MP and Mac Magic FAQ

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MP and Mac Magic F.A.Q.

Last update: Dec 30th, 2002

Mac OS X compatibility

The following classic products (first generation) are not Mac OS X compatible: MP320, MP340, MP515, MP520, MP523, MP540, MacMagic.

The following classic product (second generation) has limited Mac OS X compatibility if upgraded to the last version: MP750, MP760, MP850, MP860, MP960, MacMagic Pro.

Limitations in second generation products Mac OS X support are:

- No hardware acceleration (2D and 3D)

- Not compatible with dual processor systems running Jaguar (Mac OS 10.2.x)

Renamed Products

We will use the shorter "MP" to identify all the Mac P. cards.

Pablo: It is now simply called the TV-out module.

Paloma: It got the long name TV-Audio-Video-in module, or shorter TV-in.

MP950: The MP950 is renamed to MP960, for consistency. Some software still report MP950

Common FAQ

Graphic card installation section

Problem: After installation of a MP graphic card, the control panel "Monitors" or "Monitors & Sound" does only show one (or a few) resolution(s) to choose from.

Solution: Perform the following steps:

change the color depth of the current resolution (if possible) and accept the choice
reboot your Mac
choose the control panel "Monitors" or "Monitor & Sound". It should now display all the resolutions from which you can choose the desired one
if the resolutions are still not displayed, try to hold down the option key on your keyboard while clicking on the "Option" button of the control panel

This mainly happens:

using a monitor Apple Vision 1710 AV but not using its ADB cable
using a Mac monitor with a VGA adapter, which's dip switch code forces a certain resolution
using a non Apple monitor with an Apple monitor cable. In this case the resolution is coded in the cable.

What had happened:

In all the cases mentioned, the monitor was connected to the Apple monitor connector at the MP graphic card. This is the larger of the two connectors, which has a monitor sense line. Depending on how this line is wired in the monitor cable or VGA monitor adapter, the MP assumes, that the monitor supports only few of the many built in resolutions and shows only those in the control panel. This is useful for some fixed frequency monitors which supports only few resolutions and would not be able to display a picture, if the wrong resolution is chosen. With a monitor that supports more resolutions than detected by the monitor sense line, this security option can be overruled as shown above.

Q: After installation of a MP graphic card, the control panel "Monitors" or "Monitor & Sound" shows only one resolution. Holding down the option key on the keyboard and clicking on the "Option" button of the control panel doesn't help either.

A: Perform the following steps:

choose another color depth and accept the choice
reboot your Mac
in the control panel "Monitor" or "Monitor & Sound" from the Apple menu the desired resolution and color depth can now be chosen.

What had happened:

To assure that any monitor connected to the MP graphic card shows a picture right after the installation (Plug & View), the resolution 640x480 is chosen for the very first time. This resolution can be displayed by almost every monitor we know (possible exception: some very old fixed frequency monitors). By changing the color depth, the firmware of the MP graphic card knows, that the user got a clear picture. After the next reboot the card offers its wide range of possible resolutions.

Problem: MP 320, 328, 340: Why does the monitor stay dark after a PRAM reset (a.k.a. zapping PRAM, key combination [CMD]+[ALT]+[R]+[P]) or even directly after installing the graphic card into a Mac IIci or any other NuBus Mac without PowerPC CPU?

Answer: Perform the following steps:

shut down your Mac
connect the monitor to the internal graphic card (or an old NuBus card)
boot your Mac and choose the control panel "Memory" from the Apple menu
switch the 32 bit addressing on
close the control panel
shut down your Mac again
connect the monitor to the MP graphic card
boot your Mac (if the monitor shows a picture the problem is gone).

Explanation: Your Mac was set to 24 bit memory addressing mode. This leaves only 1 MByte space for every NuBus slot, because the total amount of memory addressable is 16 MByte. But all MPs require at least 16 Mbyte address space for operation. In 32 bit addressing mode there are 16 MByte plus 256 MByte space available for every NuBus slot.

