Re: Sony PCG-C1VN PictureBook, ATI Rage Mobility

[Heather <star@starshine.org>]

Another helpful soul on debian-laptops:
> >> > Modeline "1024x480" 65.00 1024 1032 1176 1344 480 488 494 560 -hsync -vsync

me:
> >> I'm still curious to know what kind of not working it does.  But with one
 
>  Can not detect Clock Generator correctly, becase C1JV's Graphic BIOS
> is 128K bytes but ATI driver (4.0.1h or earlyer) BIOS detect routin not
> supported lager than 64K bytes BIOS.
> 
>  So the driver use clock generator with incorrect setting. Screen
> would be gone, white... or only noise on LCD.

Ahhh.  I found on many LCDs that they are quite happy as long as the modeline
they are given has a dotclock of 65.  Note that the helpful fellow's modeline 
above has 65.00 in the first position.  

In fact, the success I had with SVGA server on an otherwise touchy system
was when I gave it only 4 modelines, which had this dotclock.  I performed
a dangerous experiment - I created a Monitor section where I flat out lied 
about horiz and vert frequencies so it would accept the modelines I gave it,
and I only gave it 4 modelines (for precisely the modes I wanted).  It worked! 
But I wouldn't have dared it if there hadn't been a close-enough line at the
800x600 range that convinced me this was its problem.

That was on a machine for someone else, but I might be able to dig up notes
for the modelines if I hunt a little.  But if you just go through the standard
set of modelines gathering up only those with 65 dotclock, you can try them.
It's got to be better than the current.

btw, the voluminous X documentation recommends that as soon as you know your
clocks, you should explicitly state them anyways, to speed up your start time.
I guess the clock probing takes a moment...

...and in your case, it's hopelessly confused, anyway.

So, if the newer X 4.0.1 works for you, you can read its startup sequence
where it's discovering clocks, and forcefeed that to a 3.3.6 setup if you want.

Hope that helps - perhaps others out there will find it useful, too.


* Heather Stern * star@ many places...