Micron SE/30 GrayScale 05/25/01, rev T, 12/10/02 Micron SE/30 GrayScale Adapter Sponsored by Credit to D.S. Larsen's, and James E. Rooney of internal display of our Macintosh SE/30 which has our homemade clone of the Micron Technology 'Xceed Gray-Scale 30' adapter and the Micron Xceed Color 30 video card. Of homemade GrayScale adapter. INDEX: COMPATIBILITY (from 1992) (from 2002) COMPATIBILITY!!! Requires Xceed Color 30, Color 30HR, or MacroColor 30 PDS slot video card!!!
There are some rare SE/30's that have a CRT base configuration that is incompatible with the standard Micron GrayScale Adapter harness. See the CRT base configuration picture. The following is an edited version of Mark Janello's post to the CompactMacs list: 'The adapter card is called the 'Gray-Scale 30' (part no. XCD-900003) and is designed specifically for the SE/30 in conjunction with one of these three video cards; it's explicit that it will only work with these: Xceed Color 30 Color 30HR MacroColor 30 Provides 1,2,4 or 8-bits per pixel gray-scale display (when no external monitor is being used) My card seems to be a Color 30HR (XCD-900048) and has two video connectors on it, one that attaches to the external monitor plug on the back of the computer (a 12 pin plug), and the one for the optional greyscale card, a 10-pin socket with a plastic plug protecting 10 male pins. The socket is quite like the one for power on an SE/30 motherboard-each pin in its own little plastic box. My PDS card doesn't have a part number or say 'Color 30HR' on it (I have the original documentation and warranty card that tell me the model) so advice for would-be shoppers is to look for the two sockets on the card.
I ended up making one for the Xceed color 30 board. I found enough information on the Internet to know what went where. I bought one connector body fitting the Micron frame buffer, had another from my scrap pile and made another from sawing down and modifying another I had to fit the video amp board connector. Grayscale Adapter for Micron Xceed PDS Color Video Cards (Replica) Introduction To make this kit useful, you need a Xceed Color 30, Color 30HR, or MacroColor 30 PDS video card that has an extra white plastic Molex connector to accept a connector from the wire harness.
If you hold the card with the PDS connector on the bottom then over on the left are the two sockets. Mark' MICRON XCEED SPECS ITALIC entries are guesses.
N/a = not applicable. Additions & corrections welcomed, email to MICRON XCEED CARD MAC SE/30 Internal Grayscale?
Color Depth Resolutions (External Monitor) Part Number control panel version Sense Line Use SE/306-48 IIsi SE/30 No 256 256 640 x 480 640 x 480 (VGA)?? F5R0281 2.01 4 gnd 7,10 vga SE/3010-78 IIsi SE/30 No 256 1024 x 768 (RGB) XCD-900011 F5R???? 2.01 4 gnd Color 30 IIsi SE/30 Yes 256 256 16 640 x 480 640 x 480 (VGA @ 31.5KHz) 640 x 870 (Apple Portrait) P6D-900053 F5R0369 10 Color 30HR v2.0, 2.5, 3.0 IIsi SE/30 Yes 256 256 256???? 512 x 384 (12'RGB) 640 x 480 640 x 480 (VGA) 640 x 870 (Apple Portrait) 800 x 600 (SVGA) 832 x 624 (Apple 16') 1024 x 768 XCD-900048? MacroColor 30 IIsi SE/30 Yes 16M 16M 640 x 480 640 x 480 (VGA)??
MacroColor II NuBus n/a XCD-900004 F5R????? MacroColor 30HR v2.0, 2.5, 3.0 IIsi SE/30?? 16M 16M 16M??? 640 x 480 640 x 480 (VGA) 640 x 870 (Apple Portrait) 800 x 600 (SVGA) 832 x 624 (Apple 16') 1024 x 768.?? MacroColor IIHR v2.0, 2.5, 3.0 NuBus n/a?? NB 824 NuBus n/a 16M???? NB6-48 NuBus 256 640 x 480??
F5R0306 2.01? NB10-78 NuBus 16M 1024 x 768?? NB12-108 NuBus? 1280 x 1024?? NB-MR NuBus?????