More stuff: Switching into 32 bit mode might not work on Mac II, IIx and IIcx. Their ROMs are not 32-Bit capable. Installing the MODE32 Extension should help, but there seem to be some unsolved problems. (You can use a MP320, 328, or 340 as an additional card, but you still need an old NuBus video card which is 24 bit capable. It works as long as the MP reports only one resolution, that means after first installation, and if the monitor (of the MP) was disconnected for one startup, and is reconnected for the next one. Not sure whether we will fix this, because there are only very few guys trying to use a MP in this first NuBus Macs.

Problem: The control panel "Monitors" or "Monitors & Sound" shows more monitors than you expect. In the simplest case you have one monitor connected, but two are shown.

Answer: Some graphics cards or graphics subsystems integrated on the motherboard do not recognize that no monitor is connected. This occurs on a Macintosh 7100 or 8100 with the internal AV graphics, for instance. In this case there is no solution, except connecting a monitor to the internal AV graphics subsystem. If an usual plug-in graphics card shows this behavior and you do not use it anymore, plug it out. But check first that you do not have a Macintosh to VGA monitor adapter or something similar connected to an unused graphics card's output, because such an adapter tells the card that a monitor is present.

Important: While using the control panel "monitors" or "Monitors & Sound", do not move the menu bar into the icon of the non existing monitor! The result would be an unusable Macintosh! Do not put any icons or windows to the non existing monitor! You will not be able to find them again, if the program that created the window puts them at the same position at any start.

Memory section

Question: Does the MP graphic card use the internal VRAM on the motherboard of the Macintosh?

Answer: No. All MP cards have their own RAM onboard.

Question: Can I use a MP graphics card to expand the VRAM of my Macintosh's graphic?

Answer: No. The MP graphics card is independent from the internal graphics of your Mac. If you add a graphics card, you can still use the internal graphics to drive a second monitor.

Question: Can I expand the video memory on a MP?

Answer: Some models can be expanded, others not. Please see the manual of the specific model. (The MP328 and MP520 can be expanded from 2 to 4 MByte, if they did not ship with 4 MByte already. The following cards to not allow a memory expansion: MP320, MP340, MP540, MP850, MacMagic, MacMagicPro.)

Settings section

Problem: I cannot choose millions of colors with the resolution 1024x768 on my MP328 or MP520 with 4 MByte of RAM.

Answer: Due to a restriction of the graphics controller on this cards, it is impossible. Please use the resolution 1016x768 instead of 1024x768, or switch back to thousands of colors.

Problem: Turning on the gamma correction in the control panel "Monitors" or "Monitors & Sound", with a color depth above 256 colors shows no effect on MP320, MP328, MP516, MP520, MP523.

Answer: Try to get the desired effect by adjusting the contrast of your monitor. The graphics controller used on the mentioned cards does not support gamma correction in more than 256 colors.

Other issues - some are very old

Problem: I cannot sleep my PowerMac G4 if a Village Tronic graphic card is installed.

Answer: We know this. The PowerMac G4 likes to power down the PCI bus, but the drivers of our cards do not support it as of 2000-02-27. Later drivers for MP750/760/850/860/960 will support it.

Problem: Word 6 (6.0.1) crashes after I installed a graphic card. I have two or more monitors connected to the computer now.

Answer: We know this, but it is not our fault. The crash occurs with graphic cards from any other vendor as well (or as bad). Either upgrade our Word, or disconnect all but one monitor from your computer and restart to work with Word 6.

Problem: I have no monitor connected to my MP540 in a G3-machine but nevertheless the system thinks there is a monitor. (The problem might occur on MP516/520/523, too, but it did not during our test.)

Answer: This is a harmless bug in the ROM of the MP. For MP540, the bug was fixed with ROM V1.3. For MP516/520/523, the bug will be fixed in ROM V1.9, if this is ROM is ever released.

Problem: I installed the MP340 software and now does the computer complain about "NameRegistryLib not found" during startup. I have a PowerPC machine.

Answer: This is a known bug in old versions of the RestoreTimings program installed into the Autostart-folder. Just throw it away if you do not use custom modified timings, or install a newer version, at least the one which came with M&P V1.5.2.

