I have been following this thread for awhile now as my old Dell p992 was a great monitor til it was replaced with a wide screen flat panel, and once it was moved out of my office for video games it started to have a greenish tint, became way too bright and and had 1/2 dozen curving horizontal trace lines visible on screen.
Got a cable off ebay and Windas to work and communicate with the P992, but for the life of me, and this may sound silly but I cant figure out how to get any text programs to wordwarp the dat file properly to make sense of the data. How do you know at what place to wrap the file so the column headers make sense? simple trial and error? sometimes I can get a few columns to line up, and the rest is spiraled off into swirls of numbers!!! I am afraid to edit any values as I am not sure I am in the right column.
Im sure it is something simple I am missing, or a process to follow that I am unaware of...can anyone help?
I have been following this thread for awhile now as my old Dell p992 was a great monitor til it was replaced with a wide screen flat panel, and once it was moved out of my office for video games it started to have a greenish tint, became way too bright and and had 1/2 dozen curving horizontal trace lines visible on screen.
Got a cable off ebay and Windas to work and communicate with the P992, but for the life of me, and this may sound silly but I cant figure out how to get any text programs to wordwarp the dat file properly to make sense of the data. How do you know at what place to wrap the file so the column headers make sense? simple trial and error? sometimes I can get a few columns to line up, and the rest is spiraled off into swirls of numbers!!! I am afraid to edit any values as I am not sure I am in the right column.
Im sure it is something simple I am missing, or a process to follow that I am unaware of...can anyone help?
I got a P992 that has totally different fields than your example and I cannot get the .dat file to wordwrap properly to make sense enough with the columns to edit anything...
Any ideas?
Ok. I admit I had just word wrapped it and adjusted the 'Notepad' window untill the sequence of numbers I was interested in read like a table.
If each field width is a constant number of characters, obviously every row length that is a multiple of that number will make a table. If the field width varies... tough luck.
You're probably interested in REG= blah blah blah blah.... depends on what the Expert Viewer says. People with P992s have had success, so you're not alone.
The registers are displayed in the same order in Expert viewer as they are in the .dat file. You can confirm this by looking at the numbers above and below the said number, they should be the same both in dat and in the Expert Viewer.
So even if you can't get it to read like table, you can still find the correct field with the clues mentioned above.
What I should have done, is included a procedure file with a G2 slider bar. So 'Adjust G2' would have been one of the procedures. Some one else might want to try this if they're not busy.
Awesome!!! It appears that I have one of the varying field length setups -- as I couldnt make heads or tails of the data with any level of confidence
...normally I am pretty bold when it comes to giant paper weights, as the monitor was nearly unusable -- but it seemed like people here were having alot of success so I thought caution might be the better part of valor here...
using your relational idea above I did a search for the first value in the set that contained a known G2 value until it matched the second value. Dropped the stored value from 186 to 150 and then to a 100 .... Presto!! Brand new monitor. I can now turn the brightness down and the contrast up on the monitor for full rich colors!
Seeing all the other values present -- is there a resource book or something that details what all the settings are for and what they affect?
Awesome!!! It appears that I have one of the varying field length setups -- as I couldnt make heads or tails of the data with any level of confidence
...normally I am pretty bold when it comes to giant paper weights, as the monitor was nearly unusable -- but it seemed like people here were having alot of success so I thought caution might be the better part of valor here...
using your relational idea above I did a search for the first value in the set that contained a known G2 value until it matched the second value. Dropped the stored value from 186 to 150 and then to a 100 .... Presto!! Brand new monitor. I can now turn the brightness down and the contrast up on the monitor for full rich colors!
Seeing all the other values present -- is there a resource book or something that details what all the settings are for and what they affect?
Thanks again!
I don't think there is any other info other than the register names you see in 'Expert Viewer'. Maybe Sony's official service site may have further info, but I have no idea how to access it. Maybe some registers are mentioned in some service manuals for particular models, but not for my model.
I think, the only way to figure them out is to do the procedures (which tell you what you're adjusting) and see what registers it is actually chaning. That could be done by reading the procedure files (.prc) or by monitoring the serial communication, (assuming you've read and understood the protocol in the .bus file).
Testing the effect for each of the 256 registers.. Danger set aside, this may be practical with the functions that can continuusly change a register. It'd have to be done in Hi/mid/low resolution frequency ranges.
So you'd watch a number on the screen indicated which register value was fluctuating, and see if it had any effect. Ofcourse, not all have visual effects, like the ABL settings.
Reading the schematics could give a good idea of what's possible from the MCU's seat of controll. From there on, educated guess could be made from the register names about what does what.
Last resort is to dump the code off the MCU and read what it does.
So in short, it's possible to figure it all out if you can't find official Sony info on it. Likely though, no one is going to go through the trouble. The procedures that exist are already adequate for bring the monitor up from defaults (tried it, fortunately it worked).
Hi to all from west french coast !
(And sorry for my bad English writing...)
Because they have the brightness problem, I was very happy when I found your topic and other website giving a solution to my 2x Dell P1110 my father took at his work, to give me.
I have read a lot of things, and tried some, but nothing work...
I did not test the hardware resistor change.
Will buy 2 or 3 value tomorrow in case Windas solution won't work :
- I've successfully installed Windas on my XP Pro SP2, with DLL and patch.
- I've put component on a test board to make the interface.
But Windas don't want to communicate with my P1110 :
"Can"t connect the monitor ! Check bus line and condition !"
To make the interface, I used kunj "how to" (page 16 of topic) :
EQUIPMENT
Max 232 chip
Serial cable (I used a Db9)
Wires (I cut up a USB header to get the .001 4 pin connector to connect to the monitor. A floppy power cord is equally as good.)
5 1 uf capacitors (ceramic 104M)
Prepare the Serial Cable
There are many ways to connect a serial cable to the breadboard, I found the easiest was to solder wires to the male pins. I found that cutting the cable for the wires was pointless as I couldn’t match the colours up with the pins as I only had a moulded cable.. Another way is to just stick the wires into a the female connector i(if you have a female to female cord) or stick them into the serial port of the computer.
To connect the serial cable to the breadboard you will be using pins 2 (tx), 3 (rx) 5 (grd). (if you are using a db25 cable then pin 2=rx 3=tx and 7=grd ) But before you do this you must close the circuit by connecting pins 4 (dtr) 6 (dsr) 8 (cts) together, (db25 pins 20, 6, 5). I managed to run some solder over each pin. Or use a female to female cord and just stick wires into each.
(Picture)
PIN CONNECTOR
2 TX
3 RX
5 GROUND
FUSE PINS 4 6 8
ECS (TTL) to Breadboard
For this I cut up a USB header (cost 5 dollars) for the connection to the monitor. Or you can use a spare Floppy drive power cord, or stick the wires into the monitor with blue tack.
CONNECTING THE CIRCUIT
(Picture)
You can use the numbers on the breadboard to help you to connect the circuit
Insert the max 232 chip into the top of the board with the small dot on the chip (pin 1) in D1 and pin 16 in F1.
Insert The Capacitors.
CAP1 D1……..D3
CAP2 D2……..G1
CAP3 D4……..D5
CAP4 D6……..G2
CAP5 BLUE 1…RED 1 ( FURTHER MOST FIGHT ROW IN THE ELECTRICAL SEGMENT OF THE BOARD)
INSERT THE WIRES (DB9)
SERIAL CABLE BB LOCATION NEXT TO PIN ON CHIP
PIN2 (TX)…….… D7 7=TX =T2OUT
PIN3 (RX)………… D8 8=RX=R2IN
PIN5 (GRD)....... BLUE 4
FROM THE MONITOR ECS, TTL TO BREADBOARD
WIRE BB LOCATION NEXT TO PIN ON CHIP
1=GROUND BLUE1
2=5+ RED1
3=RX G7 9=RX=R2OUT
4=TX G8 10=TX=T2IN
LINK THE CIRCUIT CONNECT THE BRIDGING WIRES TO THE BREADBOARD
WIRE BB LOCATION
1 H1….....RED3
2 H2…….G4
3 H4…….I10
4 G6…….H10
5 J10…...BLUE3
That’s it you're all finished…. Secure the serial and the ttl parts with some tape and connect to your computer and monitor.