Color II NuBus 256 256 640 x 480 640 x 480 VGA XCD-900006 F5R???????? Color II+ NuBus 256??? 640 x 870 (Apple Portrait) 832 x 624 (Apple 16') 1024 x 768 (19' & 20') 1152 x 870 XCD-900007 F5R???????? Color Fusion LC LCII LCIII Perf 400 Perf 405 Perf 410 Perf 430 Color Cl 16M 16M 16M 16M 16M 65K 65K 256 512 x 384 640 x 480 640 x 870 832 x 624 800 x 600 SVGA 1024 x 768 1152 x 870 1280 x 1024 XCD-900059 F5R???? Y MICRON XCEED CARD MAC SE/30 Internal Grayscale?
Color Depth Resolutions Part Number control panel version Sense Line Use SOFTWARE DOWNLOADS Micron MonitorXCEED control panel Micron MonitorXCEED control panel Micron MonitorXCEED control panel Micron MonitorXCEED control panel Micron Apple extension (Install with System 6) Identifying XCEED cards Many Micron Xceed video cards don't have marking for name or part number. The card's name will appear in the Options. Dialog of the Mac OS Monitors control panel. More information can be read from the card's ROM by using. This TattleTech 2.17 shows 'Part#=0281', which in this case happens to be the last four digits of the card's FCC-ID number. The full FCC-ID is F5R0281.
The FCC ID number is frequently marked. It is a 7 digit number that starts with 'F5R'. But Micron sometimes used one FCC-ID number for more than one type of XCEED card.
Micron XCEED on eBay SE/30 Internal Grayscale Adapters SE/30 with Internal Grayscale SE/30 Internal Grayscale Compatible PDS Video Cards Others (& Color 30 board) User Comments (from 1992) Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1992 00:01 EST From: ROBERTBROCKMAN Subject: Answers to 'Internal grayscale on SE/30?' Query I recently posted a question to the net about the Micron card for the SE/30 that allows the internal monitor to display grayscale. I received a slew of requests from folks wanting to hear what I learned, so what follows is the main body text from the three messages I received.
The condensed version is that the card is greatbut a little tricky to install. Personally, while I was collecting this data I decided my money was better spent on Think Pascal 4.0 and QUED/M, so it doesn't look like I'll be buying anything in the way of hardware any time soon, but a big THANK YOU to those that helped me out. Robert Brockman, CDBSDUC@IUP.BITNET or CDBSDUC@GROVE.IUP.EDU I have the Micron system on my SE/30.
1 have had no problems at all, although installing the thing was a little nerve racking. I does take a little longer for startup due to the increased power requirements.
There is a card in the slot that must be powered before the screen can be started. It takes 2 seconds more for the screen to appear than for the '30 without the card. From: NetMail%'EDW@cup.portal.com' 26-JUL-1992 22:07:21.00 Ed Wright I have been using a Micron Colour 30 with the GrayScale 30 internal adapter in my SE/30 for the last 6 months. It actually works as expected.
The oonly problem i have found is the way Micron has chosen to solve a problem with stupid programs. Some programs start by checking the screen size and if it's 512. 342 the program decides it must be 1 bit black/while; the programs does not check to see if the screen is grayscale. Micron chose set the screen size to 512. 341 to force these programs to check the screen more closely. This unfortunately gives a few other problems, with some programs. I have had programs complaining that they could not run, because the program needed at least a 512.
342 screen. Others decide that if the screen isn't 512. 342 it must at least be 512. 384 (Apple 12' colour) and start up with a dialog, where all the buttons have been placed outside the screen; most of these only need an OK, that can be reached by pressing the return button, but I have seen a few where I had to press the reset button to get my machine back.
All of these problems are results of sloppy programming of the programs, I just wish Micron had found a way that allowed me to open a HyperCard stack and use it directly, without first having to resize and move the stack window. This problem only turns up with a few badly programmed programs - most programs use the 9' screen without problems. If you connect an external monitor, or use Virtual Video to emulate a bigger screen, this problem disappears.
I find the combination of the Micron video card and grayscale adapter to be very good. The video is speeded, compared with the original video, and some programs, including the operating system, actually sometimes think that the machine is a Macintosh IIx. You get a lot for the price, and your machine will suddenly be able to run a lot of programs, that it couldn't before. It is also the most portable grayscale Macintosh.
Disclaimer: I have no connection with Micron, except for being a satisfied customer. From: NetMail%'holst@diku.dk' 27-JUL-1992 03:54:40.24 Bo Holst-Christensen holst@diku.dk dikubhc1@uts.uni-c.dk FAX: +45 53 640 321 I have purchased the Micron Xceed card and grey-scale adaptor.
Yes, it does work, but it's a real bummer to fit in. I agree it's a great concept. However, I must warn you about a few things first. Since the adaptor runs off the Xceed card, you can only run ONE monitor in greysacle or colour at any one time.
