Pile of crappy VGA monitors

  • Thread starter Thread starter Grinder
  • Start date Start date
G

Grinder

I've accumulated a pile of VGA monitors from various sources. In going
through them to make sure that they are genuinely worthless, I've found
one that mostly works. It looks like, for whatever reason, the green
component is not coming through. It's possible, I know, that the video
cable may fatigue, and some of the strands break. The monitor above,
might just be in such a state.

After safely discharging the tube, I've taken the VGA cable out of the
monitor, and have made a continuity check. The pins from the cable
eventually attach to a 14-pin connector, and a ground wire that is
continuous with the cable's shielding. I'll refer to the pins on the
connector from A-N, and the pins on the D-Sub according to this site:

http://pinouts.ru/Video/VGA15_pinout.shtml
(I'm (perhaps wrongly) assuming the monitor is DDC2.)

1 (red) <--> B
2 (green) <--> D
3 (blue) <--> F
4 (id2) <--> H
5 (gnd) <--> G
6 (rgnd) <--> A
7 (ggnd) <--> C
8 (bgnd) <--> E
9 (5V) <--> L
10 (sgnd) <--> K (continuous with shielding)
11 (id0) <--> D
12 (sda) <--> M
13 (hsync) <--> I
14 (vsync) <--> J
15 (slc) <--> N

It seems odd to me that "id0" and "green" short to the same pin on the
connector. If it weren't for the fact that I seem to be having problems
with the green part of the video signal, I might write it off to my
near-complete ignorance.

Is there something wrong with this cable?
 
Grinder said:
I've accumulated a pile of VGA monitors from various sources. In going
through them to make sure that they are genuinely worthless, I've found
one that mostly works. It looks like, for whatever reason, the green
component is not coming through. It's possible, I know, that the video
cable may fatigue, and some of the strands break. The monitor above,
might just be in such a state.

After safely discharging the tube, I've taken the VGA cable out of the
monitor, and have made a continuity check. The pins from the cable
eventually attach to a 14-pin connector, and a ground wire that is
continuous with the cable's shielding. I'll refer to the pins on the
connector from A-N, and the pins on the D-Sub according to this site:

http://pinouts.ru/Video/VGA15_pinout.shtml
(I'm (perhaps wrongly) assuming the monitor is DDC2.)

1 (red) <--> B
2 (green) <--> D
3 (blue) <--> F
4 (id2) <--> H
5 (gnd) <--> G
6 (rgnd) <--> A
7 (ggnd) <--> C
8 (bgnd) <--> E
9 (5V) <--> L
10 (sgnd) <--> K (continuous with shielding)
11 (id0) <--> D
12 (sda) <--> M
13 (hsync) <--> I
14 (vsync) <--> J
15 (slc) <--> N

It seems odd to me that "id0" and "green" short to the same pin on the
connector. If it weren't for the fact that I seem to be having problems
with the green part of the video signal, I might write it off to my
near-complete ignorance.

Is there something wrong with this cable?
Click to expand...

Ok, scratch that. 11 (id0) goes to ground.
 
Grinder said:
I've accumulated a pile of VGA monitors from various sources. In going
through them to make sure that they are genuinely worthless, I've found
one that mostly works. It looks like, for whatever reason, the green
component is not coming through. It's possible, I know, that the video
cable may fatigue, and some of the strands break. The monitor above,
might just be in such a state.

After safely discharging the tube, I've taken the VGA cable out of the
monitor, and have made a continuity check. The pins from the cable
eventually attach to a 14-pin connector, and a ground wire that is
continuous with the cable's shielding. I'll refer to the pins on the
connector from A-N, and the pins on the D-Sub according to this site:

http://pinouts.ru/Video/VGA15_pinout.shtml
(I'm (perhaps wrongly) assuming the monitor is DDC2.)

1 (red) <--> B
2 (green) <--> D
3 (blue) <--> F
4 (id2) <--> H
5 (gnd) <--> G
6 (rgnd) <--> A
7 (ggnd) <--> C
8 (bgnd) <--> E
9 (5V) <--> L
10 (sgnd) <--> K (continuous with shielding)
11 (id0) <--> D
12 (sda) <--> M
13 (hsync) <--> I
14 (vsync) <--> J
15 (slc) <--> N

It seems odd to me that "id0" and "green" short to the same pin on the
connector. If it weren't for the fact that I seem to be having problems
with the green part of the video signal, I might write it off to my
near-complete ignorance.

Is there something wrong with this cable?
Click to expand...

