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Date:      Sat,  2 Feb 2002 11:41:32 +0100 (CET)
From:      Pascal Bourguignon <pjb@informatimago.com>
To:        cjclark@alum.mit.edu
Cc:        freebsd-mobile@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: Using VGA Output on a Dell XPi
Message-ID:  <20020202104132.16B5085393@thalassa.informatimago.com>
In-Reply-To: <20020201151741.B956@gohan.cjclark.org> (cristjc@earthlink.net)
References:  <20020201112833.A197@gohan.cjclark.org> <20020201215209.9C97E85387@thalassa.informatimago.com> <20020201151741.B956@gohan.cjclark.org>

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> From: "Crist J. Clark" <cristjc@earthlink.net>
> 
> On Fri, Feb 01, 2002 at 10:52:09PM +0100, Pascal Bourguignon wrote:
> > > Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2002 11:28:33 -0800
> > > From: "Crist J. Clark" <cristjc@earthlink.net>
> > > 
> > > I'm using an old Dell XPi notebook PC. It is nice to be able to hook
> > > it up to a "real" monitor and keyboard. It has an "CRT/LCD" toggle
> > > control that works perfectly when I'm just using syscons terminals. It
> > > has three modes, LCD, CRT, and both at once. If it detects the VGA
> > > plug is being used, it automatically goes to CRT only.
> > > 
> > > The problem is how to set this up right with X. Right now, if I am
> > > using the CRT and type 'startx,' the CRT loses its signal and a
> > > pattern of black and white horizontal lines show up on the LCD. If I
> > > Ctl-Alt-F1 back to the terminal, all is fine. On the other hand, if I
> > 
> > THANKS YOU VERY  VERY VERY MUCH !  I've been  tidling XF86config for 8
> > years now on my DELL Latitude  XPi 90ST to find the right setting that
> > would  synchronize  correctly  with   the  LCD  and  avoid  that  ugly
> > stuff. The  only way I found  up to now  was to avoid white  and other
> > very bright colors, and of course,  no gray pattern.
> 
> I'm not sure I understand, but glad to be of help? X has always worked
> fine on my LCD. In more detail, what happens is that I sit at the CRT,
> type 'startx,' the CRT loses signal, and the funky pattern shows up on
> the LCD.  Now, I hit Ctl-Alt-F1 on a keyboard (both the built-in and
> one plugged into the PS/2 port work) and the console window that I had
> typed 'startx' in appears again on the CRT and the LCD powers back
> off. At this point I typically '^C' to kill X.

It does not matter that I not understood literally what you wrote, but
you helped me find the  solution. Your Ctrl-Alt-F1 pressing switch the
virtual console to a text screen instead of X.  But staying within the
X console and pressing Fn-F8  (CRT/LCD) makes the BIOS do something to
the video  chip that stabilizes the  image and removes  the pattern of
black and white horizontal lines. 

If I press several times to Fn-F8 the situation stays good. So...

> As for toggling around by starting X in the LCD first, the problem is
> that whenever X resets the screen, it goes back to the LCD. So, if I
> go to LCD, 'startx', toggle to CRT, and then try to run something like
> xvidtune(1), when I go to apply changes X resets the screen and we go
> back to LCD, where the changes I made don't make sense.

... you may what to try this: once X has reset the screen back to LCD,
use Fn-F8 again to go back to CRT or LCD-CRT.

 
> Oh, and here is another odd thing. The screen size is different when
> the LCD and CRT are on at the same time. That is, when either is on by
> itself, I can see the whole desktop on the LCD or CRT. But when both
> are on at once, I get a horizontal zoom and part of the right side of
> the desktop is clipped off on both (in the same place).

X can make a virtual desktop  bigger than screen size. If you move the
mouse, over,  it can move the  "window" displayed on  the screen. This
feature would explain why you have  part of the desktop clipped off on
both screens (option Virtual xdim ydim in XF86Config).

 
> I guess this is going to be a _lot_ of trial and error, or I may find
> someone who has already figured this out? Please? Pretty please with
> sugar on it?


-- 
__Pascal_Bourguignon__              (o_ Software patents are endangering
()  ASCII ribbon against html email //\ the computer industry all around
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