Micomsoft XPC-4 Information Thread

[strygo]

I see now that others have had similar problems. My unit was new old stock, so I think it's quite likely my supply has issues.

As others are likely aware, an 11V 2A power supply is exceedingly rare (I can't find one). Does anyone know where I might find one or whether a 12V will damage the device? I've mailed Solaris Japan, but I haven't heard back.

Always an adventure.

[strygo]

I Google Translated my way through Micomsoft's web checkout flow for a replacement adapter. We'll see if it works out.

[strygo]

No cigar. They canceled my order and told me they won't ship overseas.

Any shmupers in Japan who might be able to order an XPC-4 power supply for me? I will compensate you for your trouble.

[juji82]

I can help you, if you want. Is this the adapter you want?
http://www.micomsoft.co.jp/shop/sp-11v125a.html

[Fudoh]

Here (in Germany) on ebay this one is available: http://www.ebay.de/itm/152685638881

If like to try this one, I can get one for you and ship it over.

[strygo]

Thanks juji and Fudoh!

juji: I sent you a PM a bit ago with more info.

Fudoh: If for some reason juji cannot, I may hit you up.

Interestingly, in my eBay searches state-side, the multi-output devices inconspicuously skip from 9V to 12V with no 11V.

[strygo]

I eventually heard back from Micomsoft - they informed me they can't ship overseas because their devices don't meet regulatory guidelines. I ended up using a Japanese proxy buying service called White Rabbit Express to get the PSU. Overall, it was a positive experience that wasn't too expensive.

Unfortunately, the interference remained when I finally tested the PSU. I didn't have time until tonight to use a process of elimination to figure out what was going on. I started with trying the XPC-4 direct to my Vizio, then adding back the Monoprice audio+DVI combiner. The interference was gone in an initial configuration and then came back later on. I finally discovered the interference had nothing to do with the XPC-4 at all.

It turns out that if my PlayStation 3 is plugged in and connected via an HDMI cable to any device in the chain (the iScan Duo, the Shinybow switch, or even directly to the TV itself), the XPC-4 plugged into another HDMI port experiences the interference. Even weirder, it is only when the XPC-4 is displaying my PC - not when displaying a console. This PS3 is a fat one with full PS2 compatibility.

Anyone have any idea what may be happening? Is it a grounding issue? I need to find a longer power cord for it to see what happens if I plug the PS3 in to another outlet.

[strygo]

I spent some time reading about ground loops. The fact that I only saw the interference with my PC and not consoles was curious, so I did some experimentation today. My PC and consoles had been connected to one outlet and the XPC-4, PS3 and Vizio TV were connected to another outlet. My first thought was to move the PC over to the shared outlet, so I tried that. This made the interference even worse. This at least proved that the PC was part of the problem. So the next thing I tried was moving the PC back to its original outlet and moving the PS3 to that one. Bingo! Interference totally gone.

So my setup is now as follows:

Outlet 1
- PC (-> Extron MVX switch -> XPC-4 -> Monoprice Audio+DVI->HDMI -> Shinybow HDMI switch -> Vizio TV)
- PlayStation 3 (-> iScan Duo -> Shinybow HDMI switch -> Vizio TV)

Outlet 2
- XPC-4
- Monoprice Audio+DVI->HDMI adapter
- Vizio TV

Among these devices, only the PC and PS3 have a ground connection in their plugs. I assume this has something to do with it?

[hipsofjw]

Anyone have much experience using the XPC-4 with PC-88/98?

My XPC-4 is on the latest firmware. I'm feeding it a 24khz video signal from a PC-8801MA. Right now I'm using the D-Terminal output at 480i into my JVC TM-H150CG with or 480p into my Retrotink 5X using a Sony D-Terminal-Component cable.

Right now, I can get the OS to show up perfectly in both formats with just a few little adjustments with Automatic mode turned off. I've also managed to get Ys I to display perfectly on both formats. However, some games (like Ys II) completely lose video signal or squish the video into the corner when they boot and it's impossible to center the image through any of the menu options.

Anyone have any advice? I can maybe do a capture if I get all my stuff set up if that helps.

Thanks!

[hipsofjw]

Anyone have much experience using the XPC-4 with PC-88/98?

My XPC-4 is on the latest firmware. I'm feeding it a 24khz video signal from a PC-8801MA. Right now I'm using the D-Terminal output at 480i into my JVC TM-H150CG with or 480p into my Retrotink 5X using a Sony D-Terminal-Component cable.

Right now, I can get the OS to show up perfectly in both formats with just a few little adjustments with Automatic mode turned off. I've also managed to get Ys I to display perfectly on both formats. However, some games (like Ys II) completely lose video signal or squish the video into the corner when they boot and it's impossible to center the image through any of the menu options.

Anyone have any advice? I can maybe do a capture if I get all my stuff set up if that helps.

Thanks!

I figured this out. Turns out the majority of games on PC-88 only use the 15khz mode so flicking the switch on the back of my MA fixed most of my issues. I also learned that the D-Terminal and VGA output on this device are pretty noisy. The digital output is fantastic though and gives almost emulator-quality video from my PC-9821.

I do have another question: is it okay to feed this device TTL level sync. I'm in the process of moving all my stuff onto Extron MVX matrix switchers which amplifies all independent sync lines to TTL levels. Couldn't see anything in the manual that discussed this.