Surely if you've got a pile you've got others to meter and see, and
at
least some matched pairs you can swap parts in.

I wonder what country youre in, as this is surely not something
worthwhile in US or UK, where working replacements are available
free.

If resources really are tight you can always common up tube
cathodes to get a monitor with any one colour channel working to
run happily in black & white. All it takes is a wire link. Monitors
with
2 colour channels working can be made to display some colours.


NT
 
Surely if you've got a pile you've got others to meter and see, and
at
least some matched pairs you can swap parts in.

I wonder what country youre in, as this is surely not something
worthwhile in US or UK, where working replacements are available
free.
Click to expand...

It's not really a financial motive that's propelling me.
If resources really are tight you can always common up tube
cathodes to get a monitor with any one colour channel working to
run happily in black & white. All it takes is a wire link. Monitors
with
2 colour channels working can be made to display some colours.
Click to expand...

Thanks.
 
Grinder said:
I've accumulated a pile of VGA monitors from various sources. In going
through them to make sure that they are genuinely worthless, I've found
one that mostly works. It looks like, for whatever reason, the green
component is not coming through. It's possible, I know, that the video
cable may fatigue, and some of the strands break. The monitor above,
might just be in such a state.

After safely discharging the tube, I've taken the VGA cable out of the
monitor, and have made a continuity check. The pins from the cable
eventually attach to a 14-pin connector, and a ground wire that is
continuous with the cable's shielding. I'll refer to the pins on the
connector from A-N, and the pins on the D-Sub according to this site:

http://pinouts.ru/Video/VGA15_pinout.shtml
(I'm (perhaps wrongly) assuming the monitor is DDC2.)

1 (red) <--> B
2 (green) <--> D
3 (blue) <--> F
4 (id2) <--> H
5 (gnd) <--> G
6 (rgnd) <--> A
7 (ggnd) <--> C
8 (bgnd) <--> E
9 (5V) <--> L
10 (sgnd) <--> K (continuous with shielding)
11 (id0) <--> D
12 (sda) <--> M
13 (hsync) <--> I
14 (vsync) <--> J
15 (slc) <--> N

It seems odd to me that "id0" and "green" short to the same pin on the
connector. If it weren't for the fact that I seem to be having problems
with the green part of the video signal, I might write it off to my
near-complete ignorance.

Is there something wrong with this cable?
Click to expand...

If the green signal lead is shorted to any other lead (especially
ground) that is NOT right. You have a shorted cable. Make sure however
the testing of this cable is done with BOTH leads disconnected. I am
sure you are doing this, but it is worth mentioning just in case.
 
Surely if you've got a pile you've got others to meter and see, and
at
least some matched pairs you can swap parts in.

I wonder what country youre in, as this is surely not something
worthwhile in US or UK, where working replacements are available
free.
Click to expand...

Free? Do you steel them from work or something? I have never seen a free
monitor!
 
GT said:
Free? Do you steel them from work or something? I have never seen a free
monitor!
Click to expand...
What planet are you from?
I see free monitors all the time. Most people who upgrade to an LCD will
give away there old CRT just to avoid having to pay the extra charge for the
trash man to haul it off.
 
Free? Do you steel them from work or something? I have never seen a free
monitor!
Click to expand...


Some companies just throw them away, or when local laws
prohibit it they would gladly give them to someone to haul
off... though usually not very good monitors else they'd
have kept them.
 
RIAA said:
What planet are you from?
Click to expand...

Planet UK - we don't have to pay for these things to be taken away, we have
local recycling centres.
I see free monitors all the time. Most people who upgrade to an LCD will
give away there old CRT just to avoid having to pay the extra charge for
the trash man to haul it off.
Click to expand...

Fair enough, but I've never encountered one!
 
GT said:
Fair enough, but I've never encountered one!
Click to expand...

I stopped collecting free monitors when I got to five of them. Best one was
a 17" NEC, still being used by the person I gave it to.

Jon
 
I stopped collecting free monitors when I got to five of them. Best one was
a 17" NEC, still being used by the person I gave it to.
Click to expand...

Yup.
Here in New York I only bother with 19" CRTs and above now. <g>

One 'new' acquisition (Dell Trinitron) has a seriously munged video cable - but
another Dell that just died for good here will donate its own cable to give it
another lease on life.

I'm looking forward to the giving season, when another generation of last year's
computers get put out for the dustcart/garbagetruck.
These are also a source of *really cheap* DDR RAM, for expanding older PCs.
 
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