Mainly Neat Stuff --> Vintage Macintosh --> Vintage Radius Documents
This is a reconstruction of original Radius support documentation. All links on this page are now defunct. For more information, refer to the document Vintage Radius Documents.
December 13, 1995
Q: The screen is "vibrating ," "jittering" or "shimmering ." What causes this?
A: The usual cause of this sort of problem is outside electro-magnetic interference. This can be caused by several different things (i.e. power lines, power transformers, electric fans, copiers, scanners, printers, other monitors, large metalic objects, metal shelves, metal desks, etc.). The best way to test this sort of issue is as follows:
1) Your display may use connectors attached to 3 or 5 colored wires on one end of the video cable. These connectors are called B N Cs. If all five are attached, try unplugging the white and black cables, leaving only the Red, Green, and Blue cables connected. If you are using a PowerMacintosh with the display plugged into the built-in video, all five connectors need to be plugged in. On most Quadra's and video cards, only three are needed. The presense of the extra BNC's in an environment where they are not needed (on a Quadra or a card) cancause jitter. If removing the connectors causes the screen to lose its image, then your monitor needs them connected.
2) Turn off any electrical devices near the monitor, and see if the problem lessens in severity, or disappears. If the display is plugged into a power strip, try plugging it directly into a wall outlet.
3) Try moving the monitor to another location. This the best test of all because it eliminates many unforseen variables. If the intensity of the problem changes as you move it to different areas, that would point to an outside influence as the cause of the jitter.
4) Try changing the resolution of the display. If the problem lessens or increases in severity, you may have a bad video card.
5) Test it with another video card or built-in video. If the problem goes away with a different card (tested in the same physical environment), then that would point to it being a card issue.
If all of these suggestions fail to resolve the problem, call Radius Technical Support at 650-404-6400 for further instructions.
Q: My display makes a popping sound. Why is this happening, and what can be done about it?
A: In some ways, the Cathode Ray Tube, or CRT, is like a lightbulb. It contains internal components that bring the image you view to your screen's surface. High Voltage electrical currents inside the CRT are used to accelerate the electrons towards the CRT face to illuminate the phosphors and produce an image. If an inbalance occurs in the electrical potentials inside the display, the display may discharge its excess voltage to one of the components inside the CRT. We believe the inbalance in electrical potentials to be caused by tiny charge-carrying particles inside the CRT. These particles, if existing in sufficient quantity around the CRT gun or some other internal component, may create enough of an extra negative charge that the High Voltage charge in the CRT will "flash over" to it. This discharge is what causes the audible "pop" one hears. The screen usually blanks out momentarily, and then comes back - sometimes out of focus. The focus usually clears within twenty minutes.
There are two important facts you should know about this issue:
1) The monitor has a special built-in protection circuit which helps it deal with internal surge that accompanies these flashes. There should be no damage to your monitor, your computer, or yourself.
2) Some of the particles believed to cause this issue are destroyed during each pop. As a result, the problem usually disappears within several weeks.
The best recommendation we can make to a user with a popping display is to let the monitor continue to pop for a few weeks. If the problem does not go away or lessen in occurrence, then the customer should contact Radius Technical Support at 650-404-6400 for further assistance.
Q: When I turn on the display, it comes up with a blue screen. What's happening?
A: The original Intellicolor 20 (not 20e) will get a blue screen at startup if the monitor is plugged into built in video, and set to "IntelliColor Mode" on the back of the display. The solution is to set the switch on the back of the display to "Color Two Page Mode," and turn the monitor off and then on again. Normally, when the Soft PrecisionColor extension is loaded, the screen will startup blue and then normalize after the software loads. Soft PrecisionColor, however, is incompatible with PowerMacs, 840AV's, 660AV's and System 7.5. In order to use the monitor on one of these systems, the switch on the back must be set to "Color Two Page Mode." Users of these computers can still use the IntelliColor features by dialing 800-544-8456 and ordering upgrade kit #637-0009-01.
Q: The IntelliColor software feature to "Disable Front Panel" is not working. Why not?
A: The "Disable Front Panel" feature does not work on the IntelliColor units. Unfortunately, there is no way to fix this issue. All currently shipping versions of the IntelliColor software have this "feature" removed.
