Slashdot Mirror

Old Macs, maybe.... I have a mini in my basement, and it works fine over VNC with nothing plugged into its video port.

Welcome to the World of Magic, brought to you by Dr. Bott.

Unfortunately, this little bit of magic sells for $299!! OUCH!!!

So there is a magic cable*. A very overpriced magic cable*. =)

* Actually a magic box.

Welcome to the World of Magic, brought to you by Dr. Bott.

Unfortunately, this little bit of magic sells for $299!! OUCH!!!

So there is a magic cable*. A very overpriced magic cable*. =)

* Actually a magic box.

Heck, yeah. If I had an iPod, I'd be all over this media reader. It's a bit bulky, but you can download photos to it, then when you sync up with iPhoto once you get back to your computer, it keeps the shots in the "rolls" you shot them in. Nice.

I guess you mean this one. Right now I'm sharing a 19" Planar LCD (1280x1024) with my Powerbook and PC using a cheap Compucable VGA & USB KVM. Its cheap in both senses of the word, but it works OK. But I'd prefer to use DVI. There don't seem to be any for less than the Belkin one I'd like to find one for less than $100, cables included, because the only difference for me would be a slight increase in clarity and less fuss, and no having to push the "adjust" button on the monitor when I switch between the two computers because the video is blurry or off center. This monitor also has both DVI and VGA, and you can switch between them, but it takes at least 3 button presses (depending on the mode you are in no less!), and of course that means that one computer is DVI and one is VGA. I've been searching for months for a KVM that'll meet my needs and wallet. Help?

Has anyone else tried these external antennae, and if so, has it resulted in better or worse signal when above or below the base station, compared to using an AEBS with no external antenna connection?

Since the G5 uses the ADC cable to send video, USB and power from the CPU to the monitor, get an ADC extension cable (Dr Botts makes 3m ADC extensions that can't be daisy-chained and $190 4.5m extensions that can) and have only one cable to deal with. Up to 18m according to their website: http://www.drbott.com/prod/db.lasso?code=0113-ADCP

How about... the TiCase from Dr. Bott? its the only case that matches the powerbook perfectly.. and stuff.

Oh so hott.

Several vendors have external batteries (or chargers) for the iPod.

A quick search gave me two AA powered solutions.

Myself, I just keep mine plugged in in the car and have 10 hours of charge whenever I leave the car. Easy enough?

The best KVM experience I got is with a manual USB KVM, which connects my G4 and my home-built Athlon box running XP Pro.

I tried upgrading to a powered USB KVM that had its own GUI, but I ended up returning it. I'm a lefty, and I like to have both mouse buttons set to "click" and pressing the wheel set to "context"-- the KVM intercepted this and refused to let the thing work any other way than left-click/right-context. The mouse would just appear as a generic two-button mouse to my computers.

Apparently the trick is to just use the plainest KVM you can find, if you want your computers to see the mouse as it actually is. The ones chock-full of whiz-bang features are designed with a rack of generic winboxes in mind, so the possibility that someone will want/need more than left-click/right-context functionality is not a consideration.

~Philly

Some of the newer Airports (AirPort Extreme perhaps) have an external antenna jack. There's even a company selling a matching external antenna, no drilling required.

Buy one or more of these.. Buy video card with DVI output for PC (not hard, a LOT of cards come with it now). Buy Apple LCD monitor as so desired. Put PC case sticker "Athlon Powered" or appropriate over shiney Apple logo. Plug everything together and hey presto, you have an Apple LCD monitor running on your PC.

As other posts pointed out, they're actually cheaper in some cases than PC LCD monitors, since the quantity model of PC LCD is only 15inch, while Apple does 1280x1024 17inch as the minimum

My work around for this is to use OSXVNC which does the job. However there is a catch I dont like. You cant use osxvnc on a headless mac. that is you have to have a display device connected to the mac to use osxvnc!!

It is annoying, but you can solve this problem for $20.The gHead is an adapter which will make the Mac think a monitor is attached. I think Apple ought to just include 1 of these in the box with each XServe.

So please be inspired, as well as titillated, by this QuickTime video where James Bondjumps off a building with his Titanium PB case. That is, take a flying leap, why don't you?

this

Dr. Bott has this "VGA Extractor for ADC" for us$35 plus S&H. I can't find any reviews of how well it works or how good the video quality is. On the other hand, I can't find any complaints.

