Questions that do not deserve a thread

[headlesshobbs]

I've been trying to figure out when did HDMI to vga adapters start flooding the market? HDFury was the only option for awhile and mighty expensive at that.

[EnragedWhale]

Do the European models of modern lcd/OLED TVs switch panel refresh between 50/100hz and 60/120hz for the appropriate content or do they do some sort of pull down from 60/120hz?

Cheers

[Fudoh]

switch panel refresh between 50/100hz and 60/120hz for the appropriate content

they do, EXCEPT for some models when you enable black frame insertion at 60Hz. The LG OLEDs for example do this at 60Hz no matter the actual input refresh rate, so it's basically unuseable for 50Hz content.

[EnragedWhale]

Thanks Fudoh

[RottenToTheGore]

Anyone able to help? Sorry for the bump.

Using my CDX through the OSSC I noticed a lot of video...noise? Not sure of the term I'm looking for but kinda fuzzy, rolling up the screen, most noticeable on solid backgrounds. Confirmed the cable isn't an issue (Hooked a Genny 2 up with the same cable and didn't have the issue).

Any idea what could be causing this? I'm using an official PSU for the CDX as well.

[vol.2]

there was an official sony adapter device for the PVM-2030 to hook it up to a computer. i know for certain that i found a brochure of some kind for it on the internet at some point, but i can't find it anywhere anymore.
does anyone remember what i'm talking about?
it's driving me crazy

thanks

[nmalinoski]

there was an official sony adapter device for the PVM-2030 to hook it up to a computer. i know for certain that i found a brochure of some kind for it on the internet at some point, but i can't find it anywhere anymore.
does anyone remember what i'm talking about?
it's driving me crazy

thanks

I'm not aware of such a device (simply ignorance), but it was probably a run-of-the-mill RGB interface. If you're looking for one, I would expect an Extron RGB interface to perform identically or better and be far more available.

[Dochartaigh]

Last 2 pages of this talk about something like that - don't think it'll do what you think it will unless the source is 15khz to begin with (which I'm simply not educated enough about older computers to say which do or don't do that...thought most were 24-31khz or something like that? Maybe Commodore 64 and similar which I know were hooked up to 15khz monitors?)

https://ia601509.us.archive.org/20/item ... Manual.pdf

[Unseen]

Last 2 pages of this talk about something like that - don't think it'll do what you think it will unless the source is 15khz to begin with (which I'm simply not educated enough about older computers to say which do or don't do that...thought most were 24-31khz or something like that? Maybe Commodore 64 and similar which I know were hooked up to 15khz monitors?)

For the PVMs, the document only lists CGA as compatible which does use a 15kHz monitor, but also would need a converter from digital RGBI to analog RGB - older Extron RGB interfaces were able to do that, but the feature was dropped at some point.

Home computers like the C64 often used 15kHz modes because they could be connected to a TV instead of a dedicated monitor as a cost-saving measure.

[FinalBaton]

yeah I remember someone on here saying that the older (non-rxi) Extron interfaces with the DB9 inputs all did this(well obviously. the DB9 input kinda give away the fact that this is one of the main features of these interfaces). But I don't know if newer Extron interfaces can do it too, with a correctly wired DB9 to HD15 cable?

if not, then you can always get an older Extron interface

[vol.2]

Last 2 pages of this talk about something like that - don't think it'll do what you think it will unless the source is 15khz to begin with (which I'm simply not educated enough about older computers to say which do or don't do that...thought most were 24-31khz or something like that? Maybe Commodore 64 and similar which I know were hooked up to 15khz monitors?)

Hi Unseen. thanks for chiming in.

Actually, the PVM-2030/2530 is different from the 2130 and can accept RGBI CGA OR 3 bit RGB, switchable with PIN 1 on the DB25; the IBM intensity bit is input at PIN 25. I want to use EGA and possibly IBM 8514 or MCGA, and wanted to make sure of what the adapter does.

