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SGI In Michigan?

chemdream

Experienced Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2013
Messages
73
Location
Detroit, MI
Hi all,

I have an SGI O2 w/dvi card and 1600 monitor. For some reason the monitor is VERY green. Before getting a replacement monitor or adapter card, I wanted to test them on a different machine.


Are any of you in Michigan, with an O2 I could test on? Pleeeease?
 
What you're seeing is a monitor that can't separate the sync-on-green signal that the O2 puts out (yes, even though it's VGA and has separate sync lines...) It's normal (or, well, "normal") behavior for these machines.
 
I had an O2 connected to a "normal" cheap flatscreen via that VGA adaptor thingy (Costed like 20 bucks brand new, i was too stingy to buy an SGI screen) and originally the colors were a bit weird on default settings, but luckily my TFT has tons of adjustment options and after a while i got it adjusted pretty much perfectly. Unfortunately the O2 mainboard died like 2 years ago, so i no longer have it. :(
 
Do you have a ColorLock? I had a similar issue once when someone didn't properly calibrate the screen and the 1600SW had an awful green tint going on until I recalibrated the screen again.
 
Well, now that monitor isn't even recognized by they o2...

Any idea how I can tell if it's the monitor or the card in the o2?

Thanks!
 
Have you tried a different AC adapter? I know it sounds weird but they are known to fail and cause weirdness. Any 12V 2A adapter will work.
Flat Panel Adapters that I'm aware of don't usually die.
 
Have you tried a different AC adapter? I know it sounds weird but they are known to fail and cause weirdness. Any 12V 2A adapter will work.
Flat Panel Adapters that I'm aware of don't usually die.


The monitor is powered on. So I don't think it's the power adapter? It just has an orange light...

I heard the pins in its cable can warp. But they look fine.
 
I have an SGI O2 w/dvi card and 1600 monitor. For some reason the monitor is VERY green. Before getting a replacement monitor or adapter card, I wanted to test them on a different machine.....

The special flatpanel card is a bit rare, so even if someone has an O2 it may or may not have the card.

If you hook up to the first serial port with the keyboard unplugged, what sort of text do you get?

O2's have a nasty habit of 'going green' and then 'going black' if there are RAM issues or another boot issue. Does the power light (on the O2) go amber, then after a bit go green, or does it stay amber (or worse, red)? My O2 has done this a few time; reseating the RAM fixed it once, and a replacement pair of RAM DIMMS (although one could call the O2's RAM Quad Inline Memory Modules since it has dual row staggered contacts) fixed it the second time. Some people on nekochan have had to reseat the CPU or do the 'jumpstart' pin jumper to get it to boot again.

Not meaning to be rude or to question your intelligence, but you've never pulled the mainboard while the AC power plug was plugged in to the power supply, right?

Have you tried a regular VGA monitor? You can't have both the 1600SW plugged into its special NON-DVI LVDS connector and a VGA plugged-in, but I think you can plug a regular VGA in while leaving the flatpanel card installed (I don't know that for sure, since I don't have the flatpanel card, even though I do have access to a 1600SW flatpanel at work (it's work's 1600SW, not mine, so I can't send it your way to test, sorry)).

Another good place to ask about SGI-specific issues is nekochan.net; are you a member there?
 
I'm pretty sure everything in the O2 is working other than the monitor (or card). I've never done anything dumb with this O2. I learned my lesson the hard way before :)
 
I'm pretty sure everything in the O2 is working other than the monitor (or card). I've never done anything dumb with this O2. I learned my lesson the hard way before :)
Ok, cool.

I don't currently have one of the special LVDS-capable PC video cards; there are a few on eBay. Nor do I have one of the flatpanel cards for the O2; there are a few of those on eBay, too, for about the same money as the LVDS-capable VGA cards.

You would be more likely to find an O2 owner in your area by posting on nekochan.net, as that site is pretty much SGI-specific.

My own O2 experience (with three O2 mainboards and two chassis) is that they can fail very rapidly and without warning; IMHO it is worth a try with a VGA monitor to double-check system operation. My R5K O2 died without warning with almost the same exact symptoms as yours, just with the VGA monitor.
 
Thanks to a nice vcfed member, I got a great deal on a 1600SW with the multi adapter!

Welp, it's my O2's interface that isn't working. Plugging in the monitor with VGA via the multi adapter worked great!


Are O2 1600SW adapter cards known for failing?!
 
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