T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
---|
1391.1 | | DECWIN::FISHER | Burns Fisher 381-1466, ZKO3-4/W23 | Thu Sep 07 1989 14:56 | 15 |
| I think the word is "flair" or possibly "pincushion". It's been a long time
since I worked on TVs.
Sounds to me like you have isolated the problem very nicely to be the
VR260 and nothing else. You might try your neighbor's 290 on your
system just to double check...if you have a single connector, hook it
to the green input on the 290.
Older 260s have tended to have a lot of power supply reliability problems,
and this effect could well be related to the power supply. Sounds to me
like FS is trying to be a bit lazy. Unless you are being extremely picky
about a minor irregularity, perhaps?
Burns
|
1391.2 | | DECWIN::FISHER | Burns Fisher 381-1466, ZKO3-4/W23 | Thu Sep 07 1989 14:59 | 9 |
| I reread your original. The fact that you have replaced the 260 twice is
a bad sign. When you say you replace the "VR260 controller", do you mean
the graphics controller in the CPU box? The number is not VR260 for that,
although I don't remember what it is. Do you have a 1-plane or a multi-plane
system (i.e is everything purely black or white, or are there also shades
of gray). There is a big difference in the controller.
Burns
|
1391.3 | Re .1: `Flair' or `flare?' �sthetics or pyrotechnics? | HYDRA::COAR | It's a bug! I'll shoot my foot! | Thu Sep 07 1989 22:06 | 1 |
|
|
1391.4 | Even on VR262's | YUPPY::CONNOLLY | | Fri Sep 08 1989 10:55 | 5 |
| We have just had a VS3500 delivered and it had a VR262 monitor and
guess what it has the same symptoms as described in .0
Gerry
|
1391.5 | | PSW::WINALSKI | Careful with that VAX, Eugene | Fri Sep 08 1989 14:04 | 6 |
| A co-worker just had his VR260 replaced and he's now seeing this problem as
well. It didn't happen with his previous VR260 monitor. There has been no
software change on that machine, which runs VMS V5.2, vanilla DECwindows.
--PSW
|
1391.6 | If at first you don't succeed, try, try again! | CHR27::BIRMINGHAM | Don't <:-{ , be :-) | Fri Sep 08 1989 19:36 | 43 |
| >I think the word is "flair" or possibly "pincushion".
I'll remember this!
>You might try your neighbor's 290 on your
>system just to double check...if you have a single connector, hook it
>to the green input on the 290.
I did that - it didn't work. I even tried connecting the single video
cable to each of the 3 connectors (one at a time) on the 290. The screen
was really screwed up! I wasn't even getting the full screen on the
monitor. I think that the 290 requires more than my VSII graphics
controller (in the CPU box) can give.
>Sounds to me
>like FS is trying to be a bit lazy. Unless you are being extremely picky
>about a minor irregularity, perhaps?
I agree - I think I will call them back to spend a bit more time adjusting
the siwtch(es) on the deflector board and see if that takes care of the
problem. I don't think I was being picky :') ; in fact, I was just
'tolerating it' until my friend (with the GPX) said, in an appalled tone,
'get it fixed'! I'm thinking that if I was a customer and had to
tolerate this....I'd REALLY be pissed off.
>I reread your original. The fact that you have replaced the 260 twice is
>a bad sign. When you say you replace the "VR260 controller", do you mean
>the graphics controller in the CPU box?
What do you mean "a bad sign"? Yes, I meant the graphics controller in the
CPU box - although I also do not remember the exact nomenclature.
>Do you have a 1-plane or a multi-plane system...
1-plane - black and white.
All the other comments are interesting. It seems as if this problem is quite
a bit more widespread that I had originally thought. I will make sure that
FS sees this input. Please don't hesitate to add more input - my problem
is still NOT fixed! :-)
Steve
|
1391.7 | | PSW::WINALSKI | Careful with that VAX, Eugene | Sat Sep 09 1989 02:14 | 8 |
| You might check for environmental things related to power supply, such as line
voltage being significantly above or below 110 VAC. VR260s are known to have
power supply design problems and it might be that, in marginal voltage
situations, the power supply just can't cope and then you wind up outside the
adjustment tolerances of the deflector board.
--PSW
|
1391.8 | Solution to a different problem | SHRFAC::SMITH | | Sun Sep 10 1989 16:51 | 19 |
| I don't think these apply to your problem but here goes.
I had a BA123 16mb color GPX upgraded to a 2 seated (1 color & 1 black & white)
GPX. The second seat used a color board and a VR260. In order to make it
work properly, fs needed have all b&w or all color cabling from the color board
to the gray scale VR260. To mix the cabling gave her problems.
Last week I had FS upgrade a BA23 to a black & white GPX (again with a color
board for future $/upgrade reasons & VR260). A new fs rep worked on it had
problems, tried the cabling solution & it worked.
Unfortunately, I didn't "see" either problem but I believe the display wouldn't
work. Where you switched with the VR290 system which would have had all color
cabling I'm sure that's not it. It seems like it must be a problem occurring
before it reaches the your monitor. It's strange that 3 new VR260's would all
have the same problem.
/Tom
|
1391.9 | | STAR::MCLEMAN | Jeff McLeman, VMS Development | Mon Sep 11 1989 08:30 | 7 |
| Just to point out one fact.
The video signal on the VSII (QVSS) or the VS2000 (VAXstar) will not drive
the green gun of the VR290. This is due to the fact that the VR290 requires
sysnc inversion during the retrace period. The mono controllers cannot
do this.
|
1391.10 | | DECWIN::FISHER | Burns Fisher 381-1466, ZKO3-4/W23 | Mon Sep 11 1989 18:23 | 7 |
| Izat right? Weird? Sorry for the mislead.
Re "trouble" All I meant was that the fact that 3 260s all exhibited the
same problem would tend to destroy my thesis that it was the 260's fault.
Burns
|
1391.11 | | KONING::KONING | NI1D @FN42eq | Mon Sep 11 1989 19:39 | 7 |
| As far as I can see, the only possible source for pincushion distortion is
in the monitor itself. There is no way I've ever heard of for such
distortion to be caused by the graphics adapter board, let alone by
software.
paul
|
1391.12 | | PRAVDA::JACKSON | King Cynic | Mon Sep 11 1989 19:41 | 24 |
|
If you are talking about the edges of windows not being absolutely
straight, and a slight bend to them, then there is nothing you can do.
The VR260 is notorious for this problem, and it's referred to in
engineering as the "Gullwing" problem. (The VR262 was supposed to
help, but not eliminate this)
It comes about (from what I'm told) from engineering fitting a graphics
display into a tube that wasn't designed for it. The tube has two
curvatures on the inside of the glass, one in the center of the display
and one that's different around it. The resulting magnetics to try
to compensate are impossible to get right, so they never are. (and if
you move one it just might screw it up)
-bill
Who once asked the engineer who worked on this thing "why" and got a
long, long story.
|
1391.13 | I guess that's that | CHR27::BIRMINGHAM | Don't <:-{ , be :-) | Tue Sep 12 1989 14:50 | 16 |
|
Re: .12
Well, with this in mind, I guess I just live with it! :-(
At least until I can upgrade to a GPX and a VR-290. :-)
Re: .1 through .12
Thanks everyone, for the assistance and suggestions. I'm
sure this info will benefit others who have not, as yet,
discovered this 'problem'.
Steve
|