Also, the specs of the 2030 say that the RGB input operates at 10 MHz (as opposed to 6 MHz for the video in); I wonder how high of a horz frequency I can get it to accept?
If I can work backwards, assuming a 5 uS horizontal refresh time and a resolution of 320x200; 10 MHz should allow for a horzontal draw time of 32 uS at 320x200. So, 0.032 + 0.005 for refresh is 0.037. That would mean 1/x=0.037/1 or 27 kHz.

Looks like enough for EGA, but could I push MCGA or VGA or 8154 etc?

Gah. maybe my math is bad, and i'm obviously assuming the refresh period. Any thoughts?

[theclaw]

What are the gold standards for Saturn modding and modders? My white console has a modchip, but is not region free.

Besides the internal battery is a time bomb, pun intended. Goodbye RPG progress!
I'd be overjoyed if there's a jumbo sized direct-saving memory card. I can live without the 1MB/4MB RAM games.

I've got a SCART cable and Framemeister (I found a way to revive it). Unlikely I'd need video mods, unless I want to play a game that's 50hz only.
A few games act buggy in NTSC.

[maxtherabbit]

What are the gold standards for Saturn modding and modders? My white console has a modchip, but is not region free.

Besides the internal battery is a time bomb, pun intended. Goodbye RPG progress!
I'd be overjoyed if there's a jumbo sized direct-saving memory card. I can live without the 1MB/4MB RAM games.

I've got a SCART cable and Framemeister (I found a way to revive it). Unlikely I'd need video mods, unless I want to play a game that's 50hz only.
A few games act buggy in NTSC.

removing the region protection requires desoldering the BIOS chip and replacing it, it's pretty simple if you're good with SMD work

[Dochartaigh]

What are the gold standards for Saturn modding and modders? My white console has a modchip, but is not region free

Are you playing real non-NTSC games, or burned discs of them? There's a tool where you can change the region of the ISO's of the Japan games (for instance) so they play on a NTSC (chipped/modded) Saturn console. I still need to go through mine and do the rest (did like 2-3 to test them), but it seems to work perfect after modding the ISO.

I own two Saturn's and two of the 4-in-1 ram carts (which let games play region-free), but those cartridge ports on the Saturns are just buggy (and I've tried all the fixes I've read or watched YouTube videos on and they still won't work 100%) - so modding the ISO's was the easier way to go about this for me.

[theclaw]

Burned discs at the moment, it's a chipped Japanese Saturn. Since I don't read Japanese I'd like to mostly use English games.
Haven't run into trouble with carts yet, but I rarely play 2D fighters.

[Xer Xian]

Extron RGB interfaces are able to route an Ypbpr signal right? Can they also pull off the line offset trick with Ypbpr sources?

[Fudoh]

Extron RGB interfaces are able to route an Ypbpr signal right? Can they also pull off the line offset trick with Ypbpr sources?

yes, and on s-video and composite as well.

[Xer Xian]

That's great - I can stick with component for the PS2 then. Thanks Fudoh

[GojiFan90]

I just picked up a Panasonic analog CRT with component inputs and I'm looking for a good SCART to component transcoder. Most seem to recommend the "Shinybow" model, but I'm curious if there are any more inexpensive options that will get the job done. I'll just be playing my Saturn, N64, Famicom disk system and PsOne on it so I'm not looking into a huge investment as I just use my Framemeister for everything else.

[nmalinoski]

I just picked up a Panasonic analog CRT with component inputs and I'm looking for a good SCART to component transcoder. Most seem to recommend the "Shinybow" model, but I'm curious if there are any more inexpensive options that will get the job done. I'll just be playing my Saturn, N64, Famicom disk system and PsOne on it so I'm not looking into a huge investment as I just use my Framemeister for everything else.

