Custom resolutions on PowerMac G3/G4 in OS X / 9

[wottle]

I have a collection of PowerMacs (a couple G3 B&W, and a handful of different types of G4s). I'm trying to set them up with VGA out to a KVM, with the video going to a custom LCD I had from another project that will slide out from under the desk. This will allow me to display my vintage Macs on the top of the desk, with a row of PowerMac towers underneath, while still being able to boot up and use the Powermacs. Unfortunately, I don't have a vintage Monitor on my desk that I could use as the display. The problem is the LCD I have is widescreen, with a resolution of 1366x768.

Anyway, my reason for my setup is not the main question. My question is, given I boot these machines into Mac OS X and Mac OS 9, is there a solution to setting custom display resolution to match the display's resolution? I've found some tools that may work for specific versions of Mac OS X (with varying success), but nothing for Mac OS 9 (or even 8?).

Any thoughts on this. I think in an ideal world, I'd have my dream monitor, the Apple Stuio 17" CRT, but I've had trouble finding one locally on my desk for this, and I doubt there are any KVMs with ADC switching. And My whole goal is to be able to power up any of the machines without having to try to disconnect / reconnect a bunch of wires.
And I don't want an ugly modern LCD sitting in the middle of my vintage Macs.

Anyway, long story short, I'm going to try to use this existing 1366x768 LCD which supports VGA, and would like to have my Mac's natively output that resolution.

Picture of my collection (My PM G4s are at my workspace right now trying to figure out the KVM / monitor setup):

 

[LastCarbon]

1366x768, that is a tricky resolution to work with. I have a TV that has a native resolution of 1366x768 and I used it as a monitor for a few years. Even though that was its native resolution I always ran it at 1360x768. The TV basically supported three resolutions without scaling, 1366x768, 1360x768 (Which adds a 3 pixel wide bar to both sides of the screen), and 1024x768 (When set to a 4:3 aspect ratio). Long story short the fonts looked better with 1360x768, I don't remember the exact reason why. So if the computer reports 1360x768 try it.

I also just verified that OS 9 works with 1360x768. So if OS 9 doesn't see that resolution your display may not be reporting it or the graphics card isn't registering it as a valid resolution. I did the test on a Beige G3 with an ATI Radeon 7000 with VGA out and I connected it directly to the TV with a standard VGA cable.

 

[wottle]

Yeah, my LCD controller board must not be publishing the resolution properly, or the KVM is preventing it from doing so. Even worse, the controller board apparently doesn't support anything but 60Hz, and the Macs all want to default to 75Hz, resulting in "Input Not Supported" messages whenever I reboot any of them. I think I may use another LCD and controller that has better refresh rate support and a more standard resolution (it's an old iPad screen, so its closer to 4:3 ratio of the time. It's just so small. And unfortunately, 12" iPad screens get expensive.

Thanks for the info!

 

[fogWraith]

If you haven't already, try with SwitchRes for OS 8-9, and maybe SwitchResX for 10.x, I believe it will allow you to set custom resolutions as well as refresh rates.. at least, last I tried

 

[Mac84]

If you haven't already, try with SwitchRes for OS 8-9, and maybe SwitchResX for 10.x, I believe it will allow you to set custom resolutions as well as refresh rates.. at least, last I tried

Yes, SwitchRes is a good utility for this, but you'll likely need to run it on all of the systems.

It also may be less of a headache to find another LCD which has a 4:3 aspect ratio, or one that supports more common resolutions.

 

[wottle]

Yes, SwitchRes is a good utility for this, but you'll likely need to run it on all of the systems.

It also may be less of a headache to find another LCD which has a 4:3 aspect ratio, or one that supports more common resolutions.

Yeah, I saw that utility and it seems like the right solution. I just wish I didn't have to pay $16 per computer to do so. I have 6 computers I want to eventually switch between, so I think it would be cheaper / better for me to see if I can find an old 4:3 monitor to disassemble and install into a custom mount. Thanks for the advice, y'all!

