Think this was a good deal???

[DragonBreath]

Hey all, I recently purchased an old 21" monitor from a friend moving out of state for 50.00 U.S.. It's pretty damn big & heavy. Nice picture though. The only name I see on it is (digital) on the front . It has 5 input lines on the back that plug into the vid card. They are all labeled as follows left to right R - G - B - HD/comp - VD. I know the R G B are colors but what are the other two, any ideas. It also has a switch that says sync the 2 positions are 75 and 1k. Is this the refresh rate of the monitor? Also there is a model numer (VRC21-HA) I'm happy so far with it. Just thought I would see if you guys and Ladies think it was a descent deal and if you could help me know whats up with all those connections and that switch. Thanks much, DB

WooHoo!!! I'm a sophmore now

[PardeGT]

I don't think digital is in business anymore but here's what I found:

The picture tube in the VRC21-HA seems to have been made by mitsubishi which are high quality and among the best.

The few places I could find it for sale by vendors on the web wanted $499-$600 for one. On eBay there are two for sale currently and back history shows they go for about $150.

So since yours seems to work fine you got a really good deal.

As for the connectors some of them older workstation monitors required a fixed frequency video card to run them. Yours seems to be working though. Maybe someone else can shed some light on this.

[DragonBreath]

Thanks very much for your time and info. It's greatly appreciated. DB

[LawyerRon]

If it works good it's a great deal!

[Toaster]

Hello folks,
These older monitors often had 4-5 BNC connectors instead of the typical DB15 connector. Some had both.
These BNC connectors are most often designated:
1. red video
2. blue video
3. green video
4. vertical sync
5. horizontal sync

In the above config, the vertical/horizontal sync lines are what it sounds like, vertical and horizontal signal lines. All these lines exist on todays monitors.
Many of these older monitors had defined needs such as limited refresh rates and particular "frequency" needs. Many of these monitors were intended for high end graphics workstations and were designed around a particular system type.
Many of these monitors were "fixed frequency" unlike "multi-sync" monitors of today.
Some of the older fixed frequency monitors would not function outside of a particular resolution or were limited to resolutions available. Most often, these monitors are designed for 1024x768 or 1280x1024 and a 70hz refresh. It sounds as though your monitor was designed for the DEC Alpha or other high end work station.
Any monitor (less composite monitors) require a "sync" signal to function.
This could be "sync on green" (most common), external sync and other methods. Many derive their needed sync data internally.

[DragonBreath]

It does work well and thank you Toaster, Lawyer Ron and Pardegt for all your info. DB