Question: What is the most current version of software for MP? Where can I find it?

Answer: Because the versions change, only the second question can be answered in general. If you have Internet access, please have a look at ftp://ftp.villagetronic.com/pub/mac . In this directory there is the current software. You may enter the above line into your browser, although it is a ftp-server address. You may have a look at http://www.villagetronic.com and find a link to the ftp-directory in the support area.

Question: Where is the Sync On Green (SOG) jumper on MP340?

Answer: It is labeled JP1 and is near the NuBus connector. Place a jumper over the two pins to switch on SOG after power-on or restart. JP2 which consists of the other two pins of this 2x2 pin field an dhas no function at the moment.

Problem: "Apple Video Player" says something like "hardware not present" or the video window is very slow. Or "Apple Video Player" does not work without error message.

Answer: You have a Performa 6400 or any other computer with integrated video (television) capture?: These video/TV capture units are directly coupled with a graphics hardware ("graphics card"). The TV input hardware in a 6400 is for instance directly coupled with the internal graphics of this computer. If you insert an additional card and connect no monitor to the internal graphics, the video/TV is shut down together with the internal graphics, and is not available. If you have a monitor on the internal graphics and a monitor on the additional graphics card, the video window becomes very slow if you drag it from the internal to the additional graphics card. There is no way to change this. The video input was made and optimized to feed the internal graphics directly. It means a lot of additional work for the computer to move the video to an added graphics card.

Question: Can I connect two monitors to the two monitor connectors of MP?

Answer: You should not do this. In general, the MP will not be damaged if you connect one monitor to the VGA and another monitor to the Mac connector simultaneously. But because of the termination resistors in the monitors, the picture will be darker than normal. On some monitors, you may turn off the termination. The picture will return to normal brightness in this case, but because the termination is no longer at the end of the cable, you might see shadows in the picture. To connect two monitors directly (without active devices) the correct way is:

use only one connector of MP, either VGA or Mac
turn off the termination on the first monitor (that means you can only use a monitor or display where you can turn off the termination)
connect the first monitor/display to the MP
connect the second monitor to the first monitor
The mentioned limitations are not effective for connecting a TV-set to the Pablo module and a monitor to the VGA or Mac connector.

Problem: Running picture if MP320 is connected to old Apple monitor.

Answer: Although the MP320 has an Apple monitor connector, it does not provide the CSYNC (composite sync) signal required by old Apple monitors, like the 13 inch greyscale or 15 inch portrait. We offer an update (rework) of the MP320 by adding a small board which generates CSYNC. All the other MPs with Apple monitor connector do not have this problem.

Problem: The screen of a game is corrupted.

Answer: You have the menu bar on one monitor (this is the main monitor) and selected inside the game the other monitor as play field? Unfortunately there are some games which apply the parameters of the main monitor to the non-main one. Try to make the monitor you want to play on the main monitor (use Monitors, Monitors&Sound or M&P) and start the game again.

Problem: Leaving (closing) Monitors Control Panel changes something.

Answer: There are some MacOS versions around 7.5.3 with a buggy Monitors Control Panel. It confuses the graphics cards (monitors) and their settings. If you have two monitors, it exchanges their values sometimes. Use the Monitors Control Panel from a newer MacOS (e.g. the one from 7.6 works) or use Monitors&Sound.

Problem: No picture after starting a game. (Monitor goes into powersave mode or says something like "frequency range exceeded".

Answer: There are some games (and non-game applications, too) which switch into non-safe Display Modes without asking the user for confirmation. This is an error of the game or application. Please start MaPi_Modes_Disable before starting the game or use the Modes disable function of M&P (Main Menu / MP Utilities / Lock video mode - should be selected) to get the same result.
If the game works now, it was the mentioned problem. If you own a multiscan monitor, you might want to switch into an other (lower) resolution before starting MaPi_Modes_Disable and the game. Some games may require a low resolution, so you have to switch resolution to use the game.

Problem: The mouse sticks if it ist moved onto the MP.

