Fudoh's ode to old display technology

[kardus]

I just got my hands on a few monitors (two of which are a PVM-20L5 and a BVM-20F1U) and I'm fairly excited.

My plan is to grab an HD 5450 and use crt_emudriver with a VGA -> 5 BNC adapter. I've read that it's fine to use a 'T' adaptor to connect H/V sync together to the single SYNC port on these monitors, but I've had others say this isn't recommended. Is this true?

[atheistgod1999]

Based on the pictures of the screen I took earlier, does my CRT look low-end? I'm wondering if I'm just delusional that this is a high-end set and I'm really just a noob who hasn't experienced true quality yet.

[bobrocks95]

I'm probably prattling on too much about daughterboards, any 2003 set would of course have much more simplified PCBs.

I would say personally speaking that aperture grille sets look much better, but that's personal taste. Whether it's high-end or not I couldn't say, doesn't look bad for a consumer set. TVL count would be nice to know for consumer sets, but even it isn't everything.

[Fudoh]

My plan is to grab an HD 5450 and use crt_emudriver with a VGA -> 5 BNC adapter. I've read that it's fine to use a 'T' adaptor to connect H/V sync together to the single SYNC port on these monitors, but I've had others say this isn't recommended. Is this true?

does $15-20 for a sync interface hurt you so much ? It also has the advantage that you can convert to RGsB instead of RGBs and hence use the component inputs on the BVMs - saving the RGBs input for a real RGBs source.

[MKL]

Some advances in semiconductor tech allowed Sony to reduce the number of boards in their late-model sets, to just one main board by 2006 at latest. Maybe the highest end Wega has a couple daughterboards still but it should be fewer.

That Toshiba board does look a bit simple compared to my 27FS120 but it's in the ballpark.

But unlike that Toshiba the Sony does have a separate board for velocity modulation as well as its coil on the neck. Someone here still thinks his TV does SVM out of nowhere...

[kardus]

My plan is to grab an HD 5450 and use crt_emudriver with a VGA -> 5 BNC adapter. I've read that it's fine to use a 'T' adaptor to connect H/V sync together to the single SYNC port on these monitors, but I've had others say this isn't recommended. Is this true?

does $15-20 for a sync interface hurt you so much ? It also has the advantage that you can convert to RGsB instead of RGBs and hence use the component inputs on the BVMs - saving the RGBs input for a real RGBs source.

Which models/products should I be looking for?

EDIT: I was mostly asking if it would work fine or if it would cause any issues. Looked on ebay for extron rgb interfaces- but as I'm in Canada there aren't as many and most I've seen are $40-100+

[Einzelherz]

Are we allowed to post the eBay names of said difficult individuals on here? I ask because I'd like to avoid them and going by "the guy with GVMs" might not always work.

[xga]

I just got my hands on a few monitors (two of which are a PVM-20L5 and a BVM-20F1U) and I'm fairly excited.

My plan is to grab an HD 5450 and use crt_emudriver with a VGA -> 5 BNC adapter. I've read that it's fine to use a 'T' adaptor to connect H/V sync together to the single SYNC port on these monitors, but I've had others say this isn't recommended. Is this true?

I've used a GroovyMAME PC with an ATI card using a VGA -> 5 BNC cable on my PVM-20L5. As you've mentioned, I had to use a BNC T adaptor to combine the horizontal and vertical syncs for it to work. Someone else can correct me if I'm wrong, but I cannot see any issues with combining sync's on a PVM.

Image quality looked fantastic, btw.

[xga]

So I got that Sony GVM-2020 last night and I can say I was pretty damned disappointed. First of all the monitor I received was not NIB, it was a used one. Although David calibrated the geometry well the convergence on the left side was shit. So the long unanswered question you see occasionally about those GVM's on eBay can finally be answered, they are not as good as the guy claims. Avoid buying the monitors from him. I had a problem with getting it to sync at first and called him up to make sure this is normal for a GVM-2020. This one is different than PVM's because if it has a sync signal it dislikes it simply powers off the CRT until you feed it one it likes. It makes you think the Monitor is malfunctioning if you have not seen it before. Anyway he was pretty rude on the phone and he talks down to you. He has a huge air of arrogance about him and keeps repeating how perfectly they calibrate and test all their monitors. I came close to raising my voice with the guy because of how frustrating he was to talk to. If you want a GVM-2020 its best to look elsewhere even though they are getting hard to find.

The model of monitor itself is good though, its about on par with some arcade monitors. It has a nice vibrant display and the scanlines are not super thick. To be honest unless you are looking for a multisync monitor there really is not anything special about this one. If you just need 240p/480i I recommend picking up any of the 20 inch PVM's in its place as this monitor's video quality sits between that of a PVM-2030 and a PVM-1954Q. You also can not calibrate much on it without opening it. There is no OSD, its all knobs and pots. This monitor is all plastic inside so unless you ship it freight good luck getting it to you in one piece. It is much more fragile than a PVM.

