Instruction/ maintenance manual of the product SideCar MMS Series Digital Tigers
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Digital Tigers SideCar MMS Series SideCar PlusTwo MMS SideCar PlusFour MMS Thank you for your purchase of this Digital Tigers SideCar. To ensure your successful use of this product, please carefully follow this important installation and user guide.
© Copyright 2003 Digital Tigers, Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of this public ation may be reproduc ed in any form without prior written consent of Digital Tigers, Inc. Product specifications are subject to chan ge without notice. Information presented h ere is believed to be accurate and reliable.
Table of Contents Chapter 1 - Introducti on ....................................................................................................... ....................... 2 The SideCar concept..........................................................
2- I NTRODUCTION Chapter 1 - Introduction SideCar shown with its notebook interface PC Card*, which is inserted in the notebook an d cabled to the SideCar . The SideCar concept The Digital Tigers SideCar is a portable notebook computer accessory that enables you to drive up to four extra monitors from a Windows XP or Windows 2000 notebook .
3- I NTRODUCTION SideCar PlusTwo MMS Standard configuration (add up to t wo displays; Windows XP / 2000) Extended configuration (add three display s; Windows XP only*) *Most Windows 2000 notebo oks cann ot address the #2 extern al monitor as an ind ep endent display, but can use the #2 external monitor as a mirror (clone) of the notebook displa y.
4- I NTRODUCTION SideCar PlusFour MMS Standard configuration (add up to four display s; Windows XP / 2000) Extended configuration (add fiv e displays; Windows XP only*) *Most Windows 2000 notebo oks cann ot address the #2 extern al monitor as an ind ep endent display, but can use the #2 external monitor as a mirror (clone) of the notebook displa y.
5- I NTRODUCTION The power of multi- monitor w orkstations Multi-monitor workstations enable professionals fro m video editors to financial traders to work with a huge “virtual desktop”. Productivity is greatly increased when needed inform ation is always visible.
6- I NTRODUCTION The best of both worlds: multi- monitor p ower, notebook mobility With the SideCar, the power of a multi-monitor workstation can be brought to a notebook computer.
7- I NTRODUCTION Mobile multi-monitor workstations For those who need to set up multi-displa y workstations in several locations, such as video editing on location, clie nt presentations, client work sessions, business executive presentations, trade show demonstrations, and more.
8- I NTRODUCTION The Digital Tigers product family The SideCar MMS series is part of the Digital Ti gers family of mobile expansion systems for notebook computers.
9– S UPPORTED DISPLAY CONFIGUR ATIONS Chapter 2 – Supported display configurations SideCar PlusTwo MMS The SideCar PlusTwo MMS enables your noteboo k to drive two additional displays, for a maximu.
10– S UPPORTED DISPLAY CONFIGUR ATIONS Three External Displays (Windows XP*) *Most Windows 2000 notebo oks cann ot address the #2 extern al monitor as an ind ep endent display, but can use the #2 external monitor as a mirror (clone) of the notebook displa y.
11– S UPPORTED DISPLAY CONFIGUR ATIONS Four External Displays (Windows XP, Windo ws 2000) Five External Displays (Windows XP*).
12– S UPPORTED DISPLAY CONFIGUR ATIONS Display types and connecti ons It is important to understand some basic differe nces among display t ypes and connections, so that you can match the right dis play with the right port or adapter.
13– S UPPORTED DISPLAY CONFIGUR ATIONS Display Connector Types = compatible with SideCar MMS series = highest-quality connection Analog VGA – all computer displays The standard computer analo g display connector , introduce d in 1987. More precisely described as an HD15 or mini D-sub 15- pin connector; D-sub 15 or D-sub for short.
14– S UPPORTED DISPLAY CONFIGUR ATIONS (Note: VGA connections can still achieve digital DVI quality when all components in the chain are working optimally. Some top-quality flat-panel displays can even automatically adjust for some defects in the analog signal.
15– S UPPORTED DISPLAY CONFIGUR ATIONS Supported display combinati ons The SideCar MMS series supports any combination of digital DVI or analog VGA connections. A high-density LFH connector at the rear of the SideCar provides the display outputs.
16- H ARDWARE SETUP Chapter 3 - Hardware setup 1. Unpack all SideCar components . You should have: SideCar chassis Power supply transformer and AC power cord PC Card* notebook interface ca.
