Hello!
Quick question: does anyone know the wire gauge used in the original DB19 cables since they have to power the monitor?
Just made the realization tonight that the N4000A monitor I am picking up this weekend won't work with the DB19/VGA cable I ordered from Rob the other day. My mistake for not paying attention - but I made the assumption the two DB19 ends would work in that role and I see he clearly stated it won't and for a couple legit reasons. No problem - the VGA aspect of it is certainly useful to expand my options and for debugging...
BUT that leaves me still with no ability to work with this forthcoming N4000A. I found one original one for sale, but pretty pricey and ships from overseas. I was about to order some DB19s from Rob (might still), but it suddenly dawned on me that I could likely 3D print my own DB19 ends and housings and use new D-SUB pins to populate it (found a couple already on Thingiverse, so don't even need to bust out Fusion 360). I gather it's a straight through pin to pin arrangement, so easy enough.
Any reasons this won't work? I also realized I have a small stack of Apple //e floppy drives that have 19-pin male connectors that I could rob for now... but I hate taking apart another classic that should be left intact.
I read that N4000A monitors solved (or improved) the problems with being dim associated with the N4000. Is this true, or a moot point 30+ years later in terms of general monitor health?
Appreciate any input!
Quote from: halfpress on December 04, 2024, 10:04:24 PMI read that N4000A monitors solved (or improved) the problems with being dim associated with the N4000. Is this true, or a moot point 30+ years later in terms of general monitor health?
You're thinking of the N4000B. See answer 5.41 in the NeXT FAQ (
https://www.levenez.com/NeXTSTEP/faq.html).
Ah. Bummer. I was going by this blurb I saw last night:
QuoteThis problem was later rectified with a now-rare N4000A model (part number 1403) rated at 10,000 hours (~14 months).
From here:
https://next.fandom.com/wiki/NeXT_MegaPixel_DisplayNow that I reread even that, it makes me wonder if it meant a rare version of even that display and not specifically the 1403 part in general.
Thanks!
Very pleased to have finally had time to assemble a DB19 to DB19 cable from parts today. Lo and behold, the N4000A I've had for two weeks in an unknown condition works. It was very dim at first, but it appears to be brightening up as it sits (as I've read others report as well). Waiting a bit to see if I want to open it up and tweak the white cutoff, etc.
I do note there is a little bit of interference and I realized later that I haven't tied the DB19 housing to ground... so will check if that's a factor. The cable is shielded, but I didn't make use of the unshielded wire and hope I didn't screw myself there. <sigh>
Fingers crossed on continual improvement...