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Nixdorf BA 88 Monitor info or manual.

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fjk61011

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Nixdorf BA 88 Monitor info or manual.

This monitor came with a Siemens Nixdorf PCD-4H.

I'm looking for a manual for it.

I remember something about settings to use with game consoles.
 
It turns out that I have a Nixdorf model BA 88. It was in storage.
And it is identical (except for badging) to an NEC model APC-H4371, my main workhorse.

I have no manuals for them.
I keep the rear 'MANUAL' switch in the OFF position, and use the monitor for CGA/EGA.
It will do MDA, but the outcome depends on the MDA video card in use.
 
modem7 said:
It turns out that I have a Nixdorf model BA 88. It was in storage.
And it is identical (except for badging) to an NEC model APC-H4371, my main workhorse.

I have no manuals for them.
I keep the rear 'MANUAL' switch in the OFF position, and use the monitor for CGA/EGA.
It will do MDA, but the outcome depends on the MDA video card in use.
Click to expand...

That's great info. I remember something about being able to use them with game consoles (Amiga?). Do you know any thing about this?
 
fjk61011 said:
That's great info. I remember something about being able to use them with game consoles (Amiga?). Do you know any thing about this?
Click to expand...
No.

fjk61011 said:
Will an IBM PC 5150 work with that monitor?
Click to expand...
Yes, per the following.

IBM EGA card.: Known to work. To support EGA, early 5150s need to have their BIOS upgraded to the third version.

IBM CGA card: Known to work.

IBM MDA card (early version): Front panel text switch needs to be turned on. Works well.
IBM MDA card (later version): Front panel text switch needs to be turned on, but anoying background raster present.
 
modem7 said:
No.


Yes, per the following.

IBM EGA card.: Known to work. To support EGA, early 5150s need to have their BIOS upgraded to the third version.

IBM CGA card: Known to work.

IBM MDA card (early version): Front panel text switch needs to be turned on. Works well.
IBM MDA card (later version): Front panel text switch needs to be turned on, but anoying background raster present.
Click to expand...

I have a Hercules card I'm trying to ID ( Google images gives me images of the Greek hero, the plane and bears). See post in Computer Hardware.

I powered up the 5150 without the Hercules and it goes Long beep, two short beeps. I believe this means no Video card present.

With the Hercules in it I get the same but then it goes on to give 1 beep and accesses the floppy drives.
 
fjk61011 said:
I have a Hercules card I'm trying to ID ( Google images gives me images of the Greek hero, the plane and bears). See post in Computer Hardware.

I powered up the 5150 without the Hercules and it goes Long beep, two short beeps. I believe this means no Video card present.

With the Hercules in it I get the same but then it goes on to give 1 beep and accesses the floppy drives.
Click to expand...


I think I've ID it. I set the dip switches on the 5150 board for an EGA/VGA card and the POST beep beeps and accesses the floppy drives.


Will an ordinary flat screen monitor work on this card?
 
fjk61011 said:
Will an ordinary flat screen monitor work on this card?
Click to expand...
I take your, "ordinary flat screen monitor", to be an LCD based monitor. They do VGA. I've never seen one that handles the earlier standards (that doesn't mean that they don't exist). If your Hercules card is outputting VGA, then the answer is "probably".

fjk61011 said:
I think I've ID it. I set the dip switches on the 5150 board for an EGA/VGA card and the POST beep beeps and accesses the floppy drives.
Click to expand...
You can't take that alone to mean that your card is either EGA or VGA. The "EGA/VGA" setting really means, "Any video card that has an on-board BIOS expansion ROM". EGA and VGA cards are the common examples of those kinds of video cards.

Following is kind of a summary of the video switch settings on a 5150 motherboard:

Set to MDA:

5150 motherboard expects an MDA card (or MDA compatible card) to be present. During the POST, the BIOS will look for this and then initialise it.
If the motherboard doesn't find an MDA card, the motherboard will issue a beep pattern of 1 long then 2 short.
If the motherboard finds an MDA card, but has a problem when testing/initialising it, the motherboard will issue a beep pattern of 1 long then 2 short.

Set to CGA:

Per the MDA setting, except that a CGA card is expected.

Set to EGA/VGA (sometimes referred to as "special"):

This setting informs the motherboard not to do anything, video card wise, because a video card is present that has an on-board BIOS expansion ROM. The ROM on that video card is going to do everything, including initialisation of the card.

Only the third revision of the 5150 BIOS recognises this setting.
 
modem7 said:
I take your, "ordinary flat screen monitor", to be an LCD based monitor. They do VGA. I've never seen one that handles the earlier standards (that doesn't mean that they don't exist). If your Hercules card is outputting VGA, then the answer is "probably".


You can't take that alone to mean that your card is either EGA or VGA. The "EGA/VGA" setting really means, "Any video card that has an on-board BIOS expansion ROM". EGA and VGA cards are the common examples of those kinds of video cards.

Following is kind of a summary of the video switch settings on a 5150 motherboard:

Set to MDA:

5150 motherboard expects an MDA card (or MDA compatible card) to be present. During the POST, the BIOS will look for this and then initialise it.
If the motherboard doesn't find an MDA card, the motherboard will issue a beep pattern of 1 long then 2 short.
If the motherboard finds an MDA card, but has a problem when testing/initialising it, the motherboard will issue a beep pattern of 1 long then 2 short.

Set to CGA:

Per the MDA setting, except that a CGA card is expected.

Set to EGA/VGA (sometimes referred to as "special"):

This setting informs the motherboard not to do anything, video card wise, because a video card is present that has an on-board BIOS expansion ROM. The ROM on that video card is going to do everything, including initialisation of the card.

Only the third revision of the 5150 BIOS recognises this setting.
Click to expand...

I came across a site, awhile ago now, that had LCDs that mimicked early monitors, I think including the 5151. I'll try to find it again.

I'm kinda in a chicken and egg situation at the moment. I've no MDA card to run the 5151. And no cable to use a NEC MultiSynch II.
 
modem7 said:
Well, there you go.

I wouldn't have thought that there was enough demand to make it cost effective to get MDA/CGA/EGA specific LCD monitors made. Given the plethora of VGA monitors, I would have though that it was cheaper to use a VGA monitor together with a converter.
Click to expand...


Any links to a converter?
 
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