Greetings. I have an Apple IIGS, with a monitor which is crapped out. I have recently noticed that the monitor I got recently with an older (pre-imac) Macintosh fits into the GS's video port. I tried hooking it up, though, and the display I got was completely garbled. Is that due to incompatability with the monitor, problems with the monitor (I noticed that the monitor I got with the GS used to do the same thing if the vertical height was way off), or what? Thanks for the advice.
Greetings,
The problem is that the IIGS is incompatible with the Mac monitor. The signal that the GS sends out the RGB port is an analog RGB, if I remember correctly. You'll either need to get your current monitor repaired or find another GS monitor or one of a few others that will work with the GS.
In fact here's a part of a FAQ relating to monitors for the GS:
015- Which monitors and adapters can I use to replace my IIgs monitor?
You should keep an eye out for any analog RGB monitor that can horizontally sync down to 15.75 kHz. These include:
AppleColor RGB Monitor replacement (model A2M6014, the IIgs monitor)
Commodore 1084 models and equivalents like the Magnavox Professional 80
Sony CPD 1302 MultiSynch
NEC MultiSync (original), MultiSync II, MultiSync 3D
Commodore 1902 (although most of these only do digital RGB)
Tandy CM-8 (not sure about model but it was used with the Coco3)
Atari SC1224 (used with the ST series)
Some TVs
For example, I just tried a Sony CPD 1302 multisych monitor on a GS and it works perfectly; and it has a .25 dot pixel! Very crisp picture. I used a standard cable from a Mac II (or you could check with Redmond Cable at
http://www.redcab.com/ ).
The NEC MultiSync II is another excellent monitor that will sync down to 15 kHz.
The Atari SC1224 used with the ST is a ~15 kHz monitor. There were several versions, one by Goldstar, which appeared in one of the two case styles used by Atari over the years and bore the Atari logo. It works fine with the IIgs, provided an adapter cable is created. Redmond Cable can provide it.
The Commodore Amiga 1084 monitors and Magnavox equivalents (e.g. Professional 80, 8CM515) will work with the Apple IIgs.
Hope this helps,
Dean