This IBM 5155 has 640k memory and a standerd CGA card. I saw "It could however, display color if connected to an external monitor " when I google "IBM 5155 protable ". Is there some jumpers should be changed when I plug in a external monitor ? Will this fry the card or something? Any Help will be appreciated.
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How to connect an external montor to IBM 5155 portable?
- Thread starter Jason.
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IBMMuseum
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Agreed, I was just reviewing the PPC GTO last night that OJ traded me...
You don't have to change motherboard switches or connections from the internal screen...
On the same bracket that has the RCA plug (which is composite video, something to try to something like a TV)...
What happend to the internal monitor when I plug in the external one? Will it still keep working? I just want to make sure nothing unexpected happend, because a friend of mine told me this
"Note that you need to plug in the jumper wire from the internal monitor. If I was to plug in an external monitor, it'd be color. Make sure the jumpers on the motherboard are set to the correct monitor or you will surely fry the card."
So I am confused now
Does anyone have done this before ?
"Note that you need to plug in the jumper wire from the internal monitor. If I was to plug in an external monitor, it'd be color. Make sure the jumpers on the motherboard are set to the correct monitor or you will surely fry the card."
So I am confused now
Does anyone have done this before ?
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Yes, I agree with that
I found a 5155 locally on craigslist for freeawhile back. I added a Seagate 225 hard drive. The guy I got it from
even kept my number and called me a few months later when he found
all the manuals and a bunch of software for it.
I've never tried attaching an external monitor though. Since the built
in monitor is actually composite CGA, I think the motherboard switches
should be set for CGA card with a color monitor. They probably already
are set that way but its a good idea to check.
In any case, you won't "fry the card" as long as you're hooking up a compatible monitor. At worst you'll have wrong or no output. But yes, AFAIK, the 5155 is set as a color CGA; the built-in monitor is just a composite screen without color (though it does support "shades" of amber, and I have hooked both standard NTSC TV output and converted VGA output through it before.) So the data is already in "color." After all, the point is that you just "plug n' play" an external monitor for full color.
Of course, you do have the problem that color appears as ugly vertical striping due to the internal monitor's inability to utilize the chroma signal. You can see a similar effect when using a color composite monitor. Faint vertical bars appear on the screen because of chroma being interpreted as luminance. Ordinarily this would produce dot crawl, but on CGA the phase shift stays constant from line to line, hence you get bars rather than a checkerboard pattern.
IBMMuseum
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Ok, I just found a thread from almost a year ago, where connecting the internal screen to an ATI EGA Wonder was discussed. The OP (whom has still posted here within a few days ago) never said whether he was able to get it working however. As I have both components here, I might give it a try soon.
I don´t know which version of the card I have, one that apparently uses some kind of daughtercard attaching by the 8-bit I/O bus, and a header to use the onboard LPT port...
I don´t know which version of the card I have, one that apparently uses some kind of daughtercard attaching by the 8-bit I/O bus, and a header to use the onboard LPT port...
MikeS
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You're not thinking of the Graphics Solution card? I have several of those and one does have the I/O port daughterboard, but I've not seen an EGA Wonder like that; mine don't, but of course that doesn't mean they didn't exist.
FWIW, the manuals are pretty clear that they both work in a PC Portable, and they also support certain combinations of dual (different mode) displays as long as they don't use the same video memory.
IBMMuseum
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Yes, I´m not sure if it is the EGA Wonder, as it is not marked. I do have another ATI GSSC, Revision 3 adapter, with the classic ATI logo. Surprisingly, about half the chips (controller and VRAM) are surface-mount there.
It has the correct PPC video (and light pen) connection pinout, but only solder pads (it won´t be hard for me to put a header). Now that I know what I´m looking for, I also found I had a Hercules ¨SVS¨ ¨EW65T5¨ with the light pen/PPC video headers, and an LPT port. So a few different adapters I can try on my two Portable PC units.
In digging through what I have collected over the years, I´ve found an EGA card with a Chips & Technologies chipset, and UART/COM port on the card. Two Video 7 adapters seemingly designed for a Tandy computer. Other EGA and 8-bit VGA adapters (and also figured out I have two 8-bit Paradise VGA adapters, one 16-bit Paradise VGA, and an 8-bit Paradise EGA adapter).