Q: My monitor comes up in greyscale mode, and I can't activate any colors. What's wrong?
A: First, let us deal with the solution. This problem is easily rectified by switching the monitor to "Color Two Page" mode with the switch on the back of the display. This is the best solution because most newer Macintoshes and System 7.1.2 (or later) no longer support the transmitting of "IntelliColor" adjustment information through the video cable. Users can still use the IntelliColor features by dialing 800-544-8456 and ordering upgrade kit #637-0009-01. This kit provides new software, a serial cable for the "service port" on the back of the display, and an adapter to provide resolution switching on the fly from System 7.1.2 or later. The currently shipping IntelliColor Display 20e, model 0461, does not have this problem.
The cause of this problem is that the original IntelliColor Display 20 (not 20e) used its video cable to communicate with the IntelliColor software for adjusting the monitor. This communication was done on the ID sense lines of the display. The default ID of the monitor, when in IntelliColor mode, isApple Monochrome Two Page Display. During startup of your system, the Soft PrecisionColor software (or Radius video card) would go to check the state of the ID sense lines. When it saw the ID of an Apple Mono Two Page Display, the software would then send a message to the IntelliColor processor to see if the monitor was an IntelliColor. If it got a response, then it would turn on colors for the monitor. At times (usually during powering up or powering down), the Mac may send spurious voltages to the ID sense lines. The processor in the monitor interprets these voltages as jibberish. This can cause the monitor's processor to get stuck in an unknown state. During the startup process, when the monitor is being checked by the software, the processor is unable to respond. As such, the monitor comes up in grayscale.
Q: My computer keeps reverting to black and white mode when I boot. I've already switched to "Color Two Page" on the back of the display. What else could be causing this?
A: Some utility programs, such as Now Utilities, supersede the Monitor Control Panel, and can hamper its operation. If this is the case, you'll need to open your Monitor Control Panel by opening your System Folder, and then opening the actual Control Panels folder - do not adjust bit-depth from the Apple menu. Once this is done, adjust for your colors, and close the control panel. This will save your settings to the computer's parameter ram. After doing this, the Now Utilities heirarchical menus should work.
RadiusWare and Dynamic Desktop can also cause this problem during initial startup, or if the monitor settings have been cleared from the computer. If this is the case, open the monitors control panel and set your color level before using the "Pop-up Bit Depth/Resolution changer" feature that comes with those control panels. For more information on that feature, please see your RadiusWare user's manual.
A third, and common culprit, is a dead or dying lithium battery on the Macintosh logic board. Since the battery maintains the stored settings of the computer, if it is bad, those settings will not be retained.
Q: What is needed on a 660AV or 840AV built in video to provide switch-on-the-fly resolutions?
A: The easiest way to resolve this issue is to install System 7.5. It contains a resolution switching feature that uses special cable sense codes to determine what resolutions will be offered.
The IntelliColorDisplay 20e, model 0461, comes with the proper cable ID to support Up to 1152x870 resolution built into its cable.
The original IntelliColor Display 20, model 0381, will need an adapter to provide resolution switching in this environment. Some of these monitors shipped with the necessart adapter (part # 515-0181-02). If you do not have this adapter, you can order it under that part # at 800-977-7060 or under part # 637-0010-01 at 800-544-8456. The adapters in both cases are the same. If you wish to use the IntelliColor software feaures with this monitor, order part # 637-0009-01. It will come with the needed adapter, new software, and a serial cable. If you do not wish to upgrade to 7.5, please request document #3220 for further information.
Dynamic Desktop software can provide resolution switching on the fly on 660AV and 840AV's. To enable this feature in Dynamic Desktop, open the Dynamic Desktop control panel. Once open, you will see a pop-up menu in the center of the control panel. Choose "Built-In Video" from that menu. Check the box next to "Multiple Resolutions" and restart the Mac. When you reboot, it will offer multiple resolutions in the monitors control panel and will allow you to set and store a key command which will allow you to switch resolutions without opening a control panel, or restarting the computer. Some displays, such as the IntelliColor 20e, are not supported in this fashion and will need a new adapter to trick the software into working. In cases like this, use of the Apple Display Enabler would be preferred. Apple's Display Enabler software is part of their Multiple Scan Display software package, and can be downloaded via AppleLink and other Apple online software libraries. (!c)
Q: The image on my display appears to be tilting to one side.
