VPI MONTEST-LCD User manual

MAN002 Rev Date 6/13/2008
MONTEST-LCD
Computer Monitor Tester
Installation and Operation Manual
LOW
BATTERY
ALTBLUEGREENREDINTENPATTERNSELECTGROUPPREVIOUSNEXT
SYNCPOLARITYPIXELTIME
CROSS HATCH
FULL RASTER
GRAY SCALE
COLOR BARS MONTEST-LCD
NTI NETWORK
TECHNOLOGIES
INCORPORATED
ON
Tel: [phone]
www.montest.com
1275 Danner Drive
Fax: [phone]
VPI VIDEO
PRODUCTS
INCORPORATED
Aurora,Ohio 44202

TRADEMARK
MONTEST is a trademark of Video Products Inc in the U.S. and other countries.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright © 1999, 2008 by Video Products Incorporated. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may
be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Video Products
Incorporated, 1275 Danner Drive, Aurora, Ohio 44202
CHANGES
The material in this manual is for information only and is subject to change without notice. Video Products
Incorporated reserves the right to make changes in the product design without reservation and without
notification to its users.
WARNINGS
Applying a scan format to a monitor that is beyond the specified frequency range of the monitor can
damage the monitor. Refer to the monitor’s manual or label to verify the frequency of operation for
the monitor.
The pin out used for the 13W3 type connectors (SUN connector) varies between monitor
manufactures. Insure that a monitor with a 13W3 connector matches the MONTEST-LCD pin out
before connecting the monitor to the MONTEST-LCD.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 1
INSTALLATION ............................................................................................................................... 2
Signal Pin Assignments ............................................................................................................... 2
Output Connections ..................................................................................................................... 2
LCD DISPLAY FUNCTIONS ...........................................................................................................3
Main Screen .............................................................................................................................. 3
Alternate Screen ....................................................................................................................... 3
B Screen ................................................................................................................................... 3
C Screen ................................................................................................................................... 3
Examples of Display Screens ...................................................................................................... 3
SWITCH & INDICATOR FUNCTIONS ............................................................................................ 4
OPERATION.................................................................................................................................... 6
CHANGING BATTERIES ................................................................................................................ 6
TROUBLESHOOTING .................................................................................................................... 7
SCAN FORMATS ............................................................................................................................ 8
SPECIFICATIONS......................................................................................................................... 10
SIGNAL WAVEFORMS................................................................................................................. 12
AC ADAPTER CONVERSION INSTRUCTIONS .......................................................................... 13
Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 13
Plug Installation....................................................................................................................... 13
WARRANTY INFORMATION........................................................................................................ 14

1
INTRODUCTION
The VPI MONTEST-LCD is an instrument for testing, repairing, and aligning analog computer monitors, LCD displays and video
projection systems. The MONTEST-LCD has the following features:
•Easy to use push button operation with last setting memory. The last user settings selected are restored at power up.
•A microprocessor and programmable logic based design provides significant performance improvement over the common,
memory based monitor testers.
•Over one hundred scan formats are selectable with the MONTEST-LCD. This includes VGA, MAC, and SUN scan formats.
All current VESA standard and most fixed frequency monitor scan formats are also included.
•Four video output connections for direct connection to most monitors.
VGA (15 pin HD), MAC II (15 pin D), SUN (13W3), and BNC (5).
•Versatile and selectable sync outputs for composite, sync on green and horizontal & vertical with selectable polarity.
•The LCD display clearly shows the user, the scan format, the pattern and the output options selected and the LED indicators
show the status of the video output.
•The 4 video patterns with 16 colors and intensity control provide all the patterns and colors normally required to test and align
any monitor.
Patterns Provided Used to test
Raster color purity
Color bars color balance
Gray bars intensification
Cross Hatch w/ Dots convergence, focus & geometry
•Small portable unit with battery or AC adapter operation.
•Selectable 10 minute timeout on the video to prevent CRT burn-in.
•Selectable auto sequencing through the patterns to burn-in monitors.
•Selectable pixel size. (16 and 31 nanoseconds)
Materials
Materials supplied include:
•VPI MONTEST-LCD
•2.1X5.5mm Plug (see page 13)
•This owner's manual