Look at my components assembly => On ImageShack website :
/ img511SLASH6705 / windasinterfaceyo0.jpg
Is it wrong
I took capacitors on a broken assembly. I'll buy new ones tomorrow...
But I don't think it's capacitors fault...
Hi to all from west french coast !
(And sorry for my bad English writing...)
Because they have the brightness problem, I was very happy when I found your topic and other website giving a solution to my 2x Dell P1110 my father took at his work, to give me.
I have read a lot of things, and tried some, but nothing work...
I did not test the hardware resistor change.
Will buy 2 or 3 value tomorrow in case Windas solution won't work :
- I've successfully installed Windas on my XP Pro SP2, with DLL and patch.
- I've put component on a test board to make the interface.
But Windas don't want to communicate with my P1110 :
"Can"t connect the monitor ! Check bus line and condition !"
To make the interface, I used kunj "how to" (page 16 of topic) :
Look at my components assembly => On ImageShack website :
/ img511SLASH6705 / windasinterfaceyo0.jpg
Is it wrong
I took capacitors on a broken assembly. I'll buy new ones tomorrow...
But I don't think it's capacitors fault...
I couldn't figure out the URL for your picture, I'm not familiar with imageshack URLs.
One thing you might want to try is reversing the TX and RX. This has been a common problem. TX (of cable) connects to RX (of monitor) and vice versa.
Also, make sure the serial port itself works by testing other serial communication.
There are several other schematics and concept images you might want to look at. In my opinion, Kunj was a little TOO detailed! Suggesting exactly which 'pin' on the breadboard to place wires into made the process slightly harder for me to follow.
About the capacitors, Kunj doesn't say anything about polarity! I used electrolitic capacitors so I needed to know where to put the '+' side and where to put the '-' side. Perhaps you used electrolitic capacitors too.
Details like these are the reason I refered readers to their data sheet. The data sheet has everything you need to know.
(serial port (DB9/DB25)) ______________ (converter chip) _____________________ (monitor)
TX
>|___________|
> RX
RX <
|___________|<
TX
The signal runs straight through the chip
________________________________|___________|<
+5v
________________________________|___________|
> GRND
The monitor powers the chip
___________________________+|
|____________|
________________________(capacitor)
___________________________- |
|____________|
Some chips need extra capacitance on certain pins for internal functions.
CTS <
|
________^
________|
________^
RTS >
|
Loop 'clear to send' to 'ready to send'
GRND
>
(may have left something out, but basicly, you get the idea)
It's that simple! Your chip's data sheet will tell you were to hook up the power, and where to put the capacitance. The DB9 DB25 spec shows you which pins are what on the serial port. After that, you just run the TX -> RX and RX <- TX.
(the board is stripping spaces... and this isn't a proportional font... diagram may be ruined)
PLEASE HELP! I AM ABOUT TO FINISH BUT a new PROBLEM has arrived...
I have reordered the 4-pin header into the correct order as indicated by P991_DELL_SONY in his post
#737. The cable works fine now and the monitor does not switch off.
But I am facing a NEW error "Windas MFC Appliaction Error" .
Following the steps explained at w w w. geocities . com/gregua/windas/...
After running the Windas then Setup > Config > OK > then configuring the Ecs port > COM1 and SG Name >
Manual > OK. All untill here works fine.
But when I try to save the .dat file from File > Save Data to File, Windas crashes and I get a box that
pops up and says:
"WinDAS MFC application has encountered a problem and needs to close"
and following that
"The instruction at"0x73dd11c7" referenced memory at "0x00000004". The memory can not be read. Click on
OK to terminate the program".
Someting was expecting a meaningfull address, instead it got 4.
If anyone wants to, it'd be cool to see what the instructions at 0x73dd11c7 in the loaded image do.
I guess that it has something to do with editing the "activex.bat" file, where I believe, I did
something wrong.
I think if you can get to the monitor selection list, you did that part right. All it does is register flxgrd.ocx.
There are bugs all over this program. Perhaps I introduced them by my crude, one branch, patch to the instructions.
It has worked for other people with the same OS and monitor. So there MUST be a solution.
I've noticed that, once you have it already set, if you don't set it again:
Setup > Config > OK > then configuring the Ecs port > COM1 and SG Name >
Manual > OK.
then Windas will not crash. So don't touch Setup->config, or anything else under the Setup menu, and for that instance of WinDAS, there should be no crash.
I'm almost 100% sure I introduced that bug by the cheap 'guess and check' way I got around the security key. Fortunately, this seems to be the only bug.
I received the adapter cable from James Newton. It has a 9-pin (serial) on one end and a female 6-pin connector on the other end. After struggling with my Sony G500 monitor to male it open, I finally broke the two tabs (sniff, I hate breaking things) and could have access to the monitor connector: a vertical 4-pin connector.
Now, considering the post of 300PSI (see below), how should my female 6-pin (adapter cable) be connected to the male 4-pin connector of the monitor? According to the label on my cable the pins are as follows:
1- Vcc
2- GND
3- TX
4- RX
5- RTS
6- CTS.
The pin allocation do not match. In addition, the fear is to "F-up" the monitor on which I already spent a whole day installing the DAS software (including all the patches and carrying out all the tricky procedures) and USD 37.00 for the cable.
Sorry for posting strange replies. the last post is a quote from PSI300. I could not post it in a "normal" way as the thread kept saying "You are not allowed to post links". Do not know why it says that as there is no link in this post...
I have been told how to rearrange the wires in the right order, namely GND, +5V, Rx, Tx.
Now, how do I know which of the pins on the monitor (Sony G500) corresponds to GND: is it the bottom pin or the top pin? The adapter cable could be connected upside down...
I've noticed that, once you have it already set, if you don't set it again:
Setup > Config > OK > then configuring the Ecs port > COM1 and SG Name >
Manual > OK.
then Windas will not crash. So don't touch Setup->config, or anything else under the Setup menu, and for that instance of WinDAS, there should be no crash.
So now I did not touch any thing under Setup menu, and yes for that instance of windas there was no crash.
After running Windas, File > Save Data to File.
Another problem was waiting for me namely the same as for Propeace post #756:
Windas fails to communicate with my Dell-P1110 :
"Can't connect the monitor !
Check bus line and condition !"
Please see the image WindasError3.JPG. As u can see in the image that I have successfully selected my model name, but even then problems....
Should I try the proposition by P991 DELL SONY to Propeace post #758:
But when I try to save the .dat file from File > Save Data to File, Windas crashes and I get a box that pops up and says:
"WinDAS MFC application has encountered a problem and needs to close"
"The instruction at"0x73dd11c7" referenced memory at "0x00000004". The memory can not be read. Click on OK to terminate the program".
refer to image WindasMFCApplicationError2.JPG.
To add the last drop I searced in the google and found one answer to the previous question at:
http: //wiki.answers. com /Q/What_does_'the_instruction_at_0x73dd11c7_referenced_memory_at_0x00000004_the_
memory_could_not_be_read'_mean
Question:
What does 'the instruction at 0x73dd11c7 referenced memory at 0x00000004 the memory could not be read' mean?
Answer:
get latest windows 2000 or xp service pack to fix problem because winlogon service will not start or end prematurely because of this datea reference problem.
Desperately looking for a SOLUTION:
I do not want to retreat nor surrender!!!:)
I also have this problem (cannot save .dat file). I bought the adapter cable from one of the recommended sources.
I opened the housing of the DE9 connector. I am wondering if the problem does not come from the welding (for wires connected to the 4-pin/6-pin head). It seems that some welding points cover two copper lines (I am not a specialist) which may lead to erroneous signals or short-cuts.
I have the same problems as you have, except the "memory could not be read" one. I also reversed the TX and RX wires (TX-adapter should go to RX-monitor and RX-adapter to TX-monitor): same errors. As mentioned in my last post, I am wondering if my adapter cable is really working properly (soldering problem?). As I do not have any specific tools to remove solder, I do not want to try any "repair" (if any) and risk to make it worse.