A: All monitors are affected by the magnetic fields of the earth. A monitor may leave a California factory with perfect video output, but the image may appear skewed when it is unboxed in Florida. This is attributable to polar magnetic differences in the two locations. Most Radius IntelliColor displays allow for the adjustment of tilt. Older IntelliColor displays with serial numbers beginning with SNE do not have the ability to adjust the tilt or rotation of the image. For the ones that do, the image rotation can be adjusted through the display's front control panel or through the IntelliColor software. For the original IntelliColor display, IntelliColor software version 1.1 or later is necessary. The currently shipping IntelliColor 20e, requires version 1.3 or later of the IntelliColor software. If you are unsure as to how to adjust for tilt using the front panel, refer to your owner's manual, or request a faxback of document #3220. (If you're reading this rather than hearing it, you already have this document.)
• To adjust for tilt using the IntelliColor/20 front panel:
1) Hold down the SELECT and ADJUST "+" buttons for 2 seconds or longer.
2) The brightness and H SIZE LED's will illuminate. The monitor is ready for tilt adjustment.
3) Press the CONTRAST "+" button to rotate clockwise or the CONTRAST "-" button to rotate the image counterclockwise.
4) When finished, again press the SELECT and ADJUST "+" buttons simultaneously. It will also automatically switch back if untouched for 10 seconds (noted by the H SIZE LED turning off, leaving the brightness LED on like normal).
• To adjust tilt using the IntelliColor Display 20e front panel:
1) Hold down the select button until the LED lights over CENT.
2) Press on the SELECT button twice so that the LED lights over GEOM.
3) Press the BRIGHTNESS "+" button to rotate the image clockwise and "-" button to rotate the image counterclockwise.
4) Refrain from touching the control buttons for 5 seconds, or until the LED light blanks out.
Q: Why are there two faint gray lines about one-third from the top and one-third from the bottom of the screen on my display?
A: This is a characteristic of all aperture grill or tension grill display tubes. These lines are shadows from the two stabilization wires mounted inside the tube. These wires serve to keep the tube's aperture grill in perfect alignment, producing the sharpest picture possible. You would even be able to see these lines on a Sony television if the picture were sharp enough. (!)
Q: Whenever I startup my Macintosh or display a dithered gray background, there are rainbow-tinted, curved lines running across the entire screen. What is causing this?
A: Certain types of display tubes will display what is known as a "moiré" pattern whenever a grayish checkerboard pattern of black and white pixels is displayed on the screen. The default Macintosh startup is a prime example. The moiré pattern that is generated is not a problem with your monitor, but is a normal trait of aperture grill displays. You may change your desktop pattern to a solid gray or another color in order to prevent this moiré pattern from appearing. However, some image-editing applications, such as Adobe Photoshop, use this dithered pattern to mask out the desktop background which unavoidably causes the moiré pattern. (!)
Q: When the Macintosh boots, the RadiusWare icon comes up with an "X" through it. When trying to open the control panel, it says that it "Cannot be used on this Macintosh ."
A: There are a few things that can cause this to happen:
1) If Apple's Display Enabler is present in the extensions folder (i.e. running newer than System 7.1 or running Display Enabler with 7.1 for an Apple MultiSync monitor) and you are using a RadiusWare release prior to version 2.3.4, the software will not load. You will need to either remove the Display Enabler, or upgrade your Radius software to our current "Dynamic Desktop" release. This software is available through many on-line services, or can be ordered through Radius Upgrades at 800-544-8456. Request part number 630-0333.
2) Another cause of this problem is if Dynamic Desktop and RadiusWare are loaded at the same time. In this case, RadiusWare will not load and will come up with an X through it.
3) The third possibility is that a Radius display or card is not being used. Radius software only support Radius-labeled products. However, a third party monitor can be supported if it is connected to a Radius display card.