[comp.sys.atari.st] Tiny screen; large border

calengr@cory.Berkeley.EDU (California Engineer Magazine) (07/21/89)

My Atari 520ST is over three years old now, but I just
realized that my screen size is much smaller than the
monitor's screen size.  That is, the border is about 1.2"
all the way around the screen.  I guess I never noticed
because I was used to my old Atari 800 with a monitor.

My question is this...Can I adjust my monitor to
compensate.  My friend's color monitor has screw holes in
the back plate which can be turned to adjust the vertical
and horizontal height of the screen.  Unfortunately, I
have a SM124 b/w monitor with no adjustment screws.

Thanks in advance for any helpful info.

Michael

rsimonian@x102c.harris-atd.com (Simonian RP 66449) (07/21/89)

In article <15634@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> calengr@cory.Berkeley.EDU (California Engineer Magazine) writes:
>My question is this...Can I adjust my monitor to
>compensate.  My friend's color monitor has screw holes in
>the back plate which can be turned to adjust the vertical
>and horizontal height of the screen.  Unfortunately, I
>have a SM124 b/w monitor with no adjustment screws.

If you open up the case to the SM124, you will find four POTS inside.
They are labelled (I believe) VSIZE, VLINES, HCENTER and BRIGHTNESS.
Adjusting the VSIZE POT very carefully (and preferably with the power
turned off; there's a _lot_ of voltage in there!) will increase your
vertical size nicely.  However, I haven't figured out how to increase
the horizontal size.




Richard P. Simonian     407/984-6006
Natural Language Processing Group
Harris GISD, Melbourne, FL  32902             
Internet: rsimonian%x102c@trantor.harris-atd.com

kbad@atari.UUCP (Ken Badertscher) (07/22/89)

calengr@cory.Berkeley.EDU (California Engineer Magazine) writes:

| My Atari 520ST is over three years old now, but I just
| realized that my screen size is much smaller than the
| monitor's screen size.

That's right, and there's a reason for it.

The monitor is adjusted at the factory that way so that it has a  1:1
aspect ratio.  That way, when you draw a circle on your monochrome
screen, what you see really looks like a circle.  And when the VDI
drivers draw graphical text, the characters can be scaled so that what
you see is the actual size of what you get, and not distorted.

-- 
   |||   Ken Badertscher  (ames!atari!kbad)
   |||   Atari R&D System Software Engine
  / | \  #include <disclaimer>

dsmythe@cup.portal.com (dave l smythe) (07/24/89)

> kbad@atari sys:
> [stuff about keeping the aspect ratio calibrated properly]

I still find that an unsatisfying answer.  There is plenty of room for
a larger screen with the same aspect ratio.  What is REALLY needed is a screen
that is big enough to be useful, say 19-20 inches, with 1280 x 1024 resolution.
Then perhaps you could use the ST as a low-cost X terminal.

Is there a SCSI monitor?  Is that a dumb question?

my $.02

p.s. 'course, by then you're paying more for the monitor than the computer,
but so what?

Dave Smythe
dsmythe@cup.portal.com

kbad@atari.UUCP (Ken Badertscher) (07/25/89)

dsmythe@cup.portal.com (dave l smythe) writes:

| [...] What is REALLY needed is a screen
| that is big enough to be useful, say 19-20 inches, with 1280 x 1024 resolution.
| Then perhaps you could use the ST as a low-cost X terminal.

Moniterm Viking monitors are available for the ST.
They have a resolution of 1280 x 960 - and make a really beautiful display.

The interface requires a Mega, though - but Mega 2 computers are not all
that expensive these days - especially when pitted against X terminals.

-- 
   |||   Ken Badertscher  (ames!atari!kbad)
   |||   Atari R&D System Software Engine
  / | \  #include <disclaimer>