BG> The ones I sourced for OS/2 do appear to have been written by Diamond
BG> themselves, but there are different versions according to the ROMs,
BG> and my ROMs have already been upgraded from 1.xx to 2.xx (2.31 from
BG> memory) since the card was originally purchased new.

Doesn't mean much. They could still be crap.

BG> I'm actually quite happy with the 800x600x256 resolution that I prefer,
BG> except the native font is not particularly pleasing to my eye, yet I
BG> don't know how to change it (if indeed I can).

corse you can. All you need is some graph paper, an eprom programmer
and a lot of patience :)

BV> Would I recommend a Diamond Video card to anyone ???
BV> Depends on wether I'm selling mine or not :)
BG> Jeeze, are you the John Rich of LOCSYSOP or what!  ;-)
BV> John Rich ?
BG> Long explanation ..[chomp]..

Not me. I've given up making recommendations to people and offering
to source stuff. It's not worth the agro.

BV> I've had a few updates sent from them which included new BIOS chips
BV> but by the time they arrived, I had sold the card and the new owner
BV> hadn't complained.
BG> Did they make a nominal charge, or require the original EPROMs back ??

Nope.

BV> Any generic S3 801/805 drivers should work.
BG> Is that right?

Would I lie to you ?

BV> In fact, I think IBM have used the 801 or 805 chip in some of their
BV> on-board VGA setups so you should be able to get some support direct
BV> from IBM. You may need to chase Diamond if a BIOS update is required
BV> though.
BG> Thanks for the tips.  I'll get the ball rolling immediately.

Check out the IBM BBS. If they have something of interest, I can DL
it for you and post it to you if required.

BV> PS. Everything in my place is breaking down at the moment. 
BG> How _is_ your flu, BTW ??  ;-)

I'm okay now thanks. 'cept that my #1 customer still expects me to
have done all the work I would have normally be able to have do.
Fuck'em, I'll invoice them anyway, at least that way they will feel
like they've got it :)

BV> My Philips VCR has developed a problem whereby the color stuffs
BV> up until it has warmed up. It is only visible when watching TV
BV> stuff and tapes seem to be okay even if the unit is not warm.
BG> Clarify please.

It's fucked ! Is that clear enough for you ?

BG> Do you mean via the VCR's tuner through the CTV's RF input,
BG> or are you using direct AV input from the VCR to the TV.
BG> This is quite important, as it eliminates a lot of suspect circuitry.

'hokay. Setup is: Philips VR-6940 with BNC direct video connect to
the Sony KX-20PS1 monitor. The only tuner in the place is in the VCR.
The antenna plugs directly into the VCR which handles all the RF stuff.

BV> The symptoms on-screen are hard to describe but some stations
BV> are all black and white while others show a few bands of color.
BG> Yet tapes definitely PB with colour quite OK at all times ??

Read my lips, " tapes PB with colour okay at all times ".

The problem is definitely only visible with the tuner section. The
picture starts out being b/w over half of the screen and it slowly
fades to a dull colour. There are horizontal bands of black running
down the screen as well which seem to be slowly rolling down the
screen. They are not heavy black bands and they dont kill the
picture but you can see them very easily. The problem is also
definitely heat related, so I guess I could find it with a hair-dryer
and a can of freeze, but then I've got to pull it apart, stuff around,
find the part I don't have, drive up the street to find one, only to
be told that it isn't in stock and will be back ordered for two weeks.
 So, if you can help me out it would be appreciated. I'm not
adverse to doing a bit of "shotgunning" with it :)

BV> The color seems to come up after about 20-30 minutes. Any ideas ?
BG> Yep, but it depends upon exactly how you have your VCR's tuner
BG> configured through the TV (Sony monitor, is it not?).  There are a
BG> couple of possibilities, but the manner in which you're using your
BG> system will determine which area is most likely to be the problem,
BG> and once that's determined, I can tell you how to fix it (hopefully).

Great. Have you fixed it yet ?

BG> One thing you can try immediately:  On the rear RHS of the VCR, there
BG> is a 3-position slide switch (I think) which says COLOUR/AUTO/BW (maybe
BG> not in that order).

Que ? Unless you are referring to a switch inside the VR-6940, I
think you have it confused with another model.

BG> This switch overrides the VCR's colour-killer if set to COLOUR.

Yeah, that's it. It's definitely a "color killer" :)

BG> If that solves the problem, you can either simply leave it like
BG> that, or I can tell you what to do next.

If I glue a 3-pos switch to the back and label it as suggested, do
you think it will help ?

BG> Keep me informed.

Your informed.


Regards, Brenton :)
@EOT:

--- PQWK215