2
INSTALLATION
Signal Pin Assignments
The table below shows the connector pins that the MONTEST-LCD output signals connect to.
Connector Pin Signal Assingments
Output Signal Connector Pins
MAC II SUN VGA BNC
RED 2 A1 1 RED
GREEN 5 A2 2 GREEN
BLUE 9 A3 3 BLUE
HORIZ/COMP 15 6 13 HORIZ
VERT 12 2 14 VERT
COMP SYNC 3 5 - -
GND 1, 6, 11 1, 4, 7 4, 5, 6, 7 Shell
13, 14 10 8, 10, 11
Note: When composite sync is selected the composite sync is available on both the HORIZ/COMP and the COMP
SYNC outputs.
Output Connections
1. A common PC monitor connects to the VGA (15HD female) or the MAC II (15DB female) connectors.
2. A SUN monitor is connected to the SUN (13W3 female) connector. Other monitors with a 13W3 type connector may have a
different pin out. Consult the monitor’s manual for the monitor's pin out. Those monitors with a different pin out should be
connected with an adapter.
3. A monitor with BNC connectors or an adapter cable can be connected to the BNC connectors on the MONTEST-LCD.
Depending on the type of sync used the number of required connections to the MONTEST-LCD will vary.
Sync Type Cables Connections
SOG 3 RED GREEN BLUE
CMP 4 RED GREEN BLUE HORIZ/COMP
H & V 5 RED GREEN BLUE HORIZ/COMP VERT
REAR VIEW OF MONTEST-LCD
INTENSITY
TIME
PATTERN
MAC II SUN VGA9 VDC
RED GREEN BLUE HORIZ/
COMP
VERT
VGA
Mating face of a
15HD female
42351
10 98 67
15 14 13 12 11
SUN
Mating face of a
13W3 female
12345
678910
A1 A2 A3
MAC
Mating face of a
15DB female
12345678
9
101112131415

3
LCD DISPLAY FUNCTIONS
The LCD display shows a variety of information. During power up the model number is shown then the last scan format selected.
Multiple screens of information are available for each scan format. The ALT button will step through the 4 screens of data for
each scan format. The NEXT, PREVIOUS and GROUP buttons will display the data for the selected screen as you step through
the scan formats. The following describes the screen information.
Main Screen
Scan Format Group VGA, MAC, SUN, 30s - 110s
Scan Format Number 01 -
Screen _ main
a Alternate Screen
b B Screen
c C Screen
Number of lines Number of horizontal lines in each vertical frame
Pattern Icon The current pattern icon (#) is displayed when the scan format is selected. (Raster, Color
bars, Gray bars, Hatch)
Frequency Horizontal (KHz) and Vertical (Hz) scan frequency
Alternate Screen
No Timeout NT is displayed if the 10-minute video display timeout is OFF. Selectable with the TIME
button when the alternate screen is displayed
Pixel Width 16ns or 31ns. Selectable with the PIXEL button when the alternate screen is displayed.
Sync Polarity +H +V, -H +V, +H –V and –H –V. Selectable with the POLARITY button when the alternate
screen is displayed.
Sync Type H&V, CMP and SOG. Selectable with the SYNC button when the alternate screen is
displayed
B Screen
Resolution Typical resolution used for scan format. The actual pixel size used may not match the
horizontal resolution.
C Screen
Optional Data Additional information may be provided.
Examples of Display Screens
Main Screen Alternate Screen B Screen C Screen
30s 01 480 Line #
31.5KHz 60Hz
30s 01a NT #
31ns +H +V H&V
30s 01b #
640 x 480 @ 60Hz
30s 01c #
Optional Data

4
SWITCH & INDICATOR FUNCTIONS
FRONT VIEW OF MONTEST-LCD
ON/OFF Turns ON and OFF AC adapter and battery power to the MONTEST-LCD.
NEXT Steps up to the next scan formats in a group.
Note: Scan formats are in horizontal scan frequency order.
PREVIOUS Steps down to the previous scan formats in a group.
GROUP Steps through the groups of scan formats. The first scan format for each group is displayed after pushing the
group button. The groups are organized by horizontal scan frequency. The VGA, MAC and SUN groups
contain the common scan formats used for those platforms. The remaining groups contain the scan formats for
each decade of horizontal scan frequencies.
Group Range Number in Group
VGA 31.5 - 75.0 7
MAC 31.5 – 74.9 7
SUN 50.0 – 71.7 7
30s 30.0 – 39.9 18
40s 40.0 – 49.9 7
50s 50.0 – 59.9 10
60s 60.0 – 69.9 19
70s 70.0 – 79.9 15
80s 80.0 – 89.9 12
90s 90.0 – 99.9 10
100s 100.0 – 109.9 9
110s 110.0 – 119.9 3
120s 120.0 – 129.9 2
SELECT Turns ON and OFF the video and sync output signals and the pattern icon. The current MONTEST-LCD
settings are stored when a scan format is selected. These settings are recalled at power up, restoring the last
settings selected.
PATTERN Steps through the four video output patterns. Full Raster, Color Bars, Gray Bars and Crosshatch. The Full
Raster pattern is set when a new scan format is selected. The icon for the current pattern is shown on the LCD
display when SELECT is ON.
Pushing the pattern button for 3 seconds will cause the MONTEST-LCD to sequence through the four patterns
automatically with a five-second interval for each pattern. The automatic sequencing is stopped when the
pattern button is pushed again for 3 seconds or, a new scan format is selected.
INTENSITY Alternates the video output between full and half intensity. The LED indicator is ON for full intensity.
RED Turns ON and OFF the red video signal. The LED indicator is ON when the red video is ON.
GREEN Turns ON and OFF the green video signal. The LED indicator is ON when the green video is ON.
LOW
BATTERY
ALTBLUEGREENREDINTENPATTERNSELECTGROUPPREVIOUSNEXT
SYNCPOLARITYPIXELTIME
CROSS HATCH
FULL RASTER
GRAY SCALE
COLOR BARS MONTEST-LCD
NTI NETWORK
TECHNOLOGIES
INCORPORATED
ON

