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Macintosh IIcx

Posted by: 3583Bytes on 2015-03-20 22:02:05 So today I picked up a Macintosh IIcx.  It is fairly beat up, its missing a hard drive but it seems to make the chime at least when powered on.     However it has the weirdest video card.  On the card its labeled as a Grayscale Video Card.   I have very little experience with desktop Macs, does anyone have a video converter they can sell me? So I can use a regular VGA monitor. If not if you could at least tell me what this video port is called so I can find it on ebay. Thanks

Posted by: unity on 2015-03-20 22:42:14 You can use a regular monitor with a convertor I think. Its a 13W3 connection. I have a prototype of that card in my proto IIcx.

Posted by: Bunsen on 2015-03-21 01:53:01 You want to check on the frequency that card runs at before you try and run a VGA monitor off it with just a cable converter. Does it say anything other than Greyscale Video Card?  Is there a brand name, for instance?  Apple, Radius, etc?

Posted by: Macdrone on 2015-03-21 09:16:00 Isn't that the apple portrait display card?

Posted by: Charlieman on 2015-03-21 13:29:40 Buy yourself a cheap "Toby" NuBus card. It will provide basic video functionality on any Mac II and will drive almost all VGA monitors. You'll also need a Mac D15 to VGA video adapter -- one with DIP switches to select VGA mode. If you're feeling rich, buy a better NuBus video card, one of the common Radius models. The IIcx is an interesting but limited Mac II model, best suited to exploring the world of System 6.  (The Greyscale Video Card is designed for a particular BIG monitor for the time. It uses a 13W3 connector. In theory, you could connect a Greyscale Video Card to a cable adapter connected to a widget connected to a modern VGA monitor. Unless you are replicating 1988 computing experience, it's pointless. There's a similar card (Workstation Video Card?) that drives a grayscale portrait monitor from Apple, Radius and a few cloners. it's a bit more interesting when you get hold of the Radius Pivot. The next generation of Macs introduced smart graphics cards and monitors. A D15 connector delivered enough intelligence to connect any multi-sync or multi-scan monitor to any Mac, and it just worked with any new Apple monitor. With an adapter, with DIP switches, it worked with most things.)

Posted by: beachycove on 2015-03-21 17:07:02 The IIcx will run the early A/UXen, which is its main virtue as a collection piece. And it will run System 6 with them, of course.

Posted by: 3583Bytes on 2015-03-21 19:19:39 I thought I posted the photos today but it looks like the internet gods ate my post. Will something like this work to convert the signal to VGA, did anyone have experience with this card: http://www.amazon.ca/13W3-M-HD15-F-Video-Port-Adapter/dp/B001I27X5Y At this point I just want to see if it even works, I don't care that is Monochrome.

Posted by: beachycove on 2015-03-22 06:32:15 The card you have would almost certainly have been used with an Apple Portrait Display. Now, you could try to find one of them, with the cable to connect also being needed. They are fabulous monitors, and you could scarcely beat one for the authentic period look. Alternatively, put out a feeler locally on kijiji for what you need, or pm me about a basic Nubus video card and VGA adapter package — Nubus Ethernet available too, should you want it. Not sure whether that adapter linked from Amazonia would actually work with what you already have, but maybe. It is, however, a trifle expensive for a shot in the dark.

Posted by: Charlieman on 2015-03-23 06:47:28 The first card to be mentioned sounds like this one: Macintosh Two-Page Monochrome Graphics Card Resolution: 1152 x 870 Colour Depth: 4 greyscales standard. Expandable using eight 120ns DIP chips to support 16 greyscales. Length: 12" QuickDraw Acceleration: None. Early versions use the 13W3 monitor connector. Later versions have a normal D15 connector.

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