EDIT: Yes, instead of the EGA Wonder, the first card is a Graphic Solutions, Revision 3. So I have a GSSC Rev.3, and a GSSC Version 3, Rev. 3. Additionally, the Hercules adapter has absolutely no jumpers or switches, so I guess it is locked in to even the parallel port address.
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IBMMuseum
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Information - Even on TH99 - is hard to search for on the cards I have mentioned that should work with the PPC. The Hercules adapter doesn't even have many jumpers for configuration, and has a confusing "HCT" stamped by the standard DB-9 video connection (which would seem to be for a monochrome display) alongside the 4-pin composite video header. Hopefully it will support an external monochrome monitor in parallel with the internal display, mapped to separate areas of the display adapter as mentioned.
Pictures, eventually, to follow...
Pictures, eventually, to follow...
IBMMuseum
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I had to do a little bit of initial work on my Portable PCs to get them running. One seems to have the built-in CRT needing alignment, and I´m in process of switching its better parts to the other unit I was able to get working after a motherboard swap. It has probably been several years since they were operated before.
But I´ve now tried both the Hercules card and my earlier GSSC video adapter. The Hercules was easiest, with no jumpers or switches to set, I just plugged it in. Once I put a composite video header at the solder pads on my later GCCS I will check it out too.
The internal CRT comes on fine. Later I´ll try external monitors. The Hercules card has its LPT port hard-wired to the standard 0378h.
But I´ve now tried both the Hercules card and my earlier GSSC video adapter. The Hercules was easiest, with no jumpers or switches to set, I just plugged it in. Once I put a composite video header at the solder pads on my later GCCS I will check it out too.
The internal CRT comes on fine. Later I´ll try external monitors. The Hercules card has its LPT port hard-wired to the standard 0378h.
LewreumE73
New Member
How to connect an external montor to IBM 5155 portable
How to connect an external montor to IBM 5155 portable
Is there a way to connect a notebook to an external moniter for use without a functioning screen on the notebook? I have a 22 inch external moniter and a HP notebook with a busted screen .What type of set up can I use or do I need to make this work together?
How to connect an external montor to IBM 5155 portable
Is there a way to connect a notebook to an external moniter for use without a functioning screen on the notebook? I have a 22 inch external moniter and a HP notebook with a busted screen .What type of set up can I use or do I need to make this work together?
dongfeng
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You can go ahead and plug a CGA monitor right into the back of the card...
IBMMuseum
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You can go ahead and plug a CGA monitor right into the back of the card...
I'm also trying (I guess for myself now, not the OP) to connect different combinations of external monitors (with the internal display still working) to the 5155 using after-market video cards. The Hercules adapter (with no switches to set video modes or the LPT address) has the PPC complaining (beep codes) when I attempted to switch to monochrome display on the motherboard switches, but strangely has the monitor connection on the back bracket marked "HCT". Still testing, and I'll try the same with my ATI GSSC cards too.
On the topic of video alignment (another thread), I'll need to see what I can do for the internal 5155 CRT. One of my units gives me slightly tilted and smaller video, but still is functional. The other has very little vertical deflection, and upper areas of the displayed video are inverted vertically on the CRT.
I'd start by checking the power supply unit in the monitor.
Most likely there are some bad or leaky electrolytic capacitors
that should be replaced. The tilt is probably just caused by the
positioning of the yoke on the CRT neck.
Most likely there are some bad or leaky electrolytic capacitors
that should be replaced. The tilt is probably just caused by the
positioning of the yoke on the CRT neck.
Nice picture
I have a 5155 also, looks like yours has a hard drive too ?I added a Seagate 225 MFM drive in mine. I had to cut a bit from the black plate
on the hard drive to fit in there.
IBMMuseum
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My working unit now has a Plus Hardcard from the bad video unit. Both have 640Kb XT motherboards with me finding a bad (burned resistor) original in one of the systems. The bad video unit also had a CPU card in it (currently pulled), what looks to be both a 286 and 8088-1 onboard (more data later, I couldn't find much in an earlier search).
P.S.: I figured the slant was from the CRT yoke too. Inverted video probably is something about a deflection coil. Now just to let things get to a stage where I can avoid the HV; Years ago I was bitten by the circuitry of a smaller CRT in not being careful.