The ShinyBow is currently the best available, because it does 480p, while most of the others are limited to 240p/480i. If your CRT won't do 480p, and you want something a little cheaper, you can get one of these. Otherwise, if you do need 480p, you can get a ShinyBow now; or you can wait for Mike Chi to finish his transcoder, assuming it will support 480p+.

[orange808]

Just get the Shinybow. It's a good one. The peace of mind is worth the money.

It's plug and play. No configuration. Very few worries about quality control and Shinybow backs up their products.

[maxtherabbit]

I just picked up a Panasonic analog CRT with component inputs and I'm looking for a good SCART to component transcoder. Most seem to recommend the "Shinybow" model, but I'm curious if there are any more inexpensive options that will get the job done. I'll just be playing my Saturn, N64, Famicom disk system and PsOne on it so I'm not looking into a huge investment as I just use my Framemeister for everything else.

The ShinyBow is currently the best available, because it does 480p, while most of the others are limited to 240p/480i. If your CRT won't do 480p, and you want something a little cheaper, you can get one of these. Otherwise, if you do need 480p, you can get a ShinyBow now; or you can wait for Mike Chi to finish his transcoder, assuming it will support 480p+.

unless Mike changes the design, it won't - LM1881 doesn't support ED video

[GojiFan90]

Alright thanks for the feedback. Shinybow it is. This deep into the rabbit hole of RGB gaming and ~$75USD seems like chump change.

[theclaw]

I just picked up a Panasonic analog CRT with component inputs and I'm looking for a good SCART to component transcoder. Most seem to recommend the "Shinybow" model, but I'm curious if there are any more inexpensive options that will get the job done. I'll just be playing my Saturn, N64, Famicom disk system and PsOne on it so I'm not looking into a huge investment as I just use my Framemeister for everything else.

The ShinyBow is currently the best available, because it does 480p, while most of the others are limited to 240p/480i. If your CRT won't do 480p, and you want something a little cheaper, you can get one of these. Otherwise, if you do need 480p, you can get a ShinyBow now; or you can wait for Mike Chi to finish his transcoder, assuming it will support 480p+.

unless Mike changes the design, it won't - LM1881 doesn't support ED video

That brings up a good question. Shouldn't the transcoders pass through 480p, if fed RGBs?
Except few consoles natively output 480p in RGBs.

[thetallguy24]

I'm looking for a cheap line doubler with zero lag (or near to zero) like the Extron Andora (mentioned by Fudoh in his page), but this is impossible to find. There is an Extron 4LDxi in ebay but I can't find any info about its lag. does someone know something about this line doubler?

Ever figure this out? I'm curious if the 4ldxi has lag too

[maxtherabbit]

That brings up a good question. Shouldn't the transcoders pass through 480p, if fed RGBs?
Except few consoles natively output 480p in RGBs.

I'm assuming you mean RGsB (sync-on-green)?

If that's correct, then no, not exactly. That particular circuit requires sync to be present on all three RGB lines (RsGsBs) in order to pass it through to the Y output.

[FinalBaton]

I just found an older(1988) PVM locally (PVM-1344Q) and it was very affordable ($50 CAD) so I snagged it. The picture looks very good but there's some ghosting of the reds (something I didn't notice when testing it out before buying). It leaves a very faint red trail towards the right, but it's a long trail. There are also some diagonal red lines, spaced 1 inch apart, that appear on black background. They are very visible when powering on the monitor, but fade a lot after a minute but are still there.(I have no idea what's up with that, that's the first time I ever see something like this)

Anyone have an idea of what's causing this and what are the repairs needed?

I tried a great variety of cables everywhere in the chain, many different sources and even tried it in different rooms(in case magnetic fields were the culprit). In the end, that trail is still there. So I think it's safe to say that the problem is really with the monitor. What could it be, is it what's refered to as "chroma-delay" or "Y delay"? or is it proper "ghosting"? Could a degaussing wand help here(I don't think I hear a click when I power on the monitor, the degaussing coil might not be working...). or am I looking at a recap job? and if so, which board needs said recap? (I hope it's not all of them cause that's a herculean task )

I can't say it's very noticeable though, in fact it barely is. pretty much just on red areas that have a contrasting solid background next to them, and even then I really gotta squint to notice it (except on black blackgrounds, there it's more noticeable). But it's still in the back of my mind, you know? If it's not to hard to fix, I might give it a go. But yeah, not the end of the world either

Will try to snap a pic with my shitty phone camera

Thanks!


