I've got to side with rob on this one and understand his frustration (as well as yours). his kit is fine just the way that it is. it documents that "some" (albeit a small number) of the pin2k computers do not supply the necessary 5v on pin 9 of the vga port coming FROM the computer.
for those particular systems (monitor really has nothing to do with it, since it's the source end which is not supplying the 5v), it's pretty easy to check with a volt meter and a vga diagram to see if your system has the necessary voltage running hot. if you're one of the "unlucky" few, then you need to grab the 5v from somewhere else (easily done from any of the extra, unused molex connectors inside of the computer case.
I've got a RFM with a ducksan monitor and *my* system wasn't one of those affected. however, I *read* his webpage and knew exactly what I was getting into when I purchased it.
snaroff:
I understand that you may have been unhappy and upset because after receiving your "plug-and-play" kit, you were not able to get it up and running (without a quick trip to radio shack or a mom & pop electronics store, however *you* really should have taken the time to read the directions on rob's site:
http://lockwhenlit.com/CGA.htm
<quote>Most P2K games supply 5V to the converter through the VGA cable so no external power supply is needed. If the red LED on the converter does not light up, then your computer does not. You will need to supply the converter with the needed 5V. Under no circumstances should any more than 5V be used. Adapter plugs are available if needed, please email for details.</quote>
rob should have probably elaborated a bit more, but given that the end-user for this product should have some basic electronic knowledge, a quick google search on "vga pinout" would have yielded the a plethora of images including this one, which clearly shows pin 9 supplying +5 volts
vga_pinout.jpg