon, one without the manual resolution switches. So now I convert the DB15 to regular D-sub VGA and push it into FIMIs D-sub input. Works as it should. Monitor now wakes on startup and I can use extended desktop with alternative resolution compared to Apples original monitor. I did not update any OS, software or extensions. Still running OS 9.0.4 with IxMicro TT128M8 1.0.4 drivers (see message above).

Only thing is, brightness has been reduced by approximately 2/3. I think that 1-BNC input (ports V2=Green + V&H sync) is broken somehow. I tried reducing incoming color signal by removing pins for R+B colors from the vga cable, with no luck.

We can think of this problem as solved. Thank you readers, special thanks to Jeff.

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Answer 7

Jeff

Level 6

12,058 points

Nov 12, 2018 11:32 PM in response to caiac

I'd also delete the Displays preference file, in case it's corrupted.

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PowerMac G3 Beige lost second monitor

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