I am not in the mood to spend again USD 37 to buy another adapter cable either, even from another supplier. I read the whole thread through twice, I just noticed that those who have these problems rarely announce that they could solve the problem. Is it because they do not care informing people of their success, or is it because they could not solve the problem at all?
P991__DELL_SONY where are you? long time no replies we NEED your help...:):):)!!!
I am now in a BIG BIG trouble!!!:sad2::sad2::sad2:
To my previous post #766, I just reversed the TX and RX of the monitor (as suggested by P991__DELL_SONY to Propeace post #758) on the bread board and every thing started working perfectly.
I saved the EEPROM .dat file from Windas. Following that I dropped the defalut G2-value 158, and uploaded the file with new values as follows:
1- From 158 to 130 (the monitor turned blank(switched off) and took around 20-25 minutes to load the new value).
At this value the colors/brightness was not good. Then
2- From 130 to 110 (the monitor turned blank(switched off) and took around 3 minutes to load the new value)
At this, G2=110, value the colors were almost perfect! But my curiosity leads me to do more experiment and
3- From 110 to 100 (the monitor turned blank(switched off) and took around 3 minutes to load the new value)
At this, G2=100, value the colors were quite darker/very low brightness.
4- So I increased the G2-value from 100 to 105.
5- After loading the new file with G2=105 my monitor turned blank/switched off as usual. I was expecting it to come back with the new value. BUT the WORST nightmare happened, my joy and happiness expired, I waited for 5
hours and the monitor did not turn to normal and still it is DEAD/Blank.
I even removed the cable restared the PC but useless.
I REQUEST to all the readers PLEASE HELP me. I have no idea what to do.
If someone else has the same experience and got the monitor working again then please do share your ideas/solutions.
I am DESPERATELY looking for a solution.
P991__DELL_SONY where are you? long time no replies we NEED your help...!!!
I received the adapter cable from James Newton. It has a 9-pin (serial) on one end and a female 6-pin connector on the other end. After struggling with my Sony G500 monitor to male it open, I finally broke the two tabs (sniff, I hate breaking things) and could have access to the monitor connector: a vertical 4-pin connector.
Now, considering the post of 300PSI (see below), how should my female 6-pin (adapter cable) be connected to the male 4-pin connector of the monitor? According to the label on my cable the pins are as follows:
1- Vcc
2- GND
3- TX
4- RX
5- RTS
6- CTS.
The pin allocation do not match. In addition, the fear is to "F-up" the monitor on which I already spent a whole day installing the DAS software (including all the patches and carrying out all the tricky procedures) and USD 37.00 for the cable.
Any guidance is welcome.
USD 37.00!!!!!!!!???????
That really make me angry! Last I heard, $27 was the most expensive.
For 37.00 you can just by a brand new refurbished 21 inch trinitron of Craigslist, or Ebay (local pickup).
The converter itself costs only $1!!! Everthing besides the converter chip is just wires.
Ordering the chips in bulk can make them much less than $1. They can be mailed in an envelope. It's just really depressing you had to pay so much money.
I have been told how to rearrange the wires in the right order, namely GND, +5V, Rx, Tx.
Now, how do I know which of the pins on the monitor (Sony G500) corresponds to GND: is it the bottom pin or the top pin? The adapter cable could be connected upside down...
Any guidance is welcome.
Only a few posts ago this question was answered.
The pins are probably labeled. I don't know what chasis the G500 is, so I can't say for sure.
As far as I can tell, the pins are in the same order, top->bottom on every monitor.
It's only a few posts back, use the 'search' feature if you must.
I also have this problem (cannot save .dat file). I bought the adapter cable from one of the recommended sources.
I opened the housing of the DE9 connector. I am wondering if the problem does not come from the welding (for wires connected to the 4-pin/6-pin head). It seems that some welding points cover two copper lines (I am not a specialist) which may lead to erroneous signals or short-cuts.
Is there any specialist able to confirm / infirm?
There are NO recommended sources. I mentioned multiple options on my site to further that point.
I highly doubt that wires were welded together in error. If you really want to be sure, look up at the pinout for the DB9 connector.
My recommended source would be... local electronics shops. Or an online electronics supplier that can ship to you cheaply.
There really is no special knowledge required for any of this. There have been users posting a 'pin by pin' description of what to do. Ofcourse, I recrommend you actually know what the pins are, as this gurantees you won't make mistake by blindly following instructions.
I have the same problems as you have, except the "memory could not be read" one. I also reversed the TX and RX wires (TX-adapter should go to RX-monitor and RX-adapter to TX-monitor): same errors. As mentioned in my last post, I am wondering if my adapter cable is really working properly (soldering problem?). As I do not have any specific tools to remove solder, I do not want to try any "repair" (if any) and risk to make it worse.
I am not in the mood to spend again USD 37 to buy another adapter cable either, even from another supplier. I read the whole thread through twice, I just noticed that those who have these problems rarely announce that they could solve the problem. Is it because they do not care informing people of their success, or is it because they could not solve the problem at all?
Any reply is warmly welcome.
The majority of people never post anything here. I know this because suppliers I list on my site get a flood of buisness. In addition, my HOWTO site gets around 100 visitors a day.
I wonder wether they found a solution, or just gave up.
I'm sorry there are people who run into problems. Fortunately, few of these problems have been related to any one specific monitor. The 'locked OSD' was the only chasis specific problem, and it has been solved.
The DB9/DB25 and monitor pinouts are the same for everone (only one rare exception to date). Remember to loop RTS to CTS if your cable leaves them hanging. Also, I think GRND should be hooked to the GRND from monitor too. If you bought a chip, remember to read the data sheet.
This 'cable' is not very complicated. You basicly run signals (as voltages relative to a ground) through a black box.
P991__DELL_SONY where are you? long time no replies we NEED your help...:):):)!!!
I am now in a BIG BIG trouble!!!:sad2::sad2::sad2:
To my previous post #766, I just reversed the TX and RX of the monitor (as suggested by P991__DELL_SONY to Propeace post #758) on the bread board and every thing started working perfectly.
I saved the EEPROM .dat file from Windas. Following that I dropped the defalut G2-value 158, and uploaded the file with new values as follows:
1- From 158 to 130 (the monitor turned blank(switched off) and took around 20-25 minutes to load the new value).
At this value the colors/brightness was not good. Then
2- From 130 to 110 (the monitor turned blank(switched off) and took around 3 minutes to load the new value)
At this, G2=110, value the colors were almost perfect! But my curiosity leads me to do more experiment and
3- From 110 to 100 (the monitor turned blank(switched off) and took around 3 minutes to load the new value)
At this, G2=100, value the colors were quite darker/very low brightness.
4- So I increased the G2-value from 100 to 105.
5- After loading the new file with G2=105 my monitor turned blank/switched off as usual. I was expecting it to come back with the new value. BUT the WORST nightmare happened, my joy and happiness expired, I waited for 5
hours and the monitor did not turn to normal and still it is DEAD/Blank.
I even removed the cable restared the PC but useless.
I REQUEST to all the readers PLEASE HELP me. I have no idea what to do.
If someone else has the same experience and got the monitor working again then please do share your ideas/solutions.
I am DESPERATELY looking for a solution.
P991__DELL_SONY where are you? long time no replies we NEED your help...!!!
I am using Dell-P1110 with Windows XP SP2.
I'm sorry. I don't know what happened there.
Is the light green? Have you tried unplugging the monitor? If it's a monitor software lockup, unplugging will stop it.
I'm just making guesses as you would.
Cheer up!You have the dat file saved! You can reset the thing to factory defaults, and just load in the dat file.
That is, if you can get it to respond to windas again.
Do you think something broke physically? It doesn't sound like it. Maybe the cable wiggled loose during the procedure?
If the same thing worked before, I don't see what could have gone totally wrong the 3rd time you did it.
Do you think Windows XP SP2 intervened on your serial communication, or had serial settings that caused the communication to be intermittent? Other than that, your PC has nothing to do with it.
Everybody thinks they have a problem that happened to just them. Especially when they see that no one else is talking about it. Alot of people had sucessfully fixed their monitor, it wasn't untill later that problems started being voiced. Thanks to the thread being a complete mess, some problems have been repeated more than once.
