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HELP! Mac IIci not talking to Monitor!

R

RGT

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 7, 2003
5
0
Hello,

I have a Mac IIci which has worked beautifully for 11 years, . . . . that is until last night! I have an NEC Monitor connected to it. When I power up, the hard drive engages as normal, the power light on the monitor turns on indicating it is getting power, but then, instead of the normal single tone, I now hear three tones (1-3-5 in music speak) and the monitor stays dark. Nothing in my old manual tells me how to trouble shoot this. I did connect the NEC monitor to a PC laptop, and it works fine. But it's not getting a video signal from the Mac. Thoughts? I only need it to work for about 1 more day so I can off-load midi files to my new G4. Would greatly appreciate any help.

Thanks.

RGT
 
Mac IIci

...Sounds like bad memory. You can try to change the memory, find some on eBay, or get a really cheap Mac CPU off of eBay (like an old Mac II series) and put your hard drive in it. That old SCSI hard drive will not work in a new machine

Also, try taking the RAM out and putting it back in, or leaving out one SIMM (as one stick could be bad.

I have an old Mac II in my house, kind of like yours and it is still working after 16 years.
 
Thanks for responding. I'll try taking the SIMMs out and putting them back and then rotate modules out if necessary. If that doesn't work, I'll look for replacement RAM.

I'll post results.

Thanks again for responding. I appreciate the help.

RGT
 
I removed the RAM from Bank A and replaced it with the RAM from Bank B. Still the same problem. Now, I'm looking for an old IIci so I can swap hard drives.

Any one want to get rid of their old IIci?

Thanks.

RGT
 
hmmm...

Do you have the proper Mac to MultiSync/VGA adapter? You do know that a regular Mac to VGA adapter probably won't work. You have to buy special adapters. I found one for only $10 with a bunch of switches on it so it could be configured to a bunch of different monitors.

If you need a link to the monitor adapters tell me. If you are sure it isn't the monitor adapter then try looking up the old IIci's service manual. They can be found here: http://home.earthlink.net/~strahm_s/manuals.html Right towards the top. I own a working IIci. Works like a charm. I hope I helped....
 
Thanks for the reply.

As fo the VGA adapator, all I know is that the NEC Multi-sync 3 Fgx monitor has worked like a charm for years with no problem. Thus, I doubt that's the problem.

I have been looking for a manual for the IIci. Thanks very much for the website. I'll check it out.

If I ever get this worked out, I will post the results.

Thanks again.

RGT
 
RGT,

How long ago was the internal battery replaced? I would look there before anything.
You can get a new one at radio shack, or online at any supplier like OWC.
 
My guess would definitely not be the HD. I would guess that something low-level got fried, the memory as mentioned or the PRAM or the processor. i don't remember what those tones mean exactly, but it's a diagnostic, so you may try looking around for that info... many machines will tell you exactly what's wrong with them in this way.

best of luck in saving this good ol' machine--

pnw
 
This may sound stupid but look through the last chapter or so of the manual, I'm on 56k so I would help if If I could. There is a troubleshooting section that shows what is wrong and tells you how to fix it. It should be covered since it is actually an "Apple Service Manual" :D


Good Luck!
 
RAM Issue

Pull all of the RAM and reboot. Do you still get the tone? If yes, it's a motherboard. if not, it's memory.

I actually probably have some OLD memory lying around, if you need some, let me know - god knows, I won't need it.
 
Wow, thanks for all the posts. This is just an interim reply to thank you folks. I will check the manual, which I've now donwloaded.

I replaced the PRAM battery two weeks ago.

Low End Mac: I've checked them out and did not find a lead. But, thanks for the tip. They are a great site.

Parts: I may need a logic board if nothing else works. Will let you know.

Ram: That a new idea. I will pull it all out and see what happens.

Will post results and get back to you.

Again, thanks for the interest you've shown. It's greatly appreciated.

Oh, and I'm somehwhat heartened to hear that it is not likely to be the hard drive. That would be a total bummer.

RGT
 
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