Answer: There can be different reasons:

There is a problem with some computers with PCI slots. If there is more than a fixed number of cards in the computer, on one of the cards the interrupt did not work. (Two cards and everything was ok, the third card installed and one of the first two stopped the mouse.) This problem is caused by MacOS on UMAX Apus 3000 (probably on 2000 too), on Performa 6400 and even on Performa 5400 if you extent it's one PCI-Slot by some kind of extender box or have a a card in the communication slot which has it's own ROM and driver loaded at boot time. This problem might bite all other kinds of cards as well if they have a ROM and a driver loaded at early boot time, like SCSI-cards. Ask for a ROM update if you have this problem on the mentioned computer models. (Normally, Apple should fix the problem. But we have a workaround, present in our MP516/520/523 ROMs starting with V1.8 and MP540 with V1.2.)
An other reason might be a defective MP, that means the vertical blank interrupt does not work. Such a card should be repaired. Please contact your dealer.
A program disabled the interrupt of the MP. Did you do (launch) anything unusual?

Problem: Screen becomes garbled while Finder is launching, during the end of startup.

Answer: Did you just update the ROM (driver) of your graphics card and are you using the "RestoreTimings" program (inside the "Startup Items" folder)? Then the solution is to startup with shift-key down to disable load of extensions (and "RestoreTimings") to have an usable screen again and to delete the "M&P Prefs" file in the VillageTronic folder in the extensions folder.
Of course it is better to delete the "M&P Prefs" file before updating the ROM.

MP750/760/850/860/960 FAQ

Problem: Where is the OpenGL accelerator?

Answer: Not available.

Problem: I like to connect an old Apple monitor with 2 row 15 pin Sub-D plug to a MP760/860/960 which has only a 3 row 15 pin HD-Sub-D connector (VGA style). What adapter do I need?

Answer: You need the same adapter like shipped with the bluewhite G3s and separately available for the PowerMac G4. The Apple part number is 590-1120. You may use a compatible adapter, too, but please keep in mind that there are adapters which look exactly like the needed adapter (for instance shipped with the Apple 1710AV monitor), but do have a different internal wiring and will not work with some of the old Apple monitors, because the Apple monitor is not recognized as such and CSYNC is not generated.

Problem: My MacPaloma I took from my MP540 does not work. (The MacPaloma software tells me to ask for an update)

Answer: This is true. These MacPalomas shipped at MP540 time need a small rework. For the people who like to solder themselves, see the Download page under TV-Audio-Video-in module. For all the others, please contact our support about how to proceed.

More Text: We really tried to make an universal module connector on the MP540, but unfortunately we used an operation mode in the MacPaloma not supported by some graphics controllers, like the one on MP850. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Problem: My Pablo module is not recognized.

Answer: M&P version 3.1 and newer do recognize the TV-out module (former: Pablo) on MPx50/x60.

Problem: My specific problem or question is not mentioned here.

Answer: It might be a problem or question which is not MPx50/x60-specific. Please have a look into the Common FAQ.

Problem: I get wrong colors on screen in millions of colors mode. Often I get some kind of violet instead of gray patterns.

Answer: This is a problem of MP_Accel_PPC version 1.5.7. Version 1.5.8 fixes this problem. You may download the newest QuickDraw accelerator from our Download page.

Problem: Can I use the Saskia SCART cable with MP750, 760, 850, 860, 960?

Answer: You will probably not get what you want. The Saskia SCART cable can be plugged into MP750 and MP850, and via VGA(card) to Mac(monitor) adapter into MP760, MP860, MP960. But all these cards provide only non-interlaced output. That means you get 320x256 non-interlaced, but not 640x512 interlaced for PAL. The 640x512 mode with PAL timing is a virtual screen mode with only 320x256 visible.

More Text: The MP540, MP520, MP340 and MP328 provide a interlaced timing, too, making 640x512 interlaced possible in PAL mode. Unfortunately, the graphic controllers used on MP750, 850, 760, 860, 960 do not support interlaced timing.