It is very unlikely that you have a problem that no one else has gotten around. Unfortuately, no one sticks around here to help, so you'll have to 're-invent the wheel'.
I was lucky enough not to run into any notable problems. Sure, it took some trial and error to get my cable working, but it was nothing horrible. Windas itself was a pain to get working, I wasn't even familiar with windows.
The golden rule of troubleshooting is... break it down. Then debug each system you broke it down into. Try everything (everything logical that is). Insultingly unhelpfull, but it's the best I can tell you.
Most importantly, when you solve it, please report it, so that some one in your situation again will have an easy time.
Is the light green? Have you tried unplugging the monitor? If it's a monitor software lockup, unplugging will stop it.
NO GREEN light:sad2: and even no red light.Yes I did unplug the cable from the CPU not from the monitor i.e. not from both ends. I will do it today.
Cheer up!You have the dat file saved! You can reset the thing to factory defaults, and just load in the dat file.
Yes I do have the orginial dat file, BUT HOW to reset it to factory-defaults/settings in this situation?
Do you think something broke physically? It doesn't sound like it. Maybe the cable wiggled loose during the procedure?
For sure nothing broke physically. About cable wiggling I do not think so, but I will cross check it.
Notably the 3rd time when I uploaded the dat file and after the monitor turned blank, there was a sound like, for example, when someone tries to close a txt (or doc or whatever) file without saving and then Windows pops up a message do you like to save changes. Of course the monitor was blank at that instant and I do not know what was the message by the windows.
NO GREEN light:sad2: and even no red light.Yes I did unplug the cable from the CPU not from the monitor i.e. not from both ends. I will do it today.
Yes I do have the orginial dat file, BUT HOW to reset it to factory-defaults/settings in this situation? For sure nothing broke physically. About cable wiggling I do not think so, but I will cross check it.
That would not make a difference. The computer isn't a problem anyway, even if it could detect the cable's presence.
I meant, to unplug the power from the monitor. (sorry if you've tried this allready.)
If nothing is broken physically, it's just a matter of reseting the monitors internal computer. I'd think unplugging the monitor would stop it in it's tracks cold. Maybe waiting for some caps to discharge would be necessary. I'd think plugging it back in again resets the internal computer.
Maybe because an update was aborted before completion, something weird would happen with the monitors settings. I doubt it though. Atleast I'm almost entirely sure windas will be able to communicate once you reset the state of the internal computer. It's software, (with the program to communicate with windas), is likely on a pernament ROM. A reset will make it enter a known state, which I doubt would be unresponsive to windas.
Notably the 3rd time when I uploaded the dat file and after the monitor turned blank, there was a sound like, for example, when someone tries to close a txt (or doc or whatever) file without saving and then Windows pops up a message do you like to save changes. Of course the monitor was blank at that instant and I do not know what was the message by the windows.
Hmm. I don't know. Maybe it said "Check ECS cable" or something. Atleast you know something out of the ordinary happened and was detected that time.
Any other suggestions are welcome!
Glad I didn't insult you too much with my earlier suggestions. I think you will be back in buisness soon, assuming nothing physically broke.
I just wanna thank you guys. My Sony CPD-E530 is now running better than ever before.
I bought a cable for $21 on eBay, when I got it I had some problems running WinDAS at first but another member whose name I can't remember right now zipped everything up (I still had to run a patch of some sort).
Anywho, when I got WinDAS up and running I just had to figure out how to change the G2 (felt like I had warped back to 1995 or something, although I was 9 years old back then) voltage value - bingo, after a few changes (and long - patient but nervous - waits for the data to upload) I found a value that worked out well.
I also switch to "easy" color mode and ran Image Restoration (a very important step) which totally got rid of the red-brown tint that the monitor was suffering of.
Now I run the monitor at a brightness setting of around 50, contrast 100.
It looks GREAT again, just as when I bought it! The black level is awesome and the colors are vivid. I recommend "normankoren dot com slash makingfineprints1A dot html" (apparently I can't make links in posts) for calibrating the gamma, black level and colors.
Although I must say that the entire process could have been smoother if someone would take it upon them to maybe advertise about this problem and sell cables coupled with CDs with a simplified program that does what WinDAS does in a very user-friendly manner.
That person could also make some money, and people wouldn't have to throw away their monitors because of this stupid error. Lots of money would be saved, perfectly good monitors wouldn't go to waste which would mean the environment would be spared a little...
Well, anyway - thanks to all you who have contributed to this thread!
Although I must say that the entire process could have been smoother if someone would take it upon them to maybe advertise about this problem and sell cables coupled with CDs with a simplified program that does what WinDAS does in a very user-friendly manner.
That person could also make some money, and people wouldn't have to throw away their monitors because of this stupid error. Lots of money would be saved, perfectly good monitors wouldn't go to waste which would mean the environment would be spared a little...
I think the idea of people passing on the cables is a great one, particualrly as many people desperate to extend the life of these fantastic monitors are likely to have limited means. I guess it boils down to whether or not it's a popular idea with the people who currently have one sitting in their box of leads doing nothing! :bigggrin:
It should be simple enough to package the tools in an iso and post them to one of the many p2p networks, first limiting the 'build requirements' to known working chassis.
If this thread continues to recieve interest then it could be a place to register the software working on other trinitrons.
There should be no problems with involvemnt from Sony as you would not be hosting or linking to the files though please bear in mind I am not a lawyer in way shape or from!
So then, anyone want to lend me their cable for a week?
I'm really interested in this method in regenerating Trinitron monitors, however I'm unable to confirm that I'm suffering the exact same problem.
My Multiscan CPD-E500E when passed on to me had an overall lack of contrast, very poor black representation and a dullish red cast to the whole image.
With brightness and contrast at minimum the screen is still clearly visible, just a little less washed out. There are no lines to speak of (excepting trinitron wires)
I've made rudimentary adjustments to rGain and rBias with little or no positive effect.
I'm certainly keen on giving this a go. I'd be really, really sad to have to replace it - I simply can't afford 2nd hand 21" Trinitron FST in UK right now and I totally agree with Branstrom on the environmental aspects of just resigning this monitor to land fill.
I'm really interested in this method in regenerating Trinitron monitors, however I'm unable to confirm that I'm suffering the exact same problem.
My Multiscan CPD-E500E when passed on to me had an overall lack of contrast, very poor black representation and a dullish red cast to the whole image.
With brightness and contrast at minimum the screen is still clearly visible, just a little less washed out. There are no lines to speak of (excepting trinitron wires)
Well, if you were to go the Windas route, there are a number of adjustments you can try to improve the image quality. The common brightness problem is infact a mystery. The G2 isn't the problem. It's just lowered to compensate.
It sounds to me like over brightness, especially that with minimum brightness contrast that you still get a clear picture.
lthough I must say that the entire process could have been smoother if someone would take it upon them to maybe advertise about this problem and sell cables coupled with CDs with a simplified program that does what WinDAS does in a very user-friendly manner.
That person could also make some money, and people wouldn't have to throw away their monitors because of this stupid error. Lots of money would be saved, perfectly good monitors wouldn't go to waste which would mean the environment would be spared a little...
Well, $21 is quite a deal over what this used to cost. Some one had been charging $40 for the cable and $10 to do the adustment, while the only capability you could do with the software on the CD was load several adjusted .dat. It was mis advertised as a special ECS cable. To this day, there are people falling to that long dead misconception that an 'ECS cable' is needed.
The truth is, a large and very competitive market allready exists for TTL<>RS232. It's used in alot of things. Chances are, you may have such a cable at home already for a cheap pocket organizer. A user a few posts ago infact used one.
Another guy made a very nice cable for only 12 canadian. (~6 USD?)
The sad thing is, this is one of those things where some people think they need to buy the 'recommened' cable. That kills price competition. Before you know what happened, it starts to cost $50 to fix a monitor worth only about $50.
massmind.org actually sells cables like you mentioned. They make a few bucks for their time spent, and hence you can find cheaper on ebay sometimes. It's nice that massmind mentions cheaper alternatives.