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

SwitchRes2 2.5.3v for OS8/9 is now freeware and can be downloaded from this website.

Where can I download this software ?

To remove the $$ register reminder use the following UN&SN.

User Name: Everyone
Serial Number: 50F90212C7CADEDA

Best of luck to you. Love that display table BTW Did you make it by chance? Looks to be all 2x4x8 construction.

 

[wottle]

That's awesome to hear. I'll see if I can get it to work on the MacOS 9 side. I'd kind of resigned myself to using the old 10" iPad screen, but my eyesight isn't what it used to be and that is really small. If I can get SwitchResX on the older side, and possibly only have to pay for a few OS X installs, maybe I'll stick with the 15" widescreen monitor.

I made the display table out of cheap 2x4 lumber with the top made of cedar. Since I'm not using it too often and it has a rustic finish on it, I'm not too concerned with the softness of the wood. Hoping to add a relatively shallow full extension drawer with the LCD on a hinge so it will slide out and flip up, with a keyboard and mouse underneath.

When I built it, I figure I'd have tons of room for my collection to grow, but since adding a TAM and 3 more PowerMacs. I also have a NeXT and Apple II Plus clone I've got to find room for. And a few more Powerbooks. It's turned into quite an addiction for me during the WFH year and a half.

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

That's awesome to hear. I'll see if I can get it to work on the MacOS 9 side. I'd kind of resigned myself to using the old 10" iPad screen, but my eyesight isn't what it used to be and that is really small. If I can get SwitchResX on the older side, and possibly only have to pay for a few OS X installs, maybe I'll stick with the 15" widescreen monitor.

I made the display table out of cheap 2x4 lumber with the top made of cedar. Since I'm not using it too often and it has a rustic finish on it, I'm not too concerned with the softness of the wood. Hoping to add a relatively shallow full extension drawer with the LCD on a hinge so it will slide out and flip up, with a keyboard and mouse underneath.

When I built it, I figure I'd have tons of room for my collection to grow, but since adding a TAM and 3 more PowerMacs. I also have a NeXT and Apple II Plus clone I've got to find room for. And a few more Powerbooks. It's turned into quite an addiction for me during the WFH year and a half.

Well, I guess you’ll just have to build another matching display table for your acquisitions Do you have a plan or schematic for the table by chance? Raw lumber in the US has dropped down in price so now would be a good time for such projects!

 

[wottle]

Well, I guess you’ll just have to build another matching display table for your acquisitions Do you have a plan or schematic for the table by chance? Raw lumber in the US has dropped down in price so now would be a good time for such projects!

Yeah, I originally considered trying to add a top shelf above my unit, but I’m thinking a taller, multi-tier shelf unit may be in order. Have this one for devices I used regularly, but the shelf could be for devices not plugged in or ready to use.

Sadly no plans. I kind of winged it, since I knew the basic dimensions of the finished product. I made the top from 8’ 2x4 cedar planks joined with wood glue and biscuit joints. Then the two bases I built 4 rectangles out of cheap 2x4 white wood lumber, connected the pairs with a 2x4 at the top and bottom using pocket hole screws. That gave me 2 cubes to rest the top on. the bottom shelfs are the same as the top with notches cut out around the legs. Carpentry isn’t my forte, but it was a fun project and the thing is very sturdy.

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

Well, I think that unit came out really nicely. I like the look of "barn yard" builds. I think yours looks fantastic. The cedar grain top really makes it happen for me. They look like you reclaimed them right off an old tool shed and the white base comes off "white washed" and yeah, the whole thing is awesome - great job. I did something similar and just built some floating shelves from reclaimed wood from old book shelves I had (these were my folks shelves from the late 70s when I was a kid in the 80s & I somehow have always hung onto them. Anyhow, I now have just one of the shelves and have repurposed the other two into a floating shelf system for my computer room. I like the look and now my BT network printer and classic macs have a home on the wall. alongside my other junk