17- H ARDWARE SETUP 2. Locate and position monitors at the work location. You may use DVI or VGA displays ( see previous chapter for further explanation ). Digital DVI displays are supported up to 1280 by 1024 resolution. Analog VGA displays are supported up to 2048 by 1536 resolution.
18- H ARDWARE SETUP SideCar PlusFour MMS: Connectors at rear of chassis and on dual-monitor Y-cables 7. After attaching the Y-cable(s) to the SideCar, attach monitor cables to each Y-cable. If your monitors use analog VGA connectors, add the supplied DVI-to-VGA (HD15) adapters to the ends of the Y-cable.
19- W INDOWS XP/2000 DRIVER INSTALLATION Chapter 4 - Windows XP/2000 driver installation Overview To enable your SideCar for use with your com puter, you will follow a one-time driver installation sequence that takes about 10 minutes and requires yo u to restart your computer more than once.
20- W INDOWS XP/2000 DRIVER INSTALLATION Stage 1. Install PCI to PCI bri dge During various stages of the installation, Window s will detect one or more devices called a “PCI to PCI bridge.” Such as: “DEC 21152 PCI to PCI br idge” or “PCI standard PCI to PCI bridge .
21- W INDOWS XP/2000 DRIVER INSTALLATION Windows 2000 / Stage 1: Install PCI to PCI Bridge.
22- W INDOWS XP/2000 DRIVER INSTALLATION.
23- W INDOWS XP/2000 DRIVER INSTALLATION Stage 2. Install SideCar cha ssis driver (PC Card ver sion only *) 1. After restarting your sy stem (as prompted by Windows after installing a PCI to PCI bridge), insert the SideCar installation CD. 2. A setup program should launch.
24- W INDOWS XP/2000 DRIVER INSTALLATION.
25- W INDOWS XP/2000 DRIVER INSTALLATION Restart your computer after Setup completes. (Clicking “Yes” at th e closing dialog box will automatically restart your computer.
26- W INDOWS XP/2000 DRIVER INSTALLATION Stages 3 - 4: Install SideCar MMS display controllers and monit ors Next, Windows should detect the first SideCar MMS display controller and alert you with a “Found New Hardware Wizard.” Note: The SideCar MMS series contains multiple disp lay controllers.
27- W INDOWS XP/2000 DRIVER INSTALLATION The wizard will show you a progress screen while it searches for drivers. 3. The dialog box reports: “Please select the best match for your hardware from the list below.” The default option, English, is selected.
28- W INDOWS XP/2000 DRIVER INSTALLATION Wait while the drivers are installed. Your screen may flicker at times during this process. 5. The dialog box reports: Click “Finish.
29- W INDOWS XP/2000 DRIVER INSTALLATION Windows 2000 / Stage 3: Install SideCar MMS display drivers 1. Windows 2000 will open these alerts: 2. Click “Next” to continue. 3. The dialog box reports: Ensure that “Search for a suitable driver for my device (recommended)” is selected, then click “Next” .
30- W INDOWS XP/2000 DRIVER INSTALLATION 4. The dialog box reports: Ensure that “CD-ROM drives” is checked, then click “Next” . 5. The installer finds the driver. The dialog box reports: If you wish to install in English , click “Next” and skip to step 7.
31- W INDOWS XP/2000 DRIVER INSTALLATION On the following screen, choose your preferred language and click “Next.” 7. (All users) The dialog box reports: Click “Yes” to continue. 8. The drivers will begin to be installed: Late in this process, your screen may flicker briefly, and then you will see the following completion confirmation: 9.
32- W INDOWS XP/2000 DRIVER INSTALLATION Windows 2000 / Stage 4: Install monitors You may be prompted to install your monitor(s). If so, follow t he default prompts and accept automatic installation. Windows 2000: Install remaining SideCar MMS controllers and monitors Repeat stages 3 and 4 until all cont rollers and monitors are installed.
33- M ONITOR ACTIVATION AND CONFIGURATIO N Chapter 5 - Monitor activation and configuration This chapter guides you through the activation of you r SideCar monitors. You must first install the required drivers (Chapter 4) in order to activate your monitors.
