Back from 2004 baby - Help with WG D9205 and HDMI/VGA please!

[ppriorfl]

My poor mame machine cabinet has set idle for probably 10 years but I never gave up.  Recently decided to install on new hardware as the old 20 year old PC is long gone.

I'm running Lenovo Thinkcenter N90-n which only has USB-C output.  I had a USBc->HDMI adapter which works fine attached to a normal computer monitor.  I manually through control settings got it to boot and run in 640x480, but this is only the desktop resolution, the Output resolution remains at 1080p.  The display adapter of course shows the current computer monitor and I can find no way to change the output resolution to 640x480.

I bought a HDMI->VGA adapter to get it hooked up to my Wells Gardner monitor (which is from 2004 by the way).

The monitor turns on and flashes "no signal".  If I attach and turn on the computer it says "out of range" of course.

*****I don't know how to change the output resolution for this monitor, since I can't see the settings when it's attached, and I can't pre-set the output resolution before I connect it.*****

I've searched and come up short, I'm hoping someone can help me get this up and running.

In the past I had a specific pci VGA output card that was recommended for the monitor and automatically scaled it down, but now I'm using a tiny pc and it's not an option.


(BTW my old username was pprior but apparently whatever email that was attached to is long dead so I had to create a new account, if a moderator can reattach my old username that would be great.)

[buttersoft]

You (seem to?) say you can't change screen resolution once the HDMI converter is attached - as in, the selection box is greyed out? And the converter itself has a name and is recognised as a display? Have you tried a program like CRU to override the EDID provided by the converter? Using the term display adapter makes me think you're on Win7, but i think CRU should work for that...

[Customcade]

https://mamewah.mameworld.info/downloads/mame_res_tool_v32.zip

[ppriorfl]

You (seem to?) say you can't change screen resolution once the HDMI converter is attached - as in, the selection box is greyed out? And the converter itself has a name and is recognised as a display? Have you tried a program like CRU to override the EDID provided by the converter? Using the term display adapter makes me think you're on Win7, but i think CRU should work for that...

So if I boot into windows using the normal computer monitor (and USB-C to HDMI adapter) the selection box for changing resolution does just that, but it doesn't change the output resolution just hte desktop resolution.  Maybe I'm missing something but I can't seem to find a way to change the actual physical output resolution.  And I can't pre-add a monitor.

If I attach to the actual monitor with the HDMA/VGA adapter then I can't see anything so I can't change resolution there.

[ppriorfl]

https://mamewah.mameworld.info/downloads/mame_res_tool_v32.zip

I am away on a business trip but will try this when I get home, it appears to be some sort of manual config creator tool?  If this works I owe you a beer!   

[buttersoft]

Your USB-C to HDMI dongle might have a fixed output resolution. A lot of cheap converters do. You certainly want to check.

[ppriorfl]

Still working on this problem.  I bought a new DisplayPort to VGA adapter so I could use my usbC to HDMI concurrently with the normal monitor.

Now the windows display works properly on the D9205 when two displays are setup.  It's being fed 640x480 x 59.997 and looks perfect on the display.  I set the WG as the primary and it works fine SO LONG AS I don't unplug the normal computer monitor.

As soon as I unplug the normal computer monitor the WG goes back to "out of range" and the picture disappears.  If I plug the normal monitor back in the WG starts displaying again.

Really would prefer not to have a second monitor down underneath my cabinet running for no reason, so if anyone can point out what I'm missing I would appreciate it.

[buttersoft]

Sounds like the desktop is resetting to a default config or something. I would try all options like unplugging one display first, then the other, then plugging back in in same order, then back in in different order, etc. And try booting with one or the other connected (don't connect the WG until windows has booted, just leave the dongle in, mb?) Then change which display is the primary and go again :/

Next, same question as before. How does windows see the displayport-to-VGA adapter? Does it's display have a name? Either way I would then try a program like CRU to edit the EDID for whatever that display is called. Remove all the video modes you don't want and leave the ones you do. If nothing else you should be able to spoof an EDID and fake a complete monitor with CRU at 480p

If that doesn't help, you might try a program like displaychanger2/DC2. Set up your two displays so the WG works. in a command prompt, get to the DC2.exe and type - DC2.exe -create="myconfigname.xml". Then see if you can get to a point with only the WG plugged in, or just the adapter it plugs into (into the LCD?) and type - DC2.exe -config="myconfigname.xml" then without removing the adapter plug in the WG and see if it works now.

Hmm, i don't know any way to fix the desktop to a particular config, if that's even the term, and stop it reacting to hot plugging your displays. Google is telling me a clean boot might help. Or enabling base video in msconfig boot options - which makes windows fall back to its generic VGA drivers, and i'm not sure that would help.