EDIT : here are some pics

so the picture looks pretty good, right
https://u.cubeupload.com/FinalBaton/e16IMAG0308.jpg

but you can see that faint ghosting here on pink and yellow text against black background
https://u.cubeupload.com/FinalBaton/IMAG0299.jpg

and you can see it on white text too
https://u.cubeupload.com/FinalBaton/IMAG0313.jpg

and here are the red diagonal lignes I mentionned earlier
http://u.cubeupload.com/FinalBaton/IMAG0302.jpg

bump

anyone know if I'm looking at a recap here? or is it a problem inherent to the tubes/neckboard instead?

EDIT : oh! just found a post on Reddit where Kya(who posts here also) offers a solution. Something about retrace line... Hopefully Kya will see this and assist me looksfrom that link that I'll need to adjust "G2" pot(screen voltage) on the flyback, I take it? Or is it the one labeled "screen" on the board at the back of the tube? Hopefully I'll have no problem finding that pot... and can this not be corrected via the R/G/B buttons for gain and bias on the front of monitor?
https://www.reddit.com/r/crtgaming/comm ... has_a_few/

I've never poked inside of a crt, so I'm a bit scared

I can't find the service manual either...

I've taken the case off and took a picture(linked below). If you know in which area the pot to adjust is, let me know.

Spoiler

It's very grimey... I guess hitting it with compressed air is the best way to get the dust off?

[KatKya]

Spoiler

I just found an older(1988) PVM locally (PVM-1344Q) and it was very affordable ($50 CAD) so I snagged it. The picture looks very good but there's some ghosting of the reds (something I didn't notice when testing it out before buying). It leaves a very faint red trail towards the right, but it's a long trail. There are also some diagonal red lines, spaced 1 inch apart, that appear on black background. They are very visible when powering on the monitor, but fade a lot after a minute but are still there.(I have no idea what's up with that, that's the first time I ever see something like this)

Anyone have an idea of what's causing this and what are the repairs needed?

I tried a great variety of cables everywhere in the chain, many different sources and even tried it in different rooms(in case magnetic fields were the culprit). In the end, that trail is still there. So I think it's safe to say that the problem is really with the monitor. What could it be, is it what's refered to as "chroma-delay" or "Y delay"? or is it proper "ghosting"? Could a degaussing wand help here(I don't think I hear a click when I power on the monitor, the degaussing coil might not be working...). or am I looking at a recap job? and if so, which board needs said recap? (I hope it's not all of them cause that's a herculean task )

I can't say it's very noticeable though, in fact it barely is. pretty much just on red areas that have a contrasting solid background next to them, and even then I really gotta squint to notice it (except on black blackgrounds, there it's more noticeable). But it's still in the back of my mind, you know? If it's not to hard to fix, I might give it a go. But yeah, not the end of the world either

Will try to snap a pic with my shitty phone camera

Thanks!


EDIT : here are some pics

so the picture looks pretty good, right
https://u.cubeupload.com/FinalBaton/e16IMAG0308.jpg

but you can see that faint ghosting here on pink and yellow text against black background
https://u.cubeupload.com/FinalBaton/IMAG0299.jpg

and you can see it on white text too
https://u.cubeupload.com/FinalBaton/IMAG0313.jpg

and here are the red diagonal lignes I mentionned earlier
http://u.cubeupload.com/FinalBaton/IMAG0302.jpg

bump

anyone know if I'm looking at a recap here? or is it a problem inherent to the tubes/neckboard instead?