34- M ONITOR ACTIVATION AND CONFIGURATIO N You should see an icon-based representation of three or four monitors , each with a number. The “1” monitor is your notebook LCD display .
35- M ONITOR ACTIVATION AND CONFIGURATIO N 3. Select the lowest number SideCar mo nitor (click on the monitor with your mouse). The following is the resulting screen in a six-monitor example: The lowe.
36- M ONITOR ACTIVATION AND CONFIGURATIO N 4. Click the checkbox “Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor.” 5. Determine the maximum resolution of your monitor (available from your monitor vendor’s documentation). You should not attempt to operate your monitor above its maximum resolution.
37- M ONITOR ACTIVATION AND CONFIGURATIO N 9. (Windows 2000 only) Windows will report: Click “OK” to close the alert. 10. One of your monitors should now activate . (If not, confirm that both monitors are powered on and are attached to the SideCar.
38- M ONITOR ACTIVATION AND CONFIGURATIO N 12. Click “Apply” when done. Display Properties should look similar to this (SideCar PlusFour MMS version): 13. Position the actual (physical) monitors on your work space as preferred. You can choose any arrangement, with the notebook LCD placed anywhere in the sequence.
39- M ONITOR ACTIVATION AND CONFIGURATIO N Using the notebook ext ernal monitor port If your notebook has its own external display port available for use, you m ay wish to connect a display to it and activate it as well.
40- P UTTING THE S IDE C AR T O W O RK : KEY TIPS Chapter 6 - Putting the SideCar to work: key tips Please follow these key tips for successful daily operation of your SideCar. Power-up sequence It’s critical to follow the proper power-on sequen ce with your notebook, SideCar and displa ys.
41- P UTTING THE S IDE C AR T O W O RK : KEY TIPS Use care when attaching the dual-monitor Y-cables Your displays attach to the SideCar via two dual-monitor Y-cables. The SideCar connectors for these Y-cables are called LFH-60 connectors (see photo below).
42- P UTTING THE S IDE C AR T O W O RK : KEY TIPS Avoid “Suspend” and “Hibe r nate” me thods of shutdown Most notebook computers offer the ability to sh ut down while saving open programs, through Windows “suspend” and “hibernate” shutdown options.
43- U SER OPTIONS FOR MULTI - DISPLAY EASE OF USE Chapter 7 - User options for multi-display ease of use ► Designate a new primary monitor ► Move or auto-hide the Windows Taskbar ► Use QuickDesk.
44- U SER OPTIONS FOR MULTI - DISPLAY EASE OF USE Secondary monitors do not have these attributes by default. Notably, secondary monitors normally do not use hardware video overlay , which may degrade your ability to display best- quality motion video on these monitors (or prev ent motion video from appearing at all).
45- U SER OPTIONS FOR MULTI - DISPLAY EASE OF USE 2. Click the “Settings” tab . 3. By default, your existing primary monitor is the #1 display , which is normally your notebook LCD display.
46- U SER OPTIONS FOR MULTI - DISPLAY EASE OF USE 5. Click the checkbox, “Use this device as the primary monitor” . Clicking the checkbox will cause it to gray out (below). 6. Click “Apply” to accept this change, then “OK” to close the dialog box.
47- U SER OPTIONS FOR MULTI - DISPLAY EASE OF USE Move or auto-hide th e Windows Taskbar You may want to move the Windows Taskbar to a different monitor, to make it more convenient to use in your multi-display setup. In addition you may want to “auto-hide” the Taskbar to maximize screen area for a pplications stretched across multiple monitors.
48- U SER OPTIONS FOR MULTI - DISPLAY EASE OF USE Auto-hide th e Taskbar The Taskbar occupies the bottom area of one di splay under Windows XP/2000. In a multi-display desktop, the usable desktop area for applications is thus less on one monitor than on others.
49- U SER OPTIONS FOR MULTI - DISPLAY EASE OF USE Windows XP: auto-hide the Taskbar 1. Right-click on an unused area of the Taskbar, select “Properties” . 2. Under “Taskbar appearance”, select the checkbox “Auto-hide the taskbar” . 3. Click “OK” to apply the change and close the dialog box.
50- U SER OPTIONS FOR MULTI - DISPLAY EASE OF USE QuickDesk / PowerDesk utilities (window / dialog box positioning) The SideCar MMS includes Matrox QuickDesk / PowerDesk utilities that improve the convenience of working with your multi-monito r desktop.
