Patent ID: 7265759

Claim:
Apparatus comprising: at least one output device interfaced to a motherboard; a fixed rendering device mounted to the motherboard for generating information to be output on said output device; an edge connector coupled to said fixed rendering device for attaching one of a plurality of different field-changeable cards including a field-changeable rendering card and a passive loop-through card, to the motherboard, said field-changeable rendering card capable of housing a discrete rendering device for generating information to be output on said output device, and said passive loop-through card enabling the implementation of low voltage differential signaling (LVDS) features in the apparatus by completing circuit paths for signals output from said fixed rendering device to said output device, the edge connector comprising a plurality of connector pins adapted for electrically engaging said field changeable cards and adapted to electronically detect the presence of the field-changeable rendering card or the passive loop-through card, and signal the presence and mode of operation of the field-changeable rendering card or the passive loop-through card; and detection circuitry for detecting that said field-changeable rendering card housing the discrete rendering device coupled to said edge connector and causing information from said field-changeable rendering card housing a discrete rendering device to be output on said output device.