Apple Video Mirror

22-pin internal connector on the Power Macintosh 5400 (1996) providing an optional external-monitor mirror output with analogue RGB, sync, dot clock, and power rails.

The Apple Video Mirror connector is a 22-pin proprietary internal connector fitted to the Power Macintosh 5400 (1996), designed to support an optional add-in video buffer board that mirrors the internal display to an external monitor. It carries analogue RGB video signals, composite sync (CSYNC), separate horizontal and vertical sync lines, a dot clock scaled to 10 per cent, and multiple power rails (+5 V, +12 V, −12 V). Several pins — including audio left/right, I²C data and clock, and a sync-enable line — are populated on the connector but marked reserved and not used in the standard configuration.

Apple Video Mirror connector diagram

PinNameDescription
1VID.GNDVideo ground
2REDRed signal
3GREENGreen signal
4VID.GNDVideo ground
5VID.GNDVideo ground
6BLUEBlue signal
7CSYNCC sync
8VSYNCVertical sync
9MLB.SYNC.EN.LNot used (reserved)
10HSYNCHorizontal sync
11DAC.ISET.1Not used(reserved)
12DAC.ISET.2Not used (reserved)
13SND.GNDNot used (reserved)
14SND.RIGHTNot used (reserved)
15SND.LEFTNot used (reserved)
16+5V+5 volts
17GNDGround
18SDATNot used (reserved)
19SCLKNot used (reserved)
20+12V+12 volts
21-12V-12 volts
22DotClock Scaled dot clock (scaled to 10 percent)

Notes

  • This is a 22-pin internal board-to-board connector, not an external port; an add-in video buffer card was required to make use of the mirror output on the Power Macintosh 5400.
  • The dot clock on pin 22 is provided at 10 per cent of the normal pixel clock rate; external circuitry on the buffer board was responsible for reconstituting the full-rate clock.
  • Pins 13–15 (SND.GND, SND.RIGHT, SND.LEFT) and pins 18–19 (SDAT, SCLK — I²C data and clock) are physically present but reserved and carry no signal in the standard implementation.
  • Pin 9 (MLB.SYNC.EN.L) and pins 11–12 (DAC.ISET.1, DAC.ISET.2) are similarly reserved.
  • Power rails: +5 V (pin 16), +12 V (pin 20), and −12 V (pin 21); ground is split between multiple video-ground pins (1, 4, 5) and a common ground (pin 17).

Signals

  • VID.GND — Video signal ground reference (pins 1, 4, 5)
  • RED — Analogue red video signal
  • GREEN — Analogue green video signal
  • BLUE — Analogue blue video signal
  • CSYNC — Composite sync (combined horizontal and vertical sync)
  • VSYNC — Vertical sync
  • HSYNC — Horizontal sync
  • MLB.SYNC.EN.L — Motherboard sync enable (active low); reserved, not connected in standard configuration
  • DAC.ISET.1 — DAC current-set reference 1; reserved, not used
  • DAC.ISET.2 — DAC current-set reference 2; reserved, not used
  • SND.GND — Audio ground; reserved, not used
  • SND.RIGHT — Audio right channel; reserved, not used
  • SND.LEFT — Audio left channel; reserved, not used
  • +5V — +5 volt power rail
  • GND — Common ground
  • SDAT — I²C serial data; reserved, not used
  • SCLK — I²C serial clock; reserved, not used
  • +12V — +12 volt power rail
  • -12V — −12 volt power rail
  • Dot — Dot clock output, scaled to 10 per cent of the normal pixel clock frequency

References

  • Power Macintosh 5400 Developer Note — Apple Computer, Inc., 1996 (no accessible online URL; archived at preterhuman.net, currently 404)

Category:Computer Video Connectors