My new Mac mini + My old Apple Studio Display 17" (ADC)

Laurent said:

Guess what? The connection behind the Mac mini isn't ADC, but DVI. Since an DVI to ADC adapter cost around 99$, I'm thinking about plugging my VGA to ADC adapter with the DVI to VGA adapter that came with my new computer. Could it work? Please advise/help me... ;_;

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No that won't work. Your display has an ADC connection. That means it receives power, USB(it has a USB hub on the back right?) and video from the one connection. The ADC to DVI adapter is expensive because it provides power for the display as well as splices out the USB and video cables.

An ADC to VGA adapter is really a VGA to ADC since it is designed to allow a VGA display to work with a ADC connection in a computer. In this case, all the power and USB cables are ignored by the adapter. Only the video signal goes from the display to the computer.

Laurent said:

Guess what? The connection behind the Mac mini isn't ADC, but DVI. Since an DVI to ADC adapter cost around 99$, I'm thinking about plugging my VGA to ADC adapter with the DVI to VGA adapter that came with my new computer. Could it work? Please advise/help me... ;_;

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That would work if you have things in the correct order. The thing is there's a difference between a VGA to ADC adapter and an ADC to VGA adapter.

There are only two or three companies that make VGA to ADC adapters, and they cost $299 MSRP. An ADC to VGA adapter is far cheaper by comparison, at around $30.

Another issue is whether you're talking about the 17" LCD or CRT Studio Display. The CRT one won't work with the mini no matter what sort of adapter you're using. The LCD will.

I connected my dad's Mac mini to a 17" LCD Studio Display by way of the Apple DVI-ADC adapter. It works great.

Laurent said:

I have a CRT... So I shall hang myself now, with it's ADC chord... Goodbye cruel world!

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Please don't! The good news is your ADC CRT is still perfectly good for every single Power Mac G5 made (except the ones with nVidia 6800s), every Cube in existence (except for the flash-modded ones with DVI/VGA ports), and almost every PM G4.

There must be some nerd out there who could figure out how to properly route the analog pins on the Mac mini's DVI-I output to the CRT ADC's analog pins. It shouldn't be too much of a stretch to figure out the power and USB signal routing either. You must have a nerd friend somewhere.

Laurent said:

I have a CRT... So I shall hang myself now, with it's ADC chord... Goodbye cruel world!

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However monitors with those screens are still available, since it is a Mitsubishi Diamontron CRT in a Apple case.

Of course it would be a PC looking monitor with front panel controls...

And a cheap LCD panel is just about the same price as the high quality CRTs with modern versions of the Studio display picture tube -- the SuperBright, which make them as bright as LCDs. Lacie/Mitsubishi/NEC (19-22in @ $350-790)

Rod Rod said:

Another issue is whether you're talking about the 17" LCD or CRT Studio Display. The CRT one won't work with the mini no matter what sort of adapter you're using. The LCD will.

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Oh damn, I was hoping that I could get my Mom a mini and use my old 17" ADC (CRT) screen as the monitor. Is the issue the amount of power that needs to be pumped to the CRT monitor??

I guess it's like when I tried geting a Dr. Bot ADC extension cable for my monitor. After I hooked it up I found out that the thing was only meant for LCD's and couldn't handle the CRT. I wonder if it's the same issue, but Rod Rod mentions rerouting pins... what would be different from the CRT ADC connection and the LCD ADC connection?

Raid said:

... what would be different from the CRT ADC connection and the LCD ADC connection?

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The thing is the ADC CRT uses an analog video signal (probably identical to VGA), whereas the LCDs use digital. ADC is DVI-I with power and USB. Apple's ADC LCDs utilize the DVI-D portion and the ADC CRT uses the DVI-A part.

You can find used DVI to ADC connectors for about $59. Just check around a few of the mac sites. I think it was PowerMax that had it or some crap like that.

In terms of the Benq monitor....

Well then, I guess it's time to fork out some cash. What was accurate however was the Benq comment, which still stands at...