I am going to try to correct some of the convergence issues before posting any pictures. I was so pissed off over this I ordered a 14L5 today from someone who actually calibrates these things (unlike this guy).

Disappointing (and a frustrating experience for you) to hear, Skips.

I must admit, after looking at some of the photos of it on the eBay auction, I was wondering if they were really NIB. It looks like there are a few minor scuff marks on the plastic and the rear input section looks a bit dusty.

I'm keen to see some pictures once you've had a go at improving the convergence, but think I'll pass on picking one of these up.

Is there a build date on your GVM-2020? I'm guessing circa 1991?

[kardus]

I've used a GroovyMAME PC with an ATI card using a VGA -> 5 BNC cable on my PVM-20L5. As you've mentioned, I had to use a BNC T adaptor to combine the horizontal and vertical syncs for it to work. Someone else can correct me if I'm wrong, but I cannot see any issues with combining sync's on a PVM.

Image quality looked fantastic, btw.

I thought it would be fine since I've seen people doing it, but I just wanted to make sure. I've heard that these monitors are not very picky at all, but if an RGB interface will get me a better picture that's what I'm after so I will probably try and get my hands on one. I think I may have needed to get one eventually anyway, because I would like to use my capture card on the monitor's RGB out. The card (XCAPTURE-1) supposedly requires or at least expects separate sync. So I may have to go Source (RGBHV) -> Extron (RGBS) -> Monitor -> Extron RGB #2 (RGBHV) -> Capture card. I could always connect directly into the capture card before the monitor and use the passthrough functionality to avoid a second RGB interface but I'm not sure if that would be ideal or add additional lag?

I've seen some of the Extron RGB units with a second port for "Buffered local monitor output". Is the processed sync output here as well or is it an unprocessed output/something else?

[Skips]

So I got that Sony GVM-2020 last night and I can say I was pretty damned disappointed. First of all the monitor I received was not NIB, it was a used one. Although David calibrated the geometry well the convergence on the left side was shit. So the long unanswered question you see occasionally about those GVM's on eBay can finally be answered, they are not as good as the guy claims. Avoid buying the monitors from him. I had a problem with getting it to sync at first and called him up to make sure this is normal for a GVM-2020. This one is different than PVM's because if it has a sync signal it dislikes it simply powers off the CRT until you feed it one it likes. It makes you think the Monitor is malfunctioning if you have not seen it before. Anyway he was pretty rude on the phone and he talks down to you. He has a huge air of arrogance about him and keeps repeating how perfectly they calibrate and test all their monitors. I came close to raising my voice with the guy because of how frustrating he was to talk to. If you want a GVM-2020 its best to look elsewhere even though they are getting hard to find.

The model of monitor itself is good though, its about on par with some arcade monitors. It has a nice vibrant display and the scanlines are not super thick. To be honest unless you are looking for a multisync monitor there really is not anything special about this one. If you just need 240p/480i I recommend picking up any of the 20 inch PVM's in its place as this monitor's video quality sits between that of a PVM-2030 and a PVM-1954Q. You also can not calibrate much on it without opening it. There is no OSD, its all knobs and pots. This monitor is all plastic inside so unless you ship it freight good luck getting it to you in one piece. It is much more fragile than a PVM.

I am going to try to correct some of the convergence issues before posting any pictures. I was so pissed off over this I ordered a 14L5 today from someone who actually calibrates these things (unlike this guy).

Disappointing (and a frustrating experience for you) to hear, Skips.

I must admit, after looking at some of the photos of it on the eBay auction, I was wondering if they were really NIB. It looks like there are a few minor scuff marks on the plastic and the rear input section looks a bit dusty.

I'm keen to see some pictures once you've had a go at improving the convergence, but think I'll pass on picking one of these up.

Is there a build date on your GVM-2020? I'm guessing circa 1991?

Nope, he pulled the sticker with the date on it off. I spent about six hours last night messing with convergence, i would need a lot of convergence strips and and act of god to make this thing look good. I ended up just unplugging it out of frustration and putting it away until I have more time to fuck with it. It should of set off red flags when I asked about convergence on his monitors before buying. He kinda danced around it and gave an answer that did not really answer my question.

Its OK though, I got in contact with someone that knows what they are doing and got a low hours 14L5 (user that he got it from knew how long it had been used) on the way.

[DatPhosphorGlow]

Does anyone have a BKM-24N input card to spare? I'm US and Canada PayPal verified.


Cheers,

[jedman]

Noticed in the extend menu for the D24 there is a restore factory data option for the input boards and then within the maintenance menu there is a restore factory settings all option, anyone know what the restore factory settings all does?