Like Branstrom says, some one can make some money by ordering these parts in bulk, and assembling the cables. I should work out if it can be done much cheaper than what's on Ebay now.
What's needed is a way to share existing cables that relies on more than trust. It'd need to be so many per region, as international shipping is very expensive.
For now though, just see if you can buy the parts locally. It's not that hard.
Branstrom makes a good point about the software. It's a reall mess. I was thinking of making a G2 adjustment procedure, haven't really worked much on it.
I really like Ragawu's idea to put it on P2P. Any other way and Sony could possibly become a problem. The Windas Howto would be a part of ShortMedia if it wasn't for the Sony issue. More reason to redo the software.
Anyway, the biggest issue here is just saving these things from the dump. They beat most LCDs in image quality and resolution. The bang for buck can't be beat. There are so many people out there using crappy 15 inch shadow mask monitors that I know would love to fix a 19-21 inch trashed trinitron. I hope this can be kept as cheap and easy as possible for those people. Spread the word.
My old monitor was breaking (streaking, dim) and hurting my eyes, when I saw my P991 for the first time in the trash. Even with the brightness issue it was an improvement. This thread was dead for months, last post being a big obnoxious advertisement for a $50 cable, adjustmests sent by email. Either that or the resistor 'fix', which was only documented for the G1 chasis. Atomist and 300PSI showed the hardware, but the DOS softtware only worked on old models. Then came the Windas Howto, and the rest was history. The thread blossomed with information about what people had done with DAS, and how they had built or aquired a cable cheaply.
A simmilar thread on hard forums also explored the possibilites.
Thanks again to everyone who posted here. A vibrant display is priceless. It has been very usefull to many people to be able to adjust their displays, rather than treat them as black boxes. I'm goin to be redoing the howto this month, hoping to adress all the concerns in this thread, so that the experience will be seamless.
For now though, just see if you can buy the parts locally. It's not that hard.
Well that was an option, however I was interested in something sturdy as it's likely I'll have uses for this adaptor in the future. I seem to have struck gold and found a well made RS232<>TTL adaptor for less than GBP £8 inc P&P from a Bulgarian electronics firm on eBay with great feedback and lots of interesting PCBs.
This item: eBay number 120128391293 even has the pins in the correct order, so a simple internal USB cable will do the trick!
Forgot to mention there's also a USB version of this, only difference is you'd have to solder wires to the board or use some sort of clamp. Check out their other items.
I'll post back here once I've tried it out.. hopefully with good news! :-)
i just got a cable (& software) from xweebie but am having problems getting the software to work
if anyone has had this exact issue perhaps you can steer me in the right direction & save me some time
the cable appears to be connected correctly to the monitor; i get the "red light" lighting up that i am supposed to when it is attached to the monitor - i don't know if i am supposed to get any other lights lighting up at any point though
when i first ran WINDAS i got multiple error messages that say:
"ASTRO SG IS NOT USED. PLEASE CHECK CONFIGURATION!"
"ASTRO SG COMMUNICATION ERROR"
"ASTRO SG TIMING SETUP ERROR"
i think perhaps that is not actually a problem though, and i was able to configure the software to no longer generate them by changing the "SG Name" field in the CONFIG setting to "MANUAL" from the default of "VG819" (was that a proper thing to do?????)
i was able to select my monitor Dell P1110 in config aok
but after that, if i try to capture my settings with "FILE / SAVE DATA TO FILE", it appears to not work, the program thinks for a little but then says "CAN'T CONNECT THE MONITOR. CHECK BUS LINE AND CONDITION"
i have the connector hooked up to COM2 & the software configured to use COM2; i also tried COM1 & changed the software to reflect that but i get the same behavior there as well
any ideas appreciated! i have no idea whatsoever how to modify anything on the cable though :-(
so i'll answer my questions in case anyone else has the same Qs..
when i first ran WINDAS i got multiple error messages that say:
"ASTRO SG IS NOT USED. PLEASE CHECK CONFIGURATION!"
"ASTRO SG COMMUNICATION ERROR"
"ASTRO SG TIMING SETUP ERROR"
i think perhaps that is not actually a problem though, and i was able to configure the software to no longer generate them by changing the "SG Name" field in the CONFIG setting to "MANUAL" from the default of "VG819" (was that a proper thing to do?????)
YES that is correct to do that! "SG" stands for "signal generator"; the software is set by default to be looking for one for some kind of automatic setup - but we are not doing that, so we need to tell it that! setting the CONFIG to "MANUAL" accomplishes that
if i try to capture my settings with "FILE / SAVE DATA TO FILE", it appears to not work, the program thinks for a little but then says "CAN'T CONNECT THE MONITOR. CHECK BUS LINE AND CONDITION"
i have the connector hooked up to COM2 & the software configured to use COM2; i also tried COM1 & changed the software to reflect that but i get the same behavior there as well
i had 2 problems going on!
first of all, i had not rebooted my PC (or powered off my monitor?) after installing the WINDAS software; and for whatever reason (and i am not sure if this would be true for anybody else) but no matter what COM port i chose in config & attached the cable to, it wouldn't work until i rebooted/powered everything off
second - my COM2 port is disabled!!!!!! and this is the port i am trying to use by default for WINDAS (my COM1 port is being used for my modem)
so i had the WINDAS cable attached to COM2, the program configured to COM2, but the port itself is not active in win98!!!! for some unknown reason it doesn't even show up!!!!!!!!! i've never had the occasion to use it before so i never noticed - it must be disabled in the BIOS or something (?)
when i switched to COM1 now it works!!!!! so i was able to save my existing monitor data!! yippeeee
tomorrow/later in the week i will futz with the G2 setting (wish me luck)
Comments
Got a cable off ebay and Windas to work and communicate with the P992, but for the life of me, and this may sound silly but I cant figure out how to get any text programs to wordwarp the dat file properly to make sense of the data. How do you know at what place to wrap the file so the column headers make sense? simple trial and error? sometimes I can get a few columns to line up, and the rest is spiraled off into swirls of numbers!!! I am afraid to edit any values as I am not sure I am in the right column.
Im sure it is something simple I am missing, or a process to follow that I am unaware of...can anyone help?
Thanks!
Ok. I admit I had just word wrapped it and adjusted the 'Notepad' window untill the sequence of numbers I was interested in read like a table.
If each field width is a constant number of characters, obviously every row length that is a multiple of that number will make a table. If the field width varies... tough luck.
You're probably interested in REG= blah blah blah blah.... depends on what the Expert Viewer says. People with P992s have had success, so you're not alone.
The registers are displayed in the same order in Expert viewer as they are in the .dat file. You can confirm this by looking at the numbers above and below the said number, they should be the same both in dat and in the Expert Viewer.
So even if you can't get it to read like table, you can still find the correct field with the clues mentioned above.
What I should have done, is included a procedure file with a G2 slider bar. So 'Adjust G2' would have been one of the procedures. Some one else might want to try this if they're not busy.
...normally I am pretty bold when it comes to giant paper weights, as the monitor was nearly unusable -- but it seemed like people here were having alot of success so I thought caution might be the better part of valor here...
using your relational idea above I did a search for the first value in the set that contained a known G2 value until it matched the second value. Dropped the stored value from 186 to 150 and then to a 100 .... Presto!! Brand new monitor. I can now turn the brightness down and the contrast up on the monitor for full rich colors!
Seeing all the other values present -- is there a resource book or something that details what all the settings are for and what they affect?
Thanks again!
I don't think there is any other info other than the register names you see in 'Expert Viewer'. Maybe Sony's official service site may have further info, but I have no idea how to access it. Maybe some registers are mentioned in some service manuals for particular models, but not for my model.
I think, the only way to figure them out is to do the procedures (which tell you what you're adjusting) and see what registers it is actually chaning. That could be done by reading the procedure files (.prc) or by monitoring the serial communication, (assuming you've read and understood the protocol in the .bus file).
Testing the effect for each of the 256 registers.. Danger set aside, this may be practical with the functions that can continuusly change a register. It'd have to be done in Hi/mid/low resolution frequency ranges.
