monitor problems

Ihave a Switchable Mac Monitor Adaptor, 10 DIP Switches , i do not know how this works it has 10 switches which one do i use to get my monitor to work, help please?

Iam trying to connect my vga flat screen monitor to my power mac G3 beige tower

Just skip the adapter and hook your monitor direct to the G3 using the correct cable. No one here has any idea of what kind of an adapter you're using or why you're using it? If you must use the adapter, check the instructions for it.

I'm guessing the OP is trying to use an adapter similar to the 1st photo below. On one end it has the OLD DB-15 "Apple" video connector (2nd photo), and on the other end is a VGA port. The "DIP" switches were used to "dial-in" a single resolution for the monitor to display.

I would recommend getting a video adapter like the one pictured on the left in photo #3. It eliminates the DIP switches...and you control the monitors resolution via the Operating System "Display or Monitors" Control Panel.

Hope this helps,

- Nick

Wow Nick, you gave us all a lesson in adapters. The adapter with the dip switches reminds me of the days when I was doing MUX up and down with an AT&T type "break out box". Anyone remember those?

Anyway, thanks for posting the photos. Hopefully that will help the OP.

chscag said:

Wow Nick, you gave us all a lesson in adapters. The adapter with the dip switches reminds me of the days when I was doing MUX up and down with an AT&T type "break out box". Anyone remember those?

Anyway, thanks for posting the photos. Hopefully that will help the OP.

Click to expand...

Yeah...we're talking some pretty "old school" stuff here!

I have at least one of each of the adapters photoed...and to be honest...I never needed to use one of the adapters with the "DIP" switches to achieve the resolution(s) I needed on an old CRT display via a VGA port. Not that the adapter with the DIP switches didn't get the job done...it was just as hassle. The problem with the adapters with the DIP switches is you're stuck with just the single resolution setting via the DIP switches. If you want a different resolution...you needed to "dial-in" a different DIP switch combination.

I've always used this adapter on the left in the 3rd photo to do the DB-15 video port (on old old Mac's) to VGA port...and then I was always able to use the "Display" or "Monitors" Control Panel in OS 8 or 9 to get the resolution I wanted (just like we do with OS X today)...or if OS 8 or 9 wasn't capable of it...I was always able to find a shareware or freeware program that took care of "business".

I'm guessing that the OP is trying to connect a more modern monitor to their old G3 Powermac...and the G3 Powermac has the DB-15 video port...and the monitor (as the OP mentioned) has a VGA cable on it.

- Nick

althe bowler: I tried finding a DIP switch settings table for the 10 DIP switch adapter you have...but I couldn't find one. I did find one for an 8 DIP switch video adapter...but I wasn't sure it would work with your 10 switch adapter. Here it is just in case...I apologize for the size and quality of the photo...it's from the internet...so it is what it is.

HTH,

- Nick

yes i am trying to connect the vga monitor to the DB-15 VIDEO PORT.

Yes i am trying to connect my VGA monitor to a DB-15 VIDEO PORT. Would i be able to use a PCI Graphics card, if so would any do or do Macs have a special one?