Problem: After installing the FlashROM update whenever you start up your Mac, it defaults to a special resolution and forgets about the preferences you set it to.

Answer: Please remove the file "Display Preferences" inside the "Preferences" folder in your system folder. Please remove "RestoreTimings" from the "Startup Items" folder. "Display Preferences" will be rebuilt once you used "M&P" or "Monitors & Sound". Usually, everything should be OK now. If not, especially if you are changing between MacOS 8.5.1, 8.6 and MacOS 9 on a bluewhite-G3, reset the PRAM (in worst case necessary after every change between these systems). Hold down the 4 keys "Command Alt R P" simultaneously during power on until you hear the second startup sound 3 times to reset PRAM.

Problem: After installing the MP750 or MP850, the Ethernet performance is reduced to 1/10 of the original value, or servers and printers are not found.

Answer: Please have a look onto the MP750/850. If you find 2 pieces of black plastic near the edge opposite to the monitor connectors, each one approx. 10 mm x 10 mm x 3 mm with 3 metallic pins, check what is printed on them. If there is a label consisting of 3 cherries, and the name "CS5205-1", you found the cause. These two pieces need to be exchanged by a technician experienced in SMD soldering. Please contact our support.

More Text: These regulators often oscillate in our application and disturb Ethernet (and probably FireWire) by doing so. Alpha AS2850 work well, for instance.

Problem: After updating the cards FlashROM and restarting, the image on screen is destroyed. The problem vanishes if I do not use the "VT 2D QuickDraw Accelerator".

Answer: The problem is probably a Timing Block not matching the SGRAM type installed on your card. If you have a MP760/860/960, it is very likely that you did not follow the instructions for the updating process. If you own a MP750/850 and it was your first FlashROM update and you were not asked for the SGRAM type, it is probably not your fault. In every case, please contact our support for help. Please include info about the SGRAM type on your card. The Updater instructions tell you how to find the SGRAM on the card.

Problem: The chip and the board are getting very hot.

Answer: This is no problem so far. The dimensions of the chip "heatsink" are big enough to handle these temperatures. No additional hardware is needed. But anyway, you are free to install an additional fan.

Question: What games are working with the MPx50/x60 cards?

Answer: Usually all Rave (starting from V 4.0.2 of the drivers) and Glide 2.x games should work just fine.

More Text: There are some notes about Glide games here you might to check out:

F/A-18 Hornet Korea v1.01 beta 1
Works fine as long as you have the latest update of the game installed. Please check http://www.graphsim.com/ftp/ for the most recent version.
Quake 3Dfx v1.09
Please save a Tweakfile into the folder where Quake is located. In this case the setting for "Frame-RAM” needs to be set to "4 MB”. For your convenience MacMagic pro Tweaker offers a preconfigured setting for this game.
Future Cop v1.0.1
Works fine. If you are using a MacMagicPro or an MP850 and if you would like to play in 1600x1200 pixels, please use MacMagicPro Tweaker and save a Tweakfile into the folder where the Future Cop application is located. In this case the "Texture-RAM” needs to be set to "use 2D”. Please note that the desktop will be distorted after you quit the game. For your convenience MacMagicPro Tweaker offers a preconfigured setting for this game.
Tomb Raider II v1.0
Works fine. However please choose "Lock video mode” in the control panel "M&P” or deactivate the movies within the Tomb Raider setup application. You can find the feature "Lock video mode" in the popup menu "MP Extras -> MP Utilities". Changing the resolution during game play with the F1 or F2 key does not work properly. This will be addressed in a future release.
Carmageddon with 3Dfx patch v1.0.1
Please save a Tweakfile into the folder where Carmageddon is located. The "Texture-RAM” needs to be set to "2 MB”. For your convenience MacMagic pro Tweaker offers a preconfigured setting for this game. It is possible that 2D overlays display some garbage. You can get the 3Dfx patch here.
Myth TFL v1.2
Works fine. Please make sure to set your desktop to 640x480 pixels prior starting the game. Configure Myth in order not to change the display resolution automatically.
Myth II v1.0
Works fine as long as you only play the game in 640x480 pixels while 3Dfx mode is enabled. The problems preventing Myth II to run flawlessly in higher resolutions should be addressed in version 1.2.1 of the game. You can download patches at http://www.bungie.com. In most cases it helps to set your desktop to the exact same size you want the game to run in. For that reason you should switch the desktop resolution yourself prior starting the game. In the start up screen of the game select the option that prevents Myth changing your resolution settings.
Descent I with 3Dfx patch v1.18
Works fine. It is possible though that 2D overlays display some garbage. You can get the 3Dfx version of Descent I here.
Unreal before v2.2.0B2 & Klingon Honor Guard v1.0
Please disable the option "Curved Surfaces" in the advanced dialog of the game set up window. Otherwise you might experience jerky game play walking through some locations during the game. Version 2.20B2 of Unreal solved this issue.

