Hello everyone!
I recently picked up a IBM 3101 terminal monitor for cheap and thought it could be a fun project to get it working. I have experience making VGA video generators, so I know some things about sync signals and timing but Im certainly no expert. I thought it would be fun to try to power the monitor with TTL logic, maybe even a 6845 CRT controller (which I have from previous projects), or even an Arduino. The problem Im having is that I don't know anything about the monitor. I have scoured the internet trying to find a technical manual, but all I can find are documents about service of the actual parts and customer documents. One of the documents actually gave the pinout of the monitor connector, which I have attached as a screenshot. However, I cannot find anything about the horizontal frequency or the logic level (TTL or other). From what I can tell though, it looks very similar to the IBM Displaywriter monitor (has the same pinout) and the IBM 5151 MDA monitor.
I have tried a few things to get the monitor to work. After cleaning it out a bit I powered it up with +12 and +5 volts, and the tube heater glowed and I could hear a fait high voltage hum. This was encouraging but unfortunately I could not get anything else to work. I tried an Arduino and the MC 6845 I mentioned earlier, but nothing shows up on the display. I am willing to accept that the monitor is just dead as it has a lot of screen burn so its probably a high hour unit. But theres a ton of variables like getting the correct sync frequency or logic level. Any advice would be appreciated. It would be really great to find a technical manual that shows the frequency and what not.
I recently picked up a IBM 3101 terminal monitor for cheap and thought it could be a fun project to get it working. I have experience making VGA video generators, so I know some things about sync signals and timing but Im certainly no expert. I thought it would be fun to try to power the monitor with TTL logic, maybe even a 6845 CRT controller (which I have from previous projects), or even an Arduino. The problem Im having is that I don't know anything about the monitor. I have scoured the internet trying to find a technical manual, but all I can find are documents about service of the actual parts and customer documents. One of the documents actually gave the pinout of the monitor connector, which I have attached as a screenshot. However, I cannot find anything about the horizontal frequency or the logic level (TTL or other). From what I can tell though, it looks very similar to the IBM Displaywriter monitor (has the same pinout) and the IBM 5151 MDA monitor.
I have tried a few things to get the monitor to work. After cleaning it out a bit I powered it up with +12 and +5 volts, and the tube heater glowed and I could hear a fait high voltage hum. This was encouraging but unfortunately I could not get anything else to work. I tried an Arduino and the MC 6845 I mentioned earlier, but nothing shows up on the display. I am willing to accept that the monitor is just dead as it has a lot of screen burn so its probably a high hour unit. But theres a ton of variables like getting the correct sync frequency or logic level. Any advice would be appreciated. It would be really great to find a technical manual that shows the frequency and what not.