[atheistgod1999]

Noticed in the extend menu for the D24 there is a restore factory data option for the input boards and then within the maintenance menu there is a restore factory settings all option, anyone know what the restore factory settings all does?

Reset all settings to their defaults, I'd believe.

[jedman]

wasn't sure if this is just the input boards or the internal boards as well, like the E board etc.

[DatPhosphorGlow]

I'm in need of some 75 ohm caps but am a bit confused. Other than resistance (ohms) there seems to be specification for wattage and a percentage, and these specifications vary between different brands. Examples below. So, what specs are best for a BVM? If it doesn't matter, does anyone know why there are different specifications and how it doesn't apply to use on these monitors.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Terminator-BNC- ... Sw2GlXKk-p

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LOT-OF-7-Tektro ... Sw74FXOzVm

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GRUBER-10-Pack- ... xyni9TBoL5

[svensonson]

unbelievable!

just snapped another untested NEC XM29 during my lunch time for not more than a handjob....hardly can wait to test this beauty at home...
tube does not have any scratches and the guy said it was stored away since 1964
I will send some results later

[atheistgod1999]

the guy said it was stored away since 1964

Did the guy actually say that, or is that a typo? The XM29, let alone the resolutions it can produce, didn't come out until the 1990's.

[Einzelherz]

the guy said it was stored away since 1964

Did the guy actually say that, or is that a typo? The XM29, let alone the resolutions it can produce, didn't come out until the 1990's.

Hyperbole, man.

[svensonson]

just hooked it up to my sg and it is working absolute flawlessly.
this one will be used for tate only

[Shoryukev]

I'd love to get my hands on just one XM29....let alone ANOTHER one

[DatPhosphorGlow]

just hooked it up to my sg and it is working absolute flawlessly.
this one will be used for tate only

Nice D32/A32 in the background. What kind of shelving are you using for it? Any more pictures?

[svensonson]

playing chorensha on my x68000.




@Carthik

picked up this rack a while ago from an old dude who bought it from a designer shop in Germany. its doing a good Job and can manage the 100kg bvm without a Problem

I am just about to rewire all that shit. so it is a bit messy right now

[FinalBaton]

that's a sweet ass rack, svensonson. meaning that it's filled with great stock

Is that a commodore SX-64 I see on the bottom right?

Also, I like seeing a tape deck there. I recently got back in the cassette game with a nice Luxman 2 head deck, and I'm having a great time listening to my old tapes, and I even bought a couple "new" ones. The format sounds really good, I'm actually quite impressed (had a crappy deck when I was a teen).
What brand and model is yours?

[svensonson]

yeah, SX64..one of my most favourite Systems beside the x68000.

also found some really old mixtapes at my parents house and I thought that I should buy a cheapish one from the same series like my Sony RM-S410 Controller.
I just liked the mid-80s plastic design of it. I thought it does fit good for retro gaming anyway. nothing special to be honest ...not to compare with a nice Luxman like yours

still looking for some nice vintage JBL Speakers L4410/4411 or Sony SS-G7

[BazookaBen]

svensonson knows how to play old-school games!

[FinalBaton]

yeah, SX64..one of my most favourite Systems beside the x68000.

also found some really old mixtapes at my parents house and I thought that I should buy a cheapish one from the same series like my Sony RM-S410 Controller.
I just liked the mid-80s plastic design of it. I thought it does fit good for retro gaming anyway. nothing special to be honest ...not to compare with a nice Luxman like yours

still looking for some nice vintage JBL Speakers L4410/4411 or Sony SS-G7

I like that you have audio decks of the same system. For some reason it really meshes well with the industrial look of the BVM and the rack

[Einzelherz]

I tried to get my 14L5's colors to be a little less flat today. I adjusted its white balance and level menus to match the defaults in the service manual and now everything has a warmer hue to it. I'm trying to match it to my 20L2, which is probably a touch too cold, but can't figure out which settings adjust what properly.

Those I've been tinkering with are:

Y Black
PR Black
PB Black
Chroma PB
Chroma PR
G-Y/B Level
G-Y/R Level
PB Level
PR Level

as well as the gain and bias adjustments in the white balance menu for each color.

I think I have a fundimental misunderstanding of a.) what the gain and bias do and, b.) what adjustments to the color affect overall colors (in this case whites that are tinted yellow).

Does anyone have any advice?

[22point8]

From the service manuals I've read you adjust those colour settings using an oscilloscope to match waveforms.

For the white balance you leave green at the stock setting and balance the red and blue, lucky for me I have a spectrophotometer and colorimeter so I know exactly how much R G and B I have. The blue only mode also has to be white balanced if you intend on using it.

Your white balance needs less red or more blue.

[Einzelherz]

Do I adjust those gain and bias settings? Do you know what each of them mean/do?