MP516/523 FAQ

Problem: Running picture if MP516 or MP523 are connected to old Apple monitor.

Answer: The MP516 has only a VGA connector. You used some kind of VGA to Apple adapter to connect your monitor, which has an Apple-connector? If your answer is yes, there are two problems.

Many of these monitors need Composite Sync, a signal not present on a normal VGA connector. The 516 has only a normal VGA connector. There might be adapters which generate Composite Sync from H- and V-Sync, but there are many which do not.
The 516 starts in 640x480 60 Hz VGA resolution, because it's normal VGA connector does not allow to sense the type of Apple monitor. You can change the resolution to one of the Apple resolutions suitable for the monitor, if you have another monitor and use Monitors or M&P. Some computers (MacOS compatibles) are equipped with an extended VGA connector which provides Composite Sync and Apple Monitor sensing. They are often shipped with a VGA-to-Apple adapter. This adapter requires the extended VGA connector of these computers to be fully functional!

MP520 FAQ

Problem: My MP520 does not work in a bluewhite G3, no picture at all.

Answer: You need (at least) ROM V1.9 for the MP520 to make it work in a bluewhite G3. The older ROMs do work again in the G4, the V1.9 works too.

MP540 FAQ

Problem: My MP540 does not work in my beige/gray G3, it stops the computer, startup sound destroyed.

Answer: If your MP540 has already a small extra board on the back with a tiny switch, set the switch into the opposite setting. Otherwise it needs this hardware patch, first. Please contact our support. The MP540 does work fine again in the G4 machines.

Problem: The MP540 does not work properly in the 66 MHz slot (the short one) in a bluewhite G3 or an early G4.

Answer: The MP540 is a 33 MHz card, but the Mac does not reduce the clock to 33 MHz as it should happen when a 33 MHz card is inserted into a 66 MHz PCI slot.

More Text: The notches in the card and keys in the connector say nothing about 33 or 66 MHz, but only about 5 Volt or 3.3 Volt PCI environment, except that 66 MHz requires 3.3 Volt environment.

Problem: The MP540 drops only into a white OpenFirmware screen on a bluewhite G3 if used as the only one card.

Answer: Please use it only as a secondary card in bluewhite G3 until you get ROM V1.5 for MP540.

More Text: The FCode driver of MP540 does not have an image copy command. Although you normally never see the image, Apple decided not to proceed with the startup if the useless image cannot be copied into the graphic card.

MacMagic FAQ

Question: What are the system requirements for MacMagic?

Answer: MacMagic requires an PCI Macintosh with a free 6.88" or bigger PCI Slot, MacOS 7.5.3 or higher and 16MB of free RAM.

Question: I would like to play 3Dfx games on MacMagic but I want to use the RAVE acceleration of my graphics board or built-in video for applications. This way I could run 2D and 3D combined RAVE titles and RAVE applications with my on board video.

Answer: Simply remove the file “Village_RAVE” extension from your “Extensions” folder.

Question: Some 3Dfx enabled games also offer RAVE support, such as Quake, Unreal or Tomb RaiderII. The RAVE display for those games does not work or looks somewhat strange on my MacMagic.

