How to connect an external montor to IBM 5155 portable?

[IBMMuseum]

Originally Posted by MikeS

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.

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.

[IBMMuseum]

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...

[IBMMuseum]

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.

[LewreumE73]

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]

You can go ahead and plug a CGA monitor right into the back of the card...

[IBMMuseum]

Originally Posted by dongfeng

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.

[mikey99]

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.

Originally Posted by IBMMuseum

...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.

[mikey99]

Originally Posted by dongfeng

You can go ahead and plug a CGA monitor right into the back of the card...

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]

Originally Posted by mikey99

...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.

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.