Indivision ECS and Picasso II

[Tenacious]

Got my Picasso II yesterday.  Still learning everything about it.    Right now I've got it hooked up to a 19" LCD monitor displaying all the PII screenmodes, and output of my Indivision ECS hooked into an identical monitor, displaying all the normal Amiga screenmodes.

Trying to figure out the monitor passthrough of the PII.  As soon as I run a standard HD15 VGA cable between the output of my Indivision and the input of the PII, the screen displaying output from the PII goes black.  Even if it's got a PII screenmode open and displaying correctly, just the act of plugging the Indivision output into the PII input blanks it.

I know from reading the instructions that the PII should support scandoubled input.  Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?  Maybe my cable is too long?

About to go out and buy this one unless anyone has any better suggestions:

http://www.neweggbusiness.com/product/product.aspx?item=9b-82-191-085
 
Thanks!  

  Yes, I would have thought that would work, too.  My A3000 has a built-in FF/SD and passes straight thru.

[Tenacious]

Is the cable you're using a standard HD15 VGA cable? How long is it? All of mine are the standard 5-6', hence why I'm thinking to order a shorter one.

 

My cable is long like yours.  I don't currently have this system running.  But it did work fine, video-wise.

Am wondering what would happen if I hooked the VGA output from a laptop or PC into the input of the PII? Theoretically that should just "pass through" as well, right?  (if I switched the Miggy to a non-P96 screenmode first, of course).

Will you be running the laptop from its battery?  In other words, will its ground reference be floating (perhaps safer with no loops or currents) when you try this?  

To be on the safe side, I think I would try to resolve this with an old style CRT first.  The PII and software came out before LCDs were common.

[Tenacious]

Nice pic.  I do like your matching dual monitors!  

I'm off to sleep.

[Tenacious]

I'm using the latest Picasso96 software, released May 2011, so age of software shouldn't be an issue. Leaning more toward mine maybe having the same problem as Matt's. Want to sell your PII, by any chance?  :laugh1:

Judging by the clicking sound that mine makes, they are probably simple mechanical relays, right?  Was Matt suggesting the relay itself is bad?  If true, couldn't you test that by jumpering the contacts?  A relay should be easy to replace.

Thanks for the offer, I have hopes of resurrecting this machine.

[Tenacious]

Trying to figure out the monitor passthrough of the PII.  As soon as I run a standard HD15 VGA cable between the output of my Indivision and the input of the PII, the screen displaying output from the PII goes black.  Even if it's got a PII screenmode open and displaying correctly, just the act of plugging the Indivision output into the PII input blanks it.

Hi Mike

I just had a thought, it's probably a long shot.

I recently found out that there are 2 kinds 15-pin VGA cables.  Those with blue connector shells have an extra signal from the monitor back to the graphics card so the monitor can identify itself to the card (so I've heard).  Those VGA cables with any other color shell do not pass this signal.  Are you running blue-shelled cables in this system?

[Tenacious]

Even the Early Startup screen doesn't display when hooked into the pass-through (monitor flickers for a second and says something about "cannot display this analog mode"), so I don't think it's software-related.

- If I pull the cable going between the Indivision output to the PII input, then (and only then) will the PII display the Workbench.

...I hooked up the 23-to-15 pin silver C= adapter and plugged that into the input on the Picasso II, and switched to Multiscan mode. Display came right up. So that solves it, the PII input and switcher work fine, but don't play nice with the output of the Indivision ECS...

 

I also haven't had the best luck replacing CRTs with LCDs.  The LCDs seem to clock differently and are more particular about the input.  I have often seen that message "cannot display this analog mode".  With much more modern graphic cards, those Blue-shelled monitor cables have saved the day with Debian.  They are probably a problem for Picasso era cards, though.

I know you don't have any old style CRTs.  Right now, they are plentiful in Thrift stores for next to nothing.  Next year, they might be hard to find (There is a panic on to recycle them).  I'd be interested how your experiments come along with a CRT, even if you don't intend to ultimately keep it in this system.

You have tried other (different spec'd) LCDs?

On the bright side, lots of folks have jumped thru hoops for the novelty of having dual monitors with their computer.