[comp.sys.zenith] Zenith EGA Card, what is it?

jackson@acf4.NYU.EDU (Robert Max Jackson) (02/04/90)

michael regoli; mr@cica.indiana.edu  asks if an upgraded bios will
allow the Zenith 449 card to work as a VGA with WordPerfect.
.............
No.  This really is an EGA card that will send its signals properly
either to a TTL monitor or an analog ("VGA") monitor.  It does not
have VGA graphics capacity and never will.  With WP 5.0 you can use
the graphics driver named "EEGA MODE 12H 640X480 16 color" (available
separately from the original set of drivers) which is a standard EGA
driver with the extended graphics mode 12 added.  I have not checked
to see how you chose this with WP 5.1.

The SETVID command gives you direct software choice of video modes.
But only those that it tells you, i.e. EGA, CGA, hercules.  

Bitch to Zenith, but don't expect much.

jackson@acf4.NYU.EDU (Robert Max Jackson) (02/04/90)

Mark Urban-Lurain;urban@cpswh.cps.msu.edu asks about the Z-449 video
card switch settings.  
....................
	You should get some documentation from Zenith.  Their
specififications for monitors changed a bit over time for unrevealed
reasons.  I looked it up in my docs and find they say:
	for use with an analog monitor the six switches should be--
		(top)	6 -- on
			5 -- on
			4 -- off
			3 -- on
			2 -- on
		(bot)	1 -- off
	where off is to the left and on to the right.  Switch 6 (top)
	tells the card to use the analog outlet (on) and switch 5
	controls automode switching (enabled if on).  
You must give a command with SETVID to change between color modes
(e.g. EGA) and monochrome modes (e.g. hercules)--it won't do this
automatically for a program.  In addition, jumpered pins P1 must jump
pins 1 and 2 for analog (or 2 and 3 for TTL).
	The SETVID program comes with the video drivers and weak
documentation.  There is a build in screen saver that you can evoke
with SETVID.  Don't, it will cause a complete screwup if you try any
use of SETVID afterwards under unpredictable conditions.
	By the way, as someone else remarked, the 640x480 extended EGA
mode is (according to the docs) only available with analog monitor
output.
	Hope this helps.