5
BLUE Turns ON and OFF the blue video signal. The LED indicator is ON when the blue video is ON.
ALT The Alternate (ALT) button is used to display addition information on the LCD display.
When a scan format is displayed pushing ALT will display the default pixel and sync settings for the scan format.
Pushing the ALT button additional times will display addition information for that scan format.
Pushing the ALT button for 3 seconds, at power up, during the display of VPI MONTEST-LCD, will display the
MONTEST-LCD status. Pushing the ALT button additional times displays:
Number of scan formats in Groups 1 – 4
Number of scan formats in Groups 5 – 8
Number of scan formats in Groups 9 – 12
Number of scan formats in Groups 13 – 16
Back to normal operation, displaying the last selected scan format.
TIME When the alternate screen is displayed, the TIME button will alternate the video 10 minute timeout ON and OFF.
NT on the LCD display indicates No Timeout is selected. When the timeout has occurred the video output
signals are disabled, but the sync signals remain active. Also the LEDs are all OFF except the TIME (INTEN)
LED is flashing. Pushing the TIME button will then turn ON the video and restart the timeout timer.
PIXEL When the alternate screen is displayed, the PIXEL button will alternate the pixel period setting between 16.25
ns and 31.50 ns.
POLARITY When the alternate screen is displayed, the POLARITY button will step through the four polarity options for the
horizontal and vertical sync:
+H +V
–H +V
+H –V
–H –V
SYNC When the alternate screen is displayed, the SYNC button will step through the three sync options:
H & V Horizontal and Vertical sync (Default)
CMP Composite horizontal and vertical sync
SOG Sync On Green
LOW Indicates that the remaining battery power is low.
BATTERY

6
OPERATION
The following are the normal operational steps for using the MONTEST-LCD.
1. Connect the monitor to the MONTEST-LCD. See the section on "CONNECTIONS" (page 2) for details.
2. Turn ON the MONTEST-LCD power. The MONTEST-LCD can be used with the AC adapter, or the internal batteries.
3. Use the GROUP button to select the group of scan formats to be used. See the tables under SCAN FORMATS (pages 8 and
9), as required.
4. Use the NEXT and PREVIOUS buttons to step through the scan formats until the desired scan format is found.
5. The ALT button can be used to look at the additional screens of LCD data. Also the pixel time, sync type, and sync polarity
can be reviewed or changed.
6. Once the desired scan format is displayed, pushing the SELECT button will turn ON the video and sync outputs. The raster
icon will then be displayed on the LCD and the raster video pattern is output to your monitor.
7. Change the pattern, colors, and intensity as desired.
8. Pushing the SELECT button again will turn OFF the video and sync outputs. Also changing the scan format with GROUP,
NEXT or PREVIOUS will turn OFF the video and sync outputs.
CHANGING BATTERIES
The MONTEST-LCD can be powered by 6 alkaline C-size batteries. To change the batteries, follow these steps:
1. Normal electrostatic discharge (ESD) handling precautions should be observed when the enclosure of the MONTEST-LCD is
open. Touch a grounded surface before performing any hardware procedure.
2. Turn OFF the power and remove all connections to the MONTEST-LCD.
3. Place the MONTEST-LCD upside down on a work surface.
4. Remove the 2 Phillips head screws that hold the top and bottom of the enclosure together.
5. Carefully turn the MONTEST-LCD right side up, holding the enclosure together.
6. Lift off the top of the enclosure to expose the battery holder.
7. Install 6 new alkaline C-size batteries noting the battery polarity marked on the battery holder.
8. Reverse this procedure to reassemble the MONTEST-LCD.
Note: Dead batteries should be removed from the MONTEST-LCD to prevent damage caused by acid leaking from a
battery.

7
TROUBLESHOOTING
Problem Solution
LCD and indicators are OFF. No power.
•Check AC adapter connections.
•Check batteries
Low battery indicator is ON. Replace batteries
NiCad batteries were factory installed. Replace with same
or with alkaline batteries.
No video on monitor
•Check connections
•Make sure scan format is selected. (see "SELECT"
page 4)
•Is timeout active? (see "TIME" page 5)
"INTEN" indicator is flashing If timeout is active, this will flash. (see "TIME" page 5)
Video on monitor is dim •Check intensity setting
•Use only one output connector at a time.
Dots can not be seen Change pixel to 31ns setting
Pattern keeps changing Auto pattern sequencing is ON (see "PATTERN" page 4)
At power up the LCD displays "STATUS
ERROR XX"
Contact VPI for solution.