My additional complaint is that the available video cards don't have standard TV Video out! This is becoming standard on equivalent WinTel video cards. I would rather use my Region 2 DVD drive to watch Spaced on my TV through a reliable MacOS box than my wonky WinTel box.

By the way, you're welcome for my Googling "ADC VGA adapter" ;^)

Dr. Bott has this "VGA Extractor for ADC" for us$35 plus S&H. I can't find any reviews of how well it works or how good the video quality is. On the other hand, I can't find any complaints.

My additional complaint is that the available video cards don't have standard TV Video out! This is becoming standard on equivalent WinTel video cards. I would rather use my Region 2 DVD drive to watch Spaced on my TV through a reliable MacOS box than my wonky WinTel box.

By the way, you're welcome for my Googling "ADC VGA adapter" ;^)

Their stuff is way overpriced, especially if you need a non-USB, cross-platform solution. It quickly turns into a tangled rat's nest of cables and adapters, all of which had to be bought separately. Just ridiculous.

If you need a good cross-platform solution, check out a Dr. Bott USB KVM. modestly priced, and they include all the cables you need and are ingeniously designed to handle Mac and PC style monitor connections with no adapters.

• Dr. Bott's DVIator is $149.00
• Gefen's DVI-to-ADC converter is $199.00 (and ugly)

Why yes, yes you can

I've seen some other success stories here and there.
Do the google to learn more.

I had a similar problem with two Macs and a x86 Linux box under my desk. My solution was a 4 way ADB KVM switch from Dr. Bott and a Griffin Technology iMate. I plugged the Macs in with the cables included with the switch, and used the iMate and a VGA to Mac video adapter I had lying around to hook up the x86 box. Worked well except for BIOS tweaking, which meant I kept the ps/2 keybaord on top of the machine and easy to reach.

I have since moved and the computers under my desk have changed as well. All my computers now have USB included or through an add-in card, and have VGA or easily adapted to VGA video. In the near future to clear my desk of two extraneous mouse and keyboard sets I plan to get a Dr. Bott 4-way USB/Dual-video KVM switch. This will likely mean keeping an ADB keyboard hidden under my desk for when bad things happen to my older Mac but otherwise is just as workable as my previous setup.

The moral of the story is to pick the lowest common denominator and get adapters for the one or two odd-ball machines. These days that means USB "K" and "M" with a VGA "V" which should work nicely assuming your hardware is less than 10 years old and your OSes are less than 3. I don't know about SGI, IBM or HP but any recent Mac, Wintel, or Sun workstation should work just fine with a USB/VGA KVM like the one I'm looking at buying the Moniswitch Pro Dual VGA.

Here's the situation...people like to take their music with them. This is why we have and have had for decades portable music devices--radios, tape players, CD players, car stereos, and now, portable MP3 players. People like music, especially when they are on the go. The RIAA surely must realize this, and they profit from it.

If it's convenient to carry a CD with you when you go jogging, it is even more convenient to carry your entire CD collection with you. At least 95% of the MP3s I have on my computer (I'm still holding off on the iPod purchase) are ripped from my own, legally owned CDs (I admit to possessing a few downloaded songs). However,I listen to music far more often while driving than while at home. Once I do get that iPod, and an iPod connection kit, listening to music in my truck will be more convenient. And I'll be able to listen while running. I'll listen to more music. I'll buy more music. RIAA will make more money. And, hopefully, I'll run more often.

So, let's start a grassroots effort here, and let the RIAA know that players MP3 will not decrease their revenue. They're likely to increase revenue, provided the record companies back off their ill conceived copy protection schemes.

That truly does sound like a lame move on the part of Sony et al, but there is some solace: The iPod includes a tiny little adaptor that attaches to the Firewire cable and allows you to charge it from a standard outlet. And third parties, such as Dr. Bott sell car-charger adaptors for around $25, as well as kits that allow you to play your iPod (and presumably, other music devices) through your car stereo. Cool!

Why spend all that time setting up HomePNA unless you already have it for something else? And even if you do have it, you're still limited by the device's need to be close to a phone jack.

Much more practical, I'd think, to get an FM transmitter installed in your PC, or even just attach one to your speaker jack. Noticably cheaper, than a Rio Receiver either way. This way you can pick up your MP3 collection from any FM radio in the house, even untethered battery-powered ones.