51- U SER OPTIONS FOR MULTI - DISPLAY EASE OF USE Use CenterPOPUP CenterPOP may be the most important utility . It controls where dialog boxes and message boxes from applications and Windows appear. By de fault, CenterPOP is turned off, which m eans that dialog boxes may appear across the “seam” be tween monitors in a multi-display desktop.
52- U SER OPTIONS FOR MULTI - DISPLAY EASE OF USE Combining the “Save/Restore” and “Open progr am windows” options The two preceding options may be combined, but users should note that their actions when combined may produce unexpected results.
53- U SER OPTIONS FOR MULTI - DISPLAY EASE OF USE Snap to display… Another helpful option is the ability to “snap” windows to screen edges when their borders are dragged within a certain range of the screen edge. The range can be as close as 1 pixel or as far as 50 pixels.
54- U SER OPTIONS FOR MULTI - DISPLAY EASE OF USE Change language for QuickDesk / PowerDesk menus The SideCar installation offered you a choice of la nguage for display utility me nus and help files. You can change that choice at any time, among E nglish, French, German, Spanish and Italian.
55- U SER OPTIONS FOR MULTI - DISPLAY EASE OF USE Extensive help is also avai la ble via the QuickDesk menu: 1. Open the QuickDesk menu from the Taskbar (click on the blue icon): 2. Select “Help” , then “PowerDesk Help” . 3. This opens the following Help dialog box: QuickDesk features are discussed under “Matrox QuickDesk menu” .
56- U SER OPTIONS FOR MULTI - DISPLAY EASE OF USE Support from Matrox If you have further questions about these Matr ox utilities, please contact Matrox support via the following dedicated support email address, mmssupport@m atrox.com . (Reference your product as the Matrox G450 MMS.
57- U SER OPTIONS FOR MULTI - DISPLAY EASE OF USE 4. Click the down arrow under “Scheme” to explore alternative mouse pointer options: 5. Choose any of the options to see a preview of that scheme’s pointer style and size.
58- U SER OPTIONS FOR MULTI - DISPLAY EASE OF USE 6. When you have found a pointer schem e you like, click the “Apply” button to activate that pointer. Don’t close the dialog box yet. (Don’t c lick “OK”.) 7. Move the pointer around your displays to see if you like it.
59- U SER OPTIONS FOR MULTI - DISPLAY EASE OF USE Windows 2000 “Motion” tab: Speed – Move this slider to adjust the speed at which the pointer moves on your screen.
60- U SER OPTIONS FOR MULTI - DISPLAY EASE OF USE Windows XP “Pointer Options” tab: Motion – Move this slider to adjust the speed at which the pointer moves on your screen.
61- D ISABLE THE NOTEBOOK DISPLAY Chapter 8 - Disable the notebook display Some users may wish to disable their notebook display when using SideCar monitors.
62- D ISABLE THE NOTEBOOK DISPLAY 3. Click “Apply ” to accept the changes, then “OK” to close the dialog box. 4. Now when you return to Display Properties / Settings in the future, you should .
63- D ISABLE THE NOTEBOOK DISPLAY Reactivate the notebook LCD displ ay 1. Click on the #1 monitor in this dialog box. 2. Click “Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor”. 3. If you want to re-designate the notebook LCD as the primary monitor, click “Use this device as the primary monitor”.
64- A DVANCED OPTIONS Chapter 9 - Advanced options Adjust display col or and contrast Advanced users may wish to adju st the default color and contrast settings of the SideCar display controllers. This may be important to match prin ted output, rectify monitor deficiencies, or to compensate for environmental lighting conditi ons.
65- A DVANCED OPTIONS ICC/ ICM color profiles Matching colors between computer screens and pr int ed output is a considerable challenge, given the radically different principles behind color pr oduction in illuminated color (used by computer monitors, using the RGB process) and most prin ted material (which use the CMYK process).
66- A DVANCED OPTIONS 6. Click “Add” to load the new color profile you will supply..
67- M ONITOR OPTIONS Chapter 10 - Monitor options The SideCar MMS series can be used with nearly any analog (SVGA) or digital (DVI) monitor. Digital DVI displays are supported at screen resolutions from 640 by 480 up to 1,280 by 1,02 4. Analog displays are supported at resolutions from 640 by 480 up to 2,048 by 1,536 resolution.