Rod Rod said:

Please don't! The good news is your ADC CRT is still perfectly good for every single Power Mac G5 made (except the ones with nVidia 6800s), every Cube in existence (except for the flash-modded ones with DVI/VGA ports), and almost every PM G4.

There must be some nerd out there who could figure out how to properly route the analog pins on the Mac mini's DVI-I output to the CRT ADC's analog pins. It shouldn't be too much of a stretch to figure out the power and USB signal routing either. You must have a nerd friend somewhere.

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it wont work with g4's with 9800's and cubes that are upgraded (at least not for long, the power supply cannot take it)

as makeinga connecer all you have to do is find an ADC pin out and get a 28V power supply to power the moniter and wire in a VGA plug, or you could buy a 17" crt on ebay for a pound.

Laurent said:

+

= Useless

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Beautifully put, Laurent. There have been multiple threads about using the ADC CRT with a DVI-ADC adapter, and the idea has never before been expressed as succinctly.

Hector said:

it wont work with g4's with 9800's and cubes that are upgraded (at least not for long, the power supply cannot take it)

as makeinga connecer all you have to do is find an ADC pin out and get a 28V power supply to power the moniter and wire in a VGA plug, or you could buy a 17" crt on ebay for a pound.

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I forgot about the 9800s on G4s. I suppose it's just a matter of time before someone gets an ADC CRT to work with the mini, considering the resourcefulness and ingenuity of Cube owners and how buying a mini might make more sense to some people than buying a CPU upgrade.

Laurent said:

I'm think about buying this instead...
BenQ 17inch FP731
Only 299.99$ CAD at Compusmart.com

What do you guys think?

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I think that's a great idea. It probably has a better warranty than any Apple product, and I'd bet it looks better "in person" than in that picture.

btw, check out the Mac mini setup I put together for my dad.

Not sure if I'd really buy something for 300 clams that I cannot try out first, especially a monitor or television set. If you want to go the cheapy route, then maybe try CompUSA or Circuit City where at least if something goes wrong, you won't have the hassel or expense of sending it back and just waiting for its return. Not to mention, you can go play around with it before purchasing. That's half the fun anyway!!

Laurent said:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300652

Wait a minute, it says that the Apple Studio Display 17" (ADC) CAN be used with the Mac mini using the DVI to ADC adapter, and they are obviously talking about the CRT monitor. The 17" LCD version is in the "familly" called Apple Studio Display (LCD). The only displays not compatible with it are the Apple Cinema HD Display (30" DVI) and Apple Cinema Display (22" DVI).

Where have you heard that the Apple Studio Display 17" (ADC / CRT Monitor) wasn't compatible with the Mac mini?!

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Maybe it can but the CRT won't work with the Apple DVI to ADC adapter... only the LCDs.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=75286

of course the doc you pointed out jives with this new language...

http://www.apple.com/lae/displays/adapter/

and the CRT is not the part number listed on that page.

Won't work with the Dr. Bott unit...

http://www.drbott.com/prod/db.lasso?code=0111-DVAD

NOTE: DVIator is not compatible with the now discontinued 17" CRT (as pictured here) display.

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or any other unit currently on the market.

Should work fine and dandy the day YOU build a DVI to analog ADC adapter.

Laurent said:

Wait a minute, it says that the Apple Studio Display 17" (ADC) CAN be used with the Mac mini using the DVI to ADC adapter, and they are obviously talking about the CRT monitor.

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To add to what Sun Baked said, the "Apple Studio Display (ADC)," part number M7649LL/A, listed on the page you linked, is an LCD model (not the CRT one). I don't know the difference between the "ZM" and the "LL" in part numbers, but the 17" Studio Display LCD I got for my dad's Mac mini is part number M7649ZM/A.

I haven't found the part number for the ADC CRT.

Laurent said:

I've took an old LG StudioWorks 17" display from work instead... Blurry, but it will do until I have the money to buy something better...

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That might look good at 1024x768 though?