I've been using a 4 way Moniswitch from Dr. Bott happily for some time now. Granted I've been using the ADB version, but I imagine the USB version is of similar quality. I've been using it at 1152x870@85Hz with no video troubles, and had an x86 machine plugged in via a USB/ADB converter but had the PS/2 keyboard in reach for BIOS changes. The 4 way USB/VGA version is listed for $199. You'd probably want to get a USB card for any PS/2 only machines and keep the PS/2 keyboard plugged in and handy for BIOS changes like I did.

They also sell 8-way VGA/USB, 4 way dual-VGA/USB, and 4 way DVI/USB. I have no affiliation with Dr. Bott other than a happy customer.

Dr. Bott has the $199.00 MoniSwitch DVI. It's a 'manual' switch box, just like the Gefen one, but you can connect up to 4 computers.
I have no personal experience with either boxes, but this one seems like a better value.

The G4/DP 1 gig is a very appealing option, except:

1. I don't need a SuperDrive. I don't want a SuperDrive. Apple won't give you a 933 or 1GHz DP machine without a SuperDrive. Sorry but I'd rather save hundreds of dollars by simply not buying one!

2. ADC (Apple Display Connector) still really bugs me, and now they've really made it ugly. For those of you who aren't aware of Apple's hardware decision here I'm going to sum it up:
   • Apple created a proprietary connector, "ADC", for displays.
   • This connector carries power, DVI and USB along the same cable, reducing cable clutter.
   • The video card is a special one, with an extra set of pins at one end which connect to a separate power socket on the motherboard.
   • Without this power socket there is not enough juice fed to the card to power an entire display.

     THEREFORE Your system can only work with one Apple display, because only one card slot has this power connection.

   • If you wish to power an Apple Display using a system with no ADC port, you can, but you need to buy an external solution worth hundreds of dollars, which plugs into a video card's DVI output, a USB port, and into mains via a line-lump style power supply; and combines all these signals into an ADC connection.
   • Such adaptors require a DVI output from your video card.
   • The new video cards available on these Macs have one ADC output and one VGA output. There is absolutely no way to connect any current Apple display to that second monitor port.
   • There is no less-expensive, single-port card available for your Power Mac G4.
   • If you want a second Apple display you would have to purchase a video card with a DVI output to go into an un-accelerated PCI slot, and the special multi-hundred dollar adaptor described above to connect to the second Apple display's ADC connector.
   • If you want to use a non-Apple display on the ADC port you must buy a sub-$100 adaptor which breaks the DVI video signal out of the ADC connector for a 'standard' DVI flat display.
   • To my knowledge there is no adaptor that will give you a VGA output from the ADC port.

   What I'm getting at here is that Apple boasts that all the new Power Macs have support for dual monitors built in, but for a company who puts so much work into beautiful designs, they expect me to use two different, cosmetically mismatched displays! I don't believe that a VGA connector belongs on a flat panel due to inherent flickering issues, so that means a flat display on the ADC and a CRT on the VGA port. Ugly!

   If I want two displays that look the same, I have to enter into an imposing combination of needlessly wasted PCI slots, buying redundant cable adaptors, and spending a lot of money!

   I would love to have a DP 1 GHz with dual Apple 17" Studio displays. I really would. But the premium is too high.

   Apple should bury ADC now and issue an admission of stupidity.

   Apple did a great job of embracing standards with USB, and is arguably responsible for its success. Why they chose to suddenly abandon the DVI connector on Yosemite and original Sawtooth computers is a mytery to me. DVI was just catching on as a standard way of connecting flat panel displays. If Apple hadn't moved to ADC, we would have seen more Wintel video cards with DVI conectors on them now, because there would be more DVI-connected monitors on the market.

   Apologies for the rambling post... ADC has bothered me right from the start and now these new dual cards seem like the ultimate inconvenience.

If you want to use an Apple Studio Display or Apple Cinema Display on a computer with DVI but not ADC, you can get a "DVIator" cable:
http://www.drbott.com/prod/DVIator.html

I have several Dr. Bott USB KVM switches at work and have never in two years had any issues with them, working with both and 4-port in the server area and an 8-port in my office. I even have PCs running linux on the same switch with several Macs, never any problems. They are a tad pricey ($399 for the 8-port) but are worth every penny.

Hell, they even have a switch for 2 montitors on 4 computers!