That means you only get greyscale on the 9' inch screen when there is no external monitor running. If you have an external monitor then your internal screen DOES work, but only in normal (1-bit) B&W mode.
I think it's still worth buying, especially if you're tight of cash and can onlyaHord the card for now; you still get an enhanced SE/30 while you save up for a monitor. What's more, if you buy a decent monitor you can use it for your next Mac (although I think the SE/30 is the best ever madefor personal use).
You still then have a better than normal SE/30 which you can sell (yuk) or keep for the rest of your days in greyscale. Let me tell you a bit about the Xceed card. It is FAST, especially since it's a PDS not a NuBus. I play the game Hellcats over the Pacific a lot and the graphics on that are unreal, especially in colour. In the lab we have llcx's. They, of course, run at the same clock speed as the SE/30 and they have Apple 13' RGBs.
We also have a Quadra 700. I've played Hellcats on all three types of machine and I can say that the SE/30 (with Xceed card and an excellent Eizo T240i 14' Trinitron monitor) renders the Hellcats' graphics at the same speed as the Quadra (with cache off). A note of caution about the fitting of the grey scale adaptor- it's difficult to do this yourself. You need at least one person helping if you (like me) want to be really gentle with the motherboard. The adaptor replaces the Apple CRT driver and connects with the motherboard, the Xceed card and the internal video board, all using one 5 pronged just-long-enough-if-it breathes-in cable.
I was so relieved to hear that satisfying startup tone when I'd fitted in the adaptor. Yes I got greyscale, but no it wasn't quite right. There was a lot of ghosting of the image and things were periodically in and out of focus. For one sleepless night I thought I'd damaged the CRT. My mind was put at rest the next day when I replace Apple's CRT driver- everything was okay. A (transatlantic) phonecall to the helpfull guys at Micron (maybe only helpful because my English accent delighted them so) revealed that there are tuning screw (s) on the adaptor that need to be adjusted to make the card run properly.
They recommend that the adaptor is fined by an authorisd dealer, not necessarily because of invalidating warranties, but because of the technical knowledge required to fit the thing in. Personally I don't like the thought of twiddling with controls with the SE/30 cover open and the machine switched on. You'd also need a helper or a mirror at least. So at the moment I've got an unused adaptor. Since I've bought the Eizo monitor (much better monitor than the Apple 13') anyway, I'm not losing the benefits of the greyscale adaptor.
When I've saved enough to pay for the labour costs of getting the card fitted I will do so. As I'm sure you've noticed I can strongly recommend the Eizo T240i monitor. I'm so happy with it that I could easily tell you what's so good about it, but I won't unless you want to hear and ask me for the info. (I'm sorry about the length of this message as it is). To sum up- go for the Micron products (you get 5 years' warranty and some nifty software too), but get someone to fit the adaptor (the Xceed card is a cinch) unless you're a technical expert. You don't get internal greyscale when thereUs another monitor attached. The SE/30 is a great machine and you get 2 monitors to run.
Excellent with sys7- use one for the finder and the other for apps. Also with Daystar digital's new range of SE/30 accelerators which go straight into the motherboard, leaving the PDS free, your SE/30 is as good as any 'new' mac and will be for many years to come. I suppose I should say that I have no connection with Apple, Micron, Eizo, Graphic Simulations or Daystar Digital. I'm just a Molecular Biology student who saves up most of his stipend for his Mac addiction.
Feel free to ask further questions. I hope I haven't taken up too much time and that I have been of some help. From: NetMail%'JM144@MOLECULAR-BlOLOGY-1.BlOLOGY.CAMBRlDGE.AC.UK' 27-JUL-1992 08:41:40.03 Joe Makkerh User Comment (from 2002)(01/08/02) Michael S. Macdonald, (DCCGP with bar) msm@axion.net finally. The moment arrived. Placing the hard drive into the cradle of a demolished external Hard drive case, and booting from a floppy, he selected the external drive as the startup disk and pressed the external reset button. For seconds there was nothing.then.an image floated to the front of the screen.the dreaded 'simasimac'.
Even as the 'arggghhh' was building in his throat, the screen suddenly cleared, things started whirring and extension icons began to appear on the screen. An SE/30 with 256 shades of grey running OS 8.1!!!! Proof positive that even an idiot could follow the instructions! (Actually dse cadet had cheated a wee bit by installing the software while the HD was contained in the shell of a Q605 (68040), thus saving some of the tedium of reboots. Everything went without a hitch Steve, DAMN it feels good. Well done DSE! Fan for life -Costello- LINKS (pdf) This page copyright © 2001-2003 by Gamba.
