The collected works of jmestrada

Very nice! I've been eyeballing one on eBay myself... Just picked up an Octane2 in real good shape. Think my wife would choke me out if I bought another workstation! LOL

Not sure if this is the right forum for this question but since it applies to graphics, I thought I would ask.

Does anyone here know if the O2 can display a 1280x768 display mode @ 60Hz?

Also, can the Octane2 display 1600x1200 also at 60Hz? The Dell monitor that I have attached to my Octane2 has a native 1600x1200 resolution but it is only at 60Hz, and the other monitor I am using for my O2 has a native resolution of 1280x768 also at 60Hz.

I've heard there are some tools that could be installed to add additional display modes but I am not sure what exactly those are and whether or not they will work for what I am asking here. I did try to install the SlimDesk package onto my O2 and that seems to have added some additional modes but they are all higher resolution than my monitor will support.

Thanks!

Thanks for the information!

The xsetmon just brings up the standard display modes that are present after a clean installation. I'm hoping to get some different modes that I can fine-tune to work with my monitors a little better.

Does the VFC work on an Octane2 also?

That worked!

I had to install VFC from the CDs then I created a VFS file for a 1280x768_60 display mode for my O2 and it worked!

Now, I would like to see if I can get a 1600x1200_60 display mode for my Octane2. Will have to tinker around with this some more.

Thanks!

I tried the EDID method on my Octane2 with no luck. I'm guessing either I did something wrong or this monitor just isn't going to work.

I downloaded and installed the SwitchResX tool onto my Mac, attached the Dell 2007FP monitor and dumped the EDID info for it, then used that data to build the vfs file, and compiled it. I still get the same results: The display mode does not show up in my list of available modes when I run the Display Properties tool. I even tried to switch over to it using setmon from the console ("setmon -x 1600x1200_60-Dell_2007FP" as I named it) and it still won't switch. After a restart, the computer comes up in 1280x720.

Am I trying to do something here that just may not work? This monitor has a native resolution of 1600x1200@60Hz.

The graphics card is an Odyssey (V8) and I am copying the VFO file into the "/usr/gfx/ucode/ODSY/vof" folder, where they are all located. To make sure this was the actual path, I moved them all out, opened up the display properties tool and of course they were all missing, so I moved them back in.

Maybe I am compiling with the wrong chip and board definitions. The only one I see in the rules folder are the VPro_Chip and VPro_Board def files.

It sounds like others have been successful in getting different Dell monitors to work, so I am guessing I am doing something wrong.

Well that explains it!

Unfortunately this particular model will not support any rates other than 60Hz for 1600x1200. I did plug in my old Samsung SyncMaster 245BW into my Octane2 as a test and was able to display 1920x1200 just fine, I'm tempted to leave this monitor on my Octane and put the Dell onto my Win7 machine.

Guess I need to find another monitor!

Thanks for the info!

I would definitely like to upgrade this to a V12, if I could find one at a reasonable price.

I see a V10 on eBay for sale, but I think I would rather hold out for a V12.

Is there a way to calculate what the pixel clock would be based on the front/back porch settings?

I used the EDID information for this monitor and the template provided to create the vfo file. If there is a way to calculate what the pixel clock would be I can tinker around with it.

Well, I bought the V10 on an impulse. Made the seller an offer of $100 and the took it. I think this will get me by until I come across a V12!

I figure this will keep me going until I can get a good 24" monitor on it. So now, I'll just have to keep an eye out for a V12 and a dual 600MHz CPU then I will be set!

I'm going to still try and tweak the parameters for the 1600x1200 60Hz mode and see if there is a way to get it to come up. I'll just have to figure out a way to calculate the pixel clock so I can get it in the right range... If that's possible.

I built a custom mode for my O2 for use with my Panasonic studio monitor. It's a 17" widescreen that will only support a 1280x768 display mode through the RGB/BNC connectors and that works well. I haven't tried any other modes yet though.

I found a web tool that lets you calculate frequencies, but no matter how I slice it up, I still come in at 164Mhz which does't work. It's just too bad these display adapters have this problem.

Well, the V10 works well at 1600x1200 with my Dell 2007FP monitor but I'm not too thrilled about only being able to use the 8 bit frame buffer mode.

How hard are the V12 boards to come by? I'm wondering if it's worth the cost to go that route. I think a good 24" monitor that can do 1900x1200@60Hz would be a cheaper route, then I could put my V8 back in... Unless the V12 prices have come down significantly.

Very sad indeed!

So, I'm still using this V10 I picked up but I would honestly like to put my V8 back int because it has more RAM. Does anyone know of any good, inexpensive monitors, that would work well with the V8? Either in 1600x1280 or 1900x1200? I tried out my Samsung 245BW on it and it works great but this monitor is on it's last leg so I need a replacement anyway.

Well, thanks to another user here I now have a V12 graphics board in my Octane2. All that I need now is a dual 600MHz CPU.

One question I have is, should I keep my V10 or the V8 board as a spare? I will probably get rid of one of them. I figure the V8 may be better as a spare than the V10 because of the RAM size.

Any suggestions?

I'm guessing maybe I should just hang onto both of them. The pixel clock problem with the V8 seems to only be an issue with monitors that can't display certain modes, or at least that's what I gather. The V8 worked fine with my Samsung SyncMaster 24" monitor running 1920x1200 resolution @60Hz. It was only when I wanted to use my 20" Dell 2007FP monitor that I had all the grief with 1600x1200@60Hz. Or is there more tot he pixel clock issue than screen mode support?

Thanks!

I seem to have a problem with Toolchest and I'm not sure what's causing it. Every now and then, when I open up a Unix Shell from the Toolchest, the colors are all messed up and I end up with a black background and black foreground.

Is there a way to prevent this from happening? I can fix my colors if I go back in and select a different color scheme but I don't want to have to keep doing this.

Better yet, where can I go to customize the Toolchest? Is there a way to modify the actual configuration files for it so that I can change the commands and what they do, or add commands?

Ah yes! Thanks for the info! That is exactly what I was looking for!