| Author | Message | ||
     Strangelove Rating: N/A |
I've still my old old 3D Spex with the parallel port interface (can't affort new glasses yet). I was wondering how to use them with WinXP and NVidia's stereo driver. I thought about making a homebrew pass-through VGA controller, as described elsewhere on this site. But that's too much trouble. Then I realized that the parallel port controller that came with the 3D Spex should be easy to adapt for the job. In fact, it was so easy, all it took is to connect the right pin (open the controller to see which one) to pin #14 on the VGA output (that carries the VSync signal); also, the connector's metal rim MUST be grounded (the PC case can be used as ground). And voila! It works like a charm. Well, almost. There's no stereo reverse switch, and NVidia's drivers don't have a reverse key, so it may be necessary to unplug the adapter once or twice until it hits the correct orientation. | ||
| David C. Qualman Rating: N/A |
Shouldn't you be using pin 12 from the VGA connector to drive the Spex? That should prevent any misalignment. | ||
| Strangelove Rating: N/A |
Tried, but it only works on pin 14. | ||
| David C. Qualman Rating: N/A |
If you have an nVidia card, and the nVidia stereo drivers, or if you have a card supported by WINx3D for the Revelator or DDC cards, then you should be able to get forced synchronization. (Proceed with own risk after full understanding) Bit 4 (not pin 4 - I forget which pin is bit 4) from the Parallel port normally drives the SPEX. This is a TTL input. Likewise, with a DDC-capable card, VGA pin 12 is used to drive the synchronization. I think that this is also a TTL level. So, with power applied to the SPEX parallel port dongle, ground hooked up, and a connection between the input of the SPEX and pin 12 on the VGA, you should be able to get the glasses to sync. Otherwise, you can use the free-running solution that you proposed. I think that a simple TTL level NOT gate, with an SPDT swtich, should solve the reversing problem. |
