68kMLA Classic Interface
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| Solutions for HDI45 to VGA or DB15? | |
| Posted by: zezba9000 on 2021-10-12 22:14:27 I have a "Macintosh Performa 6115CD" and need to get a video cable for it that converts HDI45 to a VGA or DB15. But man the original ones are crazy spendy. I found this oddly on Walmart online store: https://www.walmart.com/ip/IEC-M5259-Mac-Power-PC-HDI45-Male-to-DH15-Female-With-Switches/122371056 Are their better options? | |
Posted by: dontdoxmeman on 2021-10-13 00:46:15I have a "Macintosh Performa 6115CD" and need to get a video cable for it that converts HDI45 to a VGA or DB15. Apple HDI-45 Power Mac Display Adapter – Apple Rescue of Denver
applerescueofdenver.com
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Posted by: zezba9000 on 2021-10-13 01:51:44Sadly they're out of stock if you click "Add to Cart". I'm shocked no one else has made these. | |
Posted by: trag on 2021-10-13 12:51:02Sadly they're out of stock if you click "Add to Cart".The HDI-45 connector is probably unobtainium. | |
| Posted by: Cory5412 on 2021-10-13 14:28:54 It looks like there's an available alternative: https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Retail...-Programmable-Adapter-Converter-/283943104410 I don't know why eBay didn't show that when I searched for HDI-45, or maybe it did and I wasn't looking very closely. The prices on the Apple originals are unfortunately quite high. Other work-arounds would be to use a NuBus or PPC PDS video card, such as the a/v or the HPV card. | |
Posted by: zezba9000 on 2021-10-13 16:02:32It looks like there's an available alternative: https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Retail...-Programmable-Adapter-Converter-/283943104410Awesome! Why o why doesn't Ebay show this when I search for it. I now have two computers that have this port. Thanks, this price is totally reasonable. | |
| Posted by: zezba9000 on 2021-10-13 16:09:20 Guess seller is on vacation so it wont let me buy at the moment. 1st world retro problems man. | |
| Posted by: Cory5412 on 2021-10-18 15:28:58 I was wondering if the vacation thing would be the bummer. Weirdly, seems this is totally cyclical. There's lots of HDI-45 on eBay for under $30 right now. I saw one or two for $20, so if you haven't already placed your order you may find an original Apple one for a bit less, provided you have an Apple display or the next adapter. | |
Posted by: zezba9000 on 2021-10-19 17:40:19HDI-45 on eBay for under $30 right now.I got one of the converters from Walmart overpriced but it works. However computer doesn't fully startup until I hit reset button, then power cycle once. Its a Performa 6115CD. So looking again, there was one on Ebay for 30$ I just ordered today. So now I can confirm if the 3rd party converter is less reliable then the official one or if its an issue with my Mac. | |
| Posted by: Cory5412 on 2021-10-19 20:42:48 That's a known issue with the PowerMac 6100 and derivatives. It also impacts most earlier LC/II and I htink the III, plus the 475 and 605. The solution you found, turning it on, then off, then off again in rapid succession is basically The Solution, until you can put a good PRAM battery in or otherwise feed the board the ~3v when you want to run it. (Two AAs was enough to keep the 475 from needing it but on my 6100, I just turn it on, do the PowerToggle, and leave it running until I'm Good And Done, usually a couple weeks later.) | |
Posted by: CC_333 on 2021-10-20 22:33:45It also impacts most earlier LC/II and I htink the III, plus the 475 and 605.The LC I/II/III aren't affected. It seems to be only certain late model '040-based Macs (such as the LC 475 and 605) and early PowerMacs (such as the 6100 and derivatives) that have this "quirk." c | |
Posted by: zezba9000 on 2021-10-31 01:43:18That's a known issue with the PowerMac 6100 and derivatives. It also impacts most earlier LC/II and I htink the III, plus the 475 and 605.Ya I figured out it was the battery causing the issue. Also recapped computer and installed OS 7.6.1 from a MacSD. Also upgraded ram I had around so its now maxed out at over 130mb Works perfect. Now I really want to get a L2 cache card but can't find any. | |
| Posted by: LaPorta on 2021-10-31 03:05:35 I have a 512k card kicking around. It isn't the big ones everyone wants, but it is something. | |