68- M ONITOR OPTIONS Bright, high-contrast screen; wide viewing angle o Specifications vary greatly among manufacturers and models High degree of color accuracy, and good support for standard .
69- M ONITOR OPTIONS Monitor arms and mounting options When monitors are intended for fixed or showcas e installation, it can be convenie nt to employ monitor arms or mounting rails. These options help clear desk space (since no stands are needed) and enable flexible mounting options for such venues as trade shows and business presentations.
70- F REQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ S ) Chapter 11 - Frequently asked questions (FAQs) Does this product support Macintosh or other Windows versions besides Windows XP and Windows 2000? No. However, alternative SideCa r products do support Macintosh.
71- F REQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ S ) Why can’t I see motion video in applications and/or media players? Playback of motion video frequently requires access by the application to the DirectDraw hardware video overlay plane. This plane is accessible only on the display designated as the “primary monitor”.
72- U NINSTALLING THE S IDE C AR Chapter 12 - Uninstalling the SideCar To uninstall the SideCar: 1. Open the Windows Control Panel : • Windows 2000/XP : From the desktop, d ouble-click “My Compute.
73- T ROUBLESHOOTING Notebook compatibility Notebook compatibility is usually determined by the notebook’s CardBus con troller . Most notebooks use controllers made by Texas Instruments, whi ch are fully compatible with our SideCar produ cts. Toshiba controllers are also compatible.
74- T ROUBLESHOOTING cables. When this Y-cable male LFH connector is attached to the SideCar chassis female LFH connectors, adjacent pins (particularly at the edges and corners of the pin grid) on the Y-cable connector can very easily be be nt and forced into adjacent holes on the female connector on the SideCar chassis .
75- T ROUBLESHOOTING Technical Support You may contact technical support via email at support@digitaltigers.com , or by calling 1-866- PC-VIDEO (866-728-4336). Outside the U.S., call 1-404-240-9293. Please review the Troubleshooting steps and FAQs prior to contacting support.
76- S PECIFICATIONS Chapter 14 - Specifications Operating systems supported: • Microsoft Windows XP • Microsoft Windows 2000 Notebook computers supported: • Please see the Digital Tigers Web site ( http://digitaltigers.
77- S PECIFICATIONS Combined Windows desktop resolution: Side-by-side monitors 2 monitors 3 monitors 4 monitors 1024 by 768 resolution standard monitors 1536 by 768 2304 by 768 3072 by 768 1280 by 102.
78- I NDEX Chapter 15 - Index A anti-virus programs........................................... 70 applications choosing prefe rred disp lays for application windows ................................ 50, 51, 52, 70 default display for application windows .
79- I NDEX primary monitor .... 43, See Display Properties: primary monitor recommended LCD monitors ................. 67, 68 refresh rate supported .................................. 76 resolution supported.....................................76 shipping cases .
An important point after buying a device Digital Tigers SideCar MMS Series (or even before the purchase) is to read its user manual. We should do this for several simple reasons:
If you have not bought Digital Tigers SideCar MMS Series yet, this is a good time to familiarize yourself with the basic data on the product. First of all view first pages of the manual, you can find above. You should find there the most important technical data Digital Tigers SideCar MMS Series - thus you can check whether the hardware meets your expectations. When delving into next pages of the user manual, Digital Tigers SideCar MMS Series you will learn all the available features of the product, as well as information on its operation. The information that you get Digital Tigers SideCar MMS Series will certainly help you make a decision on the purchase.
If you already are a holder of Digital Tigers SideCar MMS Series, but have not read the manual yet, you should do it for the reasons described above. You will learn then if you properly used the available features, and whether you have not made any mistakes, which can shorten the lifetime Digital Tigers SideCar MMS Series.
However, one of the most important roles played by the user manual is to help in solving problems with Digital Tigers SideCar MMS Series. Almost always you will find there Troubleshooting, which are the most frequently occurring failures and malfunctions of the device Digital Tigers SideCar MMS Series along with tips on how to solve them. Even if you fail to solve the problem, the manual will show you a further procedure – contact to the customer service center or the nearest service center