I have several Dr. Bott USB KVM switches at work and have never in two years had any issues with them, working with both and 4-port in the server area and an 8-port in my office. I even have PCs running linux on the same switch with several Macs, never any problems. They are a tad pricey ($399 for the 8-port) but are worth every penny.

Hell, they even have a switch for 2 montitors on 4 computers!

A little over a year ago I bought a Dr. Bott 2-port USB KVM from DevDepot for $139. Dr. Bott stuff is more Mac-friendly than most-- the KVM has dual video ports (i.e. Mac DB15 and PC HD15) for each position on the switch.

All cables are included with the switch, and the video cables have one end HD15 and one end DB15-- no matter how you have to hook your computers up, you can get it done by just swapping cable ends, no video adapters needed.

Contrast this with Belkin, who charges out the ass for everything, cables are extra, and sometimes requires a separate box to provide Mac connectivity, resulting in an ugly mess of tangled cables. Sure, the Belkins are electronic while the Dr. Bott is physical, but I'd rather pay less and wait a few seconds for my keyboard and mouse to be detected when I switch (and have a much neater-looking work area).

Actually Dr Bott makes such an adapter, called the DVIator. It seems to be officially Mac-only, but it would probably work on a PC DVI card too. Apple even sells it in their online store, alongside an adapter to use older DVI displays on a newer ADC Mac.

Apple also makes some excellent flat panels (does anyone know whether there is an adapter to run them on PCs yet?)

• Dr. Bott's DVIator
  
• Gefen DVI to ADC
  

Some of the more valid reasons for not going with lcd that Eric didn't mention: some lcd's have issues displaying fast moving images (e.g. first-person shooter 3d games, dvds) and accurate/consistent color reproduction at all angles (even the Apple Cinema Display has some quibbles in that arena). A lot of the GeForce cards that sport DVI-out also don't really support 1600x1024/1200 via DVI (the Hercules GeForce2 Ultra and GeForce3 being notable exceptions). Not sure about the new Radeons. And getting above 1600x1200 via DVI isn't possible right now AFAIK. I think that's at least one reason why the super hi-res $15k IBM flat-panel needs that custom vid card.

Check out the coffeehaus wiki for more on getting wide screen lcd support on pc's.

Or you could use a DVIator adapter, or get one that has the DVI connector (the old version). These work really well with GeForce cards like the Hercules Prophet II Ultra or Gainward GeForce 3.

http://www.drbott.com/prod/ticase.html
http://www.drbott.com/prod/tipic.html

Yeah, it's spendy. But if you're going to get a Titanium PowerBook G4, you can afford it. We sell these at my store, they are perfect. Very rugged, space to store all your accessories, and they even have little standoff thingies so that you can prop the PowerBook up and use it right in the case. Beautiful.

Mr. Spleen

Now, what is a wedding? Well, Webster's Dictionary describes a wedding as, "The process of removing weeds from one's garden."

http://www.drbott.com/prod/ticase.html
http://www.drbott.com/prod/tipic.html

Yeah, it's spendy. But if you're going to get a Titanium PowerBook G4, you can afford it. We sell these at my store, they are perfect. Very rugged, space to store all your accessories, and they even have little standoff thingies so that you can prop the PowerBook up and use it right in the case. Beautiful.

Mr. Spleen

Now, what is a wedding? Well, Webster's Dictionary describes a wedding as, "The process of removing weeds from one's garden."

Did you know that the Apple Cinema Display also works just fine on a PC, or with Linux?

The Hercules Prophet II adapter with DVI out and a DVI monitor are a great combination in Windows or your favorite free OS! Haven't tried a Prophet III yet, but it should work.

Even if you can only get the ADC version (current model) Dr.Bott have an adapter made for people with older G4 Macs that will turn it back into a DVI/USB/Power device. Or, Gefen have a DVI-ADC box that includes the power supply.

Still useless. You _can_ run an Apple Cinema Display on your PC, see here for full details. BUT you can only use the older DVI-connector display. The new ones (sold now) have ADC connectors, with power, USB and video in one connector. While there may be a converter at some time (From Margi), eBay is your best source of 22" LCD goodness for the PC. Dr. Bott has a DVI monitor switch, allowing PC and Mac to co-exist with that nice monitor.

Here's one: http://www.drbott.com/prod/MSDVI.html
Since it's a digital interface, quality is not a huge issue, like it is with analog video switchboxes/cables.