How to connect a SUN 20" Premium (Sony) GDM-20D10 monitor to a PC with Windows 95/98/NT
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( You are visitor nr. to this info since 13 April 1998 ).
The monitor type is the 20" SUN Premium (SONY product) GDM-20D10 (Color, build 1994/1995), used with SUN stations.
The monitor is controlled with a small remote control unit (SUN part numbers 370-1576 or 370-1705), see page 3 of the GDM-20D10 SUN documentation.
I tested also, without success the SUN 19" monitor GDM-1962 (color, build 1991), see:
SUN monitor GDM-1962 and GDM-1662
See also:SUN monitors "certified" by SUN to be compatible with PCs
The monitor will only give an image when Windows 95 or 98 is active (and also when a DOS window in Windows 95 or 98 ) !!
Video board
Starting-up of the PC, protected mode of Windows 95 or 98 and PC BIOS setup are invisible.
You need a video board in your PC that supports up to Horizontal 81.1 kHz and Vertical 77 Herz,
(It must at least be possible to select a Refresh rate of 75 Hz and resolution 1024 x 768 with 256 colors).
(Hor. freq. = line frequency, Refresh rate is Vert. frequency).
Diamond Stealth video boards perform excellent. I tested my 20" SUN monitor with the following Diamond Stealth video boards:
Stealth 64 Video 2121, Stealth 3D PRO 2240, Stealth II S220 and Stealth Viper 330;
all perform excellent with these frequencies
and image matrix settings of 1024 x 768, 1152 x 864 or 1280 x 1024.
The Diamond Stealth 64 video board series come with a set of drivers for DOS on its CD-ROM,
called GO95 that allow you to use the GDM-20D10 also in DOS mode at 1024 x 768.
Provide at least 2 or 4 MB video memory in your video board to see all colors.
The GDM-20D10 works also with: Cirrus Logic 2MB video board (Windows accelerator) at 1024 x 768,
256 colors and the refresh rate 75 Hz under Windows 95 and 98.
It looks that the GDM-20D10 will work with all video boards that support 1024 x 768, 256 colors,
provided that the refresh rate is at least 75 Hz.
20" SUN GDM-20-D10 Monitor frequency data provided by SUN (Febr.1994)
Res. 1280x1024 1152x900 1280x1024 1152x900 Hor. 81.1 kHz 71.8 kHz 71.7 kHz 61.8 kHz Vert. 76 Hz 77 Hz 67 Hz 66 Hz COMBINED sync. wire for H + V: 2.5 - 5 V, 75 Ohms
You may define your "SUN Fixed frequency Monitor" in WINDOWS 95/98 with the file
C:\WINDOWS\INF\SUNMON.INF
To set Horizontal and Vertical Frequency settings in Windows 95:
Click the buttons:
Settings -> Control panel-> Display -> Settings -> Advanced properties -> Monitor -> Change -> Show all devices
-> EIZO -> EIZO 9500 ->next -> next -> Finish
-> Refresh -> Refresh rate 75 Hz -> Apply -> OK -> Keep: Yes
To set Horizontal and Vertical Frequency settings in Windows 98:
Click the buttons:
-> Settings -> Control panel-> Display -> Settings -> Advanced -> Monitor -> Change -> Next -> Display a list of ...
-> Next -> Show all hardware -> EIZO -> EIZO 9500 ->next -> next -> Finish
-> Refresh -> Refresh rate 75 Hz -> Apply -> OK -> Keep: Yes
In Windows NT 4, simply select "Refresh rate = 75 Hz"
Select one of the WORKING following combinations:
Res. 1024x768 Refresh rate 60 Hz DID NOT SYNCHRONIZE 1024x768 72 Hz DID NOT SYNCHRONIZE 1024x768 75 Hz WORKED OK 1024x768 85 Hz WORKED OK Res. 1152x864 Refresh rate 60 Hz DID NOT SYNCHRONIZE 1152x864 70 Hz WORKED OK 1152x864 75 Hz WORKED OK Res. 1280x1024 Refresh rate 60 Hz WORKED OK 1280x1024 72 Hz WORKED OK Note that: Hor. freq. = Line frequency (nr of lines per second), Vert. freq. = Refresh rate and Hor. freq. = Vert. freq. x number-of-lines. Vert. Res. = number-of-lines (minus about 30 invisible lines)Do not use the refresh rate "Adapter default" or "Optimum" !
When your existing monitor does not support the frequencies of the SUN...
