Please help me make a breakout cable

[jerry2]

I got G400 with the G450 cable for TV and when I plug in, all I get is picture that is scrolling. I got the maps for making a G400 breakout cable and I have built it, but I got no picture. Nothing, blank :-( With the G450 cable I get something, with this one I built I get nothing :-(

Could anybody please help me? I connected the RCA signal to number 4 of the DB-15 and the ground to 5. I then tried connecting the 5 to the shield, but still nothing.

Am I doing something wrong?

I have a coaxial cable...

Yours

Jernej

[Haig]

It isn't the same cable. Yo can either buy the G400 break out cable from our OLS are make it by following this:

http://forum.matrox.com/mgaforum/Forum21/HTML/000003.html

Haig

[jerry2]

Yes, but I did acording to the G400 specifications. All I get is blank picture. Using 2nd display I get a nice RGB picture on my 2nd monitor, but on TV - none :-( Using my cable I built.

[Haig]

Is the other end going to a scart connector?

[jerry2]

No, I have built a RCA -> DB-15 cable only. Composite output.

[Haig]

All I can suggest is to re-check your connections or buy our cable.

Also, ground pins 6, 7, 8, and 10 and see if that helps.

Haig

[jerry2]

Hm, I did that and connected everything to the shield also, no luck. The card recognises that I have 2 displays and wants to turn on DUAL HEAD and I let it :-) But that's it. Screen is black...

I can not find however any TV settings anywhere in the preferences. I wanted to setup the TV to PAL if that is the problem...

Yours

Jernej

[Haig]

I wanted to setup the TV to PAL if that is the problem...

For now, forget about using the 2ndary in multi dualhead mode.

Enable DVDmax, play a region 2 encoded dvd title and play it out to your tv. Verify that PAL is selected in our dualhead tab. Does it still lose sync?

But that's it. Screen is black...

Did you right click on the #2 icon in display properties/settings and enable it?

[jerry2]

Hm, I don't have a DVD player... I just wanted to watch Windows or some .mpeg on the TV moniutor, but the screen is allways blank...

Yours

Jernej

[Haig]

Follow the above and replace dvd title by any video clip. Does it play on the tv?

[jerry2]

Well, this is getting more and more wierd...

I have flashed the BIOS with the DOS-TV bios... (hope this is OK, is this only for DOS mode???)

Using G450 cable (which is wrong, I know) I get picture now in DOS, but it is B/W. If I change the cable for my built cable I get a color picture in DOS (I only tried when booting in windows).

But if I plug my cable first (not the G-450) TV monitor is not detected, I do not get picture on TV monitor.

When I boot into windows I get B/W picture now, when I flashed the BIOS with DOS-TV one (I thought this was only for DOS). Using TVMax doesn'vt work because it says it is working but not active. If I switch at that point the cable for my G400 cable desktop is in colour, so OK I guess. But if I do not start my computer with original cable plugged in, I do not get the TV properties. It detects something, but it says unknown monitor, doesnvt know it is a TV monitor.

Any clues???

Yours desparate

Jernej

[jerry2]

I have tried some more, now this is wierd!

If I use the G450 cable to boot I can switch the cable with the G400 one and it works untill I reboot. The G450 cable has composite connected to PIN 1 instead of pin 4. I do get a working, but B/W picture with G450 cable.

If I use the G400 cable with my G400, the TV output is not recognised as such. It is recognised as unknown monitor.

Is this wierd or not? What should I do :-(

Desperate

Jernej

[Haig]

Put away your g450 cable and connect your home made cable to the g400. Boot up with it.

Do you get the 2 monitor icons in the settings tab?

If yes, right click on it and click on enable.

Then 2x click on it, click on the windows monitor tab and select a tv as the profile.

Now go into the Dh tab and select DH multi display. What are you now seeing?

[dZeus]

Jerry, maybe you forgot to enable the loopback on pin 12 - 15 on your homebuilt cable?

Make a short circuit between these pins on the DB15 according to the link Haig posted.

[jerry2]

Well, dZeus, this is it! I found out the hard way, trying all the pins on the G450 cable... Trying to make G450 cable to see if it will be recognised and it wasn't. Then I saw the loopback :-) And then I went to this forum and you reminded me of the loopback...

Now, I haven't tried it yet, but I am not 100% sure this loopback tells Matrox that I have a TV output!

I should be called Jernej the stupido :-(

Sorry guys I bothered so much. You are one lot of a helpfull comunnity. Thanx a lot!

Yours

Jernej
Slovenia