A4K simply refuses to output to a PC monitor

[dandelion]

I've been pulling my hair out all weekend trying to get my Amiga 4000 to display a picture on a PC monitor. I know the monitor is capable of showing Amiga 30kHz displays because I use it for my a1200 (using the Multiscan driver).

When I plug the same adaptor into the a4k and attempt to use Multiscan the monitor waits to receive a signal and then just goes into sleep mode. Nothing on the screen at all. I've tried different drivers with it, i've tried including VGAOnly and leaving it out of the drivers drawer. I've tried JUST using VGAOnly. I really believe i've tried everything but I simply can't get a picture.

When the machine is plugged into the TV via a SCART and I change to multiscan productivity or dblpal I get the wavy broken colour image that you'd expect.

I really am at a loss! I'd just buy a graphics card but am worried there's a serious fault in the video output hardware

[dandelion]

Okay, so I got home last night, removed everything from sys:devs/monitors apart from VGAOnly and Multiscan. Selected multiscan productivity in screenmode, saved the changes. Plugged in my monitor and turned back on the computer...nothing. My Amiga 4000 just doesn't want to output a picture to the monitor. This is starting to scare me a bit.

Now what can I try?!

[dandelion]

Well...I thought that perhaps it was the adaptor (yes, Amiga 4000's have a standard "big" video out port). However, the adaptor certainly works with my a1200 (tried it again just yesterday - with the same monitor and it's fine). I'm really confused. I thought that perhaps it's a loose connection but jiggling the adaptor doesn't help and there's no such problems when using the SCART lead connected to the Amiga 4000's video out. I'm at a loss - and bloody worried that some video circuitry is knackered.

[dandelion]

That was a useful link - but what interested me more was not the motherboard jumper settings but the section on "Connecting to VGA monitors".

Could it be that the Amiga 4000 VGA adaptor is different to the one I was using with the a1200 (I think I bought it from Eyetech but it was ages ago). I'm quite sure my adaptor is simply linking the pins as required between the 23pin and 15pin input and outputs. It seems to suggest on that Amiga 4000 technical guide that some buffering components are need for Amiga 4000 VGA output. Perhaps this is the problem!

[dandelion]

Well..I think my problem might be partially solved. Someone has just offered to sell me a Cyberstorm 64/3D at quite a nice price. Hopefully this will output a signal to the monitor!!! Then if I can come across a Scandoubler then that will also allow me to output my 15kHz modes to the VGA monitor - thus covering the entire set. I think this is logical.

Does everyone agree that this should solve the problem?