EDIT : oh! just found a post on Reddit where Kya(who posts here also) offers a solution. Something about retrace line... Hopefully Kya will see this and assist me looksfrom that link that I'll need to adjust "G2" pot(screen voltage) on the flyback, I take it? Or is it the one labeled "screen" on the board at the back of the tube? Hopefully I'll have no problem finding that pot... and can this not be corrected via the R/G/B buttons for gain and bias on the front of monitor?
https://www.reddit.com/r/crtgaming/comm ... has_a_few/

I've never poked inside of a crt, so I'm a bit scared

I can't find the service manual either...

I've taken the case off and took a picture(linked below). If you know in which area the pot to adjust is, let me know.

Spoiler

It's very grimey... I guess hitting it with compressed air is the best way to get the dust off?

Hello.

First off, service manual; While I'm not readily aware of a manual for the 1344Q specifically, I do however have one for the 1444QM, which is the "Everywhere else" version of the America specific 1344. Nearly everything in it should carry over verbatim, with the exception of some potential changes to the power supply. Pay no mind to the silly filehost : PVM-1440QM, 1442QM, 1444QM Service Manual

The diagonal lines do appear to be retrace lines; These come from the gun not turning all the way off during the retrace of the screen as it journeys back up to the top left of the screen after drawing a field. Given that only red lines seem to be appearing, it can be assumed that only the red gun (should) need adjusted. Refer to Page 15 "3-4 White Balance" part 4 specifically, potentiometer(variable resistor) RV1705 should potentially be turned down slightly. This should (hopefully) solve the retrace line issue and possibly lessen your smearing at least for now. In regards to the "Is it G2 or Screen?" question, they two are exactly the same; G2 = Grid 2 = Screen Voltage = Screen.

Given that this monitor is 30 years old, a good portion of the capacitors in it have very likely drifted out of spec and are the actual cause of the problem. Drift could explain why what may have previously been a perfectly fine Red cathode voltage is now too much, and is extremely likely the cause of the smearing; If I had to guess on where the issue is, it'd be either drifting caps in the later portion of the red signal path leading to dirty/uneven power or even a faulty transistor responsible for the final amplification before being fed into the tube. A quick glance in the service manual shows that it's using discrete transistors for each color rather than a ganged triple amplifier on many TVs and the like, which could also be related to why you're only having issues with red and not all three at once.

Depending on how much time/labor/etc you're willing to invest, looking into having it just recapped in general would likely be the best direction to head, but the above focus would be were I'd suggest starting out to directly affect the current issues you're having.

For cleaning, a can of compressed air would be fine, but if you're dealing with an air compressor, you'd need something to deal with potential ESD build up as well as condensation.

[theclaw]

That brings up a good question. Shouldn't the transcoders pass through 480p, if fed RGBs?
Except few consoles natively output 480p in RGBs.

I'm assuming you mean RGsB (sync-on-green)?

If that's correct, then no, not exactly. That particular circuit requires sync to be present on all three RGB lines (RsGsBs) in order to pass it through to the Y output.

Regular SCART is RGBs. I was thinking a SCART to component transcoder might tolerate 480p in RGBs form.

[maxtherabbit]

That brings up a good question. Shouldn't the transcoders pass through 480p, if fed RGBs?
Except few consoles natively output 480p in RGBs.

I'm assuming you mean RGsB (sync-on-green)?

If that's correct, then no, not exactly. That particular circuit requires sync to be present on all three RGB lines (RsGsBs) in order to pass it through to the Y output.

Regular SCART is RGBs. I was thinking a SCART to component transcoder might tolerate 480p in RGBs form.

Oh OK I follow now (conventionally sync is represented by a capital 'S' when its being carried on its own line)

In any case, that was the subject of my first post on the subject - 480p RGBS will not work with Mike Chi's transcoder design unless it is changed to not use an LM1881. In theory you could modify his design to bypass the sync stripper and mix c sync directly into the y output I suppose