PVM1945Q dim RGB picture problem - SOLVED

[cutty_sark]

I recently picked up a Sony PVM1945Q in pretty much perfect condition - I tested it on the composite and component inputs, and it looked great.
So a few days after getting it home I made a converter so I could plug consoles into it via RGB. But the picture is really dim and has some rolling banded lines. So far I've only tested it with DC and PS2, and the problem is the same for both.
Has anyone experienced a problem like this with a PVM?

Here are some details on my setup:
- From each console I'm using a euro SCART cable with caps and resistors hacked in as needed to balance out the color/contrast.
- The SCART cables plug into a converter with a LM1881 sync separator circuit. The male end is a DB-9 connector which I usually plug into my Wells Gardner K7200 monitor. The setup works flawlessly for all my consoles on the K7200.
- For the PVM I made an additional splitter from a female DB-9 to 4 BNC connectors - R, G, B and Sync.

Here's all I can think of that could be causing the problem:
1. Too many converters chained together are causing interference or weakening the signal. I should probably try making a converter straight from SCART to BNC with a sync separator built in.
2. This pdf http://www.dynamix.ca/doc/MonitorTechnology.pdf on page 13 mentions that the picture could be too dark on a PVM if the 75-ohm termination is not deactivating properly. I don't know what this means but it could explain the problem! The paragraph seems to be saying I need to have BNC-RCA adapters on the video outputs. Why would I need to have something plugged into the outputs to get the inputs to work correctly? Anyone had to resort to this?
3. RGB input on this monitor is busted. Seems unlikely, but it could be since I haven't gotten it to work properly.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

[it290]

The 75ohm termination is most likely the problem. Most monitors which accept BNC have a switch for this, but apparently your monitor auto-detects it by using the outputs, so you have to terminate them with the BNC-RCA adapters. I've never seen that setup, but it's worth a shot. Sounds similar to some old SCSI devices where you would need a dongle on the last device in the chain to allow the whole thing to terminate correctly.

[cutty_sark]

Ah, I just figured it out. The ground wire was busted in the BNC splitter I made. Argh!
Seems like I also blew out the LM1881 chip either cause it wasn't grounded, or just from so much monkeying around with the adapter.

Thanks for the tip it290.

[cutty_sark]

There are a few reasons why they're so popular:
- They're RGB monitors - RGB is the best display tech for pre-HD games.
- They're sold in North America.
- They're relatively cheap and easy to find as the pro-video industry is switching over to HD and selling off their heavy, obsolete low-res equipment.
- They're made for the pro-video market, so they're of a higher quality, are more durable, and have more features than consumer grade monitors.
- They're enclosed in a solid metal box which can easily be flipped into tate mode.
- They have a degauss button which helps eliminate any discoloration caused by flipping the monitor.