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From: ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu (Ed Krimen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st.tech
Subject: NEC 3D and IB Multisync switchbox
Message-ID: <1991Jan18.220827.4568@ecst.csuchico.edu>
Date: 18 Jan 91 22:08:27 GMT
Sender: news@ecst.csuchico.edu (USENET)
Organization: California State University, Chico
Lines: 61

After having my NEC 3D for almost two months, I have <<<*FINALLY*>>> 
gotten a switcher that works and works WELL.

I'm not going to go into detail about how I ended up with what I 
ended up with, but I spent *A LOT* of time waiting for things to 
arrive via UPS and I made A LOT of phone calls trying to iron things 
out.

Before I tell you what I have, lemme say that you should avoid the 
Omniswitch like the plague!  I went through three of them and they 
were all bad.  None of them worked with my NEC 3D.  One of the places 
I called about the switchbox I have now won't even carry the 
Omniswitch because he knows they are sh*tty.

I am now using an IB Multisync switchbox.  IB Computers of Beaverton, 
Oregon distributes them; they are made somewhere in Europe.  It's a 
very sturdy, well-designed, and well-built box.  It's made of metal 
and measures about 2"x3".  It has audio out and audio in ports.  It 
has about an 18" cable going to the ST and a very, very long cable 
for the multisync.  At the end of the multisync cable is a *male* 
9-pin plug, which I thought was kinda strange, but IB says that only 
within the last few months have multisync monitors become rather 
standardized.  Therefore, I needed a female 9-pin to female 15-pin 
converter since my 3D has a male 15-pin plug; I got that from a place 
in Computer Shopper called DALCO, since I got my NEC 3D used and it 
didn't come with one.  The switchbox retails for $70, but can be found
for less than $55.  It uses a 9V, 500milliamp power adaptor that I 
needed to sync in monochrome so I used the one from my Atari 2600
in the closet.

So what's the verdict?  Do I like it?  Yes, I like it very much.  Was 
it worth the effort?  Yes, I think so.  The NEC 3D is a VERY nice 
monitor.  I saw the Acer/Omniswitch combo at my dealer; to test it, I
typed in a small note using NeoDesk 3.0's desktop notepad feature and
I couldn't even read what I wrote.  NeoDesk uses a 6x6, the smallest
font, and it was very difficult to read.  I did the same on the 3D and
it was crisp.  I won't vouch that the 3D is as clear as an SM124, but
I don't need a magnifying glass on the 3D's 14" screen to see the 8x8
or 6x6 fonts.  I'm not as picky as others about the sharpness of the
monochrome monitors, but the 3D comes quite close.  The color on the 
3D is also extraordinary.  With the Omniswitch, the reds were pastel
and the screen was very large, even though it was shrunk down to its
smallest size.  Whatever the IB switchbox has done differently, it
does it well.

I saw the Sony CPD1302A at a friend's house.  I've heard from several 
people that it's better than the 3D for connecting to the ST.  I 
regrettably didn't examine upclose the clarity of the monochrome, but 
it and the color both looked great.  The screen adjustment controls 
are at the back of the 1302 which is a disadvantage; they're on the 
front of the 3D.  The mechanical click of the 1302 syncing could also 
be heard when switching between color and mono.

So there ya' go.  As always, if you have any questions, you know 
where to reach me.
  
-- 
         Ed Krimen  ...............................................
   |||   Video Production Major, California State University, Chico
   |||   INTERNET: ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu  FREENET: al661 
  / | \  SysOp, Fuji BBS: 916-894-1261        FIDONET: 1:119/4.0