Mac OS 9 Lives
Mac OS 9 Discussion => Hardware => Video Cards, Monitors & Displays => Topic started by: smilesdavis on August 04, 2025, 12:13:07 AM
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anyone got the 15" blueberry flat screen that went with the PMG3b/w working with the S-VIDEO or Composite input in standalone?
well thats how i wanted to use it for watching some old VHS off the VCR but in S-VIDEO i can only get a black screen with some lines reminiscent of video tape on it.
is there any documentation for the monitor that goes a bit in depth (the service manual did nothing for me).
http://www.applerepairmanuals.com/the_manuals_are_in_here/Apple_Studio_Display_LCD.pdf
Connectors and cables
• Input
—15-pin D-sub for RGB video
—4-pin DIN for S-video
—Three 4-pin DIN connectors for Apple
Desktop Bus
—RCA-type connector for composite video
—Two RCA-type connectors for audio (left, right)
—65mm DC connector for DC input
• Output
—Mini-stereo connector for audio
https://support.apple.com/en-us/112284
Video In/Out: S-video and composite inputs
and this is the LCD by itself:
https://www.beyondinfinite.com/lcd/Library/LG-Philips/LM151X1.pdf
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You may need a time base corrector (TBC) if the monitor is not designed with that ability itself.
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1. Why 75 Ω really matters for S‑Video (Luma & Chroma Y/C)
S‑Video isn't just another DIN with any 4‑pin cable. The display internally terminates the Luma and Chroma lines with 75 Ω resistances to achieve proper sync and signal amplitude. When those lines aren't both the correct 75 Ω, reflections kill synchronization and video fails to decode
Using 50 Ω or audio‐spec jacketed cable (e.g. repurposed twin RCA or servo extenders) puts the display in a situation it wasn't designed for: no lock, no sync, snow
That’s exactly what your symptoms (black screen, shimmering white artifacts) suggest.
while i dont have snow but a black display with "some lines reminiscent of analog tape" im now shopping for this 75 ohm cable
update: i connected my Apple //c+ via composite to the blueberry and im getting a flatline. it works on the Apple //c monitor. so there are issues. because this should work. when i open up the on screen display it at first displays ghost mirrow images of the osd then flatlines too.
bad caps?
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Frankly, the text you quoted about 75Ω is horseshit. Reflections don't make any visible difference on short cables.
If the OSD in the monitor itself is bad, then there is definitely a problem internally.
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bad caps i will be i reckon, will take apart soon. haven't found a replacement as of yet in case the lcd is beyond repair (cap goo)
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I have one of those and had many problems. It seems to be extremely picky with the inputs.
It had worked fine using composite in, and also as a vga monitor with a mac 15 pin vga adapter, but then got so iffy whether it would actually turn on or not that I put it in the closet for a future project to figure out what to do with it, fix it, or sell it for parts, but too cute to just toss. It sat there for over a year.
So then the other day I decided what the heck and hooked it up to a b&w g3, and it worked flawlessly. Same with a rage 128 card in a g4. (The adb cable is unplugged on the g4 as it doesn't have that port).
Since then it works fine with zero problems, but I haven't tried it on any other machines, so it is just going to stay dedicated to those two.
I really was at the point of throwing it out, because it HAD worked fine as a general VGA monitor with a wide range of computers for years, but then one day just started showing only a black display, on the same machines it'd been fine on before.
No idea what its problem is, and I've just written it down to "having a personality", as sometimes hardware seems to...
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its a cute one, and it will definately stay
looking for a LG-Philips LM151X1 replacement LCD for now
dunno if the LG-Philips LM151X2 ... 5 are compatible
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Hey @smilesdavis
Thanks for this challenge, luv to learn -always puts a smile on my face.
There are two models of the the LM151X2 -even more of the LM151X3. They are all 15.1.
Signal Interfaces:
LM151X1: LVDS (1 ch, 6-bit) , 21 pins Connector
https://www.panelook.com/LM151X1_LG_Display_15.1_LCM_overview_19728.html
LM151X2-B2PH / -C2TH: CMOS (1 ch, 6-bit) , 41 pins Connector
https://www.panelook.com/LM151X2-B2PH_LG_Display_15.1_LCM_overview_4659.html
https://www.panelook.com/LM151X2-C2TH_LG_Display_15.1_LCM_overview_4660.html
LM151X3
https://www.panelook.com/modelsearch.php?keyword=LM151X3&search_id=904975
Edit -update: These may or may not be useful.
iFixit Teardown (https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Apple+Studio+Display+M2454+LCD+Main+Board+Replacement/1966)
Apple Studio Display 17" Service Source (https://web.archive.org/web/20220516152403/http://www.applerepairmanuals.com/the_manuals_are_in_here/studio_display_17lcd.pdf)