Answer: Some games only support RAVE acceleration with ATI graphics boards. It seems that ATI has done some custom extensions to their RAVE drivers that are not covered by the standard Apple defined one. Generally, those games run better with superior graphics in Glide mode anyway. So always select the 3Dfx mode if that option is available. This issue will be addressed in a future release.

Question: I have a single frequency monitor and do not get a picture with MacMagic. What should I do?

Answer: This driver release fixes this issue. MacMagic is now the first and only 3Dfx accelerator to support fixed frequency monitors. If your monitor runs in a higher resolution than the game does, you will see the 3D image to be centered (as much as possible within some technical limits) on the monitor with a black border surrounding it. If this doesn't work for you, please report with your system-configuration details to VillageTronic's support department.

More Text: In case MacMagic recognizes a single frequency monitor you will get a dialog box on your screen when you start a game. You can either confirm this setting or override it in order to treat the monitor as a multiple scan model. In case you have a MacPablo installed and activated, the fixed scan monitor gets logically disconnected and won’t receive a signal. This is a precaution to prevent your monitor from possible damage. It is necessary because the needed timings for NTSC or PAL are not supported by those monitors.

Question: In some games the picture appears very dark and the brightness control within the game settings have no visible effect.

Answer: The brightness adjustment is done via modification of gamma-tables within your MacMagic. In higher resolutions or higher refresh modes, gamma isn't available and the settings won’t change anything. This is a technical constraint of the card, please use the adjustments on your monitor instead.

Question: Is it possible to connect to 2 MacMagics for having more speed? (SLI mode)

Answer: That's not possible. The Voodoo chipset has support for this feature, but we are currently not supporting it.

Question: Is it possible to use MacMagic with an PC emulator like Virtual PC?

Answer: This is not possible. The MacMagic has an slightly different hardware design as the 3Dfx Voodoo cards for PCs it requires some special drivers. Because we do not have PC drivers for the MacMagic this wont work.

Question: With what types of monitors does MacMagic work?

Answer: It works with almost every type of VGA or Apple monitor. You can also use most of the Apple single frequency monitors, with the resolution it supports. Other single frequency monitors might work, but that is not sure and depends on the monitor.

Question: Are there any known problems with different types of graphic cards in combination with MacMagic?

Answer: No, we haven't heard about such problems. It should not matter to what type of graphic card the MacMagic is connected to.

Question: As MacMagic passes the signal of my 2D graphic board through, are there any recognizable losses of quality of the 2D picture?

Answer: As every additional connector causes loss for every type of signal also the MacMagic will also do that. We have had a deeper look into this problem and gave our best to not decrease the quality of the 2D picture. From our experience you won't recognize any loss until the resolution gets higher than 1280x1024 pixels.

Question: I want to play games fluidly but my machine is not as powerful as the recent G3 PowerMacs. Is there any sense to use a MacMagic Pro instead of an MacMagic. Will there be any speed increase?

Answer: This depends on the speed of your machine. With an 7200/90 MHz it makes no real sense to use an MacMagic Pro only for gaming. The chipset on the MacMagic Pro card will frequently be waiting in such a machine as the processor has to deliver the already calculated 3D data to the chipset. The speed of the 3D display increases dynamically with the speed of your processor. From our experience you'll get better speed with a MacMagic Pro in systems with an 603e processor with 250MHz or higher.

TV-in (former MacPaloma)

Problem: My MacPaloma I took from my MP540 does not work on MP750/760/850/860/960. (The MacPaloma software tells me to ask for an update)

Problem: There is no audio-connection from the CD-ROM drive (or DVD) to the motherboard in my PowerMac G4. How do I connect TV-in's audio?

Answer: You can connect the TV-IN's external audio output via a stereo cable to the Mac's microphone input. This has always been the second option for connecting TV-IN's audio.

More Text: Just for you information: The audio data from the CDROM/DVD is transmitted digitally over the IDE/ATA bus in the G4 Mac.

Problem: I don't hear any sound from TV-in since I use MacOS 9.

Answer: You need to select the proper sound input source (either CD or Micro) in the Sound control panel .

Support / for Classics / FAQ

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