So you'd watch a number on the screen indicated which register value was fluctuating, and see if it had any effect. Ofcourse, not all have visual effects, like the ABL settings.
Reading the schematics could give a good idea of what's possible from the MCU's seat of controll. From there on, educated guess could be made from the register names about what does what.
Last resort is to dump the code off the MCU and read what it does.
So in short, it's possible to figure it all out if you can't find official Sony info on it. Likely though, no one is going to go through the trouble. The procedures that exist are already adequate for bring the monitor up from defaults (tried it, fortunately it worked).
(And sorry for my bad English writing...)
Because they have the brightness problem, I was very happy when I found your topic and other website giving a solution to my 2x Dell P1110 my father took at his work, to give me.
I have read a lot of things, and tried some, but nothing work...
I did not test the hardware resistor change.
Will buy 2 or 3 value tomorrow in case Windas solution won't work :
- I've successfully installed Windas on my XP Pro SP2, with DLL and patch.
- I've put component on a test board to make the interface.
But Windas don't want to communicate with my P1110 :
"Can"t connect the monitor ! Check bus line and condition !"
To make the interface, I used kunj "how to" (page 16 of topic) :
Look at my components assembly => On ImageShack website :
/ img511SLASH6705 / windasinterfaceyo0.jpg
Is it wrong
I took capacitors on a broken assembly. I'll buy new ones tomorrow...
But I don't think it's capacitors fault...
Please, help me !
PLEASE HELP! I AM ABOUT TO FINISH BUT a new PROBLEM has arrived...
I have reordered the 4-pin header into the correct order as indicated by P991_DELL_SONY in his post
#737. The cable works fine now and the monitor does not switch off.
But I am facing a NEW error "Windas MFC Appliaction Error" .
Following the steps explained at w w w. geocities . com/gregua/windas/...
After running the Windas then Setup > Config > OK > then configuring the Ecs port > COM1 and SG Name >
Manual > OK. All untill here works fine.
But when I try to save the .dat file from File > Save Data to File, Windas crashes and I get a box that
pops up and says:
"WinDAS MFC application has encountered a problem and needs to close"
and following that
"The instruction at"0x73dd11c7" referenced memory at "0x00000004". The memory can not be read. Click on
OK to terminate the program".
I guess that it has something to do with editing the "activex.bat" file, where I believe, I did
something wrong.
I have Sony-Dell-P1110 monitor and I am running Windows XPSP2.
P.S: I have searched the thread and found the same problem but no solution was mentioned by the poster
i.e post #387.
desperately looking for the solution!!!
http://www.imageshack.us/img511/6705/windasinterfaceyo0.jpg
???
I couldn't figure out the URL for your picture, I'm not familiar with imageshack URLs.
One thing you might want to try is reversing the TX and RX. This has been a common problem. TX (of cable) connects to RX (of monitor) and vice versa.
Also, make sure the serial port itself works by testing other serial communication.
There are several other schematics and concept images you might want to look at. In my opinion, Kunj was a little TOO detailed! Suggesting exactly which 'pin' on the breadboard to place wires into made the process slightly harder for me to follow.
About the capacitors, Kunj doesn't say anything about polarity! I used electrolitic capacitors so I needed to know where to put the '+' side and where to put the '-' side. Perhaps you used electrolitic capacitors too.
Details like these are the reason I refered readers to their data sheet. The data sheet has everything you need to know.
(serial port (DB9/DB25)) ______________ (converter chip) _____________________ (monitor)
TX
>|___________|
> RX
RX <
|___________|<
TX
The signal runs straight through the chip
________________________________|___________|<
+5v
________________________________|___________|
> GRND
The monitor powers the chip
___________________________+|
|____________|
________________________(capacitor)
___________________________- |
|____________|
Some chips need extra capacitance on certain pins for internal functions.
CTS <
|
________^
________|
________^
RTS >
|
Loop 'clear to send' to 'ready to send'
GRND
>
(may have left something out, but basicly, you get the idea)
It's that simple! Your chip's data sheet will tell you were to hook up the power, and where to put the capacitance. The DB9 DB25 spec shows you which pins are what on the serial port. After that, you just run the TX -> RX and RX <- TX.
(the board is stripping spaces... and this isn't a proportional font... diagram may be ruined)
Someting was expecting a meaningfull address, instead it got 4.
If anyone wants to, it'd be cool to see what the instructions at 0x73dd11c7 in the loaded image do.
I think if you can get to the monitor selection list, you did that part right. All it does is register flxgrd.ocx.
There are bugs all over this program. Perhaps I introduced them by my crude, one branch, patch to the instructions.
It has worked for other people with the same OS and monitor. So there MUST be a solution.
I've noticed that, once you have it already set, if you don't set it again:
then Windas will not crash. So don't touch Setup->config, or anything else under the Setup menu, and for that instance of WinDAS, there should be no crash.
I'm almost 100% sure I introduced that bug by the cheap 'guess and check' way I got around the security key. Fortunately, this seems to be the only bug.
Sorry about that.
We have purchased icrontic.com and merged the old icrontic into the old short-media. It's a long story
Suffice to say, this thread is intact and remains up to date and helpful
Thanks!
Brian
Now, considering the post of 300PSI (see below), how should my female 6-pin (adapter cable) be connected to the male 4-pin connector of the monitor? According to the label on my cable the pins are as follows:
1- Vcc
2- GND
3- TX
4- RX
5- RTS
6- CTS.
The pin allocation do not match. In addition, the fear is to "F-up" the monitor on which I already spent a whole day installing the DAS software (including all the patches and carrying out all the tricky procedures) and USD 37.00 for the cable.
Any guidance is welcome.
Monitor
R232IT
Pin 1---GND
Pin 1---GND
Pin 2---STBY +5VDC--Pin 4---+5VDC (connect NO power is needed)
Pin 3---RXD
Pin 2---TXD
Pin 4---TXD
Pin 3---RXD
Standard cross over for serial comms, but do please be careful about Pin 2 as it can F-Up the monitor if you accidentally connect it to ground.
Now, how do I know which of the pins on the monitor (Sony G500) corresponds to GND: is it the bottom pin or the top pin? The adapter cable could be connected upside down...
Any guidance is welcome.
So now I did not touch any thing under Setup menu, and yes for that instance of windas there was no crash.
After running Windas, File > Save Data to File.
Another problem was waiting for me
Windas fails to communicate with my Dell-P1110 :
"Can't connect the monitor !
Check bus line and condition !"
Please see the image WindasError3.JPG. As u can see in the image that I have successfully selected my model name, but even then problems....
Should I try the proposition by P991 DELL SONY to Propeace post #758:
Or any other ideas/solutions...
In addtion to my previous post #757 the images are attached for readers' convenience:
refer to image WindasMFCApplicationError1.JPG.
AND
refer to image WindasMFCApplicationError2.JPG.
To add the last drop I searced in the google and found one answer to the previous question at:
http: //wiki.answers. com /Q/What_does_'the_instruction_at_0x73dd11c7_referenced_memory_at_0x00000004_the_
memory_could_not_be_read'_mean
Question:
What does 'the instruction at 0x73dd11c7 referenced memory at 0x00000004 the memory could not be read' mean?
Answer:
get latest windows 2000 or xp service pack to fix problem because winlogon service will not start or end prematurely because of this datea reference problem.
Desperately looking for a SOLUTION:
I do not want to retreat nor surrender!!!:)
From left to right:
Fist attached Thumbnail = WindasError3.JPG
2nd attached Thumbnail = WindasMFCApplicationError1.JPG
3rd attached Thumbnail = WindasMFCApplicationError2.JPG
hope it is clear now as was before!
I opened the housing of the DE9 connector. I am wondering if the problem does not come from the welding (for wires connected to the 4-pin/6-pin head). It seems that some welding points cover two copper lines (I am not a specialist) which may lead to erroneous signals or short-cuts.
Is there any specialist able to confirm / infirm?
I have the same problems as you have, except the "memory could not be read" one. I also reversed the TX and RX wires (TX-adapter should go to RX-monitor and RX-adapter to TX-monitor): same errors. As mentioned in my last post, I am wondering if my adapter cable is really working properly (soldering problem?). As I do not have any specific tools to remove solder, I do not want to try any "repair" (if any) and risk to make it worse.