All rights reserved.
Can you use both the internal monitor in grayscale and an external color monitor at the same time? That would be cool. Hmmm, no, not as far as I can tell. When you connect the external color monitor you get the choice of grays or color, up to 256 levels, but only monochrome for the internal monitor, both of which are then usable at the same time. Some stuff on the net says this also, and I have not yet found the manufacturer's spec sheet or manual.
I'd like to add that finding those boards was totally unexpected; I had not been thinking to upgrade my stock SE/30s. But each of those boards is neat in its own way, and renders pretty sharp images. Keep in mind when you load some really big jpegs or picts and try and display them, you will immediately understand why more SE/30 MIPs by accelerator card are good also! And when you consider the time and money if you are not lucky, well, the Pismo starts looking better and better instead! Still, I will always be sentimental about the SE/30 in particular, because of long work and hobby association with it as a user. When I put in those boards and took those pictures, it was like taking out someone from a retirement home for a spin in a sports car and for a moment helping them see through young eyes again. Maybe it's just me, but another cool thing is just viewing the Apple Spec Database on any Compact.
For that machine to be seeing/presenting what followed, all that engineering, all the lives touched, that all evolved from that humble package, well, that's kind of amazing too, even in monochrome! ' Edited May 12, 2007 by Guest. How did you manage to get the 5-point cable? I ended up making one for the Xceed color 30 board. I found enough information on the Internet to know what went where.
I bought one connector body fitting the Micron frame buffer, had another from my scrap pile and made another from sawing down and modifying another I had to fit the video amp board connector. Then it was mostly a matter of extracting some precrimped wires and twisted pairs from three spare SE/30 analog to logic board cables (from the original Xceed owner's estate also!) and plugging the ends into the right spots in the collection of ferrite sleeves and connector bodies, and checking things very, very carefully before powering up! That recursive picture is a pict that my grayscale QuickCam (An old Connectix product for the Mac) captured that I then converted to a jpeg and posted. I apologize for black bleed on the high contrast white to dark edges but it was the best my particular QuickCam could do in that lighting where I wanted to washout the background to isolate the platinum SE/30. Modern cameras put QuickCam to shame but in its day it was an amazing product, the little ball that did a lot.
QuickCam comes with a little spherical camera with a 1/4-20 tripod mount hole and a funny triangular hat rubber base that has a matching spherical indentation for the ball camera to rest when used without tripod as a teleconferencing cam. There's also some Connectix application software and driver extension that you install that is built on Quicktime, and when you start it up it opens that continuously updated window that I call the Live Monitor Composition Window.
There you can aim the camera, adjust a number of parameters including brightness, and even specify single, or multiple time lapse capture. The size of the window is limited to what's in my picture, but there is very little delay between moving the camera and seeing the window update. It's not really live like a CCTV monitor, but pretty close. When you finally get the picture composed right there is a button, menu, and keyboard shortcut that commands grabbing everything in that composition window, not the whole SE/30 screen, as a 320x240 pict (although, I think you can also do the command shift 3 thing and do a screen snapshot too, working around the application!). There's also a movie capture mode. The QuickCam driver appears to follow the QuickTime rules for video sources, so if you install QuickCam and call it up, and then invoke AppleVideophone, Videophone will see the live feed from the cam as an available video source and if you select it, work with it as your local camera.
I have not tried this on SE/30 but it works well on PB1400/MacOS 8.6. If you are into QuickTime programming, you could cut code that worked with the frames as they were captured to do motion detection for example. And the grayscale QuickCam, but not the later color version, was powered from the serial port alone and had an internal microphone. Perhaps a bit ahead of its time like the Compacts.
Color Card For Coordinating Gray
You can get that same effect with the QuickTake, or any digital camera if you can take successive shots from the same exact position. Just take one shot of the entire computer, with with anything at all on the screen. Load the picture into the computer and display it large as you like but showing the entire computer outline and the smaller copy of the screen with the anything at all. Take another picture of the computer, now you have a picture of a computer displaying a computer.wait, I'm starting to get dizzy. Anyway, if you keep shooting and transferring and displaying, you get that series of pictures of repeating, retreating computers, and only the very smallest one will be displaying the anything at all screen that you started with, and it will be too tiny to see. (hmmm, an any Mac model recursive or special effects photo contest idea, perhaps another 68kmla thread!) '.