Horizontal and Vertical synchronization signals from the PC must be combined to one signal
The VGA V and H signals from the videoboard of a PC:
H is high (+5V.) with pulses to zero (pin 13),
V is zero with pulses to +5V.(pin 14).
The combined sync that the GDM20D10 monitor needs is about +3 V.
with Hor. pulses going down to zero and Vert. pulses going up to +5V.
I connected the Vert. of my video board directly to the SUN combined sync wire and
Software to get a combined synchronization signal out your video card !
the Hor. of my video board via a capacitor of 0.2 microFarad,
to combine the Hor. and Vert. sync signals of the videoboard to one combined sync signal,
and to separate their DC levels.
The average voltage on the combined sync. entry is then about +2,2 V.
Even the shortest direct contact between H. an V. may damage your videoboard.
When your cable adapter does not provide the sync. combiner or capacitor, the following may help:
From : http://www.entechtaiwan.com/ps.htm
you can download the file: pstrip.exe (660 KByte)
This is a program for a number of video cards that allows to get a
combined sync. signal out of your video card.
Connector and cable
Four possible ways to get the cable adaptation that you need:
25 January 2002, a new supplier came up:
PCCABLES.COM
( use VISA, MASTERCARD, DISCOVER, AMEX, PAYPAL, CHECKS )
http://www.pccables.com/cgi-bin/orders6.cgi?action=Showitem&partno=00636
Their adaptercable contains the 0.2 microFarad capacitor.
Already for a long time on the web:
http://www.mirage-mmc.com in USA,
and
http://www.ultraspec.com/homeidx.asp?flname=1396.asp&Id=34&itemid=1396
40 Riordan Place Shrewsbury, NJ 07702 E-mail Address:sales@ultraspec.com Phone Lines North America 1-800-622-2537 Int'l +1-732-450-1900 Fax Lines North America 1-800-222-5337 Int'l +1-732-741-0300
VGA 15-pin Sub-D male connector
(At the monitor cable),
see also VGA 15 pin connector layout
VGA 9 pin connector layout
VGA 15 to DBW13W3
Pin Name Description
1 RED Video (75 ohm, 0.7 V p-p)
2 GREEN Video (75 ohm, 0.7 V p-p)
3 BLUE Video (75 ohm, 0.7 V p-p)
4 not used
5 GND Ground
6 RGND Red Ground
7 GGND Green Ground
8 BGND Blue Ground
9 not used
10 SGND Sync Ground, connect to Grey Composite Ground
wire of monitor (13W3 pin 10)
11 not used
12 not used
13 HSYNC Horizontal Sync, connect via 0.2 microFarad capacitor to White Composite Sync wire of monitor (13W3 pin 5)
14 VSYNC Vertical Sync, connect to White Composite Sync wire of monitor (13W3 pin 5)
15 not used
SUN Video male connector ( DB13W3 )
(At the monitor cable),
see also DB13W3 connector layout
Pin Name Description
1 do not use
2 do not use
3 do not use
4 do not use
5 CSYNC Composite Sync , White wire
6 do not use
7 do not use
8 do not use
9 do not use
10 CGND Composite Ground, Grey wire
R RED Coax, Red
G GREEN Coax, Brown
B BLUE Coax, Blue
GDM-20D10 Monitor documentation provided by SUN (6 pages)
Links for useful other information:
JAPANESE solutions for the GDM-20D10 monitor to a PC with Windows :
(Very good English info, excellent technical description)
Let's connect your SUN monitor to a PC/AT machine!!
http://www2.tk.elec.waseda.ac.jp/~tanaka/private/monitor-e.html
H and V combined via HCT86 CMOS:
Japanese: http://www.tk.elec.waseda.ac.jp/~tanaka/private/monitor.html
ENGLISH:
http://cvs.anu.edu.au:80/monitorconversion/ and
http://saturn.tlug.org/sunstuff/ffmonitor/GDM-20D10.html
Using a fixed-frequency monitor on a PC : SUN 20" Premium Color CRT (Sony GDM-20D10) and
http://www.griffintechnology.com/monitors/Sun10.html SUN GDM-20-D10 Specifications.
Large MONITOR DATABASE: Griffin Technology
http://www.griffintechnology.com/monitor.html
Hans Leibbrandt,
Kievietlaan 4, 5683RC Best, The Netherlands
You can e-mail me for more info: e-mail: leibbran@iae.nl
First issue: 13 April 1998.
Last update: 28 January 2002.