I am not in the mood to spend again USD 37 to buy another adapter cable either, even from another supplier. I read the whole thread through twice, I just noticed that those who have these problems rarely announce that they could solve the problem. Is it because they do not care informing people of their success, or is it because they could not solve the problem at all?
Any reply is warmly welcome.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HEEEEEEEEELLLP ME...:sad2::sad2::sad2:
P991__DELL_SONY where are you? long time no replies we NEED your help...:):):)!!!
I am now in a BIG BIG trouble!!!:sad2::sad2::sad2:
To my previous post #766, I just reversed the TX and RX of the monitor (as suggested by P991__DELL_SONY to Propeace post #758) on the bread board and every thing started working perfectly.
I saved the EEPROM .dat file from Windas. Following that I dropped the defalut G2-value 158, and uploaded the file with new values as follows:
1- From 158 to 130 (the monitor turned blank(switched off) and took around 20-25 minutes to load the new value).
At this value the colors/brightness was not good. Then
2- From 130 to 110 (the monitor turned blank(switched off) and took around 3 minutes to load the new value)
At this, G2=110, value the colors were almost perfect! But my curiosity leads me to do more experiment and
3- From 110 to 100 (the monitor turned blank(switched off) and took around 3 minutes to load the new value)
At this, G2=100, value the colors were quite darker/very low brightness.
4- So I increased the G2-value from 100 to 105.
5- After loading the new file with G2=105 my monitor turned blank/switched off as usual. I was expecting it to come back with the new value. BUT the WORST nightmare happened, my joy and happiness expired, I waited for 5
hours and the monitor did not turn to normal and still it is DEAD/Blank.
I even removed the cable restared the PC but useless.
I REQUEST to all the readers PLEASE HELP me. I have no idea what to do.
If someone else has the same experience and got the monitor working again then please do share your ideas/solutions.
I am DESPERATELY looking for a solution.
P991__DELL_SONY where are you? long time no replies we NEED your help...!!!
I am using Dell-P1110 with Windows XP SP2.
USD 37.00!!!!!!!!???????
That really make me angry! Last I heard, $27 was the most expensive.
For 37.00 you can just by a brand new refurbished 21 inch trinitron of Craigslist, or Ebay (local pickup).
The converter itself costs only $1!!! Everthing besides the converter chip is just wires.
Ordering the chips in bulk can make them much less than $1. They can be mailed in an envelope. It's just really depressing you had to pay so much money.
Only a few posts ago this question was answered.
The pins are probably labeled. I don't know what chasis the G500 is, so I can't say for sure.
As far as I can tell, the pins are in the same order, top->bottom on every monitor.
It's only a few posts back, use the 'search' feature if you must.
There are NO recommended sources. I mentioned multiple options on my site to further that point.
I highly doubt that wires were welded together in error. If you really want to be sure, look up at the pinout for the DB9 connector.
My recommended source would be... local electronics shops. Or an online electronics supplier that can ship to you cheaply.
There really is no special knowledge required for any of this. There have been users posting a 'pin by pin' description of what to do. Ofcourse, I recrommend you actually know what the pins are, as this gurantees you won't make mistake by blindly following instructions.
The majority of people never post anything here. I know this because suppliers I list on my site get a flood of buisness. In addition, my HOWTO site gets around 100 visitors a day.
I wonder wether they found a solution, or just gave up.
I'm sorry there are people who run into problems. Fortunately, few of these problems have been related to any one specific monitor. The 'locked OSD' was the only chasis specific problem, and it has been solved.
The DB9/DB25 and monitor pinouts are the same for everone (only one rare exception to date). Remember to loop RTS to CTS if your cable leaves them hanging. Also, I think GRND should be hooked to the GRND from monitor too. If you bought a chip, remember to read the data sheet.
This 'cable' is not very complicated. You basicly run signals (as voltages relative to a ground) through a black box.
I'm sorry. I don't know what happened there.
Is the light green? Have you tried unplugging the monitor? If it's a monitor software lockup, unplugging will stop it.
I'm just making guesses as you would.
Cheer up!You have the dat file saved! You can reset the thing to factory defaults, and just load in the dat file.
That is, if you can get it to respond to windas again.
Do you think something broke physically? It doesn't sound like it. Maybe the cable wiggled loose during the procedure?
If the same thing worked before, I don't see what could have gone totally wrong the 3rd time you did it.
Do you think Windows XP SP2 intervened on your serial communication, or had serial settings that caused the communication to be intermittent? Other than that, your PC has nothing to do with it.
Everybody thinks they have a problem that happened to just them. Especially when they see that no one else is talking about it. Alot of people had sucessfully fixed their monitor, it wasn't untill later that problems started being voiced. Thanks to the thread being a complete mess, some problems have been repeated more than once.
It is very unlikely that you have a problem that no one else has gotten around. Unfortuately, no one sticks around here to help, so you'll have to 're-invent the wheel'.
I was lucky enough not to run into any notable problems. Sure, it took some trial and error to get my cable working, but it was nothing horrible. Windas itself was a pain to get working, I wasn't even familiar with windows.
The golden rule of troubleshooting is... break it down. Then debug each system you broke it down into. Try everything (everything logical that is). Insultingly unhelpfull, but it's the best I can tell you.
Most importantly, when you solve it, please report it, so that some one in your situation again will have an easy time.
NO GREEN light:sad2: and even no red light.Yes I did unplug the cable from the CPU not from the monitor i.e. not from both ends. I will do it today. Yes I do have the orginial dat file, BUT HOW to reset it to factory-defaults/settings in this situation? For sure nothing broke physically. About cable wiggling I do not think so, but I will cross check it.
Notably the 3rd time when I uploaded the dat file and after the monitor turned blank, there was a sound like, for example, when someone tries to close a txt (or doc or whatever) file without saving and then Windows pops up a message do you like to save changes. Of course the monitor was blank at that instant and I do not know what was the message by the windows.
Any other suggestions are welcome!
That would not make a difference. The computer isn't a problem anyway, even if it could detect the cable's presence.
I meant, to unplug the power from the monitor. (sorry if you've tried this allready.)
If nothing is broken physically, it's just a matter of reseting the monitors internal computer. I'd think unplugging the monitor would stop it in it's tracks cold. Maybe waiting for some caps to discharge would be necessary. I'd think plugging it back in again resets the internal computer.
Maybe because an update was aborted before completion, something weird would happen with the monitors settings. I doubt it though. Atleast I'm almost entirely sure windas will be able to communicate once you reset the state of the internal computer. It's software, (with the program to communicate with windas), is likely on a pernament ROM. A reset will make it enter a known state, which I doubt would be unresponsive to windas.
Hmm. I don't know. Maybe it said "Check ECS cable" or something. Atleast you know something out of the ordinary happened and was detected that time.
I bought a cable for $21 on eBay, when I got it I had some problems running WinDAS at first but another member whose name I can't remember right now zipped everything up (I still had to run a patch of some sort).
Anywho, when I got WinDAS up and running I just had to figure out how to change the G2 (felt like I had warped back to 1995 or something, although I was 9 years old back then) voltage value - bingo, after a few changes (and long - patient but nervous - waits for the data to upload) I found a value that worked out well.
I also switch to "easy" color mode and ran Image Restoration (a very important step) which totally got rid of the red-brown tint that the monitor was suffering of.
Now I run the monitor at a brightness setting of around 50, contrast 100.
It looks GREAT again, just as when I bought it! The black level is awesome and the colors are vivid. I recommend "normankoren dot com slash makingfineprints1A dot html" (apparently I can't make links in posts) for calibrating the gamma, black level and colors.
Although I must say that the entire process could have been smoother if someone would take it upon them to maybe advertise about this problem and sell cables coupled with CDs with a simplified program that does what WinDAS does in a very user-friendly manner.
That person could also make some money, and people wouldn't have to throw away their monitors because of this stupid error. Lots of money would be saved, perfectly good monitors wouldn't go to waste which would mean the environment would be spared a little...