| Posted by: Cory5412 on 2021-10-31 10:27:01 512k is just about all you'll ever find for these, even a 256k should help out. 1-meg caches theoretically existed, but I've seen maybe two or three accounts of them "existing" and "being used" in real life. Any cache and all should put a bit of pep in these machines' step, too. The other thing I recommend that should help a lot, especially if you run any 68k software, is to install Speed Doubler 8. Among other things, Speed Doubler 8 has a replacement 68k emulation code path which significantly speed things up. The boost can be huge. It's enough that a 6200 (with its 16K of L1, which is the best theory as to why the 6200 did poorly at 68k emulation) goes from 10% of the speed of a Quadra 700 to around 150% the speed of a Quadra 700, in "general" tasks. (It's still bad in floating point specifically -- but so are all PPC Macs: the first Mac to be faster than a Q700 at floating point was the 533MHz digital audio, so that was always a weak point.) (in 68k benchmarks, 6100s start at around 50% as fast as a Q700 at general 68k emulation, but SD8 should still boost that a fair bit.) I'd say, keep up the search for the cache card. I've seen lots of great work on memory replication too so it may be possible that there's enough demand to justify new ones being built, that may be something to check with SiliconInsider on. Prior to "G3 upgrade" or "Just buy a faster Mac 🙂" caches are some of the best speedups for this era. The LC I/II/III aren't affected. Good to know! I haven't ever had an LC III and the last LC I had was in ~2005 or so when I was still puttering around with chaining double-A batteries together to replace PRAM batteries -- which, worked well! but, at this point I'd say not to bother with PRAM in anything except Macs you'll pull apart frequently and don't trust to do the PowerToggle on. With a power supply from 1993-1995 I'd say "hmmm, best not to risk it if you can avoid it, especially all that often" which is why the last time I used my 6100, I just let it run for weeks on end. It'd probably need a recap before doing that today, though. | |
| Posted by: Franklinstein on 2021-11-01 12:19:22 Sadly the 6100, if they didn't come with one, is often hard to fit with the requisite adapter for either the AV card or the more rare NuBus adapter. But if you have the option, an AV card (the 7100/8100's HPV card may fit but the VRAM SIMMS may interfere with the HD or CPU heat sink) is the best one because it's much faster than either onboard video or 90% of NuBus video cards, and they're usually a lot less expensive than trying to find both the NuBus adapter and, say, a Radius Thunder GT. Or you could find one of the 2 or so Apple monitors that included the HDI45 connector. | |
| Posted by: LaPorta on 2021-11-01 13:09:54 I may sound like a scroodge, but thats why I have two machines that have HDI45s and three adapters: I don't want to be out one ever. | |
| Posted by: Trash80toHP_Mini on 2021-11-01 13:14:44 You got me curious, so I pulled down the 6100. The pin sockets are a tad less than .1" pitch (metric?) so why not just do a converter based on a PCB?  The pin array on the right to the right of the oddly pitched center section appears to be a full .1" pitch horizontally and narrower pitch vertically. Don't have square pins handy to see if they fit the socket, but machine pins, being round like the cable's pins(?) seem to fit very nicely. HD15 VGA or DA15 Mac connector section of the PCB would cover the monitor icon above. I'll bet a printed shroud for the PCB could snap fit into the lug setup as on the real deal? | |
| Posted by: zezba9000 on 2021-11-01 15:32:10 The pinout of these cables needs to be on the web like archive.org. Does this exist already? If not I'll pin map it. I did one for AtariST external drives which didn't exist: https://archive.org/details/atari-st-external-cable | |
| Posted by: Trash80toHP_Mini on 2021-11-01 15:46:30 Pretty sure you'll find it in the DevNote for one of the NuBus PPCs. edit: https://pinouts.ru/Video/audiovision_pinout.shtml | |
Posted by: zezba9000 on 2021-11-01 16:26:40Pretty sure you'll find it in the DevNote for one of the NuBus PPCs.Sure but those can be confusing and easy to flip which way you're looking at a connector. While a real-world image is almost impossible to get wrong. But glad it exists out there. | |
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