Well, anyway - thanks to all you who have contributed to this thread!
I think the idea of people passing on the cables is a great one, particualrly as many people desperate to extend the life of these fantastic monitors are likely to have limited means. I guess it boils down to whether or not it's a popular idea with the people who currently have one sitting in their box of leads doing nothing! :bigggrin:
It should be simple enough to package the tools in an iso and post them to one of the many p2p networks, first limiting the 'build requirements' to known working chassis.
If this thread continues to recieve interest then it could be a place to register the software working on other trinitrons.
There should be no problems with involvemnt from Sony as you would not be hosting or linking to the files though please bear in mind I am not a lawyer in way shape or from!
So then, anyone want to lend me their cable for a week?
I'm really interested in this method in regenerating Trinitron monitors, however I'm unable to confirm that I'm suffering the exact same problem.
My Multiscan CPD-E500E when passed on to me had an overall lack of contrast, very poor black representation and a dullish red cast to the whole image.
With brightness and contrast at minimum the screen is still clearly visible, just a little less washed out. There are no lines to speak of (excepting trinitron wires)
I've made rudimentary adjustments to rGain and rBias with little or no positive effect.
I'm certainly keen on giving this a go. I'd be really, really sad to have to replace it - I simply can't afford 2nd hand 21" Trinitron FST in UK right now and I totally agree with Branstrom on the environmental aspects of just resigning this monitor to land fill.
Would apreciate any advice offered
Alasdair
Well, if you were to go the Windas route, there are a number of adjustments you can try to improve the image quality. The common brightness problem is infact a mystery. The G2 isn't the problem. It's just lowered to compensate.
It sounds to me like over brightness, especially that with minimum brightness contrast that you still get a clear picture.
Well, $21 is quite a deal over what this used to cost. Some one had been charging $40 for the cable and $10 to do the adustment, while the only capability you could do with the software on the CD was load several adjusted .dat. It was mis advertised as a special ECS cable. To this day, there are people falling to that long dead misconception that an 'ECS cable' is needed.
The truth is, a large and very competitive market allready exists for TTL<>RS232. It's used in alot of things. Chances are, you may have such a cable at home already for a cheap pocket organizer. A user a few posts ago infact used one.
Another guy made a very nice cable for only 12 canadian. (~6 USD?)
The sad thing is, this is one of those things where some people think they need to buy the 'recommened' cable. That kills price competition. Before you know what happened, it starts to cost $50 to fix a monitor worth only about $50.
massmind.org actually sells cables like you mentioned. They make a few bucks for their time spent, and hence you can find cheaper on ebay sometimes. It's nice that massmind mentions cheaper alternatives.
Like Branstrom says, some one can make some money by ordering these parts in bulk, and assembling the cables. I should work out if it can be done much cheaper than what's on Ebay now.
What's needed is a way to share existing cables that relies on more than trust. It'd need to be so many per region, as international shipping is very expensive.
For now though, just see if you can buy the parts locally. It's not that hard.
Branstrom makes a good point about the software. It's a reall mess. I was thinking of making a G2 adjustment procedure, haven't really worked much on it.
I really like Ragawu's idea to put it on P2P. Any other way and Sony could possibly become a problem. The Windas Howto would be a part of ShortMedia if it wasn't for the Sony issue. More reason to redo the software.
Anyway, the biggest issue here is just saving these things from the dump. They beat most LCDs in image quality and resolution. The bang for buck can't be beat. There are so many people out there using crappy 15 inch shadow mask monitors that I know would love to fix a 19-21 inch trashed trinitron. I hope this can be kept as cheap and easy as possible for those people. Spread the word.
My old monitor was breaking (streaking, dim) and hurting my eyes, when I saw my P991 for the first time in the trash. Even with the brightness issue it was an improvement. This thread was dead for months, last post being a big obnoxious advertisement for a $50 cable, adjustmests sent by email. Either that or the resistor 'fix', which was only documented for the G1 chasis. Atomist and 300PSI showed the hardware, but the DOS softtware only worked on old models. Then came the Windas Howto, and the rest was history. The thread blossomed with information about what people had done with DAS, and how they had built or aquired a cable cheaply.
A simmilar thread on hard forums also explored the possibilites.
Thanks again to everyone who posted here. A vibrant display is priceless. It has been very usefull to many people to be able to adjust their displays, rather than treat them as black boxes. I'm goin to be redoing the howto this month, hoping to adress all the concerns in this thread, so that the experience will be seamless.
Well that was an option, however I was interested in something sturdy as it's likely I'll have uses for this adaptor in the future. I seem to have struck gold and found a well made RS232<>TTL adaptor for less than GBP £8 inc P&P from a Bulgarian electronics firm on eBay with great feedback and lots of interesting PCBs.
This item: eBay number 120128391293 even has the pins in the correct order, so a simple internal USB cable will do the trick!
Forgot to mention there's also a USB version of this, only difference is you'd have to solder wires to the board or use some sort of clamp. Check out their other items.
I'll post back here once I've tried it out.. hopefully with good news! :-)
if anyone has had this exact issue perhaps you can steer me in the right direction & save me some time
the cable appears to be connected correctly to the monitor; i get the "red light" lighting up that i am supposed to when it is attached to the monitor - i don't know if i am supposed to get any other lights lighting up at any point though
when i first ran WINDAS i got multiple error messages that say:
"ASTRO SG IS NOT USED. PLEASE CHECK CONFIGURATION!"
"ASTRO SG COMMUNICATION ERROR"
"ASTRO SG TIMING SETUP ERROR"
i think perhaps that is not actually a problem though, and i was able to configure the software to no longer generate them by changing the "SG Name" field in the CONFIG setting to "MANUAL" from the default of "VG819" (was that a proper thing to do?????)
i was able to select my monitor Dell P1110 in config aok
but after that, if i try to capture my settings with "FILE / SAVE DATA TO FILE", it appears to not work, the program thinks for a little but then says "CAN'T CONNECT THE MONITOR. CHECK BUS LINE AND CONDITION"
i have the connector hooked up to COM2 & the software configured to use COM2; i also tried COM1 & changed the software to reflect that but i get the same behavior there as well
any ideas appreciated! i have no idea whatsoever how to modify anything on the cable though :-(
thanks,
- jon -
so i'll answer my questions in case anyone else has the same Qs..
"ASTRO SG IS NOT USED. PLEASE CHECK CONFIGURATION!"
"ASTRO SG COMMUNICATION ERROR"
"ASTRO SG TIMING SETUP ERROR"
i think perhaps that is not actually a problem though, and i was able to configure the software to no longer generate them by changing the "SG Name" field in the CONFIG setting to "MANUAL" from the default of "VG819" (was that a proper thing to do?????)
YES that is correct to do that! "SG" stands for "signal generator"; the software is set by default to be looking for one for some kind of automatic setup - but we are not doing that, so we need to tell it that! setting the CONFIG to "MANUAL" accomplishes that
if i try to capture my settings with "FILE / SAVE DATA TO FILE", it appears to not work, the program thinks for a little but then says "CAN'T CONNECT THE MONITOR. CHECK BUS LINE AND CONDITION"
i have the connector hooked up to COM2 & the software configured to use COM2; i also tried COM1 & changed the software to reflect that but i get the same behavior there as well
i had 2 problems going on!
first of all, i had not rebooted my PC (or powered off my monitor?) after installing the WINDAS software; and for whatever reason (and i am not sure if this would be true for anybody else) but no matter what COM port i chose in config & attached the cable to, it wouldn't work until i rebooted/powered everything off
second - my COM2 port is disabled!!!!!! and this is the port i am trying to use by default for WINDAS (my COM1 port is being used for my modem)
so i had the WINDAS cable attached to COM2, the program configured to COM2, but the port itself is not active in win98!!!! for some unknown reason it doesn't even show up!!!!!!!!! i've never had the occasion to use it before so i never noticed - it must be disabled in the BIOS or something (?)
when i switched to COM1 now it works!!!!! so i was able to save my existing monitor data!! yippeeee
tomorrow/later in the week i will futz with the G2 setting (wish me luck)
- jon -